WHAT THEY ARE SAYING: Organizations and Leaders Applaud Biden Administration's New OSHA and CMS Vaccination Policies

Earlier today, the Biden Administration announced the details of two vaccination policies to fight COVID-19 that will result in millions of American workers getting vaccinated. Today's announcements mean that more than 100 million workers – two-thirds of all workers in the U.S – are now covered by vaccination requirements.

Business organizations, health care groups, and members of Congress applauded the Biden Administration's actions to protect workers, strengthen our economy, and accelerate the path out of the pandemic. Vaccination requirements have already helped reduce the number of unvaccinated Americans by approximately 40% since July, and many organizations that have adopted vaccination requirements have increased vaccination rates by more than 20 percentage points to well above 90 percent.

See below for what they are saying:

Joshua Bolten, President and CEO of Business Roundtable: "Business Roundtable welcomes the Administration's announcement to extend the implementation period for the vaccine mandate for federal contractors to align with the new OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for private sector employers…We support the Administration's vaccination efforts and continued engagement with stakeholders to ensure implementation is a success." [Press Release, 11/4/21]

U.S. Chamber of Commerce: "The Chamber believes that the widespread vaccinations is the key to beating COVID and we are proud of the work of the business community in the effort to help Americans get vaccinated. OSHA made some significant adjustments in the ETS that reflect concerns raised by the business community. The Chamber is focused on helping our members ensure that their employees are vaccinated, and communicating to OSHA operational and implementation issues employers have with the requirements of the ETS." [Statement, 11/4/21]

Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union: "Too many essential and front-line workers' lives continue to be on the line in this pandemic, and having a standard to protect workers across the board is critical." [Wall Street Journal, 11/4/21]

Mary Kay Henry, International President, SEIU: "These new rules from the @WhiteHouse and @CMS are an important tool in this fight, and they will make a difference in the lives of millions of people who are keeping us all safe, fed, and healthy." [Tweet, 11/4/21]

Randi Weingarten, President of American Federation of Teachers: "Once again, the Biden administration has stepped up to keep workers safe and crush the scourge of COVID so we can continue to pave a pathway out of this pandemic. These commonsense actions will save thousands of lives and curb hospital stays that are not only devastating for patients but harrowing for the frontline workers charged with their care." [Press Release, 11/4/21]

Tammy Halevy, Co-Director of Reimagine Main Street: "The publishing of these two important rules ensures that two-thirds of American workers are now covered by vaccine requirements, adds clarity the business community needs to stay compliant while helping get their employees vaccinated, and is a step forward toward securing our economic recovery, and can serve as guidance to safely reopening Main Streets, Cesar Chavez Ways, Chinatowns, and Martin Luther King Boulevards." [Press Release, 11/4/21]

Leslie Dach, Chair of Protect Our Care: "These rules are another critical step in the country's fight against COVID-19 and a testament to President Biden's unwavering commitment to keeping families safe. Vaccine mandates are not only overwhelmingly popular with voters, they're extremely effective. While Republican leaders have done just about everything in their power to undermine vaccinations and prolong this pandemic, President Biden has taken bold action to get more shots in arms and deliver relief to the American people. There is no doubt vaccine mandates will save lives and boost the economy, and the new rules are another welcome step to get the pandemic behind us." [Press Release, 11/4/21]

Georges C. Benjamin, MD, Executive Director of American Public Health Association: "As our nation and the world continue to battle this pandemic that has underscored longstanding health disparities and a history of inadequate public health funding, we must do all we can to protect each other. APHA stands behind the administration and the entire public health community in applying proven infection control and prevention measures and fighting a consistent and distressing wave of distrust and disinformation. This proposal is business friendly and will help stimulate our economy by ensuring the safety of workers and their families." [Press Release, 11/4/21]

Rick Pollack, President and CEO of American Hospital Association: "Today's vaccine mandate regulations set clear expectations, and streamline and simplify compliance requirements for health care providers. Importantly, they clarify that hospitals will need to comply with only the CMS rule, eliminating unnecessary complexity in implementing vaccine mandates. Additionally, we welcome that the CMS regulation provides time to come into compliance, offers guidance on medical and religious exemptions, clarifies interactions with state and local laws, and provides a level playing field across healthcare facilities." [Press Release, 11/4/21]

House Committee on Education and Labor Chairman Rep. Bobby Scott (VA-03): "The Biden Administration's emergency workplace safety standard is a turning point in the fight against COVID-19. As more than 1,200 Americans continue to die every day from COVID-19, I applaud President Biden and the Department of Labor for taking decisive action to protect our workers, families, and businesses." [Press Release, 11/4/21]

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI): "This new emergency temporary standard from OSHA will help protect the health and safety of workers and prevent additional outbreaks and further spread of COVID-19." [Press Release, 11/4/21]

Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01): Vaccines are the best way out of the pandemic. We are fortunate to have safe and effective vaccines to protect us from a disease that has killed more than 750,000 Americans. This rule will create safer workplaces and help our economy get back to normal." [Tweet, 11/4/21]

Rep. André Carson (IN-07): The Biden Administration's guidelines to encourage more American workers to get vaccinated are a necessary and bold step we must take to defeat this pandemic. Employers have a responsibility to keep their employees and their customers safe." [Tweet, 11/4/21]

Rep. Andy Levin (MI-09): "@OSHA_DOL's new vaccination policies for employers will help save lives and get us to end this pandemic. Sadly, COVID-19 has caused more deaths among workers in a shorter period of time than any other health emergency since the establishment of OSHA 50 years ago." [Tweet, 11/4/21]