West DSM News

Gov. Kim Reynolds has been outspoken about her opposition of COVID-19 vaccine mandates, and this continued when the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati allowed President Joe Biden’s mandate for large companies to move forward by a 2-1 vote.

The vote came on Dec.18, according to the Des Moines Register. The mandate, which comes from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is a requirement for businesses of 100 employees or more, according to White House. The Register reported that this decision would apply to 84 million workers across the nation. In Iowa, it could affect 2,200 Iowa businesses and 923,000 workers, according to the Iowa Department of Workforce Development.

“I am very disappointed in the 6th Circuit panel decision,” Reynolds said in a release from her office. “We are in the height of a workforce shortage and supply chain crisis, and I have no doubt these issues are only going to be compounded by this poor decision. The state has immediately asked the Supreme Court to stop this mandate. I will not stop fighting for Iowans and their personal freedoms and individual liberties.” 

The White House released a statement saying this mandate will protect workers as the omicron variant begins to sweep the country.

“Especially as the U.S. faces the highly transmissible omicron variant, it’s critical we move forward with vaccination requirements and protections for workers with the urgency needed in this moment,” the White House statement said, according to The Des Moines Register.

The original requirements were published by OSHA in November and since then 27 Republican states, conservative groups and businesses have been in opposition. Republicans have also been opposed to other mandates created by the Biden administration. 

Despite Republicans saying COVID-19 is not just a workplace issue but rather a general health risk, the voting panel has stood by its decision.

“Given OSHA’s clear and exercised authority to regulate viruses, OSHA necessarily has the authority to regulate infectious diseases that are not unique to the workplace,” Judge Julia Smith Gibbons said. “Vaccination and medical examinations are both tools that OSHA historically employed to contain illness in the workplace."

The majority vote was a bipartisan decision as Gibbons was appointed by former President George W. Bush, a Republican. Also in the majority was Judge Branstetter Stranch, who was appointed by Democratic President Barack Obama.

Opposed was President Donald Trump’s nominee Judge Joan Larson, who said Congress didn’t authorize OSHA to make the rule and also unvaccinated workers are not a danger to those who are vaccinated. Republican Attorney General Leslie Rutledge and South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson also spoke in opposition, with Rutledge saying she will also ask the Supreme Court to block the decision.

The Biden administration estimates this decision will not only save 6,500 lives but also lessen hospitalizations by 250,000 over six months.