Ortiz: Biden’s Vaccine Mandate for America’s Businesses Is Outrageous Big Government Overreach

Alfredo Ortiz writes at Fox Business that in a major overreach of federal government power, President Joe Biden has ordered American businesses that employ 100 or more workers to implement his national vaccine mandate. Setting aside the argument that the rule is unconstitutional, Ortiz points out the many reasons it is counterproductive and a terrible idea:

The forthcoming Labor Department emergency rule will affect around 80 million private-sector employees. Companies that don’t comply will face $14,000 fines. The Wall Street Journal reports that fellow employees will likely be the ones to police the law, fostering workplace animosity.

. . .

This order will add a significant new barrier to hiring. Some chronically understaffed businesses will have to fire workers who refuse to submit to the rule, forcing these companies to further reduce capacity and economic output to match their staffing level constraints.

The mandate also adds a new expense for businesses in the form of tracking and ongoing testing of their employees. It requires companies to offer paid time off for their employees to get vaccinated. Many businesses are already operating on slim profit margins in the current stagflating economy. Some will be forced to offset the costs of this burden by reducing wages and job opportunities.

Read the rest of the article here.