President Joe Biden has rescheduled for Thursday a planned trip to Chicago to promote his vaccination mandate for large businesses after canceling a visit last week due to negotiations with congressional Democrats over his still-stalled economic recovery agenda.
The White House on Monday announced the Thursday presidential visit but gave no other details. The trip comes as Biden still faces a division among Democrats in Congress over the size and scope of proposals to enact his economic recovery package and a battle with Republicans blocking an extension of the federal debt ceiling.
Biden last month issued an order requiring businesses with 100 or more workers have employees either be vaccinated or face weekly testing. The president also has encouraged private businesses to enact their own vaccine mandates while the federal rules, issued through the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, are pending.
Chicago-based United Airlines has implemented a vaccination requirement for its employees, and corporate workers for Chicago-based McDonald’s and suburban Deerfield-headquartered Walgreens also face similar mandates.
The order has faced opposition from many Republican governors who have warned of lawsuits to challenge the move. Nationally, Biden’s mandate would affect an estimated 80 million Americans.
Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker has strongly supported Biden’s actions to deal with COVID-19. Pritzker has mandated vaccinations and testing for educators, health care workers, college and university students and workers in congregate care settings, while also calling on the private sector to do more to require workers to get vaccinated. Republicans seeking to challenge Pritzker next year have criticized the governor for imposing statewide mitigation orders rather than permitting local control.
As the White House announced the rescheduled trip, Biden criticized Republicans for acting in a “reckless” and “disgraceful” manner in blocking an increase in the debt ceiling after having done so under the presidency of Donald Trump. The debt ceiling sets the amount of money the government can borrow to pay its obligations.
“It starts with a simple truth: The United States is a nation that pays its bills and always has,” Biden said. “If we’re going to make good on what has already been approved by previous Congresses, and previous presidents and parties, we have to pay for it.”
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