Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Wednesday that the state of Florida is suing the Biden administration, citing that its federal contractor vaccine mandate is unconstitutional.
“Just because you’re a business that has federal contracts, it’s not right for the federal government to come in and re-write those contracts, and then try to shoehorn this in,” said DeSantis.
In addition to the Biden administration, the lawsuit takes aim at NASA, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, members of the White House Office of Management and Budget, and the Department of Defense.
Biden’s federal stipulation requires all members of the executive branch to be vaccinated and stipulates that any contractor receiving federal tax dollars to ensure that they and their employees are vaccinated by Dec. 8.
DeSantis filed the lawsuit with the U.S. District Court in the division of Tampa. The Sunshine State is home to many federal contractors including space exploration employers. One concern is that the unconstitutional mandates will negatively impact the sustainability of the state’s economy.
“Because the government’s unlawful vaccine requirement seeks to interfere with Florida’s employment policies and threaten Florida with economic harm and the loss of federal contracts, the State seeks relief from this court,” states the lawsuit.
Flanked to the left of DeSantis during the announcement was Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody who is helping spearhead the state’s court battle with the Biden administration.
“Mandating vaccines is not the role of the federal government,” said Moody. Referencing the unconstitutionality of the mandates, Moody said, “this is not a dictatorship.” The press conference follows one day after University of Florida Health’s internal announcement that all employees must be vaccinated by the end of 2021. UF health, according to spokesperson Ken Garcia, receives over $1.5 billion in federal contract money. UF Health is a medical network associated the state’s flagship university.
This is the second press conference concerning vaccine mandates that the governor has held within the last week and a half. DeSantis held a meeting with the news last Thursday in Clearwater, Fla. to announce that he was calling a special session of the state legislature to shield private sector jobs from vaccine discrimination.
“Your right to earn a living should not be contingent upon COVID shots,” said DeSantis. The governor criticized Biden for outright lying about the federal government’s role in the private healthcare of Americans. “Just months ago Joe Biden was saying that it wouldn’t be appropriate or lawful for the federal government to mandate these COVID shots,” said DeSantis.
The Republican governor has been a staunch defender of individual rights and an adamant opponent of government overreach. Highlighting Biden’s falsities, he said, “But now we have somehow gone from 15 days to slow the spread to three jabs to keep your job.”
The potential 2024 presidential candidate is not backing down nor giving up on the fight for medical freedom. “The federal government is exceeding their power and it is important for us to take a stand because in Florida we believe these are choices based on individual circumstances,” said DeSantis.