Attorney General Eric Schmitt intends to sue the federal government over President Joe Biden’s federal vaccine mandate as soon as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) publishes the new rule, according to Schmitt’s spokesperson Chris Nuelle.
“We'll be filing suit very shortly,” Nuelle told the St. Louis Record.
The Department of Labor’s OSHA is in the process of drawing up an ordinance that requires companies with more than 100 employees to force weekly coronavirus testing or COVID-19 vaccination on their workers, according to media reports.
“It demonstrates the Biden administration’s continued government overreach and intrusion into people's lives,” Nuelle said. “We're going to keep steadfast in challenging the Biden administration and continue fighting in the courts.”
Although the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry encourages all Missourians to be vaccinated, it views forced vaccinations as the wrong approach for business.
“The Missouri Chamber will stand against attempts to place new government mandates on our employer community,” said Daniel P. Mehan, president, and CEO of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “Each workplace is different and employers have long held the right to establish vaccine policies that work for their businesses. The Missouri Chamber believes all employers should continue to have this right when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine.”
Biden’s executive order is expected to impact some 80 million workers nationwide in the private sector.
“We believe the federal government should instead cooperate with the employer community to encourage vaccination and support employers that exercise their legal right to require vaccination,” Mehan said in a statement. “It’s unfortunate that this new federal policy will likely further divide public sentiment around COVID-19 vaccination. The Missouri Chamber believes that vaccination remains key to our economic recovery. We need more Missourians to get vaccinated so that we can begin to put this pandemic behind us.”
The Missouri Chamber is leading the statewide COVID Stops Here campaign, which recognizes employers that achieve widespread vaccination. Hundreds of Missouri employers are currently participating in this voluntary program.
"The Missouri Chamber will continue leading in this effort and we strongly encourage all Missourians to get vaccinated against COVID-19," Mehan further stated.