MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle said Monday that vaccines are not being forced because people who choose not to get it can work from home, homeschool their children and shop online.
Ruhle said that the White House wants to get all Americans vaccinated without forcing them, and called the mandates a “work-around.”
“It is a way to achieve a goal without violating anything, without forcing anything on anyone,” she explained. “A way to get a huge amount of people vaccinated legally.”
“I’m puzzled by these people who continue to say they’re forced to get vaccinated here. There’s always been a choice,” Ruhle continued. “If you do not want to get vaccinated, you can work from home, you can home school your children, you can shop online.” (RELATED: DeSantis Says Florida Government Agencies Will Face Fines If They Mandate COVID-19 Vaccines For Employees)
MSNBC’s @SRuhle: “If you do not want to get vaccinated, you can work from home. You can home school your children. You can shop online.”
Commerce Secretary @GinaRaimondo: “If you don’t get vaccinated, you just have to get tested on a weekly basis.” pic.twitter.com/ut8P9lWudN
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) September 13, 2021
Ruhle also said that vaccines have never been forced on kids because parents who choose not to vaccinate their kids have chosen to homeschool them.
Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo agreed that “nobody is being forced” to get the COVID vaccine because those who don’t want it can simply get tested every week.
“But the reality is, the science is crystal clear on this,” Raimondo said. “Get vaccinated. These vaccines are incredibly effective … they are free, they work and it’s unacceptable now that people aren’t getting vaccinated. We need our kids in schools. We need the schools open. We need people to get back to work. We need people flying on airplanes. We need people dining in restaurants.”
“We have too many Americans who are still out of work, and this is a simple, effective shot in the arm, if you will, that our economy needs and there’s no reason not to get vaccinated at this point in time,” she added. “That being said, you’re not being forced.”
Raimondo praised President Joe Biden for his “great public policy” and “smart leadership.”
Biden recently announced that all federal employees, federal contractors and businesses with over 100 employees must require vaccination for all workers. Employers with over 100 employees can also have workers tested weekly in lieu of requiring the vaccine. The White House didn’t rule out the possibility of mandating vaccines for air travel, a policy that Dr. Anthony Fauci expressed support for.