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Idaho Lieutenant Governor Undercuts Governor on Covid While He’s Out of State

Idaho Lieutenant Governor Undercuts Governor on Covid While He’s Out of State

The politician who is a heartbeat away from the Idaho governor’s chair is testing the limits of power in a pandemic as hospitals across the state ration health care and deaths mount.

Lieutenant Governor Janice McGeachin signed an executive order Tuesday banning mandatory Covid-19 testing in schools as well as vaccine passports after Governor Brad Little left Idaho to tour the Texas-Mexico border, the Idaho Statesman reported.

Little said he will reverse the order. Both are Republicans. Little has encouraged residents to get vaccinated while the lieutenant governor has argued against jabs in the state with the second lowest vaccination rate, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

In a controversial move in May, McGeachin signed an order banning mask mandates while Little was out of state, the newspaper said, noting Idaho’s constitution offers few answers on a lieutenant governor’s legal authority when a governor is away.

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