Governor Bill Lee on Wednesday spoke out against President Joe Biden’s federal coronavirus vaccine mandate, arguing the president has “politicized” the issue.
Detailing the mandate has caused division throughout the country, Lee explained that state lawmakers are working to limit the federal government’s “overreach.”
“It’s the mandate, not the vaccine, that creates a big government sized-wedge between individuals & their doctor,” Lee said in a tweet. “The Biden Administration has politicized this from the start. But, for most people this isn’t about politics – It’s about their paycheck and personal health.”
It’s the mandate, not the vaccine, that creates a big government sized-wedge between individuals & their doctor.
The Biden Administration has politicized this from the start. But, for most people this isn’t about politics – It’s about their paycheck and personal health.
— Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) October 20, 2021
Lee has remained a constant critic of Biden’s decision to mandate the shot, previously calling the decision a “power grab.”
“Our partners in the legislature understand that & we are all working to limit federal overreach & help Tennesseans get on with their lives,” Lee continued, pointing to the upcoming special session of state legislators, which will officially begin on October 27.
During the special session, lawmakers are expected to draft legislation that “will cover a number of issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including overreaching health care mandates,” according to a statement from Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) and House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville).
The scope of the session is expected to include the broad, federal mandates issued by the Biden administration that require certain companies to mandate vaccination or weekly testing, which could impact almost 2 million Tennesseans, and restrictions on monoclonal antibodies.
Finally, when speaking to reporters, Lee encouraged residents of the state to receive the vaccine, if eligible.
“The COVID-19 vaccine is the most important and most effective tool that we have to combat this virus,” Lee said, noted by WZTV. “We will continue to make it widely available and we will continue to encourage Tennesseans to get a vaccine.”
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Star News Network. Follow Cooper on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
And Lee “politicized” taking away federal unemployment payments early which is why Lee will lose the lawsuit against him!
Just like you’ve done, Lee!
Lee is a liar. He mandated masks. Same thing. Plus, he has lost all credibility when he says “The COVID-19 vaccine is the most important and most effective tool that we have to combat this virus…and we will continue to encourage Tennesseans to get a vaccine.” Bill Liar.
Better late than never I guess…
Although I agree with Mr. Lee about mandates coming down from Washington it is like the pot calling the kettle black. Mr. Lee has run roughshod over Tennesseans for about 18 months now with his own mandates. One of the worst of which was to unconstitutionally authorize county “mayors” to issue their own mandates. In many cases those little dictators stepped all over their citizens – case in point Anthony Holt in Sumner County And of course, our illustrious legislators hid in their basements and did nothing to stop the nonsense. Now a special session is being called hopefully to take the actions that should have been taken care of in the regular session. But I would not recommend holding one’s breath in expectation of real restraints being put on the governor. After all he just got his almost $1,000,000,000 (that’s a lot of zeroes) passed without any real opposition. In fact, it seems that the only real discussion was about how big to make a commission to “oversee” that boondoggle. I guess everyone wanted their big supporters to get in on the action.
What a bunch of hypocritical losers.
This issue is problematic for the Democrats. Obviously they plan on making Covid their central political issue in the next elections. They really don’t have another option. They will seek to blame rural white voters for the continuation of Covid due to an ascribed resistance to taking Covid vaccines.
The problem with this strategy for Democrats is that vaccine resistance is as high or higher among black citizens. Notice how the White House Press Office goes into panic mode when a black entertainer or NBA star expresses concerns or opposition to vaccines.
Democrats have made their political fortune by telling black citizens that the system is rigged against them. But for the Democrat’s vaccine mandate strategy to work they must persuade black Americans to now trust that same system.
10 months later….welcome to the party Governor. Captain Obvious was here 9 months ago and made the same observations.
Thank you for showing some common sense on the Chinese virus Plandemic. Every month that goes by more and more evidence surfaces showing that the virus was intentionally created and released, and that the globalists are using it to institute their global reset with the full and unrestricted support of the democrats.
To say that the “vaccine” protects you from covid is un-provable nonsense. Just because you get vaccinated and have yet to get sick DOES NOT mean that the vaccine works. I’m not vaccinated and have no intent of doing so, and I have not contracted the virus. Currently there are (probable) tens of thousands of “vaccinated” people who are sick and have died from the virus. Just look at Vermont, they have a > 88% vaccination rate and the number of “cases” is sky rocketing.
The virus has a greater than 99% survival rate, people who have contracted and recuperated from covid-19 have natural immunity far better than those vaccinated. In India they have been dispensing Ivermectin with very successful results. The use of prophylaxis drugs in the early stages of the infection have shown excellent results in preventing serious cases of covid-19. All of these points are excellent reasons why people should not get vaccinated, and this begs the question; why is the government so adamant that everyone get the jab? The whole Plandemic reeks just of deceit.
Governor Lee- please stop talking and start doing. Take notes from Governors Abbott and DeSantis. You did not need a special session for all of those “emergency executive orders” you’ve been firing off for the last year and a half. BAN SHOT MANDATES. BAN COVID PASSPORTS. BAN MASK MANDATES.
Such hypocrites are the democrats. They collectively and actively opposed the COVID19 vaccine during President Trump’s administration. They opposed “Operation Warp Speed” the program in which the vaccine was developed. Cackling Kamala strongly encouraged no one get the vaccine as it was unsafe, untested. Then, immediately following the election, she was one of the first to be vaccinated with the Trump era developed vaccine. Then she encouraged, and now with her direct report Joe Biden, is trying to mandate the vaccine. The same vaccine she loudly opposed. She also can’t understand, nor can Joe, why people oppose vaccination. Main stream media simply dropped coverage and is complicit in today’s public resistance. We need professional journalism to return, we also need competent representatives in the State Houses and in Washington DC..
big talk. when are you going to DO SOMETHING, gov lee?
action not talk.
It sure would be nice if politicians would stop practicing medicine without a license. Sudden cardiac death is the largest cause of natural death in the United States, causing about 325,000 adult deaths in the United States each year. Maybe Medtronics needs to start paying for our news and politicians and soon we all have defibrillator mandates?