Over half the states are pushing back against President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate. Governors and attorneys general in at least 27 states made comments in opposition to the mandate. All are Republicans. While they all generally support vaccinations and some of them even support vaccine mandates in private businesses, they largely oppose the notion that businesses should be forced to require vaccination, especially by the federal government. And almost a quarter of the Los Angeles police force is seeking an exemption from getting the COVID-19 vaccine, despite a mandate for all city workers to get the shot.
While New York City public schools welcomed 1 million students back for in-person learning Monday, many states are struggling due to a shortage of bus drivers. In Massachusetts, the shortage is so bad the governor is activating the National Guard. Ninety members of the Massachusetts National Guard—trained to protect their country—are now training to transport school children. A poll released by several school trade associations at the end of August shows the shortage is the No. 1 problem for 65 percent of school transportation administrators, with 51 percent of respondents calling the situation “severe” or “desperate.”
