Southwest and American Airlines Tell Texas Governor Who’s Boss
Federal requirements for vaccine mandates supersede state orders against mandates. Besides, the airlines care about health and safety.
People who work here need to be vaccinated.
Photographer: Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesTexas Governor Greg Abbott wouldn’t want you to mistake his push to forbid private companies and others from issuing vaccine mandates as just another attempt to court conservative voters or tee up a White House bid. His executive order seeking to ban mandates in his state plainly says it’s part of a larger plan “aimed at protecting the health and safety of Texans.”
Sure, the order hopes to curtail “federal overreach” and stymie the Biden administration’s “bullying,” but don’t attribute that to partisan hackery. After all, the goal is “achieving the least restrictive means of combatting the evolving threat to public health.”