Texas governor slams Biden for 'bullying', bars all COVID-19 vaccine mandates

Governor of the US state of Texas Greg Abbott has signed an order barring all COVID-19 vaccine mandates as he ripped the administration of President Joe Biden for "bullying", arguing that the mandates must never be forced on people against their will.

Abbott's move sets him up for a clash with Biden, who last month called on businesses nationwide to order their workers to be vaccinated or lose their jobs. Several thousand people have since been fired for refusing to comply.

"In another instance of federal overreach, the Biden administration is now bullying many private entities into imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates, causing workforce disruptions that threaten Texas' continued recovery from the COVID-19 disaster," Abbott said in an executive order.

The executive order states that, “No entity in Texas can compel receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine by any individual… who objects to such vaccination” for whatever reason – whether that be religious-based objections, medical concerns or other reasons of “personal conscience” – threatening a fine of up to $1,000 for violators.

“The COVID-19 vaccine should remain voluntary and never forced,” the governor stressed.

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Tech giants Facebook Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google have both told employees that they would need proof of vaccination to return to their offices. Both companies employ large numbers in Texas.

Fort Worth-based American Airlines, the largest US carrier, last week told its 100,000 US-based employees they must submit proof of full vaccination no later than Nov. 24 - or be fired.

United Airlines also imposed a vaccine mandate on its 60,000 employees, around 9,000 of whom are based in Texas.

Abbott’s moves came after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is among the country’s most vocal opponents of such requirements, took similar measures against the vaccine mandates last month.

DeSantis threatened fines of up to $5,000 for any state agency that requires vaccination as a condition for employment, insisting that in Florida, vaccines will remain “available for all but mandatory for none.” The governor also prohibited mask mandates in a number of settings, including in public schools, kicking off a heated legal battle.

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Biden issued his vaccine mandate in September as his administration struggled to control the pandemic, which has killed more than 715,000 Americans.

Laws requiring proof of vaccinations are deeply controversial in the United States, with many Americans criticizing them as unconstitutional and authoritarian.

Proponents of vaccine mandates, however, see them as necessary to pull the nation out of the nearly two-year pandemic and return to normalcy.

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