Gov. Kay Ivey calls on Biden to lift COVID-19 vaccine mandate on global travel to U.S.

On Wednesday, Gov. Kay Ivey joined a letter with 16 of her Republican governor counterparts calling on President Joe Biden to remove the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for international travelers to the United States.

In their letter to the nation’s chief executive, the Republican governors asserted that the administration’s vaccine requirement for international travelers placed the United States at an economic disadvantage to other countries.

“The continued requirements, even as other countries are moving in the opposite direction, put us at a competitive disadvantage as our states work to welcome international travelers, attract foreign business prospects, and host global athletic competitions,” the governors wrote. “Your actions are hurting our states’ economies and unnecessarily hampering our economic growth as a nation.”

Calling the decision to lift the vaccine requirement “common sense,” Ivey advised that the mandate held adverse consequences for American industry.

“Yet again, I’m proud to stand with my fellow Republican governors in advocating for common sense. The bottom line is that the current international travel restrictions are hurting America’s economy, which as of last week, is officially in recession,” noted Ivey in a statement. “This issue has negatively impacted American business and our supply chain, and it is past time we ease the burden for travelers visiting our country for work or leisure.”

Alabama’s chief executive took exception to the Biden administration’s implementation of liberal border policies all while restricting legal international travel to the United States.

The governor concluded, “I, like many of my fellow Alabamians and Americans ask the question: Why is this Administration ok with letting folks flood through the gates at our Southern Border unaccounted for while we make it harder for the ones doing things the right way or simply just visiting?”

Read the governors’ full letter to Biden:

Dylan Smith is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL