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Conan Knoll
conan@emccommunications.com, (831)524-6764

Small business group: SCOTUS ruling on vaccine mandates a setback for Main Street’s economic recovery

Statement by Small Business for America’s Future Senior Advisor Rhett Buttle in response to today’s Supreme Court ruling on the Biden administration’s Covid-19 vaccine-or-test requirement

Washington, D.C., Jan. 13, 2022—While we are glad to see the Supreme Court upheld a vaccine mandate for healthcare workers, it’s discouraging that the justices did not do the same for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s vaccine-or-test mandate — a mandate that would have required employees of businesses with 100 employees or more to be vaccinated or be tested weekly. Though 98% of small businesses are too small to be directly affected by today’s ruling, a government rule asking larger employers to require vaccines would send an important signal to the market that good public health is required to end this pandemic. Small business owners understand the need for vaccines to protect workers and enable a swift economic recovery from Covid-19. 

The bottom line is the swift spread of the Omicron variant has made it even more clear that the pandemic is far from over and small businesses will continue to suffer economically as long as there are significant numbers of unvaccinated Americans. Vaccinations are crucial for consumers feeling safe to shop, worker safety, and Main Street to fully recover from the economic fallout of Covid-19.

A Small Business for America’s Future survey conducted last year found that 67% of small business owners agree that requiring companies with 100 or more employees to have all their employees vaccinated against COVID-19, or tested weekly will help get more Americans back to work. Results also showed that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is the single biggest challenge facing small business owners.

Main Street is the backbone of our nation’s economy and today’s Supreme Court ruling is a step backward on the path to an economic recovery from the ongoing pandemic.

To request an interview with Rhett Buttle, contact Conan Knoll at (831) 524-6764 or conan@emccommunications.com. 

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About Small Business for America’s Future
Small Business for America’s Future is a national coalition of small business owners and leaders working to provide small businesses a voice at every level of government. We’re committed to ensuring policymakers prioritize the nation’s 30 million small businesses to create an economy that works for them, their workers and their communities. Visit www.smallbusinessforamericasfuture.org. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. #SmallBizAF.