In the continued effort to dismiss the severity of the virus that's killed over 700 thousand Americans and to politicize lifesaving vaccines which have proven to be safe and effective at dramatically reducing transmission, Republicans across the country are railing against private businesses and government sectors for requiring vaccinations.
Though vaccine mandates for other viruses are commonplace and were supported by the likes of George Washington himself, Republican elected officials have near-universally opposed companies requiring their workers to be vaccinated.
Most recently, Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order this week banning all COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Another Republican elected official from Texas—Senator Ted Cruz—slammed the Biden administration for ordering the Labor Department to require vaccinations for businesses with more than 100 employees.
Cruz claimed the mandates were burdensome to the work force, writing:
"The federal government has no authority to force businesses in Texas and across the country to mandate their employees get vaccinated. American businesses are still recovering from this past year and a half. It is cruel and burdensome to impose this authoritarian mandate."
White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked about similar claims that vaccine mandates jeopardize worker supply, and she took a shot at Cruz in her response.
Watch below.
Wow. Jen Psaki just owned Ted Cruz.pic.twitter.com/LthWxCxwpv— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1634063540
Psaki said:
"I know world renowned business, travel, and health expert Senator Ted Cruz has made that point, but I wouldn't say that that is widely acknowledged or echoed by business leaders who have implemented these mandates, by health experts who've conveyed the way to get out of the pandemic is to ensure that we're doing exactly the steps the President has announced and we're working to implement. ... Ultimately, the job of the President of the United States is to lead."
Social media users supported her subtle jab at Cruz.
Doesn\u2019t take much to dunk on Ted Cruz, but it\u2019s great every time.https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1447993554857570304\u00a0\u2026— Padma Lakshmi (@Padma Lakshmi) 1634079166
Jen P dropped an "appeal to misplaced authority" critique with a side of sass.https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1447993554857570304\u00a0\u2026— Jennifer Mercieca (@Jennifer Mercieca) 1634063815
There\u2019s ALWAYS time for a bit of Ted trolling\u2026 pic.twitter.com/baK4d17Wdy— Koosemar (@Koosemar) 1634063847
\u201c\u2026World renowned business travel and health expert, Senator Ted Cruz\u2026\u201d\n\u2014 Jen Psaki\n\npic.twitter.com/MdOqQI9mGF— Darren \u2122 (@Darren \u2122) 1634080501
Jen Psaki knows how to deal with narcissists. https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1447993554857570304\u00a0\u2026— Narcopath Info (@Narcopath Info) 1634078357
Chile, Jen Psaki is SHADY PALMS!!!!https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1447993554857570304\u00a0\u2026— Here ForTheComments1 (@Here ForTheComments1) 1634079915
Others joined her in dunking on Cruz.
The only thing that @tedcruz might be good at is travel advice. Beyond that, maybe he should quit embarrassing Texas.https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1447993554857570304\u00a0\u2026— John Cotter (@John Cotter) 1634081969
Successful business leaders aren\u2019t stupid!\n\nScientists with a worldwide good reputation,aren\u2019t stupid!\n\nLooking at impartial statistics to evaluate whether things work or not isn\u2019t stupid!\n\nPoliticians stating stupid things bc of their political bias are stupid!\nRight,@tedcruz ?https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1447993554857570304\u00a0\u2026— VeryBadGerman\ud83c\udf7a Stable since genius is gone (@VeryBadGerman\ud83c\udf7a Stable since genius is gone) 1634118710
Ted Cruz is world renowned for something but not for his expertise in anything.https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1447993554857570304\u00a0\u2026— Stephen Groves (@Stephen Groves) 1634063776
Ouch.
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