Boise, Idaho – The U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration released an Emergency Temporary Standard today, a new rule requiring private employers with 100 or more employees to require vaccination or testing and masking for its employees. The move stems from another one of President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandates. The rule impacts an estimated 84 million workers. Under the standard, covered employers must develop, implement, and enforce a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy unless they adopt a policy requiring employees to choose to either be vaccinated or undergo regular COVID-19 testing and wear a face covering at work.

Governor Brad Little issued the following statement in response: 

“I joined Idaho leaders in communicating to President Joe Biden in September our concerns with his federal vaccine mandate on private business, and we threatened legal action if he did not rescind the directive. Not surprisingly, President Biden is plowing forward with his OSHA rule to punish America’s businesses – yet another unprecedented federal overreach into the private sector. I have been actively working with Attorney General Lawrence Wasden and my legal team, and we will join a multistate lawsuit Friday to stop this latest attempt to force the private sector to police President Biden’s vaccine mandates.” 

Governor Little and other Idaho leaders detailed their concerns with the mandate in a September 17, 2021, letter to President Biden, available here. 

In addition, Governor Little announced last week he signed onto another multistate lawsuit challenging President Biden’s vaccine mandates for federal contractors. 

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