GOP congressman tells states to be 'grateful' for vaccines and stop 'complaining'

On Tuesday, Rep. David McKinley (R-WV) told local officials testifying before the House Energy and Commerce Oversight Subcommittee about vaccine shortages that they should be “grateful” for Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration program intended to promote the development and distribution of vaccines against the coronavirus.

State health officials had asked Congress for more funding for the rollout of the vaccine, citing problems in getting doses to marginalized communities. States have reported shortages of vaccine stemming from the Trump administration’s decision to turn down purchases of millions of doses, which Pfizer then sold to other countries.

But McKinley praised Operation Warp Speed and said, “Complaining about not getting enough vaccine is like complaining about the size of your meal. You should be grateful to have food on the table.”

Over 26.4 million Americans have been infected with the coronavirus, and more than 446,000 have died of it.

From a Feb. 2 meeting of the House Energy and Commerce Oversight Subcommittee:

DAVID McKINLEY: Interestingly enough, no one really I think has given proper attention to Operation Warp Speed. Remember, Dr. Fauci testified before the Senate committee last, in May of last year, that it would take a year to 18 months before a vaccine could be developed. Think about that, a year to 18 months in May.

 

Through the hard work of the pharmaceutical companies, researchers, and scientists, a vaccine was available in December, just seven months later. So just seven months after the creation of Warp Speed, we had a vaccine.

 

So, I guess what I want you all to take away is: Complaining about not getting enough vaccine is like complaining about the size of your meal, when you should be grateful to have any food on the table.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.