Response from CA Congressman Mark DeSaulnier. He is still referencing the Delta variant, and also "the science" of face masks:
"Ensuring the safety and well-being of all Americans is one of my top priorities, particularly during the current crisis. Due to the alarming rise of Delta variant coronavirus infections, the CDC recently issued guidance recommending that all individuals, vaccinated and unvaccinated, wear masks in public indoor settings if they live in areas with high or substantial levels of transmission. Additionally, Contra Costa County reinstituted indoor masking requirements in public settings regardless of vaccination status beginning August 3, 2021. The science shows that face masks combined with other preventive measures, such as getting vaccinated, frequent hand-washing, and physical distancing, can help slow the spread of the virus. Masking by vaccinated people reduces the risk of breakthrough infections and transmission of the virus to others."
Thank you for contacting me about your concerns regarding COVID-19 public health regulations. It is important to hear from my constituents about important matters such as these.
My position from the onset of this global pandemic - which has taken the lives of over 700,000 of our fellow Americans - has been that government entities, as well as both private and public employers, should have the ability to implement preventative COVID-19 safety measures that are steered by scientific consensus.
For this reason, I support the CDC’s guidelines on masks, vaccines and other precautions that are steered by data and dictated by substantial scientific evidence.
Both laboratory studies and real-world case studies have demonstrated that masks do help reduce the spread of COVID-19. For example, a case study from Springfield found that masks helped prevent the spread of COVID-19 between infected hair salon employees and the 139 clients they interacted with over an 8-day period. Service members on board the USS Roosevelt saw significant reduction in new infections due to preventative measures such as using face coverings and social distancing.
While the new delta variant is more infectious than previous variants of COVID-19, the vaccine is still proven to be one of the most effective ways of reducing the spread of COVID-19 and defending oneself against life-threatening symptoms. The risk of infection, hospitalization and death are all much lower in vaccinated compared to unvaccinated people. Recently, President Biden announced a series of vaccine requirements aimed at reducing the spread of the highly contagious delta variant, which is killing more than 1,500 Americans a day, according to some sources. While this decision came directly from the President and was not subject to a vote from Congress, I do believe the president has the authority to implement such measures and I support his decision to do so given the debilitating effects this disease is imposing on our economy and public health. We need to encourage as many people as possible to get vaccinated to help keep schools and businesses open and to put the pandemic behind us once and for all. Certain vaccines are already required by schools, businesses, and federal travel. Now that the COVID-19 vaccine has been approved by the FDA, the President has authority to implement requirements such as these.
Thank you again for reaching out and sharing your thoughts with me. I will make sure to keep your comments – and the comments of all my constituents – in mind when determining how to vote in Congress. I urge you to visit my website at https://cleaver.house.gov/ where you can read all about my work in Washington. And do not hesitate to reach out to my office in the future.
Thought I’d share the form letter I got back from Representative Cliff Bentz. Nice to know he’s pushing back against the mandates:
Thank you for contacting me about mandatory vaccination and vaccine passports. Your thoughts and comments are important to me.
I have joined other members of Congress in letters sent to President Biden, the Secretaries of the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Interior, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, and the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, speaking out against vaccine mandates. Similarly, I do not support any federal or state government-sponsored vaccine "passport" program. Many cities and states (including Oregon) across the nation have decided to implement these programs, but in my opinion, mandatory COVID vaccination and requiring COVID vaccine passports are clear violations of our personal freedoms.
The Supreme Court has recently ruled that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) does not have the authority to regulate public health as it regulates workplace safety, thereby nullifying President Biden’s federal vaccine mandates applicable to private employers with more than 100 employees. The Supreme Court case upon which the legality of federal vaccine mandates rests is Jacobson v. Massachusetts (1905), where the Court held that the right to refuse medical treatment can be overcome if there is a clear societal need. However, such a need does not exist in the case of mandatory vaccination against Omicron because it is unclear if the vaccine even decreases the transmission of this variant.
Although I do not and will not support vaccine mandates and passports in this Covid crisis, I do encourage you to discuss COVID-19 and its prevention with your doctor or other medical professionals.
Thank you for taking the time to contact me. It is an honor to represent you in the United States Congress.
Yet here's the problem: The vaccine passports. I don't want to live in that world, not even if the vaccines were legit! We are being backed into a corner more every day because the Authorities won't acknowledge natural immunity as equal to and better than a leaky spike protein GMO drug that shows no benefit whatsoever after a block of weeks. They won't even let us officially establish our natural immunity with a test -- the antigen test, is that what it's called? Right now, resisting passports and establishing superior natural immunity are our greatest hurdles. I don't care about the illogical masks for myself at the moment -- unmask the kids yes -- but for myself I can live with that symbol of their power because it is the lesser of the indignities next to the passports. Escaping the vax passports should be the priority imo.
