Explaining the Supreme Court’s decision to block vaccine mandate By ABC News

breaking news here in Washington just a few minutes ago the Supreme Court of the United States blocked President Biden’s vaccine mandate for large private businesses but in a separate case the Court ruled that the Mandate for healthcare workers at facilities which receive federal funds will stand companies with a hundred or more employees large companies as a mandate required all employees no sperm to get vaccinated or just submit to weekly covid testing in order to enter the workplace and also required unvaccinated workers to wear masks while indoors at work the Supreme Court overturned that and we want to bring in ABC News senior Washington reporter Devin Dwyer is joining us on the phone Devin are you listen to the oral arguments in this case earlier this week and now the opinion confirmed is that what you wrote about in and others did as well that the court the conservative controlled courts and very skeptical decide you want to read you one line from the opinion by the court saying that that

the imposing a vaccine mandate on 84 million Americans which this business mandate would have done in response to a worldwide pandemic is simply not part of what this agency does speaking with a thing about the occupational safety and health agency tell us about this opinion and how it came down

Perrie Edwards is 623 decision on the OSHA mandate and it was as you mentioned not a surprise the Court’s conservatives dealing a major blow to President Biden signature policy to increasing vaccinations by the millions in this country this was something that they had imposed back in November to try to boost those numbers encouraging employers to get in line with the program in force their employees at to vaccinate your get tested but as you said the conservative justices here saying OSHA exceeded its Authority that Congress on a question so significant is this asking everyday Americans to take a shot and as they put it in the opinion of something that is irreversible once you’ve taken the shot so you can’t turn back they said Congress simply didn’t Envision that when it gave OSHA the power to regulate workplace safety and therefore a it’s likely that this will not succeed in court and therefore they issue to stay at it just taking a pact

earlier this week I thought this was a split decision today for for the by the ministration they did win in a second case I dealing with a vaccine mandate as you say for healthcare workers that facility 76,000 facilities around the country that treat Medicare and Medicaid patients with a lot of older Americans vulnerable Americans the Supreme Court 524 chief justice Roberts and Brett Kavanaugh joining with the Liberals to say to that is in fact in the curve you in the authority of the Health and Human Services secretary who issued it in fact they pointed to the text Terry of federal law which says HHS is responsible for protecting the health and safety of patients and can and can require hospitals to impose infection control regime so at least a couple of the conservatives they’re seeing some textual basis for that Authority and upholding it today so a setback for

a win in the hospitals and at least for now carry the debate over these vaccine mandates will rest on these opinions joining the Liberals saying in that in that Hospitals Case healthcare workers at hospitals federally funded when you take federal dollars a federal strings come along with them and you noted that but I do want to just to underline the major Point your 84 million Americans work at at farms companies of more than 100 employees that would have been affected by this mandate and Justice Gorsuch in his concurrence to the rule he put a very pistol he said the only question in this case is whether an administrative agency in Washington can charged with overseeing workplace safety May mandate the vaccination of regular testing of 84 million people or whether that work belongs to State and local governments to buy demonstration knew this was a long shot it was a bold move they believe

the emergency of the pandemic empowered them under OSHA to do it have its Spring Court controlled by conservatives said that is just a reach too far and it will be up to State and local governments and companies to employ these mandates and we should say Terry that that is not out of the question and if you are one of those 84 million Americans who works at a private company that like our employer Terry that requires vaccinations that still allowed today so this was simply about the authority and OSHA to enforce it and police it and they did say in the opinion as you mentioned in this Congress wants to pass a law is state governments want to pass the law they can go ahead and do that this was simply about that agency’s Authority and they did not find that Authority there exactly too much power for the president to impose through the federal agency this kind of a vaccine mandate that’s the ruling but as you say vaccine mandates a Disney where we work and in many other companies and in local

qualities in some states remain in place Devin Dwyer thanks very much for helping out on that preciate it take three more video show highlights and watch live event coverage click on the right over here to subscribe to our Channel and don’t forget to download the ABC News app for breaking news alerts thanks for watching