President Joe Biden’s vigorous attempt to force millions of workers in the United States to be vaccinated against coronavirus has faced resistance from Republican leaders who threaten everything from lawsuits to civil disobedience, which has plunged the country in a kind of political-cultural conflict that has been fierce since the beginning of the pandemic.
In South Carolina, Gov. Henry McMaster says he will fight “to the gates of hell to protect the freedom and support of all the people of the state.” South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a possible candidate for the 2024 presidential candidacy, says she is preparing a lawsuit. And JD Vance, a Conservative looking for a federal Senate bench for Ohio, has urged businesses to ignore orders he describes as Washington’s “attempt to intimidate and coerce citizens.”
“Only mass civil disobedience will save us from Joe Biden’s discovered authoritarianism,” Vance declares.
However, Biden has stood firm in his stance. On a visit to a school on Friday, the president accused governors of being “arrogant” about the health of young Americans, and when asked about his enemies who could take the matter to court he replied: ” Let them try. “
The rejection followed Biden’s announcement Thursday of a grand plan to double the coronavirus at a time when the highly contagious delta variant has contributed to 1,500 deaths and 150,000 cases per day. Biden has ordered that all employers of more than 100 workers be forced to be vaccinated or tested weekly for the virus, which would affect 80 million Americans.
Seventeen million more health care workers linked to federal Medicare or Medicaid programs will also need to be vaccinated as well as all executive employees and contractors doing business with the federal government.
The decision sparked anger from Republicans in state capitals, Congress and campaigners, even among many who have supported the vaccines and urged their voters to get them.
“The vaccine itself saves lives, but this unconstitutional decision is terrifying,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves tweeted.
Texas Representative Dan Crenshaw, who has promoted vaccine safety among voters in his district, noted: “The right path is based on explaining, educating and building trust, which includes explaining the risks / benefits / pros and cons in an honest way so that each person can make their own decision. “
More than 208 million Americans have received at least one dose of their vaccines, but 80 million remain uninoculated, which maintains the inertia of infections.
New daily cases of COVID-19 have increased by about 300%, hospitalizations 2.5 times and deaths almost double the same time last year.
Although post-vaccine infections have been reported among inoculated individuals, these cases tend to be less severe, and the vast majority of deaths and serious illnesses have occurred among those who have not received any dose.
The pandemic has worsened in many states where governors are protesting loudly against the actions of the president. South Carolina, for example, records an average of more than 5,000 new cases per day and has the second highest infection rate in the country.
A hospital system in this state began canceling scheduled surgeries for non-serious health problems in order to have staff available to care for the high number of patients with COVID-19.
In one part of Idaho, hospitals saturated with patients have put in place new rules in the face of the crisis to ration out patient care. And in Georgia, hospitals have rejected ambulances carrying patients for emergency care or intensive care units.
“I am very upset that in particular some Republican governors have been too arrogant with the health of these boys, too arrogant with the health of their communities,” Biden stated during his school visit. “This is not a game.”
However, Republicans and some union representatives say the president has overstepped his constitutional authority. They disagree in particular with the idea that millions of people could lose their jobs if they were reluctant to get vaccinated.
“This is a ridiculous decision,” Mississippi Gov. Reeves noted.