The Biden administration is considering using federal regulatory powers and the threat of withholding federal funds from institutions to push more Americans to get vaccinated — a huge potential shift in the fight against the virus and a far more muscular approach to getting shots into arms, according to four people familiar with the deliberations. The effort could apply to institutions as varied as long-term-care facilities, cruise ships, and universities, potentially impacting millions of Americans, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive conversations. The conversations are in the early phases and no firm decisions have been made, the people said.
One outside lawyer in touch with the Biden administration on the issue is recommending that the president use federal powers sparingly. There is a particular focus in the discussions on whether restrictions on Medicare dollars or other federal funds could be used to persuade nursing homes and other long-term-care facilities to require employees to be vaccinated, according to one of the people familiar with the talks.
This idea is not just being considered on a federal level, but in some states also.
Florida education officials on Friday morning will consider a proposed emergency rule that would free up school vouchers for families who want to transfer their kids out of public schools that impose rules on masking, but many of the proposal’s details remain foggy. The proposed rule says parents would be allowed to apply for a Hope scholarship — whose legislative intent was to allow students who are being bullied to transfer schools — when a “school district’s COVID-19 health protocols, including masking, pose a health or educational danger to their child.”
“The agency finds that the potential for student learning loss and educational disruption with schools starting next week, created an immediate danger to the public health, safety, and welfare of students and requires emergency action,” the rule states.
But hours after the Florida Department of Education noticed the meeting for Friday at 11 a.m., the proposed rule’s language was still being crafted by the state agency. When reached for comment, a Department of Education spokeswoman could not provide any clarity on whether the proposed rule would make all parents eligible for vouchers, whether they oppose masks and want their kids to go to a school without a mask mandate or the other way around.
Contact Jay Allen at [email protected]
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Amy Coffey
August 8, 2021 at 4:19 amMy comment is this. I understand this virus is scary and millions of people have lost their lives, and that is horrible and heartbreaking. I am an older person, I have health issues and a pretty unstable immune system. I have neither had the virus nor the vaccine, but have taken care of people who have had it and still I am not vaccinated. Why would it be my fault that other people who are vaccinated are dying from the virus and other people who are unvaccinated from the virus are also dying? I just feel like the government is pushing this vaccine too hard down people’s throats and it makes me very suspicious and uncomfortable. I wear a mask everywhere I go, I hand sanitize everything I touch before and after I touch it, and I lysol the crap out of everything. I’m being responsible, and cautious, even when others are not. I do not like to be forced or feel pressured to do something I feel is not safe for me. All this talk of blaming this virus on this group or that group the unvaccinated is just another form of bullying and it is from our own Government. I thought I lived in a country of freedom not communism.
M
August 8, 2021 at 5:57 pmI agree with you 100%
“My body my choice”
Jennifer
August 8, 2021 at 9:42 pmI completely agree with you. My kids and my husband got covid in May. I did not get it and I didn’t get the antibodies either. Which means I never got covid. But now I’m being told you have to get a vaccine. I will not get this vaccine. Why aren’t the doctors researching why I didn’t get covid? By all statistics I should have. I have 2 younger kids and they were around me for 21 days with a mask. I slept in bed with my husband the entire time too.
I think I was exposed to Sars back in 2003 and that’s why I didn’t get it. I have a natural immunity to it.
I worked in Healthcare for 20 years.
Johnny
August 8, 2021 at 3:23 pmWhen, and if you contact or spread it to your family, and friends,or someone you know. It’s going to be bad! Get the damn shot, it’s no big deal. Hello stop the spread of this deadly virus, and get over yourself! Your x President lied to you all, and if you stand being that lie, maybe you should be infected, just to prove it’s not real. I dare you to!
Fontaine Gibson
August 10, 2021 at 9:31 amYou get the shot, stop worrying about other people. You’re a coward, I can tell. Your x president lied too you??? The current president lies to you, hell they all lied to you. You’re scared and easily persuaded.
Johnny Romãn
August 8, 2021 at 3:24 pmWhen, and if you contact or spread it to your family, and friends,or someone you know. It’s going to be bad! Get the damn shot, it’s no big deal. Hello stop the spread of this deadly virus, and get over yourself! Your x President lied to you all, and if you stand being that lie, maybe you should be infected, just to prove it’s not real. I dare you to!
Tiffany B
August 8, 2021 at 7:02 pmWell spoken Amy. I totally agree
Sherry Lemaster
August 8, 2021 at 11:40 pmI fully support our president and will do what is asked of me to get rid of any virus that is making people sick and causing death.
Wanda Knight
August 9, 2021 at 11:53 amI understand that people are dying and now there’s a new virus out then there’s another new virus one right after another all of a sudden and then come on now where is all these viruses coming from this didn’t happen before the covid now all of a sudden there’s five or six viruses out there but what I don’t know just stand is people who’s getting the shots don’t have both the shots are getting the covid and the doctor and some of them are dying so what good is the shot why are they pushing the shot so much it’s the same if you don’t have the shot if you do at the shop that’s part I don’t understand this is people’s body it’s their choice I’ve been if we knew more about the vaccine and it wasn’t brought up so fast it wouldn’t be so scary to everybody but people are scared because they said the vaccine would stop you from getting it well it didn’t everybody still getting it and everybody still dying from it with the vaccine but nobody can explain that if people don’t want to get the shot that’s their rights until somebody really comes out and proves something to us or comes up with the vaccine that you’re not going to get none of the viruses people people are scared and they don’t want to take the shot because we don’t know what’s in it the shot was made within 2 months time but they could come up with a vaccine like that how come they didn’t come up with one to cure cancer boy they sure did come up with one all of a sudden they want everybody to take you must have the shot and then all of a sudden all these new viruses are coming out and people are dying from them wake up people something’s going on that we don’t know about the government’s not telling us everything it’s funny how our world changed overnight and now they want to control us tell us we have to take the shot or we can’t do this and we can’t do that that is so wrong that’s not the way this country is run
Louie
August 9, 2021 at 11:23 pmMy family and I will NOT be taking the vaccine! If it’s such a concern to you then by all means… you take the shot!!