A U.S. district court in Georgia on Tuesday decided to prohibit the Biden administration from implementing its vaccination mandate for federal contractors across the country, CNBC reported.
Judge R. Stan Baker of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia said the president probably exceeded his authority under the Procurement Act.
Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, said the Department of Justice will “vigorously defend” the vaccination requirement in court.
In September, the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force issued guidance stating that covered contractor personnel must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 no later than Dec. 8, in compliance with a Sept. 9 executive order. In November, the White House moved to Jan. 4 the deadline for the vaccination requirement.
The latest decision came a week after a federal district court judge in Kentucky temporarily blocked the implementation of the vaccine mandate in Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee.
Government Executive reported the Professional Services Council has cited some challenges when it comes to complying with the mandate.
Stephanie Kostro, executive vice president for policy at PSC, said the mandate requires vaccinations for services contracts, but does not require it for product contracts and that various agencies have implemented different approaches when it comes to contracts focused on products.
For contractors “across the board, it really complicates human resources and really facilities’ access policies as well,” Kostro told the publication.
