OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

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

Floor Speech

Date: Feb. 8, 2023
Location: Washington, DC

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. SMUCKER. Mr. Chair, I thank my friend, Mr. Massie, for introducing this bill.

I am listening to some of the arguments on the Democrat side here today, and I hear about vaccine conspiracies. I am not hearing that over here. In fact, I am vaccinated. I have the boosters. I think it was important to do that.

I am proud of what we were able to get done through Operation Warp Speed. We protected many Americans. But I don't understand the argument that this has anything to do with vaccine conspiracies.

I was contacted by a constituent, Hunter McBryde, who informed me that this particular mandate, that almost no one else in the world has in place, is keeping his family separated. This is keeping his kids from seeing their grandparents.

He is from the district that I represent in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He happened to be studying in Australia for his Ph.D. when the pandemic started. His wife is an Australian citizen. They share three beautiful children.

Because of this shortsighted policy, Hunter and his family have been unable to move back home to Lancaster County to be with the rest of their extended family here simply because of the family's vaccination and immigration status.

I contacted the CDC on behalf of the family and was told that the agency still believes that COVID vaccines, not testing, not quarantining, are necessary to protect public safety, despite the fact that President Biden has said the pandemic is over.

Mr. Chairman, 147 countries, including Canada, U.K., Italy, France, Australia, South Korea, and many others are totally open to tourists, regardless of their vaccination status. Another 57 nations allow tourists to take a COVID test or quarantine if they are unvaccinated.

The worst of this pandemic is clearly over. There is no reason that the CDC should continue to discriminate against tourists or residents who, for health or religious reasons, do not wish to receive the COVID vaccine.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT


Source
arrow_upward