There is one sure way to get around President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate: Be part of either the legislative or judicial branches of the federal government.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said the mandate does not apply to members of the House, according to Newsweek.
“She’s saying she cannot force Members to be vaccinated, which is true,” a statement from Pelosi’s office said.
The New York Times reported that the vaccine edict issued by Biden does not apply to the federal court system either.
The vaccine mandate has triggered howls of protest.
Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York said Biden exceeded his executive authority with the mandate, which relies upon a liberal interpretation of the rule-making powers of the Department of Labor.
“Just like Mayor [Bill] de Blasio has, President Biden is inappropriately mandating businesses to serve as his vaccine police force, requiring that they mandate their employees be vaccinated, tested weekly or face hefty fines,” she said Friday, according to the New York Post.
“This mandate as a condition of employment in both the public and private sectors is wrong, infringes on the rights and freedoms of Americans and strays from the government’s role of informing, educating and encouraging.
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“This overreach is a step into the dystopian future where the government bulldozes constitutional rights. It will be challenged in court by governors across the nation and I encourage ours to do the same,” Malliotakis said.
Many Republican governors said Biden’s mandate went too far.
I think the President made a mistake by announcing federal vaccine mandates. We should be focused on the science of preventing virus spread – the vaccine is our best tool to stop COVID – but people and business owners should make their own decisions about vaccination.
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) September 10, 2021
The President has no authority to require that Americans inject themselves because of their employment at a private business. The vaccine itself is life-saving, but this unconstitutional move is terrifying. This is still America, and we still believe in freedom from tyrants.
— Tate Reeves (@tatereeves) September 9, 2021
South Dakota will stand up to defend freedom. @JoeBiden see you in court.
— Governor Kristi Noem (@govkristinoem) September 9, 2021
During a Thursday appearance on Fox News, Republican Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota said it “shocked me that the president actually said in his speech today that this wasn’t about freedom and personal choice at all, which I think is indicative of what’s really in his heart and his agenda that he’s got for this country.”
“Listen, this is not a power that is delegated to the federal government. This is a power for states to decide. In South Dakota, we’re going to be free and we’re going to make sure that we don’t overstep our authority. So we will take action. My legal team is already working and we will defend and protect our people from this unlawful mandate,” she said.
Mark Meadows, former White House chief of staff and a board member of America First Legal, said he would “fight back, hold [Biden] accountable, and protect individual rights against these unlawful mandates,” according to Yahoo.
“Joe Biden started the year claiming he wouldn’t mandate vaccines, and 9 months later, mired in failing policies and plummeting poll numbers, his administration is going back on their word,” Meadows said in a statement.
“This overreach is just the latest example — one on a long list of evidence — that this administration will not hesitate to disregard the law in pursuit of their own agenda, even to the point of trampling workers and employers along the way.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.