Tag: Biden

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Biden administration outlines plan for nationwide EV charging network

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Monday produced a tactic for making a nationwide network of charging stations for electric powered automobiles.

Vice President Kamala Harris outlined the administration’s endeavours for EV charging infrastructure at an occasion at the Brandywine Maintenance Facility in Maryland alongside National Climate Adviser Gina McCarthy and Strength Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

“The automobile sector is evidently moving toward electric powered. We want to make the shift more rapidly and make confident it is pushed by the United States,” Harris said in remarks. “That indicates producing millions of electrical autos, trucks and buses proper right here in our region. That implies outfitting countless numbers of EV … mend garages, just like this just one, and it implies putting in a national community of EV chargers.”

The about $1 trillion infrastructure legislation President Joe Biden signed final month consists of $7.5 billion to assistance develop 500,000 EV charging stations throughout the U.S. and $65 billion for updates to the nation’s electric powered grid.

Of the $7.5 billion, the regulation presents $5 billion for states to construct out a charging community and $2.5 billion for area grants to aid entry to EV charging in rural areas and deprived communities.

The administration’s prepare includes developing a joint office environment involving the U.S. Departments of Power and Transportation to implement the EV charging community and other provisions of the infrastructure law. The two companies also will start an EV advisory committee, with customers expected to be appointed by the finish of March.

In accordance to a White Home point sheet produced Monday, the Transportation Department will publish advice by Feb. 11 for states and cities to “strategically deploy” EV charging stations and establish out a countrywide network alongside U.S. highways. The section also will publish criteria for EV chargers that are component of the nationwide network no later than May well 13 “to make certain they perform, they are safe, and they’re available to all people.”

The Power and Transportation Departments also are functioning with domestic makers, including automakers, and other EV stakeholders to recognize “what domestic sourcing is obtainable these days and what may perhaps be probable in the foreseeable future” for EV chargers and other linked factors as component of the administration’s effort and hard work to enhance U.S. competitiveness.

“The present-day community of about 100,000 general public chargers operates with different plug kinds, payment selections, details availability and hardware hookups. Present-day steps will create a far more uniform approach, give increased convenience for buyers, and give elevated confidence for field,” the truth sheet claimed.

“These federal packages,” the White Home ongoing, “will spur more private sector investments and push the construct-out of a user-helpful, value-efficient and monetarily sustainable countrywide network developing properly-paying jobs throughout production, set up and procedure.”

The White Property mentioned raising domestic production of EV batteries and elements as effectively as advancing domestic sourcing and recycling of critical minerals in a way that is environmentally liable also are “critical parts” to the federal EV tactic.

Biden has set a objective for half of all new cars sold in the U.S. in 2030 to be zero-emission, together with battery-electric, plug-in hybrid and gas cell. The president previous 7 days signed an govt purchase to transition the federal automobile fleet to zero-emission motor vehicles by 2035.

“By 2050, at the newest, we will accomplish net-zero emissions, and one critical way we accomplish net-zero emissions is by investing in zero-emission cars,” Harris claimed. “And that is why proper now, we are making the major-at any time financial investment in electric automobile infrastructure and technology in our nation’s background.”

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation very last week unveiled 10 tips for general public charging stations. The suggestions are intended to help federal- and condition-degree expense setting up and funding things to consider for EV charging across the U.S.

John Bozzella, CEO of the alliance, said the $7.5 billion in federal funding for EV charging infrastructure is a “once-in-a-technology possibility to jumpstart creating a nationwide charging and refueling infrastructure for EVs.”

“We commend the Biden administration for performing to be certain this financial commitment is utilized efficiently and successfully, and we see significant alignment with our very own recently produced ‘Recommended Attributes for EV Charging Stations,’” Bozzella said in a statement to Automotive News.

The trade association represents most automakers in the U.S as very well as some suppliers and tech corporations. It does not signify Tesla Inc.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk last 7 days termed the infrastructure law’s multibillion-greenback funding for EV chargers “unnecessary” and mentioned he is in favor of dropping all federal subsidies, which includes for the oil and gasoline business.

