According to TheHill.com, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, came out on Friday against President Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for businesses with 100 or more employees, saying she doesn’t think it’s the “correct” or “most effective” move.
Laura Kelly is the first Democrat Governor to come out against the mandate and is amongst 26 states that have already filed lawsuits against Biden.
Governor Kelly is up for re-election next year and said she appreciates “the intention to keep people safe” but doesn’t think the administration’s vaccinate-or-test requirements serve as a “solution for Kansas.”
Businesses with at least 100 employees have until Jan. 4 to require workers to either get vaccinated or undergo regular testing. Biden had issued an executive order earlier this year calling for the requirement, which is expected to cover 84 million people.
Several Republicans, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, have pledged to challenge the Labor Department’s rule, saying it violates constitutional rights and will exacerbate current labor shortages in several industries. Some business groups, including in retail, have expressed worries about how it will affect the upcoming holiday season as unemployment in the United States is already at 4.8%, seasonally adjusted from 5.2% for the month of September.
Missouri, along with 10 other states, has also filed a lawsuit against Biden and his administration objecting to the vaccinate-or-test policy. West Virginia’s attorney general also teamed up with six other states to sue the administration over the mandate.
