On Thursday, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) appeared in an on-air interview on CNBC where he slammed businesses who are requiring employees to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine as well as other coronavirus-related mandates.
In an interview with Andrew Ross Sorkin on CNBC’s “Squawk Newsmaker” segment, Cruz discussed mask and vaccine mandates, the upcoming bipartisan infrastructure bill, and private companies mandating employees to obtain the coronavirus vaccine.
“My view is we should have no covid mandates. What does that mean? That means no mask mandates, no vaccine mandates, that means no vaccine passports. We shouldn’t step into a regime where the government says ‘show us your papers’ if you want to do the basic activities of life,” Cruz said in the interview. “This argument that those who don’t get vaccinated are somehow the unworthy, unwashed, reckless people endangering everyone else…I don’t think that actually stands up to scrutiny.”
"We should have no COVID mandates," says @SenTedCruz. "We shouldn't step into the regime where the government says show us your papers if you want to do the basic activities of life." pic.twitter.com/FOBnJymWAj
— Squawk Box (@SquawkCNBC) August 5, 2021
Cruz described himself as someone who “believes in vaccines,” noting that he has taken the vaccine, as well as his wife, his parents, and his in-laws. Additionally, he claimed he is encouraging others to take the vaccine. But, he does not think it is the government’s or an employer’s place to mandate the vaccine on anyone.
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“I also believe in individual freedom. I believe in individual responsibility. So I don’t think anyone should make you take the vaccine. I don’t think the government should, and I don’t think your employer should,” Cruz said in the interview. “I think you ought to have the choice to make your own medical decisions with your doctor. And I have faith in people that they can weigh the pros and cons and make a determination whether or not to take the vaccine.”
Cruz added on, describing the push by leaders on the Left, namely President Biden and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who are implementing vaccine mandates, as “troubling.”
"It's a mistake," says @SenTedCruz on corporations mandating vaccines for employees. "I'm encouraging people to take the vaccine but I also believe in individual freedom...I don't think anyone should make you take the vaccine." pic.twitter.com/ErdWlt9Uj7
— Squawk Box (@SquawkCNBC) August 5, 2021
On Tuesday, de Blasio announced that certain indoor facilities in New York City, such as indoor dining and fitness centers, will begin requiring a vaccine passport, dubbed the Key to NYC Pass, for entry. Days earlier, President Biden mandated vaccines for federal workers.
While there are several governors who’ve enacted legislation against vaccine passport mandates specifically, the list of private companies requiring the vaccine for their employees is steadily growing.
“You’re entitled to make decisions,” Cruz said in the interview. “In America, we give people the freedom to make decisions about their own health, even if we don’t approve of the decisions they make.”
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