Gov. Kay Ivey blasts Biden over vaccine mandate — ‘Washington won’t be telling Alabama what to do’

Gov. Kay Ivey (R-AL) issued a scathing response to President Joe Biden’s newly-announced vaccine mandate for private employers who employ over 100 people.

The governor pointed to the lagging national economic recovery, believing it will further be harmed due to what she calls the president’s “overreaching mandates.”

“Once again, President Biden has missed the mark,” said Ivey. “His outrageous, overreaching mandates will no doubt be challenged in the courts. Placing more burdens on both employers and employees during a pandemic with the rising inflation rates and lingering labor shortages is totally unacceptable.”

Ivey touched on the state’s efforts to instill vaccine confidence among the public.

“Alabamians have stepped up by rolling up their sleeves to get the covid-19 vaccine, increasing our doses administered significantly in recent weeks,” she added. ‘We have done so without mandates from Washington D.C. or Montgomery. I’ve made it abundantly clear: I support the science and encourage folks taking the vaccine. However, I am absolutely against a government mandate on the vaccine, which is why I signed the vaccine passport ban into law here in Alabama. This is not the role of the government.’

Bring it on. Washington won’t be telling Alabama what to do. — KI #alpolitics https://t.co/sFT8cfgdjt

— Kay Ivey (@kayiveyforgov) September 10, 2021

“I continue encouraging any Alabamian who can, to get the covid-19 vaccine. We have a safe and effective tool at our fingertips, so, let’s roll up our sleeves and get this thing beat,” Ivey concluded.

Regarding government-issued orders relating to virus mitigation efforts, the governor ended the state’s mask mandate in April. Ivey last month issued a “limited, narrowly-focused” state of emergency, absent a public health order, which seeks to combat the spread of the Delta variant by assisting health care providers to deal with the increase in hospitalizations.