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Topline
The White House on Tuesday reiterated its opposition to government-funded vaccine passports as Republican officials rail against the idea and even take steps to preemptively block the government from funding vaccine passports.
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 06: White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki speaks during a daily press … [+]
Key Facts
White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Tuesday said the Biden administration “is not now, nor will we be, supporting a system that requires Americans to carry a credential,” in response to a question about vaccine passports.
The comment came just hours after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, signed an executive order prohibiting any entity that receives public funds from conditioning “receipt of services on an individual’s COVID-19 vaccination status.”
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has also signed a bill blocking the state government, including state colleges and universities, from creating vaccine passports, while Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp tweeted his opposition to a “state-mandated vaccine passport.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a staunch Trump supporter who has become a nationwide hero for conservatives for his coronavirus response, has taken his state’s ban a step further, blocking even businesses from requiring proof of vaccination.
Surprising Fact
Even Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease official and a vocal advocate of coronavirus safety precautions, has tamped down rumors of a government-mandated vaccine passport. “They may be involved in making sure things are done fairly and equitably, but I doubt if the federal government is going to be the leading element of that,” Fauci told Politico’s Dispatch podcast.
Crucial Quote
“‘Vaccine passports’ are a terrible approach to managing this pandemic or the economy, and instead will violate the rights of our citizens,” five of South Carolina’s six House Republicans wrote to South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster on Friday. “We urge you to fight against this with every tool of state government, including preventing state agencies from cooperating or coordinating with the federal government on the use of potential ‘vaccine passports’.”
Tangent
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who has alienated even some of her Republican colleagues with her incendiary rhetoric, right-wing stances and rogue tactics, has proposed making DeSantis’ ban national. On Thursday she introduced a bill to “prevent any business engaged in interstate commerce from discriminating against a person based on their covid vaccination status.”
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