Companies mull ending government contracts over vaccine mandate – By Hailey Fuchs & Natasha Korecki (Politico) / Oct 31 2021
Members of the aerospace, distribution, defense and trucking sectors are warning the Biden administration they will not be able to meet the vaccine deadline.
Objections among certain vendors over President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for federal contractors are reaching an inflection point. As the deadline for workforce vaccination approaches, some trucking companies are mulling whether to end their work with the federal government altogether, according to two industry insiders.
In an interview, the American Trucking Associations’ executive vice president for advocacy Bill Sullivan told POLITICO that some companies may simply decide that the cost of the mandate is not worth the government’s checks. Sullivan said he has raised concerns to the White House, Office of Management and Budget and other executive branch officials. He noted that if companies drop their contracts, it may be harder to get certain foods to troops, transport fuel for military vehicles, or even deploy the National Guard.
“I am confident but with heavy heart recognize a vaccine mandate will mean less capacity for the government as a customer of freight,” he said. “It has the potential to seriously impact military readiness.” His association has also warned that it could also delay deliveries to consumers during the holiday season. “I feel like the president has tried to be beautifully simple like this could apply to everybody, and by doing that, there will be an impact,” he said.
Sullivan’s remarks are among the sharpest warnings yet from the business community about the residual impacts of the vaccine mandate. In September, Biden signed an executive order requiring all federal employees and federal contractors receive the Covid-19 vaccine, without the ability to opt out by taking weekly Covid tests. In addition, Biden called for vaccine requirements for any private business employing more than 100 workers. Private employees, however, can opt out by submitting to testing.
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