Biden Calls for $100 Payments for Newly Vaccinated Americans

President Biden said federal employees and on-site contractors must get vaccinated against Covid-19 or wear a mask on the job and submit to regular testing, and he called on state and local governments to make $100 payments to newly vaccinated Americans.

Biden also said in a speech Thursday that he is directing the Defense Department to examine how and when Covid-19 shots could be added to the list of vaccinations required for members of the U.S.

Despite the administration’s monthslong push to promote the shots and encourage people to get them, the overall pace of vaccinations has slowed.

The White House said the federal government employs more than four million people, including more than two million civilians, most of whom are outside the Washington, D.C., area.

Fewer than 5% of people in federal civilian jobs are in the five states with the lowest vaccination rates, federal data show.

Biden also wants his new requirements to apply to all federal contractors and will encourage private employers to take similar steps.