The United States Senate has voted to lift the Covid vaccination obligation decreed by President Joe Biden for employees of large companies. The measure, approved with the favorable vote of 52 senators, constitutes a victory for the Republican minority, which was joined by two moderate Democratic senators: Jon Tester and Joe Manchin. The resolution now passes to the House of Representatives, where its approval appears more difficult: despite the narrow democratic majority, in fact, the Republicans will not be able to make use of the same process of accelerated parliamentary discussion, and instead hope to obtain with the support of some democratic deputies the simple majority necessary to schedule a vote. Biden’s vaccination obligation applies to all workers in US companies with at least 100 employees, who should be vaccinated or undergo recurrent diagnostic tests by January 4.
US, in 10 states stop the vaccination obligation for health workers: a federal judge blocks Biden
Republicans believe the decree exceeds the federal government’s limits of power and violates the civil rights of US workers; last November a New Orleans court suspended the vaccination obligation decreed by the president, finding “serious” constitutional legitimacy flaws. Various states and associations representing the country have also filed an appeal against the provision. An Axios-Ipsos survey published at the end of November shows that only 14 percent of US workers support the dismissal of unvaccinated workers; a poll published by the “Wall Street Journal” last December 7, however, found support by 50 percent of voters for the mandatory vaccination required by Biden.