Lummis Praises Trump’s ‘Operation Warp Speed,’ Decries Vaccine Mandate
Senator Cynthia Lummis recently spoke out once more about a proposed federal vaccine mandate, arguing once again that, "Any vaccine mandate will further divide our country, instead of uniting us."
In May of 2021, Senator Lummis, along with Senators Ted Cruz and Mike Braun introduced the 'No Vaccine Passport Act' which, as the name implies, aims to stop the federal government from forcing Americans to get a 'Vaccine Passport' as a condition of travel outside of the United States.
Additionally, the bill serves as a way to prohibit federal government from maintaining a vaccine database.
From the start, Senator Lummis has been firmly opposed to a vaccine passport, as well as a federal vaccine mandate.
News Letter Journal reports that, in her monthly newsletter to constituents, Lummis stated that COVID-19 is something to be taken seriously, but that a mandate is overreach.
"COVID-19 is serious," she wrote. "It has already taken the lives of too many people in Wyoming, and each death is a travesty. My heart breaks for those who have lost family members to this devastating illness."
There is a however, however.
“This pandemic does not make the Constitution irrelevant," she continued. "It does not mean our rights as private citizens are up for discussion. I believe getting vaccinated, like any medical decision, is a decision you should make in consultation with your doctor, not because of a mandate from the federal government.”
On social media, Lummis continued to decry a vaccine mandate and praised the Trump Administration's 'Operation Warp Speed' which, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, was "a federal effort that supported multiple COVID-19 vaccine candidates to speed up development."
GAO reports that Operation Warp Speed was a partnership between the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Defense, aimed to help accelerate the development of a COVID-19 vaccine. It was founded in May of 2020 and it was disbanded and re-labeled as the 'White House COVID-19 Response Team' when President Biden took office.
While Lummis praised 'Operation Warp Speed,' and stated that she, herself, is vaccinated, she still pontificated that a vaccine mandate is a federal overreach.
"Operation Warp Speed, a Trump administration response to the COVID pandemic, changed the game in terms of this virus," she wrote on social media. "I got vaccinated and I urge you to talk to your doctor and consider getting the vaccine. Hospitals in Wyoming are filled with unvaccinated COVID patients, but those with the vaccine fare better against the virus. While I believe the vaccine to be a safe and effective protection against the virus, I'm strongly opposed to a federal vaccine mandate and will continue to fight here in Washington against a top-down approach to the vaccination."
Current data reports that 56.0% of American citizens have been fully vaccinated.
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