President Joe Biden’s Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra might not think it’s the government’s role to tell women they can’t murder their own children, but he does think it’s his job to know whether someone has been vaccinated against COVID-19.
At least, that’s what Becerra purported Thursday, telling CNN’s Brianna Keilar that it’s “absolutely the government’s business” to know if supposedly free Americans have gotten the “voluntary” jab, since it’s the government doling out the money to keep everything afloat during the (kinda-not-really-anymore) pandemic.
“’It’s none of the government’s business knowing who has and hasn’t been vaccinated,’” Keilar began, paraphrasing GOP critics who’ve slammed the administration for their latest approach.
“What do you say?” she asked.
"Perhaps we should point out that the federal government has had to spend trillions of dollars to keep Americans alive during this pandemic. So it is absolutely the government's business, it is taxpayers' business, if we have to continue to spend money to try to keep people from contracting COVID and helping reopen the economy," Becerra responded.
“Knocking on a door has never been against the law,” he added.
Becerra was more cagey, however, when asked if the administration should begin requiring people to prove they’ve been vaccinated before going about their normal lives and doing things like attending large public events, but did say Biden is open to “moving in any direction he can.”
Of course, one could easily argue that the fact that the government shucking out trillions of dollars to support businesses while pouring even more money into mass vaccination efforts is a great criticism on the government’s bloated and self-aggrandizing role in Americans’ lives, rather than a justification for demanding people hand over their private medical information.
Hilariously, following the interview, Becerra immediately began backtracking on his statement that it was the "government's business" to know whether Americans had been vaccinated, saying his comments are being "taken wildly out of context" by critics who dared to simply quote him and point out the insanity of his suggestion.
"To be clear: government has no database tracking who is vaccinated. We're encouraging people to step up to protect themselves, others by getting vaccinated. It's the best way to save lives and end this pandemic," he said.
Because who wouldn't believe the guy who also thinks babies aren't people and that freedom of speech is optional?
(Cover Photo: Gage Skidmore)