Say it ain't so, Joe

COVID-19 hospitalizations in North Idaho have officials concerned, but local leaders don't believe President Joe Biden's vaccination mandate is the solution. 

On Thursday, Biden announced new federal vaccine requirements that could affect millions of Americans nationwide. The executive order specifically mandated that all employers with more than 100 workers require staff to be vaccinated or tested for the virus weekly.

Workers at health facilities, federal employees and contractors must also get vaccinated, the order says. 

According to a Thursday news conference, Biden's action was driven by the spread of the delta variant and the plateau of vaccination rates. 

In response, Gov. Brad Little said Friday that Idaho is exploring possible legal action against Biden's plan for its "unprecedented government overreach into the private sector." 

Little also expressed concern about how Biden's actions "dismiss the concerns of millions of Americans" and oversteps state government authority. 

"This is not leadership. When President Biden took office, he promised to do his best to unify our country, and he has only driven us further apart," Little said. "President Biden is out of touch, and his mandates only add to the divisiveness within our country."

Though opposed to the mandate, Little continues to strongly encourage Idahoans to get vaccinated. 

Rep. Paul Amador, R-Coeur d'Alene, said the governor was "spot on" in condemning Biden's stretch of federal powers to regulate private businesses. 

"In the campaign, President Biden was pushing an agenda of bringing the country together. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has become a political lightning rod," Amador said. "Requiring mandates is not the best way to bring people together."

Earlier this week, Republican Rep. Ron Mendive from Coeur d'Alene spoke to The Press on his opposition to forced vaccinations by employers. On Friday, Mendive said Biden's COVID-19 plan is "clearly" a step outside his constitutional powers.

"The Constitution protects the rights of individuals. Our constitutional rights have been struggling for a while," Mendive said. "We better fight for them while we have them." 

The big question now, Mendive said, is if state governments are going to "stand up" and say, "not in our state." Mendive hopes the governor and House leadership sees the order as enough reason to call lawmakers back into session. 

"We need to pass legislation that says we will not listen to these unconstitutional mandates," Mendive said. "My constituents are very concerned about the loss of their liberties and freedoms these last two years."

Whether Biden's mandate is constitutional will likely be challenged in court, Kootenai County Commissioner Chris Fillios said. However, he doesn't believe it will be deemed unconstitutional. 

"I don't think what the President did is unconstitutional. There are those who dislike it - I get it," Fillios said. "They feel like it's an infringement of their individual liberties - I get it. But I'm not sure if it's unconstitutional."

Fillios said he thinks the mandate shows the president's level of frustration. 

"I heard Idaho is the fourth-lowest state in terms of vaccination," Fillios said. "That's pretty sad. The governor wouldn't issue crisis standards of care if this weren't a problem." 

Kootenai County Commissioner Leslie Duncan said she's happy to hear Little stand up for Idaho citizens. Duncan opposes the idea of a vaccination mandate and said individuals should be personally responsible for their health decisions. 

"People need to take control of their medical health and need to understand what the consequences are no matter what choice they make," Duncan said. "I won't be enforcing any vaccine mandate on any person in Kootenai County."

While he strongly supports vaccinations and masks, Post Falls Mayor Ron Jacobson believes mandates create more issues. 

"I don't think mandates work. I think they drive our community further apart," Jacobson said. "I continue to be disappointed with the numbers we're seeing, but I just don't believe a mandate is going to be effective."

According to The Associated Press, the U.S. is seeing about 300% more new COVID-19 infections a day and double the number of hospitalizations and deaths compared to last year. Over 80 million Americans remain unvaccinated. 

According to press secretary Jen Psaki, Biden's order for executive branch workers and contractors includes exceptions for workers seeking religious or medical exemptions from vaccination.