Republican Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed an executive order on Monday directing state agencies to fight against and not comply with President Joe Biden’s federal vaccine mandates.
In a statement, Ivey blasted the mandates as an “outrageous overreach,” saying Alabamians “must have the choice” of whether they want to get the shot.
Biden “has simply given us no other option, but to begin taking action, which is why I am issuing this executive order to fight these egregious covid-19 vaccine mandates,” she said. “Alabamians—and Americans alike—should and must have the choice to roll up their sleeves to get this shot and certainly not forced by government,” she said.
Under the executive order, state agencies are banned from penalizing employees or businesses that do not comply with the federal mandates, which require companies with more than 100 employees to mandate vaccination against COVID-19 or weekly testing.
“While President Biden laughs at the idea of protecting your freedoms, I will continue fighting for Alabama businesses and their employees,” she said.
“I am adamantly opposed to federal mandates related to the COVID-19 vaccine and adamantly opposed to state mandates related to the COVID-19 vaccine, plain and simple,” she added. “As long as I am your governor, the state of Alabama will not force anyone to take a COVID-19 vaccine.”
Several other Republican leaders have vowed to fight Biden’s mandate, which they have said is unconstitutional. GOP officials in Florida, Arizona, and Texas threatened to sue the Biden administration if he does not retract the mandate.
“The Biden Administration is out of control, and needs to be challenged on these unconstitutional and un-American mandates,” Alabama GOP Chairman John Wahl said last week.
“I want to see Alabama leading the charge to defend the rights and freedoms of our citizens,” he added. “We need to protect both the people of Alabama and the businesses of Alabama from this forced Government discrimination.”
