The complaint filed by Texas asks the court to hold the administration’s new regulations as unlawful and enjoin its enforcement, arguing that the executive branch exceeded its authority and failed to follow the proper procedures in issuing the rule.
Guidance from the executive branch stipulates that the applicable employees who work for an entity that contracts with the federal government should be fully vaccinated against the virus by December 8, 2021.
“The Biden Administration has repeatedly expressed its disdain for Americans who choose not to get a vaccine, and it has committed repeated and abusive federal overreach to force upon Americans something they do not want,” said Attorney General Ken Paxton in a press release.
“The federal government does not have the ability to strip individuals of their choice to get a vaccine or not. If the President thinks his patience is wearing thin, he is clearly underestimating the lack of patience from Texans whose rights he is infringing.”
A vaccine mandate for federal contractors is one of several prongs that President Biden announced in September to coerce a broader number of Americans to receive the vaccination.
Additionally, the administration is also pursuing regulations to mandate the vaccine for most medical workers and require vaccinations or weekly COVID-19 testing for workers of companies with 100 employees or more.
Paxton noted in the lawsuit that the push for mandated vaccinations is inconsistent with previous statements from the president, who said a month before being sworn into the Oval Office that he “wouldn’t demand it to be mandatory.”
In September, Paxton signed a coalition letter with the attorneys general of 23 other states urging Biden to “reconsider your unlawful and harmful plan and allow people to make their own decisions.”
“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,” they wrote.
The lawsuits filed last week against the mandate for federal contractors is likely only the beginning of the legal battle, as the other regulations that were announced as part of Biden’s plan have yet to be finalized.
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Daniel Friend
Daniel Friend is the Marketing and Media Manager for The Texan. After graduating with a double-major in Political Science and Humanities, he wrote for The Texan as a reporter through June 2022. In his spare time, you're likely to find him working on The Testimony of Calvin Lewis, an Abolition of Man-inspired novel and theatrical podcast.
