US government has granted vaccine mandate exceptions to 165,000 workers
Tens of thousands of US government employees remain unvaccinated against Covid-19 despite a federal vaccine mandate, after agencies handed out exemptions and extensions to more than 165,000 staff, a Financial Times analysis has revealed.
The White House announced last month that 97 per cent of the federal workforce was in compliance with the government mandate, which was imposed as part of Joe Biden’s push to increase America’s vaccination rate.
But its definition of compliance included workers who have been granted an exemption or extension to the rules. An FT analysis of the figures shows that such exceptions have been granted to as many as 5 per cent of the US government’s 3.5m employees.
Under the US president’s rules, anyone with a valid medical or religious reason not to get vaccinated can be exempt from the mandate. For instance, someone who is allergic to ingredients in the vaccines might qualify for an exemption — though such cases are very rare.
The figures show how widespread the use of exemptions is likely to be as the US government implements separate mandates for healthcare workers and private companies with 100 or more employees.
They could also hand ammunition to opponents of the private-sector mandate, which is due to come into force on January 4 but is now tangled up in litigation.
Edwin Egee, vice-president of workforce development at the National Retail Federation, which is suing to stop the new rules, said: “The government has handed out a lot of exemptions.
“Not only that, they also have 3 per cent of their staff not in compliance. If the private sector mandate comes into force, our members will not be allowed to have any employees not in compliance.”
The Biden administration declined to comment on the FT’s findings.
However, it has said its figures show that the mandates were working, with the rate of fully vaccinated federal employees far higher than the national average of 60 per cent. The White House said last month: “These requirements work. They increase vaccination rates, leading to a safer, more productive and efficient workforce.”
The FT analysis shows that some government departments have been more liberal than others in granting exemptions and extensions to the mandate.
The Department of Veterans Affairs, for example, has handed out more than 43,000, accounting for more than 10 per cent of its staff. Its vaccination rate is 88 per cent — one of the lowest among government agencies.
A spokesperson for the department said: “[The DVA] continues its efforts of reviewing [exceptions] on a case-by-case basis. Employees with pending exceptions are not subject to any discipline and, if [the department] determines that they cannot receive an exception, they will have a reasonable timeframe to be vaccinated and come into compliance.”
The US Department of Agriculture has granted almost 9,000 allowances for just under 10 per cent of employees. The department has a vaccination rate of 86 per cent — the lowest of any agency. Officials there did not respond to a request to comment.
Other departments, however, have a far higher vaccination rate. The US Agency for International Development, for example, has a vaccination rate of 98 per cent, and has only handed out 53 exceptions.
Critics note that implementing widespread mandate exemptions will add to the bureaucratic burden on government agencies and private sector companies, given that each request must be individually assessed.
Amanda Sonneborn, a partner at the law firm King & Spalding, said: “What these figures demonstrate is the burden these mandates place on employers — it is not as simple putting in the requirement and imagining that everyone will be vaccinated.”