Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra on Thursday addressed the pushback in response to the White House’s door-to-door vaccination effort to encourage people to get vaccinated.
CNN “New Day” host Brianna Keilar asked Becerra about criticism the announcement received, saying it isn’t the government’s business knowing who and who has not been vaccinated.
Becerra said it is “absolutely” the government’s business to know such information, reasoning that the government “has spent trillions of dollars” to protect Americans.
“[P]erhaps we should point out that the federal government has spent trillions of dollars to try to keep Americans alive during this pandemic, so it is absolutely the government’s business,” Becerra replied. “It is taxpayers’ business if we have to continue to spend money to try to keep people from contracting COVID and helping reopen the economy. And so it is our business to try to make sure Americans can prosper; Americans can freely associate.”
“Knocking on a door has never been against the law. You don’t have to answer, but we hope you do. Because if you haven’t been vaccinated, we can help dispel some of those rumors you’ve heard and hopefully get you vaccinated,” he added.
Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent