22 states ask feds to repeal COVID vaccine mandate for health care workers

Unique – 20-two state lawyers general are inquiring the Biden administration to end it is really “draconian vaccine mandate” for U.S. wellness care providers because it is leading to crucial shortages of well being care workers and is justified with out-of-date information and science.

In a petition reviewed completely by Fox News Digital, 22 Republican condition attorneys common, led by AG Austin Knudsen of Montana, demanded that the Wellness and Human Services Section (HHS) and Facilities for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) repeal the interim last rule, or IFR, that approved the federal mandate in impact considering that November 2021.

“The far more we dig into this, the additional we glimpse, this interim final rule was just fully arbitrary and capricious,” Knudsen advised Fox Information Electronic. “The science didn’t at any time back that the COVID vaccine was ever heading to prevent transmission.”

In the almost 40-web site document, the point out attorneys basic laid out their scenario for repealing the mandate that covers Medicare and Medicaid companies and affects nearly all wellness care employees in the country. It has an effect on 10.4 million workers at 76,000 wellness treatment amenities as well as residence health and fitness treatment providers.

Montana Lawyer General Austin Knudsen
(Montana DOJ, Attorney General’s Workplace Dukas/Common Illustrations or photos Group by means of Getty Pictures)

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“Pfizer in no way analyzed its vaccine to see if it prevented transmission of COVID-19,” the AGs wrote. “And when CMS issued the IFR, it didn’t know irrespective of whether the vaccines would protect against COVID transmission.”

“No facts at the time conclusively demonstrated that the vaccines would protect against an infection and transmission,” the AGs said. They added that even entirely vaccinated individuals contracted and transmitted COVID-19, a craze that has continued even with the introduction of a 1st-technology booster and the new, bivalent omicron booster, they claim.

“But that didn’t end CMS from jamming through the IFR’s draconian vaccine mandate,” the AGs explained.

In accordance to their submitting, scientific studies present that “compelled vaccination of tens of millions of health and fitness care staff will not meaningfully limit COVID transmission.”

A team protesting the vaccine mandate in Boston. 
(Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe by means of Getty Photos)

“Even even worse, the unexpected emergency vaccine mandate remaining wellbeing care amenities — now having difficulties to keep necessary employees ratios — in dire straits, further more worsening staffing shortages in the well being treatment sector, primarily in rural and frontier States,” the AGs pointed out.

“When that rule came down, and the months preceding that rule coming down, it was the No. 1 cellphone phone and e mail message that my workplace gained from overall health care workers just terrified of this,” Knudsen told Fox News Digital.

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Knudsen claimed the mandate has had the biggest outcome on nursing residences in Montana, the place 10 proficient nursing households shut in 2022 due to a wellness care employee shortage.

“Now that ‘the pandemic is over,’ and presented the most likely violations of the several statutory and constitutional legal rights … the Secretary and CMS should really get immediate action to repeal the IFR and withdraw the State Surveyor Advice,” the petition claimed.

Protesters gathered for a rally towards COVID-19 vaccine mandates in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington Jan. 23, 2022. 
(AP Photograph/Patrick Semansky, File)

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The AGs explained CMS “co-opted the states’ surveyor staffs to be certain compliance” with the mandate. It issued numerous directives managing the point out surveyors like federal staff (the State Surveyor Directives).”

The AGs challenged the Biden health department’s authority in authorizing the mandate, stating that in the 57-yr history of the Medicare and Medicaid packages, HHS has in no way construed federal statutes “to authorize an marketplace-large vaccination necessity.” 

They explained courts “ought to be skeptical” of CMS’s claim that the agency can bypass congressional acceptance to impose the rule.

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“The incredibly reality that CMS does not point to very clear statutory authorization and as an alternative collects a hodgepodge of various statutes to help its claimed authority is possibly the most effective proof of the main queries violation,” the AGs argued.

Lawyers basic from Louisiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arizona, Nebraska, Alabama, New Hampshire, Alaska, Ohio, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Florida, South Carolina, Indiana, Texas, Kansas, Utah and Missouri all signed the petition.

Fox News’ Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.