Healthcare

Rand Paul fighting to ensure dangerous virus research doesn’t receive U.S. funding

Published

6 months ago

May 25, 2021

Staff Writer

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is fighting SB 1260 which calls for an increase in scientific research funding, by introducing an amendment to ensure gain of function research is banned from receiving any government funds. He’s sponsoring this move after reports that the coronavirus may have originated from Wuhan’s Institute of Virology lab.

“We don’t know whether the pandemic started in a lab in Wuhan or evolved naturally,” Paul said in a statement. “While Washington bureaucrats deny funding gain-of-function research in Wuhan, experts believe otherwise. My amendment will ensure that this never happens in the future.”

Paul took to the Senate floor for the second time Tuesday to promote his amendment. In the meanwhile, he also pointed out the National Science Foundation’s wasteful spending.

“We spend about $8 billion a year with the National Science Foundation,” Paul said. “This bill’s going to increase their funding by 68% . . . don’t you think the American people deserve to know where their money is being spent?” He started with an example from the National Institute of Health, a sister organization to NSF. They spent over $800k to study the sexual promiscuity of Japanese Quails.

Ever wonder why a lizard waddles when he walks? Well for one and a half million taxpayer dollars, NSF had lizards walk on a treadmill while taking x-rays of their joints – What did they discover? That they need more taxpayer money before they could conclude any answer. pic.twitter.com/vi1yPYVM1N
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) May 25, 2021

And the list goes on. Every poster he shared on the floor he also tweeted out online. He shared studies that cost anywhere from $30,000 to $1.5 million just to study inconsequential animal behaviors.

Nearly half a million dollars to determine if country frogs have a different mating call than city frogs. pic.twitter.com/jDed35YU7r
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) May 25, 2021

The NSF spent $500,000 on a grant for UC Irvine to research if taking selfies improves happiness and relaxation. The study unsurprisingly found that taking selfies with something that makes you happy can improve your mood! pic.twitter.com/EwuB6KDlgr
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) May 25, 2021

“We should not reward these people with more money,” Paul said. But, most importantly, “There’s a great deal of circumstantial evidence now that NIH money went to the Wuhan Virology Institute,” Paul said. So, he made his amendment because “the entire world’s economy” is at stake.

You can follow Jenny Goldsberry on Twitter @jennyjournalism

Healthcare

American and Southwest stand by vaccine mandate, despite Abbott’s ban

Published

2 months ago

October 13, 2021

Staff Writer

American Airlines and Southwest Airlines are still planning to comply with President Biden’s executive order regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. The order requires all their employees to be vaccinated by Dec. 8t. As a result, they will be ignoring Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s ban on vaccine mandates.

Folks, vaccination requirements work. pic.twitter.com/XuBsOQxGaN
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 9, 2021

Abbott announced his own executive order, effectively banning mandates even from private employers, on Tuesday. “In another instance of federal overreach, the Biden Administration is now bullying many private entities into imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates, causing workforce disruptions that threaten Texas’ continued recovery from the COVID-19 disaster,” Abbott said. “The COVID-19 vaccine is safe, effective, and our best defense against the virus, but should remain voluntary and never forced.”

Yet both airlines are requiring their employees to be vaccinated by Nov. 24. This comes despite Southwest’s impromptu cancellation of over 2,000 flights over the weekend. At the time, the airline blamed the cancellations on air traffic control and weather conditions. However, SaraACarter.com was unable to verify that any other airline had to cancel near as many flights for the same reasons. This has left many to speculate that Southwest actually cancelled flights due to their employees walking out as a direct result of the mandate.

Just got passed this flyer from a Southwest employee #FreedomFlu pic.twitter.com/Q5gXGhxoma
— Handbrake Poso (@JackPosobiec) October 13, 2021

Reporter Jack Posobiec tweeted out a flyer circulating among the anti-vaxx Southwest employees. Currently, they are planning a protest outside of Southwest headquarters next Monday. The protest will be called “Freedom Not Force.”

Southwest told Reuters it “would be expected to comply with the President’s Order to remain compliant as a federal contractor.” In addition, American similarly said Abbott’s order does not change anything.

You can follow Jenny Goldsberry on Twitter @jennyjournalism.