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Federal appeals court allows Biden vaccine mandate for large companies to resume

Fox News contributor Dr. Marty Makary and Rep. Warren Davidson discuss omicron data on ‘The Evening Edit.’

A federal appeals court Friday reinstated the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for large companies, dissolving a stay by a separate court that had suspended the mandate. 

The decision is the latest skirmish in a continuing battle that will likely soon be decided by the Supreme Court. 

A coalition of 27 business groups quickly appealed to the nation’s highest court Friday to block the lower court’s mandate, according to Politico. They claimed the mandate would bring “harm” to thousands of businesses.

The Biden vaccine mandate forces companies with 100 employees or more to require that their workers be vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to weekly testing. The requirement takes effect Jan. 4.

President Joe Biden holds his face mask and waves as he exits Air Force One at Capital Region International Airport, Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021, in Lansing, Michigan. (Associated Press / AP Newsroom)

In a 2-1 ruling, a panel of the U.S. Appeals Court for the Sixth Circuit ruled that the Biden administration could enforce the policy using the Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

“Recognizing that the ‘old normal’ is not going to return, employers and employees have sought new models for a workplace that will protect the safety and health of employees who earn their living there,” wrote Judge Jane Branstetter Stranch, a Barack Obama appointee, for the majority. “In need of guidance on how to protect their employees from COVID-19 transmission while reopening business, employers turned to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.”

APPEALS COURT RE-AFFIRMS STAY ON BIDEN WORKPLACE VACCINE MANDATE, CITES ‘SEVERE’ RISKS

The rule establishing the mandate had prompted a slate of legal challenges from at least 27 states as well as business and religious groups that argued the mandate is unconstitutional.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Nov. 12 ordered OSHA to “take no steps to implement or enforce the Mandate until further court order,” reaffirming an earlier decision it had made. The court said the mandate exposes the petitioners “to severe financial risk” and “threatens to decimate their workforces (and business prospects).”

President Biden’s vaccine mandate is scheduled to take effect Jan. 4, pending further legal action. (Fox News photo illustration / Getty Images  | istock / Getty Images)

The Biden administration was forced to halt the mandate following the ruling. But Friday, the Sixth Circuit court ruled that the mandate was needed to limit transmission of the virus.

“The costs of delaying implementation of the [mandate] are comparatively high,” Stranch wrote in her ruling. “Fundamentally, the [mandate] is an important step in curtailing the transmission of a deadly virus.”

Opponents say the policy is a backdoor effort to force the population to get vaccinated.

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The business-backed Job Creators Network, which is a party to the case, expressed disappointment.

“This mandate adds an incredible burden on small business owners who are still suffering negative effects of the pandemic,” the group said in a statement. “JCN has immediately asked the Supreme Court to save businesses and employees from this government overreach.”

Fox News’ Thomas Barrabi contributed to this story.

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Senate votes to repeal Biden federal vaccine mandate for businesses

Fox News congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reports the latest developments of the ‘Build Back Better’ plan.

The Senate voted Wednesday to repeal a President Biden-backed federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private businesses.

The final vote was 52-48. Moderate Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana joined Republicans to vote in favor of the repeal.

Even with Senate approval, the GOP-backed resolution is unlikely to overturn the mandate. The Democrat-controlled House is not expected to take up the measure and President Biden would likely veto the bill if it cleared Congress.

Republicans brought the repeal to the Senate floor under the “Congressional Review Act,” which allows Congress to review presidential executive orders. Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., who sponsored the resolution, said the mandate was an example of the “heavy hand of government” hurting businesses.

Night falls at the the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021, with the deadline to fund the government approaching. Republicans in the Senate are poised to stall a must-pass funding bill as they force a debate on rolling back the Biden admini (AP Newsroom)

“It’s got Main Street America scared,” Braun said prior to the vote. “They’re worried about, well, what does this mean on other issues? Anybody who thinks this is a good idea, imagine the next time it happens when you’re on the wrong side on whatever the merits of the case would be.”

The Biden administration’s mandate requires private companies with 100 or more employees to ensure their employees are vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo regular testing. Firms that do not comply face steep fines.

