The Joe Biden Administration has announced that it will use federal regulatory powers and withhold federal funding from public institutions to pressure more Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Speaking from the White House, the president said that some politicians are trying to turn public safety measures into
"disputes for their own political gain"
and warned that "their tone is becoming dangerous."
Biden ordered the Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, to exercise his supervisory authority and take the "corresponding" legal actions.
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Republican governors around the country have recently signed executive orders or enacted laws that seek to prevent local officials from enforcing the mandatory use of masks in certain public spaces such as schools.
“I am instructing the secretary of education to take additional steps to protect our children.
This includes legal action against governors who try to intimidate or block educators.
We are not going to sit idly by while governors try to intimidate educators, "Biden said at a press conference from the White House.
"For example,
if a governor wants to cut the salary of an educator for requiring the use of masks in schools
, the money from the rescue plan can be used 100% to cover their salaries," he specified.
Biden also announced that vaccination will be required for all employees who work with older adults who receive medical insurance from medicaid or medicare.
[New York already requires a certificate of vaccination against COVID-19 in some closed spaces]
"I am using the power of the federal government, as a contributor to social spending, to ensure that we reduce those risks for our most vulnerable older adults," declared the Democratic president.
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Biden's plan is a radical boost to authorities' attempts to immunize the roughly 90 million Americans who qualify for vaccines but have refused or been unable to receive them.
The measure will affect more than 15,000 senior citizen households and 1.3 million employees, of which about 60% are already vaccinated, according to the CDC.
Residents of retirement communities have been at higher risk of contracting COVID-19, even once vaccinated.
Data from the CDC showed that the effectiveness of vaccines dropped from 75% in March to 53% in August
.
Administration officials announced Wednesday that they recommend that all adults receive a booster shot eight months after their first dose starting next month.
With information from The Washington Post and NBC News.