Texas Joins States Suing Biden Administration over Vaccine Mandate for Employers

The State of Texas announced Friday it will join states filing a lawsuit against the Biden administration, due to its coronavirus vaccine mandate for employers.

CBSDFW reported:

Texas and several other allied states and companies are suing for what they say is the ‘illegal and unconstitutional’ soon-to-be vaccine mandate imposed at some private companies. […] New regulations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration mandate that companies with more than 100 employees require their workers to be vaccinated against COVID. Those choosing not to get the shot will be required to test negative for COVID at least once a week and wear masks on the job. The requirement is scheduled to begin on January 4. Violations could include penalties of nearly $14,000 per violation.

“The Biden Administration’s new vaccine mandate on private businesses is a breathtaking abuse of federal power. OSHA has only limited power and specific responsibilities. This latest move goes way outside those bounds. This ‘standard’ is flatly unconstitutional. Bottom line: Biden’s new mandate is bad policy and bad law, and I’m asking the Court to strike it down,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) said in a statement.

#BREAKING #Texas Attorney General @KenPaxtonTX announces he’s suing the Biden administration over its Covid-19 vaccine mandate. Paxton: “The Biden Administration’s new vaccine mandate on private businesses is a breathtaking abuse of federal power.” @CBSDFW pic.twitter.com/Tkde7u4wzz

— Jack Fink (@cbs11jack) November 5, 2021

Earlier Friday, 11 attorneys general filed a suit against the Biden administration, arguing in the St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the authority to compel vaccinations is a state issue.

“This mandate is unconstitutional, unlawful, and unwise,” Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt wrote in the court filing. Schmitt added that he filed the suit “to protect personal freedoms, preserve Missouri businesses, and push back on bureaucratic tyrants who simply want power and control.”

Missouri was joined in the lawsuit by the Republican attorneys general of Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. The office of Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, a Democrat, also joined in the suit, along with several private, nonprofit, and religious employers.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.