Tulsi Gabbard Declines COVID-19 Vaccine, Says Elderly Should Be Priority
'This is immoral and bad health policy'
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Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) has passed in receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, insisting that she won't accept it until vulnerable Americans like the elderly are vaccinated.
The former Democratic presidential candidate also blasted the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for prioritizing healthy "essential workers" over the older population.
Gabbard tweeted Monday:
"Heartless, arrogant, unelected CDC bureaucrats have decided that the lives of elderly Americans don't count."
"They're recommending 100 million 'essential workers' (i.e., healthy people working at liquor stores or phone companies) can get the vaccine before our grandparents."
Heartless, arrogant, unelected CDC bureaucrats have decided that the lives of elderly Americans don’t count. They’re recommending 100 million “essential workers” (i.e. healthy people working at liquor stores or phone companies) can get the vaccine before our grandparents. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/yEn0k0cKBs
— Tulsi Gabbard 🌺 (@TulsiGabbard) December 21, 2020
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"This is immoral and bad health policy," she said.
"I had planned to get the vaccine but will now stand in solidarity with our seniors by not doing so until THEY can."
"I urge my colleagues who are under 65 and healthy to join me."
But Gabbard's tweet conflated essential workers, who were allowed to continue reporting to work during stay-at-home orders — with first responders, The Hill reported.
Meanwhile, many top politicians have received the newly approved vaccines as part of a "continuity of governance" plan.
.@NancyMace and @IlhanMN will probably rarely agree on anything but both say members of Congress shouldn't be getting the vaccine in front of others. pic.twitter.com/BgN8p01NSp
— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) December 21, 2020
Joe Biden also took the shot in public to build public confidence.
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In contrast to Tulsi's refusal to take the vaccine, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said the reason she received the Pfizer vaccine was down to a national security policy.
“I was actually surprised by this too,” Ocasio-Cortez said during a Q&A posted to her Instagram.
“I was expecting we’re going to get it a lot later,” she added.
"Not everybody obviously yet has been vaccinated, but when it comes to Congress’s access, it’s due to something [called] continuity of governance planning, which is essentially national security planning,” she continued.
“So this actually came from a national security policy and directive to ensure continuity of governance during national emergencies,” she added:
Congressional leaders like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), 80, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), 78 have also received the vaccine.
