Congressman George Santos (NY-03) introduced a bill Tuesday morning (April 18) with the goal of limiting federal vaccine mandates, and it’s named after rapper Nicki Minaj. According to the official press release, the Medical Information Nuanced Accountability Judgement Act or the MINAJ Act would prohibit any Federal Government from imposing any mandate requiring an individual to receive a vaccine that has not been authorized for marketing for at least ten years.
“Medical Freedom is an absolute right,” expressed Rep. Santos in a statement.
“I urge my colleagues to join me in this mission to block tyrannical and draconian measures from being utilized by the Federal Government. If a public health emergency has been declared, then the federal agency looking to impose the mandate must submit a report to Congress and highlight the intent as well as the research behind the vaccine.”
The news was first shared on Twitter on Monday (April 17) by Semafor political reporter Kadia Goba. The tweet noted seven bills introduced by the controversial representative.
“Ahem. Rep. George Santos just dropped seven bills in the hopper. Among them, The Minaj Act, named for — yes, you guessed it — rapper Nikki [sic] Minaj that establishes a development period for new vaccines in order to generate public confidence,” tweeted out the journalist.
Under the MINAJ Act, the Federal Government shall not establish, implement, or enforce any mandate requiring an individual to receive a vaccine that has not been authorized for marketing for at least ten years unless a public health emergency is declared.
The background information on the bill cites The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the response to the COVID-19, claiming vaccination mandate measures disproportionately impacted individuals working in healthcare facilities, hospitals, the military, and other federal vendors, and contractors. The bill also suggests that unvaccinated Americans should no longer face different rules for masking, quarantines, and other intrusive measures.
Last month, the House Ethics Committee announced a formal investigation into Rep. Santos to determine whether he engaged in unlawful activity during his 2022 campaign, whether or not he violated federal conflict of interest laws, and whether he “engaged in sexual misconduct” toward an individual who was seeking a job in the House office.
In September 2021, the “Barbie Dreams” rapper shared her vaccine hesitancy on Twitter after learning the Met Gala established a vaccine mandate for people to attend that year. The 40-year-old performer cited her need to do her own research and shared a story alleging a family member had an adverse reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine.
“They want you to get vaccinated for the Met. if I get vaccinated it won’t for the Met. It’ll be once I feel I’ve done enough research. I’m working on that now. In the meantime my loves, be safe. Wear the mask with 2 strings that grips your head & face. Not that loose one”
“My cousin in Trinidad won’t get the vaccine cuz his friend got it & became impotent. His testicles became swollen. His friend was weeks away from getting married, now the girl called off the wedding. So just pray on it & make sure you’re comfortable with ur decision, not bullied,” she shared in another.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the seemingly rapid development of the COVID-19 vaccines are the result of more than 50 years of public and private laboratory research. NIH clinical trials for the Moderna mRNA vaccine began in March 2020. A large-scale Phase 3 clinical trial of the Moderna mRNA vaccine was launched in November 2020.
In December 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted an emergency use authorization EUA to the Moderna mRNA vaccine for people age 18 and older.
In November 2021, President Joe Biden announced policies requiring employers with 100 or more employees to ensure each of their workers is fully vaccinated or tests for COVID-19 on at least a weekly basis, and its requirement that health care workers at facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid are fully vaccinated. The news followed a previously established vaccination requirement for federal employees and contractors.