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Rep. August Pfluger praises Gov. Abbott for pushback on vaccine mandates

The congressman tells us he talked with the governor about the state taking action sooner rather than later.

MIDLAND, Texas — Governor Greg Abbott’s recent executive order banning vaccine mandates by any entity is getting a lot of attention across the country.

But it is getting praise here from Congressman August Pfluger.

On Thursday, Plfuger was in Odessa speaking at a town hall. The Congressman tells me he talked with Abbott multiple times, explaining how vaccine mandates were only going to become more common. He said if Texas was going to stop it, the Governor needed to act before it was too late.

“I think it’s overreach at the biggest level," Pfluger said. "I asked Gov. Abbott to do that and I hope he continues to do that.”

Last month, President Biden moved to mandate shots for health care workers, federal contractors and most federal workers. If they refuse, they could face disciplinary measures or be out of a job.

“Well as a citizen it makes me angry to know that the president is trying to control our lives," Pfluger said. "As a congressman, I’m pushing back asking Abbott and like-minded conservatives to make sure that we as citizens can continue to do our jobs," 

Many vaccines are mandated for students or employees like Polio, Tetanus, and T-dap. So we asked the congressman what makes this vaccine different?

“I think there are a lot of differences to it," Pfluger said. "First and foremost there is a time component to it. There are people who have medical conditions who are worried. We also have a Vice President who when she was campaigning said she would never take the vaccine if mandated by President Trump so what does that tell us as a population?”

The Vice President said that back in October of 2020 but noted she would take the vaccine if recommended by the CDC, which it since has been.

But if the vaccine is about a person’s choice and not forcing anyone to do something they do not want to do, we asked the congressman why the same principle does not apply to a woman's right to choose. 

“There’s a different component to it when the second person doesn’t have a say," Pfluger said. “This is where we go back to the science. The CDC is not coming out with clear and guidance they’re using a political approach to it. And that’s what I don’t appreciate about what the vice president and president have previously said up until this point.”

Congressman Pfluger says the vaccine is going to continue to be a big conversation in DC for months to come.

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