WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) — The Biden administration’s justice department is pushing to resume enforcement of the COVID-19 jab mandate for federal employees after the requirement was blocked by a lower court, Reuters reported.
The move came after a panel on a 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday reinstated President Joe Biden’s executive order requiring all civilian employees of the federal government, about 3.5 million Americans, to get the experimental COVID shots.
U.S. seeks to resume enforcing federal employee vaccine mandate https://t.co/bsvXXhz4xw pic.twitter.com/6bvq5ZAr9L
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 12, 2022
Despite the reinstatement of the order, however, last week the White House told federal agencies they “must continue to take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement” pending further action from the court.
The Department of Justice on Monday requested the federal appeals court “immediately” take “appropriate steps so that the government may resume implementation and enforcement” of Biden’s executive order.
According to the Justice Department, the request for immediate permission is “justified by the serious ongoing harm to the public interest and to the government.”
However, studies have indicated that the COVID jabs do not stop the spread of, or infection with, the virus. Moreover, the efficacy of the shots has been shown to sharply decline over time, leading to continued calls for more booster shots.
Last month, the FDA and CDC approved a fourth jab for immunocompromised Americans and those over 50.
RELATED: COVID protection from fourth shot starts waning after just four weeks, Israeli study finds
Meanwhile, the Biden administration’s federal worker mandate has suffered a number of setbacks in the courts since it was announced in September 2021 with a November deadline.
After a federal judge in Texas blocked the mandate in January, the 5th Circuit Court ruled 2-1 to maintain the freeze.
RELATED: Federal judge blocks Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal employees
Reuters reported that, according to the White House, over 93% of federal employees have gotten at least one shot, and 98% have either been jabbed or are currently attempting to obtain a religious or medical exemption.
The federal worker mandate is distinct from the OSHA mandate that the Biden administration attempted to impose last year.
The OSHA rule would have required businesses with more than 100 employees to force their workers to get jabbed or undergo weekly COVID tests, as well as submit to strict masking and social distancing requirements.
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the OSHA mandate in a 6-3 ruling in January.