Friday on Fox Business Network’s “Varney & Company,” Rep. John Katko (R-NY) reacted to the report that the White House plans to send about 4 million doses of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine to Mexico and Canada.
Katko called that decision “ill-advised,” considering there is a surge of immigrants being released into the United States without being tested for coronavirus while many Border Patrol agents and Americans are yet to receive the vaccine. He acknowledged the importance of humanitarianism but emphasized the “need to take care of our people first.”
“There was 1,000 unaccompanied children and some parents with them at one [border] facility — not a single one had been tested. They’re being released into our community,” Katko stated. “It’s naturally going to spread COVID — it’s just going to happen. And half the Border Patrol agents or more have not been vaccinated, our schools are still closed, our businesses still have huge restrictions, yet we’re going to take those precious vaccines and send them to another country while we’re trying to get our economy on top? I’m all for humanitarianism, but I think we need to take care of our people first and then help others elsewhere. So, I think it’s very ill-advised to send millions of vaccines to another country when we have people here who want those vaccines that can’t get them.”
Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent
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