White House: No apparent disruption from vaccine mandate

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration's vaccine mandate for millions of federal workers seems to be working, with no apparent disruption to law enforcement, intelligence-gathering or holiday travel.

On Tuesday, one day after the deadline for compliance, 92% of the 3.5 million federal workers covered by Biden’s mandate reported to the government that they are at least partially vaccinated, according to White House officials.

In total, 96.5% of employees have been deemed in compliance with the policy, including through medical or religious exemptions that are still being evaluated. The rest are considered out of compliance, but officials emphasized that “it’s not a cliff,” and that workers will receive counseling to get vaccinated or file for an exemption. Only then would termination be considered.

A breakdown on compliance by federal agency was expected later Wednesday.

“We know vaccine requirements work,” said White House assistant press secretary Kevin Munoz. “We hope that our implementation sends the clear message to businesses to move forward with similar measures that will protect their workforce, protect their customers, and protect our communities.”

Since instituting the initial vaccine-or-test mandate this summer and then the more-restrictive requirement without a test-out option this fall, the White House has believed the federal government could serve as a model for the rest of the nation’s employers for how vaccinations could help shepherd a quicker return to the normal.

White House officials say the most important lesson for businesses from the federal experience is that once they take the first step toward requirements, their workers will follow.

The numbers from the Internal Revenue Service show how a mandate can drive up the vaccination rate. About...