Nebraska governor, chamber troubled by Biden’s mandatory vaccine plan for private companies
Count Nebraska as one of the states where President Joe Biden’s plan to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for health care workers and many private sector employees is meeting opposition.
Gov. Pete Ricketts has vowed to fight the plan and the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce has serious concerns over its impact on business.
“We are going to muster every tool in the toolbox to fight back against President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate,” Ricketts said on Facebook.
The president’s order is “a stunning violation of personal freedom and abuse of the federal government’s power,” the governor said in a statement. “This plan isn’t about public health – this is about government control and taking away personal liberties.”
According to the White House, the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is developing a rule requiring all employers with 100 or more workers to either mandate vaccinations or require a negative COVID-19 test each week for employees before coming to work.
Biden’s plan calls for all federal workers to be vaccinated as well as contractors doing business with the federal government.
Ricketts disagrees with the proposal.
“Americans, not the federal government, are responsible for taking charge of their personal health,” the governor said. “It is not the role of the federal government to mandate their choices. Nebraska will stand up to President Biden’s overreach, and we will be working with the Attorney General to explore all our options.”
Brian Sloan, president of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce, also expressed concern about Biden’s plan.
“The president’s proposed mandate certainly takes us down a concerning path,” Sloan told The Center Square. “First, any rule that asks businesses to serve as a stand-in enforcement agency for individual choices made outside the workplace deserves extra scrutiny.”
The requirements will also impose costs that are “extraordinarily high” for smaller and mid-size businesses, Sloan said.
“Third, it’s not clear whether the policy would actually achieve the Administration’s objective or further complicate workforce shortages and supply chain difficulties by creating more workforce upheaval at a precarious time for our economy,” the chamber president said.
This article was originally posted on Nebraska governor, chamber troubled by Biden’s mandatory vaccine plan for private companies
About Author
