GOP leaders urged to counter 'garbage politicians' playing into Americans' vaccine fears

Congressman Adam Kinzinger has urged Republican leaders to call out “garbage politicians” who are playing into fears of Americans who are hesitant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

A number of congressional Republicans have ridiculed the Biden administration’s door-to-door approach to encourage Americans to get vaccinated. Several GOP lawmakers, including Andy Biggs of Arizona and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, penned a letter to President Joe Biden on Saturday, accusing him of “a deeply disturbing” violation of Americans' privacy.

In an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union show, Kinzinger was asked about the criticism leveled by his colleagues against the Biden administration.

“Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene compared those going door to door to Nazi brownshirts,” CNN host Jake Tapper said. “Congresswoman Lauren Boebert called them needle Nazis. Senator Ted Cruz said it sounds to him like Soviet Russia. What's your response to all that?” he asked.

“It's -- Jake, it's insanity. It's absolute insanity,” Kinzinger, a Republican from Illinois, responded.

“The vaccine is safe. COVID is real. Get vaccinated... I call on every leader in the Republican Party to stand up, say 'get vaccinated,' and to call out these garbage politicians... playing on your vaccine fears for their own selfish gain."

Greene compares Biden vaccination push to Nazis

GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has compared US President Joe Biden’s push for COVID-19 vaccination to “Brownshirts” that helped Hitler and the Nazi Party rise to power.

President Biden announced this week that his public health officials are ready "to go community-by-community, neighborhood-by-neighborhood, and often times door-to-door, literally knocking on doors" to encourage people to get vaccinated.

Kinzinger, who has grown critical of his party over many members’ unwavering support for former President Donald Trump, mocked his colleagues for suggesting that Biden’s approach has been designed with the intention of “intimating” Americans.

The congressman admitted that the concept of door-to-door outreach could have been phrased differently, but said that “at no point was anybody saying they're going to break down your door and jam a vaccine in your arm, despite your protest.”

Touting his letter to Biden condemning the vaccination program, Rep. Biggs argued that "Americans must be free to make their own personal health choices."

"I just sent a letter to Biden demanding answers on his door-to-door vaccine checks. The fed gov. has no right to track the private health information of Americans or to intimidate people into getting the vaccine," Biggs tweeted Friday.

Several fellow House Republicans shared the tweet. 

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk