White House chief of staff Ron Klain said Sunday that he felt "confident" that the courts would uphold the coronavirus vaccine mandate for businesses.
The Biden administration previously announced that a federal vaccine mandate would be issued through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, requiring private companies with at least 100 employees to mandate that their employees get vaccinated or undergo weekly testing.
But on Saturday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued a stay on the mandate following a lawsuit from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, temporarily freezing the federal requirement in a number of states, including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Utah and South Carolina. The mandate, which Paxton argued was unconstitutional and exceeded OSHA's limited power and responsibilities, was initially set to take effect Jan. 4.
Klain spoke to host Chuck Todd on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday about the court ruling, when he expressed optimism about the mandate's legality.
"I'm quite confident that when this finally gets fully adjudicated, not just a temporary order, the validity of this requirement will be upheld," Klain said.
"It's common sense, Chuck. If OSHA can tell people to wear a hard hat on the job, to be careful around chemicals, it can put in place these simple measures to keep our workers safe," he continued.
WATCH: As courts freeze President Biden's vaccine mandate, White House Chief of Staff @RonaldKlain says he's "confident" mandates will be upheld.
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) November 7, 2021
"Every single court before this one ruled they were valid." pic.twitter.com/Zl2pN8resy
Recommended
The states affected by the Fifth Circuit ruling are just some of the more than two dozen GOP-led states that filed lawsuits against the Biden administration over the vaccine mandate.
"We will challenge this heavy-handed directive that not only serves as a clear violation of law but also places immense burden on our state," Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said in a statement last week, whose state filed a lawsuit along with Alabama, Idaho, Kansas, South Carolina, Utah and West Virginia.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member