AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
- 24 state attorneys general signed a letter demanding that Biden change his vaccine mandate.
- The letter says Biden's strategy is "a threat to individual liberty" and "a public health disaster."
- GOP lawmakers have bristled at Biden's efforts to encourage people to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
All but two of the Republican state attorneys general signed a seven-page letter demanding that the Biden administration modify the vaccine mandate part of President Joe Biden's COVID-19 strategy, or they will take legal action against it.
The letter, which was addressed to the president on September 16, reads: "We thus urge you to reconsider your unlawful and harmful plan and allow people to make their own decisions. If your Administration does not alter its course, the undersigned state Attorneys General will seek every available legal option to hold you accountable and uphold the rule of law."
Attorneys general from Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Texas, and Utah are among the 24 who signed the letter.
Biden's "Path out of the Pandemic" is a six-part approach toward driving out the COVID-19 pandemic which includes, in part, a vaccine mandate for:
- Employers with more than 100 employees;
- Federal workers and contractors; and
- Healthcare workers at hospitals that accept Medicare & Medicaid
Private sector employees who choose not to get the COVID-19 vaccine will be subjected to weekly testing.
The letter calls the plan "disastrous and counterproductive" and says the dangers of the coronavirus don't demand an OSHA emergency mandate.
"Mr. President, your vaccination mandate represents not only a threat to individual liberty, but a public health disaster that will displace vulnerable workers and exacerbate a nationwide hospital staffing crisis, with severe consequences for all Americans," the letter reads.
The attorneys general predicted it will result in "at least some Americans" quitting their jobs instead - putting a strain on companies, the labor market, and all employees - regardless of their vaccination status.
According to The New York Times, the daily average of positive cases as of September 15 is 152,605; the daily average of hospitalizations is 98,449; and the daily average of deaths is approximately 1,943. Also according to The Times, an estimated 666,816 people have died from COVID-19 in the United States so far and 54% of Americans are fully vaccinated.
"We've been patient, but our patience is wearing thin," Biden said while announcing his latest strategy to rein in the pandemic. "And your refusal has cost all of us."
The White House did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.