My congress member, Doris Matsui, is an empty vessel for the Party. I wrote, but I know nothing will occur due to my request. If our democratically elected officials can't be bothered to condemn asset seizure in Canada because people simply donated gas money to a convoy, these jackals dont care about our mask requests.
Might want to focus on the upcoming midterms and creating citizen monitoring groups, becasue Calif loves to fix elections.
I followed your instructions and emailed my representative just now. Thank you so much Steve for your dedication to these topics and to keeping the USA free! The "regular people" out here (including myself) want to help but just don't know how to help for the most part. Thank you for helping us! Please stay strong and keep up the work that you do which I'm sure seems never-ending!!
Hey Steve can you please create a petition, or at least a sample letter, for this purpose? The easier we make it for people to write, the more likely they are to do it. Petition creation tools are available at https://info.votervoice.net/
How about getting the COLLEGE VACCINE MANDATES overturned first? Masks are annoying but not as deadly as those vaccine mandates still in place in colleges.
Sadly, we still live in Land of the Sheep. My CongressWolf is Ms. Karen Bass (who now wants to Be LA Mayor). Not expecting any leadership or courage from her, but we called her DC office nonetheless. Keep fighting good people!
Why go thru all the politics to repeal them. They can always be reinstated when repealed. My opinion: No mayor or governor has the power to impose such mandates. Not even the president. Challenge their authority to impose them. When a judge rules they are unconstitutional, it is permanent.
Federal citizens are under a different system of law so if congress imposes mask mandates on them, they have to comply - but the fed constitution gives them a way out. They can challenge congress to prove the masks actually work or cease enforcement of the mandate because congress is limited to only imposing 'needful rules'. If congress cannot prove in court they are 'needful' and not merely oppressive, a judge would have to declare them unconstitutional. Both ways end with a total and permanent ban on mask mandates.
Did it!
Response from CA Congressman Mark DeSaulnier. He is still referencing the Delta variant, and also "the science" of face masks:
"Ensuring the safety and well-being of all Americans is one of my top priorities, particularly during the current crisis. Due to the alarming rise of Delta variant coronavirus infections, the CDC recently issued guidance recommending that all individuals, vaccinated and unvaccinated, wear masks in public indoor settings if they live in areas with high or substantial levels of transmission. Additionally, Contra Costa County reinstituted indoor masking requirements in public settings regardless of vaccination status beginning August 3, 2021. The science shows that face masks combined with other preventive measures, such as getting vaccinated, frequent hand-washing, and physical distancing, can help slow the spread of the virus. Masking by vaccinated people reduces the risk of breakthrough infections and transmission of the virus to others."
Is there any way to do a study which might demonstrate that masks actually increase aerosolisation? That would be a great study.
Here's Rep Carwash Cleaver's response:
Thank you for contacting me about your concerns regarding COVID-19 public health regulations. It is important to hear from my constituents about important matters such as these.
My position from the onset of this global pandemic - which has taken the lives of over 700,000 of our fellow Americans - has been that government entities, as well as both private and public employers, should have the ability to implement preventative COVID-19 safety measures that are steered by scientific consensus.
For this reason, I support the CDC’s guidelines on masks, vaccines and other precautions that are steered by data and dictated by substantial scientific evidence.
Both laboratory studies and real-world case studies have demonstrated that masks do help reduce the spread of COVID-19. For example, a case study from Springfield found that masks helped prevent the spread of COVID-19 between infected hair salon employees and the 139 clients they interacted with over an 8-day period. Service members on board the USS Roosevelt saw significant reduction in new infections due to preventative measures such as using face coverings and social distancing.
While the new delta variant is more infectious than previous variants of COVID-19, the vaccine is still proven to be one of the most effective ways of reducing the spread of COVID-19 and defending oneself against life-threatening symptoms. The risk of infection, hospitalization and death are all much lower in vaccinated compared to unvaccinated people. Recently, President Biden announced a series of vaccine requirements aimed at reducing the spread of the highly contagious delta variant, which is killing more than 1,500 Americans a day, according to some sources. While this decision came directly from the President and was not subject to a vote from Congress, I do believe the president has the authority to implement such measures and I support his decision to do so given the debilitating effects this disease is imposing on our economy and public health. We need to encourage as many people as possible to get vaccinated to help keep schools and businesses open and to put the pandemic behind us once and for all. Certain vaccines are already required by schools, businesses, and federal travel. Now that the COVID-19 vaccine has been approved by the FDA, the President has authority to implement requirements such as these.
