UTAH, Sept. 9, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — Two of Utah’s elected officials have shared their opinion on the executive orders issued Thursday by Pres. Joe Biden, which require all federal workers to get vaccinated.
The mandate also includes federal contractors and healthcare workers employed by institutions that accept Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement to get vaccinated. It would also require 300,000 educators in federal Head Start programs to be fully vaccinated.
Biden also called on governors to require vaccinations for all teachers and staff, saying the plan takes on elected officials in states that are “undermining” school officials that seek to implement mask mandates and other “life-saving actions.”
Biden said that if governors do not help to beat the pandemic, he would use his power as president to “get them out of the way.”
The president also directed the Department of Labor to require all businesses with 100 or more employees to require that workers be fully vaccinated or get tested for the virus once a week. Employers who fail to meet these requirements could face fines of up to $14,000 per violation.
Utah reactions
Utah Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Chris Stewart both tweeted their reactions later on Thursday. Lee criticized Biden on a number of issues.
“From ignoring property rights, to shirking his duty at the border, and now, coercing private citizens to undergo a medical procedure, Joe Biden has shown a wanton disregard for the U.S. Constitution,” Lee wrote in a Twitter post.
“As a would-be autocrat, Biden endangers the very fibers of this great nation. Freedom and agency are the hallmarks of the American experiment.”
Rep. Chris Stewart agreed Biden had exceeded his authority.
2 ultra-reich-conservatives bemoan federal overreach … while at the same time worshipping ultra-conservative STATE overreach.