; and (2) cross-border uses . (41) In July 2021, the European Commission adopted the EU Digital COVID Certificate (EUDCC), a COVID–19 vaccine passport. (42) In April 2021, the State of New York launched the first COVID–19 vaccine passport in the United States, known as the Excelsior Pass. (43) The White House, while saying the COVID–19 Task Force would not create a vaccine passport, engaged in a multi-agency coordination effort led by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology to develop criteria and principles for a vaccine passport created by the private sector. (44) During a March 2, 2021, virtual meeting lead by the Federal Health IT Coordinating Council on behalf of the Biden Administration, a slide presentation included the following: Proof of individual COVID-related health status is likely to be an important component of pandemic response, proof of immunization will likely become a major, if not the primary, form of health status validation, and a unified Federal approach [is] required to ensure Federal activities are working toward the same common goals for vaccine [passports]. Additionally, the presentation suggested the Biden Administration expects that Federal entities would likely require vaccine verification for a variety of purposes and that the Federal government will inevitably be involved with vaccine credential solutions… . . (45) Despite previous reassurances to not pursue COVID–19 vaccine mandates or passports, the Biden Administration has issued a number of vaccine mandates on millions of Americans through executive orders, memoranda, and Federal rulemaking. (A) On August 24, 2021, the Secretary of Defense issued a memorandum requiring all Department of Defense Service Members to be vaccinated against COVID–19 as a condition of remaining in the service. (B) On September 9, 2021, the Biden Administration issued an executive order mandating all employees of Federal contractors be vaccinated against COVID–19 as a condition of employment. (C) On September 14, 2021,