Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin (R) is not backing down on her decision to impose a mask mandate ban during Gov. Brad Little’s trip to Nashville, Tennessee, for the Republican Governors Association conference.
“My action was to uphold my sworn oath to uphold and protect the rights of our citizens in Idaho, as guaranteed to us in our U.S. constitution, our Idaho constitution and the rule of law in Idaho,” McGeachin said during an interview with Fox News.
She added, “That is what I did.”
McGeachin announced on Twitter last week that she signed an executive order, “Today, as acting Governor of the State of Idaho, I signed an Executive Order to protect the rights and liberties of individuals and businesses by prohibiting the state and its political subdivisions — including public schools — from imposing mask mandates in our state.”
Today, as acting Governor of the State of Idaho, I signed an Executive Order to protect the rights and liberties of individuals and businesses by prohibiting the state and its political subdivisions — including public schools — from imposing mask mandates in our state. #idpol pic.twitter.com/Nmb6DX9v6X
— Janice McGeachin (@JaniceMcGeachin) May 27, 2021
Fox News noted Little reversed the ban within one day of the implementation.
McGeachin told the outlet she hoped Little “would see the value in this. We’re at a different place today for sure than we were then.”
She continued, “The vaccine is readily available to anyone who wants it. Lead by example and show that you trust and respect the voice of the Idahoan citizens, that we don’t need to continue to have these dictates placed on us, especially by some that are appointed and not duly elected.”
Little blasted McGeachin for her move in a statement, saying it was an “abuse of power.”
A remarkable statement from ID Gov. Brad Little rebuking Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin over her executive order banning local mask mandates. “Abuse of power,” “tyranny,” “irresponsible, self-serving political stunt” https://t.co/0qBAuRgOn9 pic.twitter.com/fv25hwdbwV
— Reid Wilson (@PoliticsReid) May 29, 2021
“This kind of over-the-top executive action amounts to tyranny – something we all oppose. How ironic that the action comes from a person who has groused about tyranny, executive overreach, and balance of power for months,” Little continued.
He argued her executive order “presents some pretty alarming consequences.”
McGeachin said she respects the right and choice of the individual to wear a mask but she is opposed to “any time of a government mandate that forces us to do these things.”
Last month, the U.SCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks in most cases, as IJR previously reported.
“Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said.