CNBC host suggests nationwide vaccine mandate: ‘Have the military run it’

CNBC host Jim Cramer expressed outrage at Americans who have refused to get vaccinated against the coronavirus and suggested the White House consider creating a universal vaccine mandate for all people in the United States. 

“So it’s time to admit that we have to go to war against COVID,” Cramer said on his long-running business program “Mad Money” on Monday. “Require vaccination universally. Have the military run it. If you don’t want to get vaccinated, you better be ready to prove your conscientious objector status in court.” 

President Biden has not suggested a nationwide vaccine mandate but on Monday assured Americans that the best way to protect themselves and others from all variants of the coronavirus is to receiver a full vaccination course and a booster shot.

“If people are vaccinated and wear their mask, there is no need for the lockdown,” Biden said during a speech at the White House regarding the emergence of the latest variant of the virus, known as omicron. 

Federal officials and business leaders have grappled with how to get their workforces vaccinated as a vocal segment of the public and some Republican members of Congress push back on vaccine requirements of any kind.  

On Monday, a federal court temporarily blocked the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health workers at hospitals that receive federal funding after 10 states sued the administration to halt the rule. 

Earlier this month, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) suspended enforcement of the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for large private businesses, meaning those with 100 or more employees. The order would have effected nearly 80 million workers.

Cramer argued “toothless” requirements from government agencies like OSHA do not go far enough in requiring vaccinations and helping the country’s economy get back on its feet amid record inflation and supply chain issues. 

“Nobody wants to be the bad guy, so we’ve allowed a pastiche of uncoordinated health organizations to dictate an on-again, off-again series of measures that mostly just leave us baffled and confused,” he said. “We haven’t ever centralized the issue to the point where the White House seems to take responsibility.” 

CNBC’s Jim Cramer DEMANDS Biden Impose Nationwide Vaccine Mandate in Epic Rant https://t.co/aruDvbGnUh via @mediaite pic.twitter.com/14ELNrws9c

— Tommy moderna-vaX-Topher (@tommyxtopher) November 30, 2021