19 US states sue Biden administration over coronavirus vaccine mandate
- The Republican states asked judges to block President Joe Biden’s requirement that all employees of federal contractors be vaccinated
- All the suits argue that the president does not have the authority to issue the rule and that it violates procurement law and the 10th Amendment
Attorneys general from Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming signed on to one lawsuit, which was filed in a federal district court in Missouri on Friday.
Another group of states including Georgia, Alabama, Idaho, Kansas, South Carolina, Utah and West Virginia filed a lawsuit in federal district court in Georgia.
Texas also sued individually on Friday, while Florida sued on Thursday, bringing to 19 the number of states challenging the Biden administration mandate.
The states asked a federal judge to block Biden’s requirement that all employees of federal contractors be vaccinated against the coronavirus by December 8, arguing that the mandate violates federal procurement law and is an overreach of federal power.
“If the federal government attempts to unconstitutionally exert its will and force federal contractors to mandate vaccinations, the workforce and businesses could be decimated, further exacerbating the supply chain and workforce crises,” Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a Republican, said in a statement. “The federal government should not be mandating vaccinations, and that’s why we filed suit today – to halt this illegal, unconstitutional action.”