Healthcare

Rep. Stefanik says ‘we are seeing the chipping away of our civil liberties’ over vaccine requirements

Published

3 years ago

August 9, 2021

By Jenny Goldsberry

“Every American should be outraged we are seeing chipping away of civil liberties across the country,” Stefanik said. “And New York City unfortunately is ground zero for this.”
Rep. Elise Stefanik

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) lashed out at Democrats in New York for the “chipping away of civil liberties.” Lately, New Yorkers need to reveal their vaccination status to enter to bars, gyms, concerts or even schools. Meanwhile, the vaccination rate across the state is relatively high. Stefanik talked about how vaccination requirements are affecting New Yorkers on Fox News Sunday.

“Every American should be outraged we are seeing chipping away of civil liberties across the country,” Stefanik said. “And New York City unfortunately is ground zero for this.”

After Governor Cuomo hosted a press release asking businesses to enforce vaccination requirements, business owners took on a new, executive role. “Now our restaurant owners are becoming law enforcement officers and having to make tough decisions as individuals are coming in with vaccine cards. Some of them are counterfeit cards,” Stefanik said. “This is not the rule of restaurants and we should not have policies that segregate those who have been vaccinated or not vaccinated.”

Concerned Parents

Meanwhile, the GOP Conference Chair says that most constituents are actually concerned parents, who want to know the state of public education. “We all want to make sure our kids get back to school in person but there’s already discussion about a mask mandate which is not based upon science,” Stefanik said. “We know that our kids, few are affected by COVID.”

Stefanik vouched for parents in the midst of a sexist scandal of her own. Vermont’s Channel 3 News blasted the New York representative for daring to serve in office while pregnant. A guest on the show Monday accused her of “not being at full energy” because of her pregnancy.

Thank you @kayleighmcenany, @HARRISFAULKNER, and @OutnumberedFNC for highlighting the sexist coverage from @wcax and for setting an example for all working moms across America.

Yes, you can have it all. pic.twitter.com/MKfZUZAzbB
— Rep. Elise Stefanik (@RepStefanik) August 9, 2021

However Stefanik disputed the comments in a tweet saying: “yes, you can have it all.” She also said she is grateful to be “setting an example for all working moms across America.”

You can follow Jenny Goldsberry on Twitter @jennyjournalism.

China

House Report Uncovers DOJ Secretly Investigated Nonprofit Accused of Channeling Taxpayer Funds to Wuhan Lab

Published

3 days ago

December 3, 2024

Sara Carter Staff

A bombshell House committee report released Monday, after a two year investigation, revealed that the Department of Justice (DOJ) secretly initiated a grand jury investigation into EcoHealth Alliance, a U.S. nonprofit accused of channeling taxpayer funds to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), the lab suspected of causing the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report, prepared by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, highlights concerns about EcoHealth’s grants, which allegedly funded gain-of-function research at the Chinese lab. Such research, aimed at enhancing viruses to study their potential risks, has been linked to theories suggesting the virus may have escaped from the lab. Efforts to access related records were reportedly obstructed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Internal emails and documents included in the report reveal that the grand jury issued subpoenas for genetic sequences and correspondence between EcoHealth Alliance’s president, Dr. Peter Daszak, and Dr. Shi Zhengli, a WIV scientist known as the “bat lady” for her work on coronaviruses. One email from EcoHealth’s legal counsel advised omitting references to the DOJ investigation when addressing congressional document requests, underscoring the probe’s secrecy.

The report also criticizes EcoHealth Alliance’s failure to comply with grant requirements. NIH funding facilitated a $4 million project on bat coronaviruses, $1.4 million of which was funneled to WIV. NIH deputy director Dr. Lawrence Tabak admitted the grant supported gain-of-function research, leading to highly infectious virus modifications.

The committee’s findings claim these experiments violated biosafety protocols, and Daszak failed to adequately oversee the research. Calls to bar Daszak and EcoHealth from future funding were reinforced by bipartisan agreement within the subcommittee.

The New York Post writes that the report also evaluated U.S. pandemic response measures, describing prolonged lockdowns as harmful to the economy and public health, especially for younger Americans. Mask mandates and social distancing policies were criticized as “arbitrary” and unsupported by conclusive scientific evidence. Public health officials’ inconsistent messaging, particularly from Dr. Anthony Fauci, contributed to public mistrust, according to the subcommittee.