Congressman Cohen Speaks and Votes Against Ending COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for Foreign Travelers

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today spoke from the House floor and then voted against a Republican-sponsored resolution to terminate the requirement established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for proof of COVID-19 vaccination for foreign travelers to the United States. The vote on passage of the resolution was 227 to 201.

In his floor remarks, Congressman Cohen (TN-09), a polio survivor and staunch supporter of preventive immunization and of the CDC, said in part:

“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that over 500 Americans die each day with COVID. I believe in science. I believe in specialists, and I believe in doctors. The CDC are the specialists here. My colleagues on the other side are very concerned about China but now they’re not concerned about China which has one of the biggest COVID problems of any place on the globe – having visitors come to our nation without having been vaccinated. This is a threat to the health of the American people directly from China. They’re concerned about China but not now…Science first. Dollars and sense – S – E – N – S – E. That’s what we ought to have.”