Gov. Abbott Vows To Sue Feds In Letter To Texas National Guard

AUSTIN, TX — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott expressed his intent to sue the federal government over its COVID-19 vaccine mandate Tuesday in a letter to members of the Texas National Guard.

In the letter, Abbott instructed any one in his chain of command not to punish Texas guardsmen who refuse to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and expressed his intent to push back against President Joe Biden's mandate, saying it undermined his authority as the commander-in-chief of the Texas National Guard.

"Unless President Biden federalizes the Texas National Guard in accordance with Title 10 of the
U.S. Code, he is not your commander-in-chief under our federal or state Constitutions," Abbott said in the letter addressed to Texas Adjutant General Tracy R. Norris. "And as long as I am your commander-in-chief, I will not tolerate efforts to compel receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine. To the extent the DoD vaccine mandate conflicts with the order I have given, my order controls."

Abbott warned that the federal government mandate poses "a career-ending threat to Texas’s unvaccinated guardsmen" in the letter.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin directed U.S. military members, including the National Guard, to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in August, a measure deemed necessary for military readiness. He later outlined enforcement measures, including cutting off funding and retirement benefits for those who refuse to get vaccinated, in a late-November memo.

"As your commander-in-chief, I will fight on your behalf," Abbott said in the letter. "That is why I am suing the Biden Administration over its latest unconstitutional vaccine mandate."

Abbott warned that if Biden uses his authority to federalize the Texas National Guard, he would have the authority to command members to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.