GOP lawmakers argue the mandate is too broad and constitutes federal overreach. Business groups who oppose the mandate say it is too burdensome given strained economic conditions.

“It’s daunting to families as they’re facing higher bills for their gas and their heating,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said ahead of the vote. “They are very concerned about what this would do to their long-term ability to get a job, keep a job. I think they realize that this is an invasion into their own abilities to make decisions about themselves in their health care.”

Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., arrives to vote on an appropriations bill that funds the government through Feb. 18 and avoids a short-term shutdown after midnight Friday, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) (AP Newsroom)

The mandate prompted immediate legal challenges from several states as well as business and religious groups. Last month, a federal appeals court enacted a temporary hold on enforcement of the mandate pending the outcome of litigation.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY., slammed the Republican effort to repeal the mandate.

“Some of the anti-vaxxers here in this chamber remind me of what happened 400 years ago when people were clinging to the fact that the sun revolved around the Earth. They just didn’t believe science. Or 500 years ago when they were sure the Earth was flat,” Schumer said earlier in the day.

US President Joe Biden speaks about the Infrastructure Law while visiting the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority in Missouri on December 8, 2021. (Photo by Nicholas Kamm / AFP) (Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images) ((Photo by Nicholas Kamm / AFP) (Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images))

A fight over the mandate nearly derailed efforts to fund the government prior to a key deadline last week. 

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The Senate approved a continuing resolution to fund the government with just hours to spare but rejected a Republican-backed amendment to strip funding from Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the entity responsible for implementing the mandate.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Trump reportedly got positive COVID test days before debate with Biden

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Biden vaccine rule for health workers blocked in 10 states

A federal judge has blocked President Joe Biden’s administration from enforcing a coronavirus vaccine mandate on health care workers in 10 states that had brought the first legal challenge against the requirement

November 30, 2021, 2:07 AM

4 min read

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A federal judge on Monday blocked President Joe Biden’s administration from enforcing a coronavirus vaccine mandate on thousands of health care workers in 10 states that had brought the first legal challenge against the requirement.

The court order said that the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid had no clear authority from Congress to enact the vaccine mandate for providers participating in the two government health care programs for the elderly, disabled and poor.

The preliminary injunction by St. Louis-based U.S. District Judge Matthew Schelp applies to a coalition of suing states that includes Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. All those states have either a Republican attorney general or governor. Similar lawsuits also are pending in other states.

The federal rule requires COVID-19 vaccinations for more than 17 million workers nationwide in about 76,000 health care facilities and home health care providers that get funding from the government health programs. Workers are to receive their first dose by Dec. 6 and their second shot by Jan. 4.

The court order against the health care vaccine mandate comes after Biden’s administration suffered a similar setback for a broader policy. A federal court previously placed a hold on a separate rule requiring businesses with more than 100 employees to ensure their workers get vaccinated or else wear masks and get tested weekly for the coronavirus.

Biden’s administration contends federal rules supersede state policies prohibiting vaccine mandates and are essential to slowing the pandemic, which has killed more than 775,000 people in the U.S. About three-fifths of the U.S. population already is fully vaccinated.

But the judge in the health care provider case wrote that federal officials likely overstepped their legal powers.

“CMS seeks to overtake an area of traditional state authority by imposing an unprecedented demand to federally dictate the private medical decisions of millions of Americans. Such action challenges traditional notions of federalism,” Schelp wrote in his order.

Even under an exceedingly broad interpretation of federal powers, Congress did not clearly authorize CMS to enact “this politically and economically vast, federalism-altering, and boundary-pushing mandate,” wrote Schelp, who was appointed to the bench by former President Donald Trump.

While a vaccine requirement might make sense for long-term care facilities, Schelp wrote, CMS lacks evidence for imposing it on other health care providers and ignored evidence that the mandate could jeopardize understaffed facilities. The judge also said CMS improperly bypassed public notice and comment requirements when issuing the emergency rule, which “feeds into the very vaccine hesitancy CMS acknowledges is so daunting.”

