Republicans Are Determined to Drag Out the Pandemic, No Matter the Cost
Over the past two years, Republicans have stopped at nothing to put their own political interests over the lives of their constituents. They’ve opposed funding for vaccine distribution and common sense measures designed to slow the spread of the virus, and they’ve spread misinformation about vaccines, social distancing, and masks. In fact, tomorrow will be the two year anniversary of former President Donald Trump wondering if injecting bleach would help kill the virus.
While people may have ignored Trump’s lethal recommendation, many people are unfortunately still listening to conspiracy theories supported by Republicans like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson which are just as dangerous.
New analysis shows their harmful rhetoric and policies on vaccines have devastating effects on their own constituents. A recent study shows how a full quarter of deaths caused by COVID-19 in the United States could’ve been prevented with vaccination. That’s over 234,000 people. Children who were unvaccinated were hospitalized at twice the rate of vaccinated children during the omicron surge. And routine immunizations overall were down for children as conspiracy theories have been allowed to run amok.
As we move towards normalcy, we know what tools we need to keep ourselves healthy. But without the help of Republicans in Congress, who remain determined to block necessary COVID-19 funding for their own political gain, we could be unprepared for the future, leaving the vulnerable among us exposed and all of us at risk for potential new variants and surges. With cases on the rise again, Republicans must join with Democrats and approve additional funding as soon as possible to avoid dire consequences.
Elsewhere in Republican efforts to prolong the pandemic…
It’s no surprise that Governor DeSantis’ surgeon general is unfit for the position he holds. Dr. Joseph Ladapo is not shy about expressing his controversial beliefs on COVID-19, which are at odds with the medical community, science, and basic common sense. This week a background check conducted earlier this year was finally made public. His old supervisor said she would not recommend him for Florida’s Surgeon General, saying “In my opinion the people of Florida would be better served by a surgeon general who grounds his policy decisions and recommendations in the best scientific evidence rather than opinions.”
Arizona could lose its oversight of workplace safety after the state rejected a pandemic-era rule requiring health care workers to be vaccinated. It would be the first state to lose OSHA approval to enforce its own workplace safety plans.
Finally, Texas Republicans are singling out a school district whose leave policy for teachers is contingent on their vaccination status. The majority of the workers in the school district are vaccinated, but the Republican attorney general claims that this amounts to a “vaccine passport,” which was banned by Texas Governor Greg Abbot last year for purely political reasons.