Nashville, TN – Dear Friend,
Protecting the safety and improving the health, both economically and physically, of Tennessee communities should be the number one goal of our legislature and yet again, our Republican-led state government has put the lives of Tennesseeans at risk with irresponsible decision making.
This week, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s administration fired Dr. Michelle Fiscus — the state’s head of vaccinations — for doing her job and carrying out the public health mission of the state health department. Yes. You read that correctly.
As the CDC began recommending COVID-19 Coronavirus vaccines for more age groups, healthcare providers in the state began asking questions about eligibility. Dr. Fiscus sent a memo to providers to offer clear guidance, based on state law, for situations where teenagers request a vaccine.
Once the memo became public, several anti-vaccine lawmakers flipped out and threatened to dissolve the state health department — while we’re still in a pandemic.
Public health should never be used as a political tool. The people of Tennessee deserve better than this absurd political hogwash. We deserve informed leadership looking out for the wellbeing of Tennessee families.
Our caucus needs to be able to respond to these attacks with more than our words. Simply put, we need more votes.
Our public health is on the line in Tennessee and we need more lawmakers who believe in science.
Thanks to you, we added to our caucus in 2020 and we’re going to do it again in 2022.
Help us find and support qualified candidates to join our ranks so we can fight for the health and wellbeing of all Tennesseeans.
The Senate Democratic Caucus
