GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger Backs Up Biden On Vaccine Mandate

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) said that President Biden’s vaccine mandate would save lives and called out his own party for playing politics with vaccinations.

Adam Kinzinger Says Biden’s Vaccine Mandate Will Save Lives

Video:

Transcript via CBS’s Face The Nation:

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MARGARET BRENNAN: We’ll be watching that. I want to go to vaccines. This is also a national security threat, the health of the American public. The president issued this sweeping vaccine mandate because he’s frustrated 80 million Americans haven’t gotten that shot in the arm yet, and- and COVID is spiking again. He said he’s doing this because Republican governors have been cavalier with their constituents, particularly kids. Doesn’t he have a point?

REP. KINZINGER: Oh, I do, I think he has a point. Look, I- I don’t know if all of his mandates will hold up in court. There’s constitutional questions on some of it. I’ll leave that to lawyers because I really don’t know, but I think it’s going to save lives and- and the failure here comes in leaders that have basically used vaccine status as some tattoo of what political tribe you belong to. I mean, we all hear stories of people that are in, you know, very red areas that are embarrassed to say they’re vaccinated. That is insane and silly, and that is a problem with leaders, particularly Republican leaders, that don’t stand up and give cover to people and say, look, this is not what republicanism or conservativism should be. And you see these governors that do, you know? Mike DeWine in Ohio. And they just get pushed aside by some of those that are out to simply manipulate our base, raise money off of them and not care about their life, only care about what it means for their votes and their bottom line as politicians. It’s actually pretty sad.

MARGARET BRENNAN: The RNC itself, the Republican National Committee, has said that they want to file, but that’s rhetoric because nothing’s actually been instituted yet by the administration. Is that what you’re referring to when you say raising money off this?

REP. KINZINGER: Well, it’s- it’s everything. I mean, it’s them. It’s- it’s when you look at really any Republican, you know, not any Rep- there’s a lot that are not doing this, but there are some, you know, Republican members of Congress and stuff putting out fundraising after fundraising email about first, it’s going to be a vaccine mandate–

MARGARET BRENNAN: Right.

REP. KINZINGER: –next thing, the Gestapo is going to show up at your door and take your Bible away. Like, that’s not going to happen, and that’s playing on people’s fear.

Republicans Are Killing People Because They Think That It Will Help Them Win.

The only reason why Republicans are opposing vaccinations is that they think that it will help them appeal to their base and win in the midterm election. Republicans are willing to kill some of their own supporters if it will improve their odds of winning back the House and Senate.

Given that public polling shows that their positions are favored by about 25% of voters, it is unlikely that they will be successful.

Rep. Kinzinger is a Republican, but he is a Republican who takes his job seriously and puts his country ahead of his party.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association