Thank you again for reaching out and sharing your thoughts with me. I will make sure to keep your comments – and the comments of all my constituents – in mind when determining how to vote in Congress. I urge you to visit my website at https://cleaver.house.gov/ where you can read all about my work in Washington. And do not hesitate to reach out to my office in the future.
Warm Regards,
Emanuel Cleaver, II
Member of Congress
Let's continue to call these losers out publicly!
Thought I’d share the form letter I got back from Representative Cliff Bentz. Nice to know he’s pushing back against the mandates:
Thank you for contacting me about mandatory vaccination and vaccine passports. Your thoughts and comments are important to me.
I have joined other members of Congress in letters sent to President Biden, the Secretaries of the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Interior, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, and the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, speaking out against vaccine mandates. Similarly, I do not support any federal or state government-sponsored vaccine "passport" program. Many cities and states (including Oregon) across the nation have decided to implement these programs, but in my opinion, mandatory COVID vaccination and requiring COVID vaccine passports are clear violations of our personal freedoms.
The Supreme Court has recently ruled that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) does not have the authority to regulate public health as it regulates workplace safety, thereby nullifying President Biden’s federal vaccine mandates applicable to private employers with more than 100 employees. The Supreme Court case upon which the legality of federal vaccine mandates rests is Jacobson v. Massachusetts (1905), where the Court held that the right to refuse medical treatment can be overcome if there is a clear societal need. However, such a need does not exist in the case of mandatory vaccination against Omicron because it is unclear if the vaccine even decreases the transmission of this variant.
Although I do not and will not support vaccine mandates and passports in this Covid crisis, I do encourage you to discuss COVID-19 and its prevention with your doctor or other medical professionals.
Thank you for taking the time to contact me. It is an honor to represent you in the United States Congress.
Done!
Will try it.
Yet here's the problem: The vaccine passports. I don't want to live in that world, not even if the vaccines were legit! We are being backed into a corner more every day because the Authorities won't acknowledge natural immunity as equal to and better than a leaky spike protein GMO drug that shows no benefit whatsoever after a block of weeks. They won't even let us officially establish our natural immunity with a test -- the antigen test, is that what it's called? Right now, resisting passports and establishing superior natural immunity are our greatest hurdles. I don't care about the illogical masks for myself at the moment -- unmask the kids yes -- but for myself I can live with that symbol of their power because it is the lesser of the indignities next to the passports. Escaping the vax passports should be the priority imo.
My congress member, Doris Matsui, is an empty vessel for the Party. I wrote, but I know nothing will occur due to my request. If our democratically elected officials can't be bothered to condemn asset seizure in Canada because people simply donated gas money to a convoy, these jackals dont care about our mask requests.
Might want to focus on the upcoming midterms and creating citizen monitoring groups, becasue Calif loves to fix elections.
Done. Nothing pleases me more than sending an email to the all-listening and all-caring Carwash Cleaver.
Yes, I wrote to them. Thank you.
I followed your instructions and emailed my representative just now. Thank you so much Steve for your dedication to these topics and to keeping the USA free! The "regular people" out here (including myself) want to help but just don't know how to help for the most part. Thank you for helping us! Please stay strong and keep up the work that you do which I'm sure seems never-ending!!
Hey Steve can you please create a petition, or at least a sample letter, for this purpose? The easier we make it for people to write, the more likely they are to do it. Petition creation tools are available at https://info.votervoice.net/
How about getting the COLLEGE VACCINE MANDATES overturned first? Masks are annoying but not as deadly as those vaccine mandates still in place in colleges.
Sadly, we still live in Land of the Sheep. My CongressWolf is Ms. Karen Bass (who now wants to Be LA Mayor). Not expecting any leadership or courage from her, but we called her DC office nonetheless. Keep fighting good people!
Why go thru all the politics to repeal them. They can always be reinstated when repealed. My opinion: No mayor or governor has the power to impose such mandates. Not even the president. Challenge their authority to impose them. When a judge rules they are unconstitutional, it is permanent.
Federal citizens are under a different system of law so if congress imposes mask mandates on them, they have to comply - but the fed constitution gives them a way out. They can challenge congress to prove the masks actually work or cease enforcement of the mandate because congress is limited to only imposing 'needful rules'. If congress cannot prove in court they are 'needful' and not merely oppressive, a judge would have to declare them unconstitutional. Both ways end with a total and permanent ban on mask mandates.
I ride the bus. People just pull their masks down under their noses.