Government Shutdown Would Hurt the Economy & Endanger American Families
Washington, D.C. — New reporting indicates that Republicans in Congress are plotting to shut down the federal government in protest of vaccine mandates. This comes as Republicans are ramping up their attacks on vaccines and public health, despite the threat of the new Omicron variant. In response, Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse issued the following statement:
“Every day, Americans are still getting sick and dying from COVID-19, and we’re still learning about the long-term health impacts of this devastating disease. Even with a new variant on the horizon, Republicans want to throw the country into even more chaos by shutting down the federal government. Let’s be clear: from the beginning of this pandemic, Republicans have been willing to sacrifice people’s lives and livelihoods for political gain, and this is no different. Needlessly shutting down the government will hurt the economy and endanger public health during a pivotal point of this pandemic.
“With the threat of the Omicron variant, our leaders should be taking aggressive steps to get even more shots in arms, but instead Republicans are working overtime to prolong this crisis by slowing down vaccinations and undermining basic measures to keep families and workers safe. A government shutdown will only add fuel to this fire, and Republicans will be the only ones to blame.”