In yet another setback for the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccination mandates, a federal judge late Tuesday temporarily blocked the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services from enforcing its order on a national scale.
U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty in Monroe, LA, said CMS did not have the authority to issue the mandate.
“There is no question that mandating a vaccine to 10.3 million healthcare workers is something that should be done by Congress, not a government agency,” Doughty wrote.
Doughty’s ruling does not apply in the 10 states where a federal judge earlier this week blocked the ruling.
The latest move means that there is no federal vaccine mandate for home care workers currently in effect. Two weeks ago, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration opted to stop enforcement of its mandate for businesses after a federal appeals court upheld a stay on the mandate.
Meanwhile, a new strain of COVID-19, the omicron variant, has prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue a stronger recommendation for booster shots to adults.
