MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Attorney General Josh Kaul is rejecting Gov. Tony Evers directive that he withdraw Wisconsin from a multi-state lawsuit seeking repeal of the federal health care law.

Kaul tells the fellow Democrat Evers in a letter Thursday that he can’t do that without approval of Republican lawmakers.

The news is a setback for Evers a day after he announced his directive to Kaul in his first State of the State speech.

Evers reversed himself less than a day after giving the speech, saying Wednesday that he wasn’t directing Kaul “to take any specific course of action.”

A law passed by Republicans in last month’s lame-duck session gives authority to the GOP-controlled Joint Committee on Finance to decide on withdrawing.