Democratic governor turns on Biden vaccine mandate, not 'correct' or 'effective' solution
Biden directed all private companies with 100 employees or more to enforce a vaccine requirement starting Jan 4
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Democratic Kansas 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," she 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.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Biden directed all private companies with 100 employees or more to enforce a vaccine requirement starting Jan 4.
Democrat Governor Laura Kelly delivers her inaugural speech is front of the steps of the Kansas State Capitol building Topeka, Kansas, January 14, 2019. (Photo by Mark Reinstein/Corbis via Getty Images)
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."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}President Biden speaks about the authorization of the COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11, in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus on Nov. 3, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
"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."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly speaks to reporters during a Statehouse news conference in Topeka, Kan. Democratic Party leaders want to oust Democratic state Rep.-elect Aaron Coleman, D-Kansas City, over a tweet he made criticizing the governor that they view as threatening. Coleman admitted to circulating revenge porn and was charged at the age of 14 with threatening to shoot a high school student. (AP Photo/John Hanna)
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.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Associated Press contributed to this report.