‘He said the quiet part out loud’: White House chief of staff slammed for re-tweeting post about Biden vaccine requirement being the ‘ultimate work-around’ to achieving a national mandate

 White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain is facing furious criticism for retweeting a post saying President Biden's sweeping new vaccine mandates are the 'ultimate work-around', amid questions over their legality and whether they violate the constitution. 

Senator Ted Cruz slammed Klain after he shared MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle's post saying: 'OSHA doing this vaxx [sic] mandate as an emergency workplace safety rule is the ultimate work-around for the Federal govt [sic] to require vaccinations.'

'Important,' Cruz tweeted. 'Foolish RT from WH chief of staff. He said the quiet part out loud. Biden admin knows it's likely illegal (like the eviction moratorium) but they don't care.' 

This added to a furious backlash from Republicans across the country to Biden's sweeping new mandates on two-thirds of Americans that they believe are 'coercive' and 'unconstitutional'. 

On Thursday, the president announced that all federal workers would have to be vaccinated and companies with 100 or more employees would have to require staff to get the shot or get tested.

He is enforcing the new rules on private companies by using an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) emergency order that usually deals with employees who are exposed to asbestos or faulty pipes.

Cruz added: 'Joe Biden’s COVID vaccine mandate completely ignores the science and is an attack on Americans’ right to privacy. The feds have NO AUTHORITY to force employers make their employees get vaccinated.'

GOP governors and lawmakers have warned they will battle the Biden administration's new rules and are already preparing legal challenges. 

'Forcing this and coercing people, I don't think is the right decision. I'd imagine that you're gonna see a lot of activity in the courts if they try to do that through an executive action,' Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said during a press conference Thursday.

The Republican National Committee says that it intends to sue to block Biden's order from taking effect, and several House Republicans plan to introduce legislation to negate the order.

'Joe Biden told Americans when he was elected that he would not impose vaccine mandates. He lied,' said RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, who added that she was 'pro-vaccine and anti-mandate'.

'Many small businesses and workers do not have the money or legal resources to fight Biden's unconstitutional actions and authoritarian decrees, but when his decree goes into effect, the RNC will sue the administration to protect Americans and their liberties,' said McDaniel.

Klain retweeted MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle Thursday after Biden made the announcement

'Biden admin knows it's likely illegal (like the eviction moratorium) but they don't care,' Cruz wrote

Other Republican governors are also mounting a defense against Biden's aggressive new order and vowing to fight it through state laws and lawsuits.

Arizona, Montana, Indiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Georgia and South Carolina were all among the Republican-led states that threatened legal action.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem threatened legal action against the Biden administration on Twitter, telling Biden: 'See you in court.'

She was joined by fellow Republican Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, who wrote 'I will pursue every legal option available to the state of Georgia to stop this blatantly unlawful overreach by the Biden administration' on Twitter Thursday evening.

Biden on Thursday announced an aggressive new plan to get 100 million employees across the federal government and private sector vaccinated against COVID as the case rate continues to rise due to the Delta variant.

To reach his goal, Biden will use the sweeping power of the federal government, ordering companies to vaccinate workers or face fines of up to thousands of dollars. If the administration hits its 100 million mark that means two-thirds of the country's workforce would be vaccinated.

The Labor Department issued an emergency, temporary order to require all businesses with 100 or more employees to ensure every worker is either fully vaccinated or gets tested at least once a week.

The order covers over 80 million employees and it will require employers with 100 or more employees to give employees paid time off to get vaccinated.

Any business that violates the new rule will face substantial fines, up to $14,000.

He also required all workers in healthcare settings that receive Medicaid or Medicare reimbursement to get vaccinated, which will apply to 17 million healthcare workers.

That is in addition to his executive order requiring all federal workers and contractors to get vaccinated.

A senior administration official described it as an 'aggressive, comprehensive' plan to fight COVID as part of their mission to 'vaccinate the unvaccinated.' The official estimated nearly 80 million Americans are eligible to receive a shot but have not.

Additionally, the roughly 300,000 educators in headstart programs will be required to be vaccinated.

'It's simple - if you want to work for the federal government, you must be vaccinated. If you want to do business with the government, you must vaccinate your workforce,' the senior administration official said on a briefing call with reporters previewing the president's remarks.

Additionally the TSA is doubling fines for people who refuse to mask on planes. The new range of penalties, which take effect Friday, September 10, 2021, will be $500-$1000 for first offenders and $1000-$3000 for second offenders, the Department of Homeland Security announced.  

Biden also called on governors to require vaccinations for all school teachers and staff.

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To reach his goal, Biden will use the sweeping power of the federal government, ordering companies to vaccinate workers or face fines of up to thousands of dollars