A White House official said in a press briefing late yesterday that more than 90 percent of Federal employees have been vaccinated ahead of the mandated Nov. 22 deadline – and 75 days after the requirement was put in place.
“Ahead of tonight’s deadline, the Federal government has achieved 95 percent compliance and 90 percent of the 3.5 million Federal workers are already vaccinated,” the official said. “So, we are successfully implementing vaccination requirements for the largest workforce in the United States, with Federal employees in every part of the nation and around the world.”
Many agencies have hit nearly 100 percent compliance with the mandate, including the IRS at 98 percent, FBI at 99 percent, U.S. Customs and Border Protection at 98 percent, the Transportation Security Agency at 93 percent, and the Federal Aviation Administration at 99 percent – just in time for the holiday travel season.
The White House official added that the Executive Office of the President was at 99 percent vaccinated.
“To be clear, the goal of vaccination requirements is to protect workers, not to punish them,” the official said. “So, tonight’s deadline is not an endpoint or a cliff. We continue to see more and more Federal employees getting their shots. And for the small percentage of employees who have not yet complied, agencies are beginning the education and counseling process.”
The White House said that a full agency-by-agency report for vaccinations will be coming out Nov. 24.
