Gov. Asa Hutchinson reacted with a chuckle to Biden’s “no federal solution” response to fighting COVID-19 last Monday after Hutchinson requested that any White House efforts not get in the way of individual states’ solutions.
Hutchinson, the Republican Arkansas governor, told Fox News Sunday that Biden may have meant there is no sole federal solution and that the states are a necessary component.
“Whenever you see the federal mandates on vaccinations, they have, in this administration, utilized federal power rather extensively,” Hutchinson said. “That’s one of the things we are in litigation about, so it’s a little bit inconsistent. But I also take it as a good faith statement to say we’ve got to get through this together in partnership.”
The Arkansas governor noted that the federal mandates have created frustration and increased distrust in government’s COVID-19 mitigation efforts, including vaccines.
“States can make decisions, local governments can make decisions, but it’s never been at the federal government level,” Hutchinson noted. “It’s hardened the resistance, and so what we are in agreement is on no shutdowns. We are in agreement on the federal-state partnership, but the federal mandates on vaccinations is inconsistent with that plan.”
Despite Fox News Sunday noting that Arkansas is ranking 45th among the states in vaccination rates, with 51.2% of the state fully vaccinated and new cases increasing 310% over the past 14 days, Hutchinson said many things would need to happen before he supported vaccine mandates.
“If our hospitals are overrun, if the scientific evidence continues to show the efficacy and the safety of the vaccines, and if there’s greater public acceptance, then you can look at requiring it in the schools if need be,” Hutchinson noted. “But the other thing is there always has to be the right exceptions for religious convictions if, you know, if vaccines are not acceptable, and that is the current law in Arkansas and it should continue to be the case.”
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Hutchinson said he believes Arkansas, and the country, will get through omicron, but stressed the importance of federal and state government working together to reduce the political power grabs that have often entailed in the fight against COVID-19.
