HOUSTON — President Joe Biden announced Thursday all federal workers and contractors will be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine. If not, they’ll have to submit to regular testing.
He also urged states and local governments to offer residents $100 to get vaccinated.
The president called it “the pandemic of the unvaccinated” as COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the country due to the highly contagious Delta variant.
There are a number of government entities across the Houston area that will now have to follow this new mandate.
The American Federation of Government Employees is the largest union for federal employees, representing more than 700,000 workers across nearly every federal agency and department.
Everett Kelley, AFGE’s national president, released the following statement after President Biden’s announcement:
“We expect that the particulars of any changes to working conditions, including those related to COVID-19 vaccines and associated protocols, be properly negotiated with our bargaining units prior to implementation.
“Based on today’s announcement, it is our understanding that under President Biden’s proposal the vast majority of federal employees would not have to be vaccinated as a condition of employment, but that those who choose not to receive the vaccine may face certain restrictions.
“While we await specific proposals and anticipate the negotiation process, we encourage all of our members who are able to take advantage of the opportunity to get vaccinated and help our nation put an end to this deadly pandemic.”
President Biden also said he’s asking the Defense Department to look into how and when they’ll add COVID-19 to the list of required vaccinations for the military.
That’s a topic KHOU 11 spoke with Congressman Dan Crenshaw (R-Houston) about Wednesday ahead of President Biden’s announcement.
“In the military, we make people take vaccines, but those vaccines have gone through years and years of longitudinal studies,” Rep. Crenshaw said. “I do happen to think that this vaccine for COVID is safe, but it should go through the same process that all other vaccines have gone through before you absolutely mandate it.”
Houston transit operators and flight attendants still must follow a federal mask mandate. However, union representatives for both told KHOU 11 on Thursday they are exempt from these new vaccination rules because they’re not federal employees.