Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has issued a statement on the state’s joint lawsuit with 15 other states regarding the federal healthcare worker vaccine mandate.

In November of last year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published regulations which required healthcare providers who work with Medicare and Medicaid to be vaccinated. The Supreme Court earlier this month issued an opinion which allowed the mandate to remain in place for the time being but did squash the OSHA mandate which required employers with 100 or more employees to require vaccines.

Now, 16 states, including Tennessee are challenging the CMS mandate in a lawsuit filed today in the Western District of Louisiana.

In a statement release, Gov. Lee called the mandate the “worst of federal overreach.” “We are renewing a challenge to the CMS vaccine mandate in court so Tennessee health care workers have the right to private health care decisions,” Gov. Lee stated. “While this mandate represents the worst of federal overreach, it also threatens our ability to staff facilities and provide care for the elderly, disabled and other high-priority populations.”

Gov. Lee added on Twitter, “We are renewing a challenge to the CMS vaccine mandate in court so Tennessee health care workers have the right to private health care decisions.”