During a Thursday trip to Chicago, President Biden vigorously defended his use of vaccination requirements to try to end the coronavirus pandemic.

“We know there is no other way to beat the pandemic than to get the vast majority of Americans vaccinated,” Biden said in a speech at a data center in the suburb of Elk Grove Village. “We’re still not there. We have to beat this thing.”

As the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus swept across the country during the summer, the Biden administration warmed to the idea of requiring vaccination for federal workers, announcing a mandate in July. In lieu of proof of vaccination, federal workers were