KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt outlined his reasoning Friday for co-leading a lawsuit against the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private businesses.
“It’s an unprecedented and breathtaking federal overreach,” Schmitt told KSHB 41 News.
Schmitt is teaming up with attorneys general from 10 other states to try and stop the mandate.
The OSHA rules apply to companies with 100 or more employees. Workers at those companies have until Jan. 4 to get the vaccine or they would need to get tested weekly.
Companies could face penalties of nearly $14,000 per violation.
President Joe Biden previewed the mandate in September. He argued this was not a matter of personal freedom, but instead a matter of public health.
Schmitt disputed that argument.
I-Team reporter Ryan Takeo asked how much the new lawsuit had to do with Schmitt’s 2022 Senate bid.
“I mean, I'm just doing my job,” he said. “I'm going to keep doing my job whether praise or criticism. This is the role of the attorney general.”
Takeo asked the Attorney General twice if he had any solutions to increase vaccinations, or if he recommended people get the vaccine.
He pivoted in all four answers to focus to instead discuss personal choice.
“I recommend that people talk to their families and their doctors about it, that’s what I recommend,” he said.
