Alaska Governor orders state agencies to ignore federal vaccine mandates

Enlarge / Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy (R-AK) speaks at the White House in Washington, DC, on July 16, 2020. (credit: Getty | Jim Watson)

Though the state of Alaska currently has the highest rate of COVID-19 cases in the country, Governor Mike Dunleavy is focusing on fighting federal vaccine mandates.

Dunleavy signed an administrative order Tuesday that prohibits all state agencies from participating in or assisting with federal vaccine mandates for employers. The order also tasks the state's attorney general with reviewing all federal vaccine mandates and looking for ways to challenge them in court.

Last week, Alaska also joined nine other states in filing a lawsuit challenging the Biden administration's vaccine mandate for federal contractors. And in an opinion piece published Monday on a far-right political website, Dunleavy vowed that Alaska would also take legal action against an upcoming rule by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration to compel companies with 100 or more employees to require vaccination or regular testing. White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients said Wednesday that the rule will be coming in a matter of days.

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