President Joe Biden expressed frustration with the 80-million people who still aren’t vaccinated against the coronavirus, blaming the nationwide surge, saying that their refusal has cost the country. Those comments were made during a speech to Americans on Thursday from the White House. The President outlined his six-part plan to battle the surging delta variant, which includes vaccine mandates for companies with more than 100 workers or weekly testing.
Meanwhile, a majority of Republican lawmakers across the country are saying that people should be able to make their own decisions to prevent the virus spread and not be forced. Gov. Mike Dunleavy took to Twitter expressing fury, saying that the President’s plan was “ridiculous and unenforceable.”
Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce addressed Biden’s decision on Thursday’s “The Bird’s Eye View” with Bob Bird:
“I mentioned the other night at the Assembly meeting my concern for the employees and families that would be impacted by this decision. It was anticipated. I mentioned that we do this kind of stuff for ourselves. I was listening to you gentlemen talk and there’s several state, governors, leadership of several states in America that are stepping to the plate and wanting to play ball with the president. Who’s going to refute him and going to push back against this? I would hope that our governor would do it and do it quick and early. From what I’ve seen from Mr. Dunleavy is that he oftentimes needs to be prodded and poked and pushed and forced to do things that he’s real uncomfortable with doing.”
Pierce says government should be run by the people:
“What we’re seeing is government is now running the people. Here’s how they’re doing it. You could start right here at our local hospitals with the federal aid that they get. There’s standardization or the standards that they’re given or protocols that they’re given and if they change their protocols their funding is subject to being messed with. Really, it’s about money. Funding is a concern. I’m thankful, as a borough, we don’t rely on a lot of federal money. We’re not really in jeopardy there. We pretty much pay our own bills and pay our own away. I’m thankful for that. I think it’s a very efficient way to do things. I’m really concerned.”
In Anchorage, Mayor Dave Bronson said the municipality will not comply with the new COVID-19 vaccine directive from the Biden Administration. The Mayor’s Office will review the mandate and consider potential legal challenges.
Meanwhile, President Biden says that he’s prepared for any challenges to his vaccine mandates. He expressed disappointment with some Republican governors, accusing them of being ‘cavalier’ with the health of their communities.