Young members of Congress were slammed by Rep. Tulsi Gabbard for having the coronavirus vaccine before senior citizens. Gabbard also stated that she would not take the vaccine shot until the elderly could.
The congresswoman of Hawaii made the remarks on Monday after young members of the Congress received the COVID-19 vaccine, alleging it to be part of the “continuity of governance” plan. The said plan pushed government officials to be in the front line of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, even before seniors and front line workers.
Just last week, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recorded herself receiving the coronavirus vaccine live on Instagram. She can also be heard urging her followers to ask questions about the vaccine.
Sen. Paul, Reps. Omar and Gabbard reject early access to COVID-19 vaccine https://t.co/rIWjuyJMkt pic.twitter.com/vJvcywWZTB
— New York Post (@nypost) December 22, 2020
In relation to this, Rep. Gabbard stated, “Heartless, arrogant, unelected CDC bureaucrats have decided that the lives of elderly Americans just don’t count.” She also added that for months, the CDC has been telling the people that the elderly are the ones who are in the most vulnerable position. However, now CDC says that 100 million so-called “essential workers,” who are healthy people and working in stores, can now have the vaccine before the elderly can.
Gabbard also called this move of young individuals as “immoral and bad health policy,” as the continuity of government plan enabled young Representatives to have the COVID-19 vaccine even before at-risk seniors and health workers. The representative then announced that she would boycott the vaccine until more vulnerable people received it.
In addition to these remarks, Rep. Gabbard also urged other young members of the Congress to take the same step and let the elderly have the vaccine first. Gibbard said, “I planned to take the vaccine but will no,w stand in solidarity with our seniors by not doing so until they can. I urge my colleagues in Congress who are under the age of 65 and healthy to join me.”
Meanwhile, to show support of the said move, Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, 38, tweeted, “I’m with you, Tulsi!”
I’m with you Tulsi! https://t.co/U9JccxvLDW
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) December 21, 2020
Following the continuity of government plan, officials in the White House, Congress, and the Judiciary were pushed in the front line for having the COVID-19 vaccine. Former President Dwight Eisenhower approved said plan back in the days to assure that the U.S. government could continue to function under a wide range of circumstances.
Although the FDA previously approved Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine to support the country’s immunization effort, there are still fears that Americans who are in need might miss out. In addition to this, hundreds of care homes in New Jersey are still waiting for the vaccine, as officials stated that they are overwhelmed with paperwork.
President-elect Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden had also been vaccinated
as well last week.
It’s now clear that we don’t have enough vaccines for everyone and there is shortage of supply, we have to prioritize those who need it most.
That’s why it’s disturbing to see members be 1st to get vaccine while most frontline workers, elderly and infirm in our districts, wait. https://t.co/YGcL4jO1Li
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) December 20, 2020
Rep. Ilhan Omar also agreed with Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s sentiments as she stated that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s act of having the COVID-19 vaccine before the elderly is “disturbing.”
Last week, Rep. Omar wrote on Twitter, “It’s now clear that we don’t have enough vaccines for everybody, and there is a shortage of supply. We have to prioritize those who need it most.” She continued, “That’s why it’s disturbing to see members be first to get the vaccine while most frontline workers, elderly and infirm in our districts, wait.”
Rep. Omar also added that frontline workers who have been making sacrifices to make the country run should be given utmost priority. She also believed that people who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic should be given more attention.
President Trump also raised his sentiments about this, stating that White House staff should not receive the vaccine before more vulnerable individuals. The White House press secretary also said that President Trump wants to make sure that the elderly in long-term facilities and frontline workers have the first access to the vaccine.
