It’s been nearly a week since President Joe Biden unveiled an ambitious new policy designed to help end the pandemic, including a newly aggressive approach to vaccinations. Leading Republican officials, none of whom have a plan of their own to end the crisis, did not respond to the developments in an especially constructive way.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, for example, vowed to fight the administration “to the gates of hell.” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy declared in a written statement over the weekend, “NO VACCINE MANDATES.”
As a factual matter, the White House didn’t create “vaccine mandates,” and affected American workers will still be able to choose a frequent testing alternative. Of course, Biden’s GOP critics, demonstrating their post-policy attitudes, clearly aren’t overly interested in substantive details.
Just as important, however, is whether Republican pushback will pay political dividends. So far, survey data appears to favor the White House. A Politico/Morning Consult poll released yesterday, for example, found the president’s policy receiving generally “high marks.” Politico reported these results:
- Requiring all employers with 100 or more employees to mandate Covid-19 vaccinations or weekly testing: 58 percent support, 36 percent oppose
- Requiring federal workers and contractors to get vaccinated for Covid-19, without an option to opt out through regular testing: 57 percent support, 36 percent oppose
- Requiring most U.S. health care workers to get vaccinated for Covid-19, without an option to opt out through regular testing: 60 percent support, 34 percent oppose
An Axios/Ipsos poll, released this morning, pointed in a similar direction:








