Gov. Mike Parson recently announced that his administration will rebuff the Biden administration's attempt to enforce an unconstitutional, federal vaccine mandate for Missourians and private businesses.
The Office of the Governor has been in communication with leadership from the Missouri General Assembly and the Attorney General's Office to align resources for a pending legal fight.
Parson said in a press release that the proposed vaccine mandates were an attack on Missourians' freedom to choose to get vaccinated and suggested Biden was trying to take the spotlight off his administration’s decision to withdraw from Afghanistan.
"This assault on individual liberty and free enterprise is a poorly executed attempt by the Biden administration to reset after its disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan," Parson said.
"With our southern border in crisis and as we are experiencing out-of-control inflation, President Biden is desperate to divert attention from his failures. However, Missouri will not be a pawn in this publicity stunt that seeks to force Missourians to disclose private health care decisions and dictate private business operations."
Mary C. Becker, senior vice president with the Missouri Hospital Association (MHA), told the St. Louis Record that it was not yet possible to determine what impact the vaccine mandate would have until the itinerary unfolds.
“It is too early to speculate about the vaccine mandate since we have very little information about how it will be rolled out,” Becker said. “Obviously, MHA supports vaccination, and we believe it is the only way to get the pandemic under control. We support hospitals’ decisions to do what is best for their organizations, as you know, several have already implemented vaccine mandates.”
Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives Rob Vescovo said the Biden administration should concentrate on securing the country’s borders and protecting military personnel.
"When President Biden should be focused on protecting our troops and securing our borders, he has instead decided to inject himself into the private lives and business dealings of hard-working Missourians," Vescovo said. "This is an obvious attempt by the president to shift attention away from his failures in Afghanistan where his disastrous withdrawal left American citizens behind. We in the Missouri House of Representatives will not stand for it, and we will do everything in our power to protect the personal liberties of Missourians."