Gov. Laura Kelly came out against President Biden’s vaccine mandate as one that is not the “most effective” or “correct” for her state.
“Yesterday, I reviewed the new vaccine mandate from the Biden Administration. While I appreciate the intention to keep people safe, a goal I share, I don’t believe this directive is the correct, or the most effective, solution for Kansas,” Kelly said in a statement released Friday.
“States have been leading the fight against COVID-19 from the start of the pandemic. It is too late to impose a federal standard now that we have already developed systems and strategies that are tailored for our specific needs,” she continued.
Biden directed all private companies with 100 employees or more to enforce a vaccine requirement starting Jan 4.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Saturday, however, granted an emergency stay of the vaccine requirement by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said the action stops Biden “from moving forward with his unlawful overreach.”
“The president will not impose medical procedures on the American people without the checks and balances afforded by the constitution,” a statement from Landry, a Republican, said.
Biden’s vaccine mandate for businesses was hit with fierce and immediate pushback earlier this year when it was first announced.
Republicans hit back at the mandate when it was first announced in September as “unconstitutional.” They took to social media and posted their views. Such as:
Thomas Massie- “This is absolutely unconstitutional! The expansive rules mandate look at all employers with more than 100 workers require them to be vaccinated or test for the virus weekly, affecting about 80 million Americans.”
Rep. Lauren Boebert- “All 9 million federal employees should consult with their doctor and make a personal, informed decision about taking the vaccine. Instead, sleepy Joe says take it or else… You don’t leave by coercion. Biden has failed as a leader in every way.”
Robert Aderholt- “This is unconstitutional. The U.S. Constitution does not give the president this type of authority. Nowhere in Article 2 of the Constitution will you find anything that even remotely gives the President this kind of power.”
As for Kelly, she said she will “seek a resolution” on vaccine mandates that “continues to recognize the uniqueness of our state and builds on our on-going efforts to combat a once-in-a-century crisis.”
Kelly is up for reelection next year. GOP challenger Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt’s campaign team hit back in a statement on Kelly’s remarks, saying she has remained quiet on Biden’s vaccine mandate for two months, while Schmidt has been fighting the mandate.
“Attorney General Schmidt has been fighting Joe Biden’s mandates since the moment they were announced. After two months of silence, Laura Kelly has now voiced her concerns some 36 hours after her party suffered defeat in blue state Virginia – words accompanied by no action. Kansans are smart, and can see which candidate is acting on principle defending their livelihood and which is making a desperate political ploy to save her own job,” Schmidt’s campaign manager CJ Grover tweeted Friday.
