Rep. Adam Kinzinger on Sunday slammed his fellow Republican Party members for fundraising off of President Joe Biden’s recent vaccine mandate for federal and some private-sector employees, saying the strategy is “playing on people’s fear.”
The Biden administration announced Thursday that it will mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for healthcare workers whose employers receive funds from the federal government. Large businesses that employ over 100 workers will also be required to mandate vaccinations or weekly testing for their employees.
On Sunday, Kinzinger told CBS’s Face the Nation that some Republican members of Congress are “putting out fundraising after fundraising email about first it’s going to be a vaccine mandate, next thing the Gestapo is going to show up at your door and take your Bible away.”
“That’s not going to happen, and that’s playing on people’s fear,” the Illinois representative added.
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Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wahl sent an email to supporters on Friday, petitioning to raise funds in order “to beat back the Biden administration’s overreach.”
“Republicans are unified against ANY unconstitutional mandates! But we need your support – RIGHT AWAY – to beat back the Biden administration’s overreach,” the Alabama GOP chairman wrote in the pitch, according to Al.com.
Former President Donald Trump, who has touted the vaccines as “brilliant” and has repeatedly congratulated Operation Warp Speed for “how quickly we turned it around,” sent a fundraising email on Sept. 10 saying, “I totally OPPOSE this liberal overreach that requires Americans to be vaccinated. I need my BEST supporters to stand with me right now.”
Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence were among the first to take the COVID-19 vaccine after it was made available to the public. Pence also slammed Biden for his mandate on Sept. 10, claiming Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris “spent the whole last year undermining public confidence in the vaccine.”
Republicans have signaled that the mandates could become a campaign issue, as the party is down only four seats in the House going into the 2022 midterm elections.
The Republican National Committee said Thursday it plans to sue the federal government over the mandates.
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Biden has signaled his disappointment with Republican leaders, who he says have been “cavalier” about blocking vaccination mandates following his announcement last week, saying they can “have at it” when trying to challenge his measure in court.