A CMS spokesperson said the agency was reviewing the court order.

“Staff in any health care setting who remain unvaccinated pose both direct and indirect threats to patient safety and population health,” CMS said in a statement Monday. “That is why it is critical for health care providers to ensure their staff are vaccinated against COVID-19.”

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, who spearheaded the lawsuit, said the ruling “pushes back on the overreach of power” by those who are “using the coronavirus as a tool” for control over people.

Officials in several states also praised the court ruling. New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu said “nursing homes were at risk of closure” if the mandate remained.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said the vaccine is the best defense against COVID-19, but medical providers “deserve the freedom and ability to make their own informed health care decisions.”

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New Covid variant triggers urgent moment for Biden health team

There is plenty still unknown about Omicron, including where and when it first emerged and whether it causes severe illness. But the variant already has the potential to upend the global pandemic response and undo progress that’s been made containing Covid-19.

While no cases have been found in the U.S., Biden health officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Health and Human Services and the White House held a series of meetings over the past two days to plan for U.S. cases of the variant and possible spikes in disease spread across the country. Officials have debated how long to shut down travel from southern Africa, whether to allow for U.S. citizens to return and whether to change domestic public health guidelines to safeguard Americans from potential infection, the three senior Biden officials said. The administration is set to impose restrictions on Monday but isn’t applying them to U.S. citizens.

“There’s no evidence that it is here but I would be surprised if it doesn’t ultimately land here,” Anthony Fauci, the president’s chief medical officer, told POLITICO. For the time being, health officials are pushing Americans to adhere to existing public health guidelines issued by the CDC and to sign up for Covid-19 booster shots in the coming weeks. There are currently no other plans to implement other safeguards.

Fauci and other top Biden health officials have reviewed a limited set of data on Omicron in coordination with international officials in South Africa and Israel, focusing on the degree to which the variant can spread. Fauci, along with top officials from the CDC briefed President Joe Biden Friday morning, advocating that he shut down travel from seven countries in southern Africa, including South Africa.

“One thing is clear is that [Omicron] is very transmissible,” Fauci said. “The reason you close the borders is to buy you time so you can better prepare and learn more about the variant, its transmissibility, its potential evasion of immune responses, and its seriousness of disease it causes.”

Scientists in South Africa have said it could take up to two weeks to study the variant and learn how well it evades immunity from vaccines. Omicron’s many mutations already are prompting increased surveillance and genetic testing but it is unclear exactly how well it adapts or what kind of threat it poses to the global population.

“It is conceivable that it is just a very highly transmissible virus that might not have a major impact on the seriousness of infection,” Fauci said, suggesting that even if individuals contracted the variant, they may not require hospitalization.

The emergence of Omicron has also raised new concerns among international officials and health representatives about the need to get shots in arms quickly in low-income countries, such as those in Africa, in the next several weeks.

“This is a worst fear coming true,” said Lily Caprani, head of advocacy for health and pandemic response at UNICEF.

“The stakes are super high because [southern Africa] has many countries with really fragile health systems,” she said. “Not only do they have really low access to vaccines … the consequences for their health systems if a surge takes a hold are going to be really catastrophic. And that means children and families are at really high risk.”

To date, the world has only administered about 7.89 billion shots, according to data collected by Bloomberg. Health experts have said 11 billion doses are needed to crush the Covid-19 pandemic.

Advocates argue that more transmissible variants like Omicron will continue to develop as long as the majority of the world’s population remains unvaccinated. But COVAX, the world’s vaccine distributor, is still trying to overcome lingering roadblocks with procuring supply. And many developing nations lack the infrastructure on the ground to administer doses. Others cite increasingly high levels of vaccine hesitancy.

South Africa recently delayed a shipment of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, saying the country had too many doses in stock.

Biden officials have pushed back on the idea that the U.S. needs to do more to help the low-income countries, pointing to the nearly 250 million doses it has delivered to the world — more than all other countries combined, according to data compiled by UNICEF.

Biden noted that metric in a statement on Friday, adding,”It is time for other countries to match America’s speed and generosity,” he said.