PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday vowed to fight back against a federal mandate that will require tens of millions of American workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
President Joe Biden announced Thursday evening the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is developing a rule that will require all businesses with 100 or more employees to ensure their workforce is fully vaccinated or require any workers who remain unvaccinated to produce a negative test result on at least a weekly basis before coming to work.
The mandate will impact more than 80 million workers in private sector businesses, according to the White House.
Speaking in Ponte Vedra Beach on Friday, DeSantis said Biden is "acting outside the bounds of the Constitution" by issuing the vaccine directive.
"When you have a president like Biden issuing unconstitutional edicts against the American people, we have a responsibility to stand up for the Constitution and to fight back, and we are doing that in the state of Florida," DeSantis said.
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DeSantis promised to work with the Florida Legislature and hinted at pursuing legal action to provide protections for Floridians.
"This order would result, potentially, in millions of Americans losing their jobs," DeSantis said. "I think we should be protecting people's jobs, not trying to kick people out of work right now."
Biden on Thursday argued that COVID-19 is currently responsible for a "pandemic of the unvaccinated."
"What more is there to wait for? What more do you need to see?" Biden asked as he touted the safety of the vaccines.
Biden claimed his plan will ensure the U.S. is using every tool to combat the coronavirus and save lives in the months ahead, while also keeping schools open and safe and protecting the economy from lockdowns and further damage.
"People should not be cast aside because they make a medical decision for themselves," DeSantis said. "If the federal government can get away with doing this, going right at the heart of people's livelihoods and their ability to provide for their families, what's gonna come next?"