11.2.2009
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Missouri Congressman Roy Blunt today continued his criticism of the Obama Administration’s approach to distribution of the vaccine for H1N1 in the wake of news reports that accused terrorists at Guantanamo Bay will receive vaccinations ahead of many vulnerable Americans.
“It’s outrageous that in Missouri, expectant mothers, children and others vulnerable to the H1N1 virus do not have access to the vaccine, and our tax dollars are funding vaccines for accused terrorists detained at Gitmo,” Blunt said. “President Obama called this pandemic a ‘national emergency,’ but the federal government continues to fail at one of its most basic responsibilities. And now the Administration tells us ‘no longer women and children first;’ instead accused terrorists will be first in line for H1N1 vaccines.”
“If the Obama Administration has enough vaccines for terrorists, then I suggest they send these doses to Missouri, where many vulnerable people are still at risk,” Blunt continued.
Recent reports suggest that the Administration’s response on H1N1 has fallen short, leaving many Missourians, including school districts, with no way to vaccinate the most vulnerable. Missouri’s Department of Health and Senior Services late last week reported that it only has 28 percent of the H1N1 vaccine that it needs.
“The lack of vaccines in Missouri’s school districts only strengthens my belief that the Administration has failed to protect our own people adequately. The American people expect the federal government to protect them – not accused terrorists -- in the face of a pandemic,” Blunt concluded. “If the current administration cannot manage what is a basic responsibility of the federal government, how can they be expected to micro-manage doctor-patient relationships? Is this what we can expect from government-run health care?”
Blunt, a member of the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Health, which exercises oversight over public health and pandemic preparedness, recently voiced his concern about the Administration’s handling of vaccine distribution. Senators Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Susan Collins (R-Me.) have also been critical of Administration’s handling of this public health crisis.
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