White House chief of staff Ronald Klain was hammered on social media after retweeting a post that seemed to praise the Biden administration for pulling off the "ultimate work-around" for a national COVID-19 vaccine requirement.
Biden announced his intention to require most federal employees to get COVID-19 vaccines and force companies with more than 100 employees to vaccinate workers or test them weekly.
Klain retweeted MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle's post, which said, "OSHA doing this vaxx mandate as an emergency workplace safety rule is the ultimate work-around for the Federal govt to require vaccinations."
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration oversees workplace safety and has the authority to "quickly issue a rule, known as an emergency temporary standard, if it can show that workers are exposed to a grave danger and that the rule is necessary to address that danger. The rule must also be feasible for employers to enforce," The New York Times reported.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, retweeted a post warning Klain that his retweet could prove to be problematic during future challenges because courts consider intention when hearing cases.
"Important," Cruz tweeted. "Foolish RT from WH chief of staff. He said the quiet part out loud. Biden admin knows it’s likely illegal (like the eviction moratorium) but they don’t care."
Cruz referred to last month's Supreme Court ruling that blocked the administration from continuing a temporary eviction ban in place due to the coronavirus.
The Supreme Court said that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lacked the authority to reimpose the moratorium without congressional approval.
The Republican National Committee plans to sue Biden over his COVID-19 vaccine mandate announced Thursday, RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said.
Biden announced his intention to force companies with more than 100 employees to vaccinate workers against coronavirus or test them weekly.
"Joe Biden told Americans when he was elected that he would not impose vaccine mandates. He lied," McDaniel said in a statement posted on the RNC’s Twitter account. "Now small businesses, workers, and families across the country will pay the price.
"Like many Americans, I am pro-vaccine and anti-mandate. Many small businesses and workers do not have the money or legal resources to fight Biden’s unconstitutional actions and authoritarian decrees, but when his decree goes into effect, the RNC will sue the administration to protect Americans and their liberties."