Attorney General Cameron Continues Fight Against Federal Overreach, Leads Multi-State Letters Challenging Vaccine Mandates

Leads Letters to Federal Head Start Director, CMS Administrator, and OMB Acting Director stating that the agencies overstepped their authority by issuing mandates

FRANKFORT, Ky. (January 4, 2022) – Attorney General Daniel Cameron today continued his fight against federal overreach by leading multi-state letters to the federal agencies tasked with implementing three of the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates issued by the Biden Administration.  The letters state that the federal agencies have overstepped their authority by implementing broad vaccine mandates for federal contractors, healthcare workers, and Head Start program workers and volunteers. 

“The Biden Administration’s vaccine mandates are legally flawed, and as we continue to challenge the mandates in court, we’re pushing forward on all fronts by writing directly to the agencies to share our concerns and ask them to withdraw the mandates,” said Attorney General Cameron.  “The Biden Administration bypassed normal notice-and-comment requirements in issuing the vaccine mandates, which prevented states and other stakeholders from providing feedback about how these mandates would affect individuals, businesses, and many aspects of daily life before they were implemented.”

The letters also underscore the legal arguments made by Attorney General Cameron in his lawsuits challenging the federal vaccine mandates.  On January 1, a U.S. District Court temporarily halted the vaccine mandate for Head Start workers and volunteers, and later this week the U.S. Supreme Court will hear the Attorney General’s challenge to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mandate for large employers and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) mandate for healthcare workers.  Attorney General Cameron’s lawsuit challenging the federal contractor mandate remains pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

The letters were sent to the CMS Administrator, the Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and the Director of the Office of Head Start as part of the federal government’s formal regulatory comment process. Attorney General Cameron also plans to submit comments to challenge the OSHA vaccine mandate before the agency’s January 19 deadline.

Attorney General Cameron was joined by 25 other Attorneys General in the letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and it can be viewed here.

The letter to the Office of Management and Budget was signed by 22 Attorneys General and can be accessed here.

The letter to the Office of Head Start is accessible here.  It was signed by 20 Attorneys General.