CHICAGO (NewsNation Now) — The White House is urging businesses to proceed with vaccine mandates even though a federal appeals court temporarily blocked the administration’s policy over the weekend.

The mandate requires federal businesses with 100 or more employees to have their workforce vaccinated by Jan. 4 or have those unvaccinated undergo weekly testing.  

“With the reopening of workplaces and the emergence of the highly transmissible delta variant, the threat to workers is ongoing and overwhelming,” said the filing in the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals by government lawyers.

On Saturday, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans suspended the rule, citing “grave statutory and constitutional” issues.

The government filing was in response to a request by the plaintiffs for an injunction permanently blocking the rule.

Republican attorneys general in states like Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Utah are mounting legal challenges to the mandate trying to stop it from going into effect.

“It’s a grave error. It’s unconstitutional. It’s disruptive,” said Kansas Gov. Henry McMaster.

Now, children aged 5 to 11 can now receive COVID-19 shots after FDA approval. An FDA study found the Pfizer vaccine to be at least 90% effective in preventing younger children from catching the virus.