The White House on Thursday defended a heavily litigated regulation that would force workers at large companies to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or tested for the virus and said President Biden will veto a disapproval resolution if it makes it to his desk.
The Senate voted 52-48 late Wednesday to quash the emergency standard from the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, with Democratic senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana joining every Republican.
The resolution is unlikely to reach President Biden but the Senate vote raised questions about possible defections within the Democratic House majority when the lower chamber takes up the resolution.
“We’re hopeful that this doesn’t come to the president’s desk,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said. “If it comes to his desk, he will veto it.”
Sen. Mike Braun, Indiana Republican, is overseeing the effort to overturn the OSHA standard through the Congressional Review Act.
Many GOP lawmakers say they are pro-vaccine but don’t think people should be mandated to get the shots as a condition of employment. The resolution vote amounts to a messaging tool that forces Democrats to support or reject Mr. Biden’s rule.
Democrats who opposed Mr. Braun’s resolution said the OSHA standard is reasonable because it amounts to a weekly testing requirement for employees who choose to remain unvaccinated as of Jan. 4.
“Testing once a week — which we feel, and I think the American people feel, is quite reasonable in order to keep workplaces safe, stores safe, schools safe,” Ms. Psaki said.
OSHA suspended activities around the mandate after a federal appeals court issued a stay against the rule. The fight could end up at the Supreme Court.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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