Texas sues Biden over vaccine mandate

State Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed suit against the Biden administration over its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal contractors, making Texas the 12th state to do so in the last week.

The 34-page lawsuit argues the president overstepped his authority in implementing the vaccine requirement for federal employees and contractors, a rule he announced in September alongside a plan to require vaccines or regular testing at private businesses with at least 100 workers. The rule for federal contractors, set to take effect Dec. 8, does not offer an alternative testing option.

“The Biden administration has repeatedly expressed its disdain for Americans who choose not to get a vaccine, and it has committed repeated and abusive federal overreach to force upon Americans something they do not want,” Paxton said in a news release. “The federal government does not have the ability to strip individuals of their choice to get a vaccine or not.”

Ten GOP-led states, led by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, filed a separate lawsuit challenging the policy Friday. Florida also launched its own lawsuit Thursday, and Arizona was the first to challenge the mandate in September.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but a spokesperson defended the vaccine mandate in a statement to Forbes in response to the Missouri lawsuit.

“Department of Justice and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have already determined that COVID vaccines can be mandated by employers,” the spokesperson said.

Paxton argues the requirement leaves employees across the country with an impossible choice between the vaccine, which they may not want, or their job.

“The federal government … has launched a coordinated effort to decide for itself whether and when Americans must receive the vaccine, regardless of individual preference, healthcare needs, or religious beliefs,” Paxton’s lawsuit states.