Fort Wayne Journal Gazette: “It is the latest in back-and-forth legal briefs between the governor and attorney general, both Republicans…”
Indiana Public Media: “The House lawmakers want Holcomb to use his executive power to stop IU from mandating the vaccine. Many of those same lawmakers have decried the governor’s use of executive authority throughout the pandemic.”
INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Democratic Party, the organization that advocates for the future of Indiana and its families, today blasted the Indiana Republican Party for governing with an extreme partisan lens that’s only hurting Hoosier families and embarrassing the state of Indiana. Yesterday, 19 members of the Republican state house supermajority sent a letter to Governor Holcomb demanding to block Indiana University’s requirement for faculty, staff, and students to be fully vaccinated by the time the fall semester begins. The move goes against the Republican Party’s “local control” values while negating safety measures issued by university officials to protect students on campus.
“It’s disappointing – yet not surprising – to hear the Indiana Republican Party would rather place politics above the health and safety of a community — mostly composed of young people,” said Drew Anderson, spokesman for the Indiana Democratic Party. “These unnecessary risks work against the recommendations provided by local and university officials. Sadly, it appears Indiana Republicans would rather focus on shallow rhetoric than deliver common-sense solutions.”
The ridiculousness continued as news reports also revealed another saga within the Indiana Republican Party’s civil war. Attorney General Todd Rokita argued in court this week that Governor Eric Holcomb doesn’t have the authority to challenge a law aimed to strip him from his state constitutional duty to call a special session during an emergency, like a pandemic. The Republican Party’s public feud is not only rooted in extreme partisanship, but it’s also wasting taxpayer dollars in the process.
As Indiana Democrats have said before, the Indiana Republican Party is experiencing an identity crisis, and it’s harming the future of the state and its families. Here’s a look at some of the news Hoosiers read yesterday about the INGOP’s fractured identity:
Republican’s Extreme Partisanship Putting Student Safety at Risk
IndyStar: 19 Republican lawmakers ask Holcomb to stop Indiana University from requiring vaccines
Indiana Public Media: “The House lawmakers want Holcomb to use his executive power to stop IU from mandating the vaccine. Many of those same lawmakers have decried the governor’s use of executive authority throughout the pandemic.”
INGOP’s Ongoing Civil War
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette: Rokita says Holcomb can’t challenge law’s constitutionality
“It is the latest in back-and-forth legal briefs between the governor and attorney general, both Republicans. Rokita’s response was filed Monday evening.”
“Rokita contends that state law says Holcomb cannot sue without the attorney general’s permission. Holcomb asked for consent to hire outside attorneys and Rokita rejected it.”
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