Conservative pundit Ben Shapiro’s media company, The Daily Wire, announced on Thursday that it had filed a lawsuit challenging the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
In September, President Biden announced a new rule that required companies with more than 100 employees to mandate coronavirus vaccinations or enforce weekly testing. The Daily Wire is alleging that the administration lacks the constitutional authority to do so.
Jeremy Boreing, co-founder of the The Daily Wire, said his company would refuse to comply with Biden’s “tyrannical vaccine mandate.”
“President Biden, the federal government, social media, and the establishment media have conspired to rob Americans of their freedoms in the name of public health,” said Boreing. “They have broken faith with the American people through conflicting messaging, false information, and by suppressing data and perspectives with which they disagree.”
The suit was filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit.
Numerous conservative officials and figures have announced legal actions to challenge Biden’s vaccine mandate. Last week, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) announced he would be filing a lawsuit over it. Kemp was joined by leaders from Alabama, Idaho, Kansas, South Carolina, Utah and West Virginia.
The Biden administration published its vaccine mandate for businesses Thursday, setting a deadline of Jan. 4 for large businesses to ensure their employees are fully vaccinated. The administration said its order was on strong legal ground and pointed out that it was not a true mandate as businesses can instead choose to make regular testing and mask-wearing an option.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration-developed order is expected to affect about 84 million people.