Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor (R) pressed the state’s private businesses to disregard Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for companies with over 100 employees expected to take effect in the coming months.
Though the executive action has not yet been ordered, Biden continues to pressure businesses with this vaccine mandate threat in the foreseeable future.
“There are currently no rules that require employers to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for employees. I urge Oklahoma employers to disregard the Biden Administration’s wishes to the contrary,” O’Connor said, noting that the mandate is not current law.
If Biden does order the vaccine mandate, the Republican attorney general has vowed to fight back.
“In the event federal emergency rules are issued that place such an unlawful demand upon employers, our office will be joined by other state Attorneys General across the country to quickly sue and seek an injunction against any implementation or enforcement,” O’Connor continued in a statement.
The state’s Republican governor, Kevin Stitt, shared a similar sentiment in a video he posted to Twitter.
Stitt blasted the Biden administration for having “no respect for individual freedoms,” and confirmed that he and O’Connor stand behind those who defy what he notes to be “unconstitutional” and a “federal overreach.”
Both Stitt and O’Connor also agreed that getting the COVID-19 vaccine should be a matter of personal choice.
“Oklahomans should have the right to make their own personal health decisions for themselves and their families,” O’Connor opined. “Employers that are mandating vaccines are unfortunately doing so upon their own initiative. Religious, medical, and personal exemptions should be uniformly approved by those employers at the very least.”