Biden talks mandates with CEOS, executives
President says rule will take time to implement
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden met Wednesday with the CEOS of Walt Disney and Columbia Sportswear, and other business leaders, to discuss his recently announced vaccine requirement for companies that employ at least 100 people.
The White House meeting comes less than a week after Biden said that the Labor Department is working to require businesses with 100 or more employees to order those workers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, or show a negative test result at least weekly.
Some 80 million workers would be subject to the requirement, Biden said. The Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration is working to issue an emergency rule to implement the requirement in the coming weeks.
Biden noted that employer moves toward mandates are already moving to improve the nation's laggard vaccination rate.
Just over half, or 54%, of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Biden announced the new requirements and several other steps last Thursday as part of a tougher effort by the administration to curb the surging delta variant of the coronavirus, which is responsible for a surge in U.S. infections, hospitalizations and deaths.
The president also sharply criticized the tens of millions of people who remain unvaccinated, despite the fact that the shots are free of charge and widely available.
“We've been patient. But our patience is wearing thin, and your refusal has cost all of us,” Biden said.
The business leaders and CEOS Biden met with at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building either have put in place vaccine requirements or are working to implement such rules, the White House said.
Some business groups, including the Business Roundtable, welcomed the president's announcement, while some Republicans accused Biden of overstepping his authority.