In Heated Exchange, Congressman Krishnamoorthi Confronts Governor Ricketts Of Nebraska On His COVID-19 Hypocrisy As He Opposes The Same Vaccine And Mask Mandates The Ricketts Family-Owned Chicago Cubs Have Implemented

WASHINGTON – In today's hearing of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis titled "A View from the States: Governors Respond to the Omicron Variant," Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi questioned Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts on his hyperbolic rhetoric against pandemic health measures including vaccine and mask mandates. During his question line, Congressman Krishnamoorthi confronted the Governor on the reckless hyperbole of his claim on Twitter that "President Biden has forgotten we live in America - he thinks we live in the Soviet Union," as well as the hypocrisy of his opposition to employer vaccine and mask mandates even as the Chicago Cubs baseball team, of which he is a co-owner, has established an employee mask mandate and requires masks in all their facilities.

"As we discussed in today's hearing, hyperbolic rhetoric and attacks on public health measures, such as those Governor Ricketts has used against commonsense policies like vaccine mandates and masking only detract from our ability to end the pandemic," said Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi. "Comparing federal efforts to counter COVID-19 to the Soviet Union is the type of politicized rhetoric that leads to confusion and mistrust among the public. It has real, dangerous consequences as we enter our second year of this pandemic."

Footage of Congressman Krishnamoorthi's exchange with Governor Ricketts during the hearing is available here.