UT Austin Will No Longer Comply With Biden's Federal Vax Mandate

Austin TX

08 December, 2021

1:08 PM

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AUSTIN, TX — The University of Texas at Austin will no longer comply with President Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandate after a federal court in Georgia issued a nationwide injunction prohibiting the order's enforcement Tuesday. Eliska Padilla, a spokesperson for the university, told Patch Wednesday the university will no longer comply with the president's vaccine mandate after the recent court order. Tuesday's ruling, by Judge Stan Baker in Georgia's southern district, determined that President Biden never had authority under federal procurement law to issue the executive order that established the mandate in the first place. Biden's executive order originally mandated that employees working on or in connection with a federal contract must be fully vaccinated. The order applied to new contracts as of Nov. 14 or renewed contracts as of Oct. 15. The compliance deadline for the mandate was Jan. 18. UT officials said the president's executive order was the "legal" authority compelling the university to require vaccination and masking in their buildings for covered employees working under impacted federal contracts. Now, that order is no longer "valid." At this time, Gov. Greg Abbott's executive order is still in effect for UT Austin. The order prohibits the university from requiring a COVID-19 vaccination, and it does not allow the university to require masking in its buildings. Padilla said the injunction now supersedes previous policy statements by the university. Earlier this week, UT officials announced they would comply with Biden's mandate, which was a requirement the federal government implemented to help the slow the spread of the coronavirus. The federal mandate has been at odds with Gov. Greg Abbott's ban on all public and private entities in the state, including universities, from requiring employees to be vaccinated against the virus. The University of Texas System Board of Regents is appointed by Abbott. Padilla said the university has 158 active federal contracts, with a total spending authority of about $500 million. Affected UT employees would have been required to comply with the mandate when the university agrees to a contract modification or when it receives a new contract, Padilla said. Renae Eze, press secretary for Gov. Abbott's office, told Patch Tuesday Biden's mandate was a "federal overreach." "With both OSHA and CMS's vaccine mandates recently halted in Texas, it's clear that the courts agree that the Biden Administration is overstepping their constitutional authority and attempting to trample Americans' right to choose for themselves whether to get vaccinated," Eze said. "Having spent his entire time in office fighting for the rights and freedoms of all Texans, the Governor will not abandon Texans worried about putting food on the table, and our office is working with the Office of the Attorney General to continue that fight."