Business groups plead with Biden to delay vaccine mandate

Industries have warned that the vaccine mandate will only further add to their already substantial problems with labor shortages and weak supply chains. In fact, they are expecting a significant loss of staff as a result of the mandate.

The American Trucking Association, for instance, has already warned the president that a significant number of drivers will quit their jobs. This only exacerbates the major shortage in trucking, with some experts suggesting that the industry is short some 80 thousand drivers.

The American Trucking Association stated that they expect over 35 percent of drivers to quit their jobs over the president's vaccine policy.

Lobbyists are currently meeting with White House officials as the President conducts his final review of his vaccine mandate through the Department of Labor. The Biden administration has already held over a dozen of these meetings.

These meetings are expected to continue over Monday and Tuesday with groups representing nearly every facet of the American economy.

The mandate is also expected to affect businesses that are expecting an influx of Christmas shoppers as COVID-19 winds down.

President Biden's plan entails requiring all businesses with 100 or more staff to mandate vaccinations. The White House has estimated that this is over 66 percent of all private-sector employees.

President Biden has taken a tough line on the unvaccinated, saying in Chicago that "the unvaccinated put our economy at risk, because people are reluctant to go out, and think about this, even in places where there is no restriction, and going to restaurants and gyms and movie theaters."

"People are not going anywhere, because they're worried they're going to get sick, and I've tried everything in my power to get people vaccinated," he added.