Texas Attorney General: Federal Government Can’t Order Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccinations

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during the launch of an antitrust investigation into large tech companies outside of the Supreme Court in Washington on Sept. 9, 2019. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton argued that he doesn’t believe the federal government can order mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations or mask-wearing.

“I don’t think the federal government can order this, and so it’s going to be up to the states to decide what they’re going to do,” Paxton told Newsmax over the weekend, adding that he believes federal law stipulates people can’t be forced to disclose health information around COVID-19, including their vaccination status.