Terminating Cdc Requirement for Proof of Covid-19 Vaccination for Foreign Travelers

Floor Speech

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Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Chair, I know that some of my colleagues on the other side may think a degree from google.com makes them a public health expert, but the truth is it doesn't.

I am sick and tired of coming down here to the floor wasting time on anti-vaxxer junk science dug up from the darkest corners of the internet and brought to the House floor. Once again, it should be no surprise to anybody, we are bringing this bill to the floor in which lots of questions have been raised without a single hearing, without a markup.

By the way, the Energy and Commerce Committee today is having a hearing but, unfortunately, this bill is not the subject of that hearing because here we are on the House floor.

The amendment I am offering today is simple. All we are saying is the CDC should continue to have the authority in the future to demand that visitors to the United States show proof of vaccination for diseases other than COVID. It is not complicated. It is not a radical idea.

We already require multiple vaccines for people who are immigrating or seeking refuge in this country for diseases like smallpox, polio, measles, and mumps. Why? Because they work.

My colleagues on the other side seem to think that if there is a polio or smallpox outbreak in another country, they don't want the CDC requiring proof of vaccination for people traveling from those countries to the United States. But using their logic, that is where we are headed.

We have wasted 2 weeks now on these ridiculous anti-vaxxer conspiracy theory bills. We have Members that watched a few YouTube videos, and they think they know more about all the medical research than the experts on this subject. They think they know more than all the scientists, all the doctors, and all the public health professionals. It is embarrassing and, quite frankly, it is alarming.

But what is even more disappointing is that we have doctors in Congress who, shamefully, stood in silence while anti-science and anti- safety rhetoric has run rampant.

The majority says that this bill doesn't apply to other vaccines. Well, if they believe that, they should vote for this amendment and clarify their intent.

So let's just put this out in the open. This bill isn't about COVID vaccines. It is about disinformation. It is about conspiracy theories that, quite frankly, confuse people and can pose a threat to the people of this country. This doesn't put politics over science, it puts science over politics.

I don't want anything in this bogus bill to be used to diminish the CDC's authority to respond to public health emergencies in the future. The purpose of the CDC is to prevent the spread of disease in this country, and we should let them do their job.

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Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Chair, I am just asking, urging that we clarify that the anti-vax rhetoric we hear on the other side of the aisle doesn't apply to other vaccines beyond COVID. There is a trust issue here.

I will give you an example. Last night, when the President asked that the Republicans not vote to cut Social Security and Medicare, you all said you weren't going to do that.

Yet, we look today, we see statements from people like Senator Mike Lee who said that his objective is to phase out Social Security; to pull it up by the roots and get rid of it.

The Republican Study Committee released a budget that calls for privatizing Social Security and raising the eligibility ages for Social Security and Medicare.

We have had Senator Lindsey Graham suggest raising the age for Social Security and cutting benefits for seniors, while making them pay more. I can go on; Rick Scott introduced a bill that would sunset Social Security, so there is a trust issue.

Quite frankly, in order for me to agree with the gentleman, I would have to forget everything that I heard in the Rules Committee last night.

So this simply says that your anti-vax rhetoric does not apply to other health emergencies and other vaccines. This is about protecting the safety and well-being of the people of this country.

Again, if you had a hearing, and if you brought the CDC head up and asked these questions, maybe we would all feel a little bit more comfortable, but you are rushing this to the floor because you are looking for a sound bite; you are looking for a moment on Tucker Carlson or whatever, or more Twitter followers or whatever.

We are interested in responsible legislating, so we would appreciate a reassurance that, in fact, your anti-vax rhetoric doesn't apply to other vaccines.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

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