Eleven US states with Republican governors have sued the Biden administration seeking to block a Covid-19 vaccine mandate for federal contractors, arguing it is unconstitutional and violates federal procurement law.

Saying they were necessary to fight Covid-19, President Joe Biden issued a pair of executive orders on Sept 9 requiring all executive branch federal employees and federal contractors be vaccinated, according to a Reuters report.

A joint lawsuit was filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District Of Missouri by 10 states, Arkansas, Alaska, Missouri, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. Texas filed a separate suit on the same issue, and Florida filed one on Thursday.

The lawsuits described the mandate as “sweeping in its scope” and “unconstitutional and unlawful”, citing a constitutional amendment on state powers and federal laws on government procurement.