SC’s top prosecutor joins 24-state suit against Biden COVID mandate as omicron spreads
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said Tuesday he’s joined the state onto another lawsuit aimed at stopping the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates, hours after the president warned of a deadly winter marked by the fast-spreading omicron variant.
The 24-state lawsuit, led by Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, specifically deals with requirements for toddlers, employees and volunteers of the federal Head Start program, which provides low-income families with education services.
In November, Head Start announced face masks were required for anyone age 2 and older effective immediately, and COVID-19 vaccinations would be required for all staff, volunteers and some contractors by the end of January 2022. The program’s website said it does allow for some exemptions, including medical conditions or religious beliefs, but said those employees or volunteers would have to go through weekly COVID testing.
Through his office, Wilson called the requirements “unlawful,” saying they violate the administration’s authority, in part. Wilson argued the mandates will cost jobs and programming.
“To think that the Biden Administration would politicize the Head Start program — created for underprivileged children — is despicable,” Wilson said in a statement. “This is an example of federal abuse of power at its worst. We hope the court will put a stop to this federal overreach just as has been done in other cases. The Biden mandates were a terrible idea and should be brought to a screeching halt.”
The spread of the omicron variant and its ability to infect fully vaccinated individuals, including with a booster shot — though symptoms have mostly been reported mild as oppose to those who are unvaccinated — has pushed the federal government to do more to stem the surge.
On Tuesday, Biden announced the government plans to provide 500 million free rapid at-home testing kits and give more resources to hospitals to boost vaccination efforts.
Last week, the Charleston-based Medical University of South Carolina reported the state’s first confirmed cases of omicron.
Of eligible South Carolinians, only about 51.4% are fully vaccinated, according to the state health department.
“I know you’re tired, and I know you’re frustrated. We all want this to be over. But we’re still in it,” Biden said Tuesday. “We also have more tools than we had before. We’re ready, we’ll get through this.”
Wilson has joined multiple lawsuits aimed at stopping Biden’s COVID-19 requirements and is now asking the nation’s highest court to intervene on one after a federal appeals court ruled Biden’s vaccine-or-testing mandate for large employers can continue.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This story was originally published December 21, 2021 at 5:34 PM.
