AG Wilson, 23 other AGs join coalition opposing the president’s recently proposed vaccine mandate

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO)– South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson says he joined a group of 23 other attorneys general opposing President Biden’s proposal which would require many employers to mandate employees get vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to weekly testing. The coalition sent a letter to the president on Thursday which warned litigation will follow the implementation of the proposed mandate.

“Regardless of how you feel about vaccines, President Biden’s edict is illegal and if the administration doesn’t change course we’ll pursue every legal option to strike it down,” Attorney General Wilson said. “I’m fully vaccinated and encourage everyone who can to get the shot, but this is a question of following the law. We think it will also mean fewer people will get vaccinated, which we’ve already seen in New York, where healthcare workers quit because of New York’s vaccine mandate.”

The coalition says they are concerned about the legality of the mandate which would carried out through a rule written by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The coalition also raises concerns about the potential to drive individuals out of the workforce.

A portion of the letter reads, “The risks of COVID-19 spread also vary widely depending on the nature of the business in question, many of which can have their employees, for example, work remotely. The one-size-fits-almost-all approach you have decreed makes clear that you intend to use the OSHA statute as a pretext to impose an unprecedented, controversial public health measure on a nationwide basis that only incidentally concerns the workplace.”

The president’s mandate would require many employers with more than 100 employers require their employees to get vaccinated, or submit to weekly coronavirus testing.

To read the full letter from the coalition of 24 attorneys general, click here.