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CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 19: Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) delivers a speech on the second day of the Republican National Convention on July 19, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump received the number of votes needed to secure the party's nomination. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Republican National Convention kicked off on July 18.
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson recently said that he hopes the Supreme Court would not approve Joe Biden's vaccine mandates.
Hutchinson has always opposed Biden's vaccine mandates for businesses saying that employers and business owners should have the ability to decide whether all their employees should get inoculated.
"They should wait until they get the Supreme Court decision, and of course, that's an individual business decision. This mandate of (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration), the federal government, needs to be struck down and that's why we're fighting against it," he said via CNN.
Supreme Court divided over vaccine mandates
On Friday, the Supreme Court heard arguments from those that do not support the vaccine mandate. They believe that this is Biden's most aggressive attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Last year, OSHA introduced a rule that requires employees with 100 or more staff members to have their staff vaccinated or undergo regular testing. They are also required to wear a face covering, but there are also exemptions due to some religious reasons.
According to The Hill, the Biden administration first introduced the vaccine mandate in September. However, Hutchinson argued by saying that he doesn't think a vaccine mandate is needed right now because it will cause a spike in worker shortages and an increase in vaccine resistance.
The governor acknowledged that some local businesses have decided to impose vaccine mandates, and he supports them. But those that do not want to require employees to get inoculated should be allowed to make that decision.
According to NDTV, the recent discussions showed that the US Supreme Court is split over Covid vaccine mandates.
Justice Elena Kagan believes that the vaccine mandate is necessary to combat the further spread of COVID-19. But Scott Keller thinks that imposing the vaccine mandate would lead to thousands of employees quitting their jobs.
But Justice Stephen Breyer said that the rate of employees quitting their jobs is relatively low compared to the number of people that would be protected from the virus.
Benjamin Flowers believes employees could get the virus anywhere, so there's no reason to single out the workplace.
Various states have different vaccination rules
As of press writing, several states have a vaccination or termination policy for healthcare workers, namely, Colorado, Maine, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington.
California, District of Columbia, Delaware, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Wisconsin have a vaccination or testing policy for healthcare workers, according to Leading Age.
Asa Hutchins refuses to call Capitol riot 'insurrection'
Hutchinson also made headlines during the Capitol riot anniversary other than his reactions to the vaccine mandate.
During an interview, Hutchins refused to label the siege as an insurrection. Instead, he called it interference with the lawful transfer of power using violence.
But the governor also urged everyone to accept the riot and not run from it. Hutchinson added that the goal is for the siege never to happen again because that is not how Americans transfer power, according to Business Insider.
Related Article: Arkansas Faces Allegations of Discrimination Against Mask Mandates in Public, Private Schools; Trial Goes Underway After a Lawsuit Was Filed
