In a letter sent on Wednesday, State Sen. Bob Hall (R–Edgewood) urged Gov. Greg Abbott to revoke his unilateral executive orders issued in response to the Chinese coronavirus. These executive orders have shuttered businesses and forced mandates on citizens without input from the elected members of the Texas Legislature.
“It is well past time for Texas to stop following and start leading in this battle against the Chinese COVID-19 virus. Our policies implemented out of fear are doing more damage to our economy and people’s health and well-being than [COVID-19],” wrote Hall. “The current solution strategy, because it is based on unsubstantiated fear, is worse than the COVID-19 disease.”
In the letter, Hall points towards repeated instances of inaccurate projections of the virus’ spread and effect by the World Health Organization, National Institutes of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control, with those organizations and others predicting a much bleaker outcome and higher death counts than what has actually materialized.
“There was never any goal set for an acceptable ‘flattened curve.’ The goal posts have moved from wearing a mask in public to ‘flatten the curve’ to wearing a mask until a vaccine is found, in spite of the fact that the actual numbers of Texans dying never reached the numbers initially predicted,” said Hall.
In his conclusion, Hall implored Abbott to “immediately return to the Texas model and society as it existed on March 1, 2020,” with businesses, schools, and churches fully open, without government restrictions and mandatory mask requirements.
“Therefore I urge you to revoke your Executive Orders. Remind state agencies to not get between a patient and their physician. Get students and teachers back in school. Let businesses get back to business and workers get back to work. If Texas will lead, the nation will follow.”
Hall has consistently been a staunch opponent to Abbott’s coronavirus mandates and unilateral actions, even joining a lawsuit earlier this month with several other Republican lawmakers against Abbott in response to a $295 million contact tracing agreement that was entered into without their approval.
Citizens concerned about executive overreach are encouraged to contact their lawmakers ahead of the upcoming legislative session, which begins in January.
