President Joe Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal workers will exempt United States Postal Service (USPS) employees who pumped millions of dollars into the 2020 election campaign.
A USPS spokesman told the Washington Free Beacon that Biden's mandate, announced Thursday, will not apply to the nearly 500,000 workers who deliver mail to American residents each day. The postal service's status as an independent agency frees it from the purview of the executive order. The exempted workers happen to be members of two of the most influential government workers unions in the country.
The American Postal Workers Union and National Association of Letter Carriers spent about $3 million on the 2020 elections, with nearly all of the money going to boost Biden and other Democrats, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Neither union responded to requests for comment.
Biden ordered a federal vaccine mandate on Thursday afternoon shortly after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) debuted plans to require vaccination or weekly testing for workers at private companies with more than 100 employees. The mandate carries fines as high as $14,000 for employers that refuse, but it is unclear if those rules will apply to the postal service. A postal service spokesman said the agency is examining the OSHA regulation.
OSHA did not respond to a request for comment.
Biden's labor backers within the postal service have expressed opposition to vaccine requirements as a condition of employment. In August, the American Postal Workers Union, which represents more than 200,000 USPS workers, announced its opposition to federal vaccine mandates.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.