Messaging on vaccination varies widely among congressional Republicans as the delta variant causes spikes in cases nationwide.
While no Republicans are outright discouraging the vaccine, some refuse to cross the line toward recommending the shot. Instead, they focus on infringing on the principles of personal freedom with mandates and the negative side effects from shots that are not yet fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
But with concerns about the delta variant, breakthrough coronavirus cases among congressional and White House staff, and the White House taking aim at social networks and conservatives for vaccine “misinformation” after it missed a vaccination goal, some Republicans are reiterating support for everyone to get the shot.
On Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell urged people to get vaccinated and “ignore all of these other voices that are giving demonstrably bad advice,” saying it is the way to avoid another round of lockdowns and mask mandates.
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Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, representing a state with one of the lowest vaccination rates, shared a “heartbreaking” story about a doctor treating unvaccinated patients with COVID-19, recommending people to get the shot.
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, the oldest Republican in the Senate at 87, publicly encouraged all eligible to get vaccinated.
“The Delta variant scares me,” he tweeted.
Ive said this to several Iowa reporters again this wk but I’ll amplify it here: I encourage ALL eligible Iowans/Americans to get vaccinated The Delta variant scares me so I hope those that haven’t been vaccinated will reconsider
— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) July 21, 2021
However, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Republicans’ tone hasn’t changed. He noted Republicans funded vaccine development with Operation Warp Speed, and many Republicans got the vaccine early and on camera, which encouraged vaccine use.
“Anyone who wants a vaccine should be able to get it,” McCarthy said in a press conference on Thursday. “If people have questions about it, let’s answer the questions.”
Some Republicans held out on getting the vaccine. Minority Whip Steve Scalise only got his first dose this past weekend, previously holding off because he had tested positive for antibodies. The delta variant, though, prompted him to get the shot.
But not all are issuing blanket recommendations in favor of getting the jab.
“If you are at risk, [you] should be getting this vaccine,” said Maryland Rep. Andy Harris, an anesthesiologist and co-chair of the Republican Doctor’s Caucus, in a press conference on Thursday. “We urge all Americans to talk to their doctors about the risks of COVID, talk to their to their doctors about the benefits of getting vaccinated, and then come to a decision that’s right for them about the vaccine.”
Republicans in that caucus have instead focused on uncovering how the virus originated.
Though the number of vaccinated Republicans has ticked up in recent months, about half of House Republicans have declined to say publicly whether they got the vaccine, according to CNN.
Several Republicans have declined to get the vaccine because they previously had the virus and argue they are protected from it, including Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Rep. Thomas Massie.
Firebrand Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was temporarily suspended from Twitter this week for spreading “misinformation” about the virus, claimed that asking her about her vaccination status is a HIPAA violation. (Asking lawmakers to share details about their health voluntarily is not a violation of the healthcare privacy law.)
Asked if she encourages people to get the vaccine, as McConnell had earlier in the day, Greene said, “I encourage people to make up their own mind.”
“It was a miracle for them to come up with a vaccine in such a short amount of time,” Greene said. “But what I am saying is, it shouldn’t be forced. It shouldn’t be mandated. Information needs to be found out. There are reports of side effects. There are obviously reports of deaths.”
She declined to encourage the vaccine if and when it gets full FDA approval.
“I’m going to always be in the camp of it should be people’s choice,” she said.
Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar, in a recent tweet, lamented that “it is no longer your body, it is no longer your choice,” and there is no “escape” from the vaccine.
He left out a key sentiment he expressed in 2015 when asked if people who choose not to get vaccinated caused a measles outbreak.
“You have a right not to [vaccinate], but when you cause the problem, you’re responsible for that problem,” he said.
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Similarly, Democrats are struggling with vaccine messaging themselves.
President Joe Biden falsely said in a town hall on Wednesday night, “You’re not going to get COVID if you have these vaccinations.”
His statement came after news broke about his own White House staff members contracting COVID-19 despite being vaccinated.
