21-1 could be the first inning result of a baseball game between the N.Y. Yankees and the Bishop Sycamore Centurions football team, but it’s not. It’s how many governors and attorney generals have announced resistance to a new presidential vaccine mandate.
U.S. President Joe Biden Thursday signed an executive order requiring all federal workers get vaccinated against Covid-19. Hours after issuing the order, President Biden announced he would direct the Department of Labor to create a rule making companies with at least 100 employees mandate vaccinations or weekly testing. More than 80 million private sector workers would be affected by that rule.
By late Thursday, 19 governors voiced their opposition to the federal vaccination mandate. They were joined by at least two state attorney generals, Sean Reyes (R-Utah) and Todd Rokita (R-Indiana).
Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson has allowed businesses in his state to require vaccines and masks in their businesses. He expressed a difference between private employers requiring vaccines versus the federal government doing so.
“I fully support continued efforts to increase vaccination rates across our nation, but the federal government mandates on private businesses are not the right answer,” said Hutchinson, who also chairs the National Governors Association.
Other governors:
- “I will pursue every legal option available to the state of Georgia to stop this blatantly unlawful overreach by the Biden administration,” remonstrated Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in a Twitter tweet.
- ““Biden has failed at controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, and now he’s choosing an authoritarian approach to government,” Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said. “He’s attempting to force Americans to get the vaccine—against their will—because he can’t seem to manage the pandemic any other way.” Ducey reminded citizens of Arizona that Biden promised not to make vaccines or mask mandatory.
- “South Dakota will stand up to defend freedom. @JoeBiden see you in court,” tweeted South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, adding in a later tweet that her legal team is ready to litigate against Biden administration mandates.
The president had said during a Friday visit to a Washington, D.C. school, “If these governors won’t help us beat the pandemic, I’ll use my power as president to get them out of the way.” He added vaccination isn’t about freedom, or personal choice. “It’s about protecting yourself and those around you—the people you work with, the people you care about, the people you love.”
He addressed criticism from the Republican governors and the Republican National Committee, who plan court challenges to his new plan they call government overreach. T
“Have at it,” Biden replied.
Others governors who have voiced their opposition to the vaccination mandate include Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Idaho Governor Brad Little, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Missouri Governor Mike Parson, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon
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