Abbott: Won't Yield Pandemic Powers Until Legislature Bans Vaccine Mandates

Gov. Greg Abbott says his pandemic-era public health disaster declaration will stay in place until state lawmakers codify two of his executive orders. One order prevents cities and counties from mandating vaccines and masks. The other allows the state to send migrants back across the border in a manner similar to the Trump-era policy known as Title 42. The orders carry the force of law as long as the disaster declaration remains in effect, which it has been for more than a thousand days. Abbott says once the state passes the laws codifying the executive orders, he'll withdraw the disaster declaration.