Maxine Waters tells GOP’s Jordan ‘shut your mouth’ in testy debate with Fauci
"You need to respect the chair and shut your mouth!” she said to the Ohio rep during a hearing on the coronavirus pandemic.
The conversation between Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Dr. Anthony Fauci escalated during a meeting of the House Coronavirus Crisis Subcommittee resulting in Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) speaking out on Fauci’s behalf.
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Jordan continually questioned Fauci, demanding answers about the coronavirus pandemic asking for specific numbers regarding COVID-19 safety mandates on Thursday.
“My message, Congressman Jordan, is to get as many people vaccinated as quickly as we possibly can to get the level of infections in this country low to where it is no longer a threat,” Fauci remarked.
“I believe when that happens, you will see..,” Fauci continued before being cut-off mid sentence by Jordan.
“What determines when? What measure? Are we just going to continue this forever? ” Jordan said. “What metrics, what measures, what has to happen before Americans get more freedoms back?”
Fauci responded, “You’re indicating liberty and freedom. I look at it as a public health measure to prevent people from dying and going to the hospital.”
Jordan countered, “You don’t think American’s liberties have been threatened the last year Dr. Fauci?”
Fauci answered, “I don’t look at this as a liberty thing. I look at this as a public health thing.”
The two men continued their banter with raised voices.
“You’re making this a personal thing and it isn’t,” said Fauci.
Jordan declined it being a personal matter. However, Fauci continued, “That is exactly what you’re doing.”
“My recommendations are not personal recommendations its based on the CDC guidance…Right now, we have about 60,000 infections a day, which is a very large risk for resurge. We’re not talking about liberties. We’re talking about a pandemic that has killed 560,000 Americans.”
The Ohio rep continued to press Fauci for an exact number when Rep. Waters ended the debate after Democratic Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina announced that Jordan’s time expired.
“You need to respect the chair and shut your mouth,” she told Jordan.
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According to the Washington Post, a spring wave of COVID-19 has resulted in multiple surges across the country. Hospitalizations above 47,000, the highest since March 4, and 38 states have reported an increase during the past week in the number of people hospitalized with coronavirus complications.
“What we need to do in those situations is shut things down,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Monday according to the Post. “We need that vaccine in other places. If we vaccinate today, we will have, you know, impact in six weeks, and we don’t know where the next place is going to be that is going to surge.”
The outlet reported on Tuesday that the country’s seven-day daily average for new infections topped 71,000 for the first time since Feb. 18.
theGrio reported in February, Fauci was awarded $1million for his work to empower science and data as the world continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic.
The Israel-based Dan David Foundation recognized Fauci for his lifetime of leadership on HIV research and AIDS relief and continued work to support COVID-19 education and vaccinations.
“As the COVID-19 pandemic unraveled, (Fauci) leveraged his considerable communication skills to address people gripped by fear and anxiety and worked relentlessly to inform individuals in the United States and elsewhere about the public health measures essential for containing the pandemic’s spread,” the foundation’s awards committee shared.
He was celebrated for “speaking truth to power in a highly charged political environment.”
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