Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is continuing to fight President Biden’s mask and vaccine mandates. He joined other state attorneys general today in calling on the Biden administration to drop its forced masking of kids in Head Start programs and filing a federal court brief in support of a case against the vaccine mandate for federal contractor.

Attorney General Knudsen has stopped the federal government from enforcing these policies in Montana through federal lawsuits. However, unlike the vaccine mandate for private employers which was formally rescinded, both remain on the books and the Biden administration is continuing to defend them in court.

Joining with 22 other state attorneys general, Knudsen called on President Biden and federal officials to immediately drop the Head Start mask mandate, which requires children as young as 2-years old, staff, and volunteers to wear masks.

“Parents across the country have fought tirelessly against oppressive mask mandates for children. As the tide finally begins to turn, it is long past time for you to abandon this unconscionable policy,” the letter reads. “Instead of giving our children a head start for school readiness, your Administration is setting them up for failure. Rescind this unlawful mandate and let our kids be kids.”

The letter also notes even the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund agree that children aged 5 years and under should not be required to wear masks based on the safety and overall interest of the child and that mask use should be limited because of the potential impact of wearing a mask on their learning and psychosocial development.

The federal government is temporarily blocked from enforcing this mandate in Montana due to a lawsuit brought by Attorney General Knudsen.

Click here to read the full letter.

Attorney General Knudsen was also one of 20 attorneys general filing an amicus brief supporting the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s suit seeking an immediate end to the president’s unlawful mandate that requires federal contractors to ensure all employees receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The challenged vaccination requirements improperly intrude on states’ traditional powers, especially in the states like Montana with laws expressly restricting employer-vaccine mandates.

“Neither the Executive Order nor any subsequent agency actions ‘identify any instance in which absenteeism attributable to COVID-19 among contractor employees resulted in delayed procurement or increased costs,’” the brief states. “Moreover, a vague interest in preventing ‘absenteeism’ in federal contractors in and of itself is not sufficiently related to the government’s general procurement policies to justify such a ‘sweeping, invasive, and unprecedented public health requirement imposed unilaterally by President Biden.’”

Federal enforcement of this vaccine mandate is also currently prevented in Montana as a result of litigation brought by Attorney General Knudsen.

To read the full brief, click here.