COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Attorney General David Yost said the state is joining a lawsuit against the Biden administration in an effort to stop a COVID-19 vaccine and testing mandate for employees of private companies.
Yost said he is joining attorneys general from Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia in filing the suit.
On Thursday, Yost announced he was filing suit against the Biden administration to stop the federal government from enacting COVID-19 vaccine and testing mandates on employees of federal contractors. This was the same day that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced coronavirus-related protocols for employees of private companies with 100 or more workers.
Starting Jan. 4, OSHA will require companies with 100 or more employees to determine the vaccination status of each employee, require those who aren’t vaccinated against COVID-19 to be tested for the virus weekly and wear a mask while indoors. OSHA will also require employees to provide prompt notice if they test positive for COVID-19.
Yost said these OSHA protocols go too far.
“A nationwide vaccine mandate that has nothing to do with workplace risk is a dangerous and unlawful use of executive power,” Yost said. “Congress has not given the president the power to make personal health-care decisions for all Americans who just so happen to work at a company with at least 100 employees.”
In addition to the seven-state suit, attorneys general in 11 states were the first major group to sue, in a filing led by Missouri and joined by Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Iowa filed a similar suit.
The Biden administration has defended vaccine mandates as both constitutional and good for the economy.
“As we’ve seen with businesses – large and small – across all sectors of our economy, the overwhelming majority of Americans choose to get vaccinated,” Biden said in a statement Thursday morning. “There have been no ‘mass firings’ and worker shortages because of vaccination requirements. Despite what some predicted and falsely assert, vaccination requirements have broad public support.”
The federal government’s COVID-19 protocols drew opposition on Thursday from the leader of Ohio’s business community.
“Today’s announcement from the Biden Administration is a significant infringement on the ability of Ohio employers to set their own workplace policies,” said Steve Stivers, Ohio Chamber president and CEO. “Ohio businesses know best how to protect the health and safety of their employees, customers and patients and should not be subject to the heavy hand of government dictating a one-size-fits-all approach to COVID-19 vaccines and testing.”
Spectrum News reporter Austin Landis contributed to this report.
