President Joe Biden has invited some of America's most influential CEOs to the White House to discuss COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
The meeting comes following the news that the Department of Labor intends to require all businesses with more than 100 employees to have their workers vaccinated or submitting negative coronavirus tests weekly. (The Hill)
Wednesday's meeting will include an array of executives, including Microsoft President Brad Smith, Walgreens CEO Roz Brewer, Kaiser Permanente Chair and CEO Greg Adams, Walt Disney CEO Bob Chapek, Columbia Sportswear President and CEO Tim Boyle and Louisiana State University President William Tate, according to a White House official. The Wall Street Journal first reported the attendees.
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia President and CEO Madeline Bell, Business Roundtable President and CEO Josh Bolten and the founder and CEO of Seattle-based Molly Moon's Homemade Ice Cream, Molly Moon Neitzel, are also expected to attend.
The businesses and organizations represented at the meeting have either instituted vaccine requirements or otherwise expressed support for Biden's announcement last week.
Biden laid out the new rule for businesses last week as part of a more aggressive plan to address the pandemic that also included a mandate for most federal government employees and contractors to get vaccination, without the alternative option for testing.
The White House hopes Biden's offensive and the Labor Department's incoming rule will significantly increase the percentage of fully vaccinated Americans. However, the administration may face an uphill battle as a recent Gallup poll found that 80% of unvaccinated Americans won't change their mind about getting the shot.
According to John Hopkins University, public health professionals have fully vaccinated 54.6% of the U.S. population.
