Chris Wallace Challenges Texas AG on Abbott’s Vaccine Mandate Ban: ‘So He Can Tell Private Businesses What to Do?’
Chris Wallace pressed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) on whether the state’s ban on Covid vaccine mandates contradicts his recent comments that businesses should be able to take care of themselves and their workers.
“I would urge businesses, don’t listen to the president,” Paxton told Newsmax on Tuesday. “He’s bullying Americans; he’s bullying businesses. What they should do is take care of their own businesses, take care of their own workers, and let’s keep people working.”
In October, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) issued an executive order banning “any entity” in the state from mandating Covid vaccinations.
Wallace challenged Paxton in an interview Sunday whether his comments to Newsmax were “consistent with the governor’s executive order…which bans companies from taking care of their own workers as they see fit?”
Paxton responded: “What I’m saying to these companies is you don’t have to listen to [President Joe Biden] because he’s out there saying now that you should do it anyway, despite the fact that we have a stay from a higher court.”
(Paxton was referring to the Biden administration’s order that companies with over 100 employees mandate Covid vaccines, or require employees to face weekly testing and masking. That order is currently on hold following an appeals court decision.)
Wallace continued to challenge Paxton, saying: “But you said that businesses should take care of their own workers, and the governor is saying they can’t take care of their workers as they see fit. They’re prohibited from deciding, if they so choose, to issue a vaccine mandate. That’s not consistent.”
Paxton noted that they “are dealing with different types of requirements” depending on the sector, but indicated that keeping workers in the economy is a top priority.
“What I would say is that they should consider their employees because we’re in a situation right now with our economy, where we can’t afford to lose transportation employees and health care workers or law enforcement officers,” Paxton said. “That’s happening all over the country. I think it’s going to have a negative impact on our economy and our ability to help people.”
Wallace then reiterated the contradiction, noting, “You’re saying they should have the authority and the ability to decide what their workers should do.”
“The governor’s executive order prohibits them from deciding what they want to do — he bans vaccine mandates,” Wallace noted before rephrasing his question about whether that was contradictory.
“Right now we have OSHA guidelines that have not been authorized by Congress, they absolutely have no authority to do this,” Paxton replied.” The governor has a different authority under state law that the legislature has given him and he’s operating under that state law.”
Wallace countered: “So he can tell private businesses what to do, and it’s okay? And they can’t take care of their own?”
Paxton responded that “states have more authority” than the federal government in dealing with mandates of this kind.
Watch above, via Fox News Sunday
