Biden administration to announce a vaccine mandate for federal employees on Thursday: report

• The Biden administration is expected to announce a vaccine mandate for federal employees on Thursday.
• CNN first reported that the announcement was coming on Thursday.
• The move would affect an estimated 2.1 million people.

CNN reported that the Biden administration will announce a vaccine mandate or regular testing requirement for federal workers as early as Thursday.

President Joe Biden initially said on Tuesday that the federal government is weighing whether to implement a vaccine mandate for the entire federal workforce as the US grapples with a rise in COVID-19 cases.

"That's under consideration right now," Biden said in response to a reporter's question.

An estimated 2.1 million people work for the federal government, according to the Office of Personnel Management. Only Walmart has more employees.

The move would follow recent decisions to require vaccines for state workers in California by Gov. Gavin Newsom and a similar plan for city workers announced by New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio.

Earlier this week, the US Department of Veterans Affairs mandated that 115,000 healthcare workers be vaccinated. Many private businesses around the US are following suit.

The White House did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.