Biden Orders Vaccine Mandate as Delta Cases Surge
A visibly frustrated President Biden issued a sweeping executive order that would mandate the vaccination of approximately 80 million Americans. The order would affect federal workers, but also those businesses employing more than 100 employees.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is charged with enforcing the new order. The response from business was mixed, but many major employers such as McDonald’s and Walmart already require vaccines for many of their employees.
INSTRUCTORS: click the link below to download this week’s lecture for use in your classroom. The deck contains a writing prompt and a debate question as well as other assessment questions.
Videos:
- Video #1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=my263UVFlKo
- Video #2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er-p3lsW4DM
Article Links (News):
Biden announces COVID-19 vaccine mandates that will affect 100 million Americans
CBS News
9/10/21
https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/biden-covid-19-vaccine-mandates-announcement/
What you need to know about President Joe Biden’s new COVID-19 vaccine mandates
CNBC
9/10/21
Who’s covered by Biden’s new vaccine mandates? When do they go into effect? Here’s what we know.
USA Today
9/10/21
Attacking anti-vaccine movement, Biden mandates widespread COVID shots, tests
Reuters
9/10/21 https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-deliver-six-step-plan-covid-19-pandemic-2021-09-09/
Article Links (Analysis):
Biden’s Sweeping Vaccine Mandates Infuriate Republican Governors
NY Times
9/11/21
Are Biden’s new vaccine requirements legal?
Vox
9/11/21
https://www.vox.com/22666625/biden-vaccine-mandate-covid-19-supreme-court-osha-constitution-legal
Sweeping new vaccine mandates for 100 million Americans
Associated Press
9/10/21
Republicans explode with fury over Biden vaccine mandate: ‘Absolutely unconstitutional’
Fox News
9/10/21
Assessment:
Writing: Describe why President Biden issued the executive order to mandate vaccines after previously saying he would not. Why is President Biden’s action politically risky?
Debate: Are mandatory vaccines an infringement on personal liberty?
Poll: Should the federal government mandate vaccinations ?
Short Answer: Short of a mandate, how can government effectively combat the Delta variant when millions of Americans remain unvaccinated?
Quiz:
Approximately how many Americans could be affected by President Biden’s vaccine mandate?
a. 8,058
b. 83,000
c. 800,890
d. 80,000,000
Which agency is tasked with enforcing the federal vaccine mandate?
a. the Department of Health and Human Services
b. the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
c. the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
d. the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Why did President Biden issue an executive order to mandate the vaccine?
a. economic numbers indicate worry about the spread of the Delta variant
b. President Biden’s approval numbers have slipped in part because of the Delta variant
c. infections and deaths have reached levels not seen since the height of the pandemic
d. all these answers are correct
Many employers such as McDonald’s and Walmart already mandate vaccines. (T/F)
Surprisingly, most Republican governors welcomed the Biden Administration’s efforts to mandate the vaccine. (T/F)
President Biden’s order marks the first time that government has mandated vaccines. (T/F)
