Republicans Continue Their Efforts to Sabotage Our Progress on COVID-19
This week, as we pass one million lives lost to COVID-19, Republicans continued to push back against any effort to make progress on COVID-19. Even as cases continue to rise around the country, Republicans refuse to pass additional, necessary funding in order to continue supplying vital resources for fighting the pandemic.
From day one, Republicans have fought against common sense measures designed to slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep people safe. Over 300,000 deaths could’ve been prevented by vaccines. Thanks to Republican misinformation and sabotage, pro-Trump counties continue to suffer far higher COVID-19 death tolls. Republicans would rather continue the pandemic, causing suffering to their own constituents in order to hurt President Biden politically, than do the right thing.
If funding does not pass, we will run out of our supply of certain monoclonal antibodies used to treat COVID-19, and we will lack enough boosters to supply every American with an additional booster this fall, if necessary. The administration has made it clear the dire consequences of a lack of funding over and over again. It’s past time for Republicans to set aside their partisan games and join with Democrats to pass this funding.
Meanwhile, in Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been on a spending spree, doling out money to mostly rural counties and taking credit. The funding actually comes from the federal government, as part of President Biden’s economic agenda.
In Georgia, Governor Brian Kemp is up to similar shenanigans, handing out money from legislation he called “everything that is wrong with Washington.” Seems like he liked the money now that primary season is here. A different gubernatorial candidate in Michigan is boycotting a debate for requiring all attendees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or to provide a negative test, and is urging all the other candidates to do the same.
Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson got called out for his vaccine misinformation. Dr. Alison Neitzel writes, “Disinformation has, by design, already eroded faith in medicine and our public health institutions. The reality is that had our nation been encouraged by elected leadership to listen to the medical experts when COVID-19 hit the U.S. over 2 years ago, we likely never would have found ourselves in the position of mourning 1 million American lives lost.”
Republicans in the Senate filibustered a $48 billion COVID-19 relief bill that would send money to a number of industries, including restaurants.
Anthony Fauci received yet another threat, this time from former Trump administration official Peter Navarro, who said Fauci would end up in an “orange jumpsuit” once Republicans took back power.