HHS Sec Says It's 'Absolutely the Government's Business' if People Haven't Been Vaccinated
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra told CNN on Thursday that it’s “absolutely the government’s business” to know who has and has not been vaccinated against the coronavirus.
CNN host Brianna Keilar asked Becerra during the interview, “I wonder if you can answer that criticism, ‘It’s none of the government’s business knowing who has or hasn’t been vaccinated.’ What do you say?”
Becerra said, “The federal government has had to spend trillions of dollars to try to keep Americans alive during this pandemic, so it is absolutely the government’s business.”
He added, “It is the taxpayer’s business if we have to continue to spend money to try to keep people from contracting COVID and helping reopen the economy. And so, it is our business to try to make sure Americans can prosper, Americans can freely associate, and knocking on a door has never been against the law.”
When asked about a vaccine mandate, Becerra offered derogatory comments toward those who have declined to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
“When you take to a vehicle and you drive with your children in that vehicle, you assume that everyone will be as responsible as you will behind the wheel. Unfortunately, not everyone is,” Becerra said.
“And so, do we prevent, or prohibit people from driving because they won’t be as responsible as you? We again give people choices and we try to have people be responsible. COVID is no different; the vaccine is no different,” he added.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki spoke about the possibility of new lockdowns and a door-to-door vaccine push during a briefing Tuesday.
“If the number of cases continues to trend upward, are there any circumstances under which the White House would reimpose some of those restrictions as cases tick up? Or would that be up to the states?” she was asked Tuesday, according to a White House transcript.
“Well, the states are going to have to make evaluations and local communities are going to have to make evaluations about what’s in their interests,” she said.
“And, as you know, there are much higher rates of vaccinations in some parts of the country over others, and we certainly support their decisions to implement any measures that they think will help their community [be] safe,” Psaki added.
Psaki also tried to say that the Biden administration’s vaccination program was such a success that lockdowns might not be needed.
However, she said, President Joe Biden wanted a “targeted, community-by-community, door-to-door outreach to get remaining Americans vaccinated by ensuring they have the information they need on how both safe and accessible the vaccine is.”
Missouri Republican Gov. Mike Parson has already pushed back on the suggestion of door-to-door visits about the vaccine.
I have directed our health department to let the federal government know that sending government employees or agents door-to-door to compel vaccination would NOT be an effective OR a welcome strategy in Missouri!
— Governor Mike Parson (@GovParsonMO) July 8, 2021
“I have directed our health department to let the federal government know that sending government employees or agents door-to-door to compel vaccination would NOT be an effective OR a welcome strategy in Missouri!” Parson tweeted on Thursday.
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