Why can't we have a national vaccine mandate?

[hlthe2b]

13. Several of those programs (medicaid), SNAP, food stamps are administrated by States

the money is pass-through to the states. Requirements to change the rules would have to come in the next funding cycle and would require Congressional action in the next budget.

As to Medicare and veteran or Federal retirement benefits, that would require an entire bureaucratic program to be established just to check vaccine status and dramatically slow down benefits--possibly for months-- something that would ensure R's would take the midterms, frankly. Not to mention that such requirements were not enacted by Congress when these programs were set up, so they would undoubtedly not survive court challenge.