Attorney General Ken Paxton has joined 23 other state attorneys general urging President Joe Biden not to enforce an order that requires private-sector employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine or risk losing their jobs.
Biden’s initiative states that if an employee is not vaccinated, they must undergo weekly COVID testing as a condition of keeping their job. This requirement applies regardless of whether they work remotely, have religious objections or health concerns about receiving the vaccine, or have already obtained natural immunity due to having recovered from the virus.
The multistate coalition sent a signed letter to Biden stating that his plan is “disastrous and counterproductive.”
The letter details Biden’s plan as an overreach of the Federal government. It contends that the Federal government’s potential action is an unprecedented and unconstitutional intrusion of federal authority. Biden’s order extends into an area ordinarily subject to the law by way of an “emergency temporary standard: to be issued as a matter of workplace safety by the Occupational Safety Health Administration (OSHA).”
“From a policy perspective, this edict is unlikely to win hearts and minds – it will simply drive further skepticism. And at least some Americans will simply leave the job market instead of complying […] Worse still, many of those who decide to leave their jobs rather than follow your directive will be essential healthcare workers,” the letter states.
“Thus, Mr. President, your vaccination mandate represents not only a threat to individual liberty but a public health disaster that will display (sic) vulnerable workers and exacerbate a nationwide hospital staffing crisis….”
The letter concludes with the potential for future action. “If your administration does not alter its course, the undersigned state attorneys general will seek every available legal option to hold you accountable and uphold the rule of law.”
The letter is signed by attorneys general from the following states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
