Federal Agency Halts Vaccine Mandate Implementation Amid Court Proceedings

After the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit stayed the Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard mandating vaccines for employees of companies with 100+ employees, the federal agency says it is halting implementation of the mandate, which was originally slated for January 4. 

On Friday, the court directed OSHA to “take no steps to implement or enforce” the vaccine mandate until further court direction. 

OSHA has now acknowledged this position with this statement on their website: 

The court ordered that OSHA “take no steps to implement or enforce” the ETS “until further court order.” While OSHA remains confident in its authority to protect workers in emergencies, OSHA has suspended activities related to the implementation and enforcement of the ETS pending future developments in the litigation.

It is expected that the case will ultimately reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

While the delay provides more leeway for employers and employees affected by the mandate, the Republican Party of Texas says the move does not protect employees from “woke corporations” implementing their own vaccine mandates before the rule went into effect. 

While 19 Republican lawmakers have called for a fourth special session in Texas to address vaccine mandates, Gov. Greg Abbott has so far refused to call lawmakers back to Austin.

Meanwhile, a motion has been filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to halt an executive order by President Joe Biden requiring Federal contractors to mandate vaccines for employees. A decision on that motion is pending.

Sydnie Henry

A born and bred Texan, Sydnie serves as the Managing Editor for Texas Scorecard. She graduated from Patrick Henry College with a B.A. in Government and is utilizing her research and writing skills to spread truth to Texans.