South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) and 16 Republican colleagues are putting pressure on the Biden administration, demanding it end the coronavirus vaccine mandate for international travel.
“My fellow Republican governors are joining me to urge @JoeBiden to end the vaccine mandate for international travel. The rest of the world is moving on from the COVID pandemic & returning to normal. It is time for the Biden Administration to do the same,” Noem announced on Wednesday:
The letter itself, addressed to President Biden, specifically requests the president lift the vaccine mandate on international travel to the U.S., noting that the lifting of the mask mandate as well as testing requirements were “steps in the right direction.”
“Now, you should end the requirement that all non-U.S. citizen travelers entering the United States be fully vaccinated against COVID-19,” Republicans wrote:
In October 2021, the White House announced a new vaccine mandate for air travelers, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) quickly extended the mandate to travelers entering the United States via land ports of entry and ferry terminals. In April 2022, DHS doubled down and extended the requirement indefinitely even as other countries reassessed their COVID-19 travel protocols. Over the last several months, countries around the world dropped mandatory vaccine requirements for visitors from Australia to Israel to almost every country in Europe. In total, as of July 2022, 72 countries dropped all COVID-19 testing and vaccination requirements for travelers.
In comparison, all travelers to the United States over the age of 18 are still required to show proof of vaccination before entering the country or even boarding a plane. Air travelers are also required to provide contact information to airlines before boarding flights to the United States for contact tracing. The continued requirements, even as other countries are moving in the opposite direction, put us at a competitive disadvantage as our states work to welcome international travelers, attract foreign business prospects, and host global athletic competitions. Your actions are hurting our states’ economies and unnecessarily hampering our economic growth as a nation.
Further, Republicans contended that Biden’s international vaccine mandate is fundamentally contradictory given the push to “revoke the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Title 42 Order, which allows DHS to expel migrants from the country for public health reasons.”
The governors concluded by touting their longstanding devotion to opposing unconstitutional mandates from the federal government throughout the Chinese coronavirus pandemic.
“As COVID-19 vaccination rates remain high and hospitalization levels remain manageable, continuing your international travel vaccine mandate becomes indefensible,” they concluded, demanding the administration return to a state of normalcy.
In addition to Noem, several GOP governors signed the letter, including Govs. Kay Ivey (AL), Mike Dunleavy (AK), Asa Hutchinson (AR), Brian Kemp (GA), Brad Little (ID), Kim Reynolds (IA), Tate Reeves (MS), Mike Parson (MO), Greg Gianforte (MT), Chris Sununu (NH), Doug Burgum (ND), Kevin Stitt (OK), Henry McMaster (SC), Bill Lee (TN), Glenn Youngkin (VA), and Mark Gordon (WY).
Indeed, Noem is among those who have stood against Biden’s federal mandates, contending in December 2021 that Biden “doesn’t have the authority to put these mandates in place.”
“That’s interesting to me that the president is so bold in saying that there is no federal solution yet continuing to impose mandates on the country,” she said during an appearance on Fox & Friends at the time.
“And the fact is that he doesn’t have the authority to put these mandates in place. That’s why South Dakota and many other states and governors and attorney generals have challenged the federal government on this authority in court,” she continued, adding that they “need to back off.”
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