Story at a glance
- “Throughout America’s vaccination efforts, we have seen that financial incentives serve as a motivating factor for some people to get vaccinated,” the White House said.
- The Biden administration said the incentives can be paid for with the $350 billion in aid granted to state, local, territorial and tribal governments under the American Rescue Plan Act.
- President Biden on Thursday also confirmed his administration will require all federal government employees and onsite contractors to attest to being fully vaccinated.
President Biden is urging state and local governments to offer $100 to every newly vaccinated American as part of broader efforts to boost COVID-19 vaccination rates, the White House announced Thursday.
“Throughout America’s vaccination efforts, we have seen that financial incentives serve as a motivating factor for some people to get vaccinated,” the White House said in a statement Thursday.
“When the grocery store Kroger started offering $100 to their associates to get vaccinated, it saw vaccination rates increase from 50% to 75%. States like New Mexico, Ohio, and Colorado have piloted $100 incentive programs that have also helped move the dial on vaccinations,” the statement said.
The Biden administration said the incentives can be paid for with the $350 billion in aid granted to state, local, territorial and tribal governments under the American Rescue Plan Act.
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Biden on Thursday also confirmed his administration will require all federal government employees and onsite contractors to attest to being fully vaccinated. Unvaccinated employees will have to wear a mask, physically distance themselves from others and comply with weekly testing requirements. The mandate applies to about 4 million people.
The president also said he’s called on the Defense Department to look into “how and when” it will mandate service members become immunized.
“After months and months of cases going down, we’re seeing a spike in COVID cases. Why? Because of this new form, this new variant called the delta variant,” Biden said in remarks Thursday.
The move comes as vaccination rates have plateaued while cases have spiked around the country.
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