The office of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is questioning whether President Biden has changed his mind about coronavirus-related travel bans after it was reported that the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention was imposing a new restriction on travelers from South Africa.
A California Republican spokesman pointed this out when Biden asked then-President Trump in a tweet to “[s]on top of the xenophobic feelings of anxiety ‘after announcing a ban on travel from China.
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“Did President Biden change his mind about the effectiveness of coronavirus access bans?” McCarthy’s office asked. “Or is access ban still ‘xenophobic scary’? What is it? The American people deserve to know.”
Asked by Fox News’ Peter Doocy about the new restrictions in light of Biden’s comments from the past, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said she did not believe it was a fair articulation.
“The president was clear that he believed the Muslim ban was xenophobic,” Psaki said, noting that Biden had repealed the ban on travel from certain Muslim-majority countries. Psaki also claimed that Biden and his team supported travel restrictions before accepting his office.
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“But he was critical of the former president because he had a policy that was no more comprehensive than travel restrictions,” she added.
In a tweet published the day after the ban on travelers who were in China was announced, Biden said: “We are in the midst of a crisis with the coronavirus. We must lead the way to science – not Donald Trump’s record of hysteria, “xenophobia and intimidation.”
Questioning Biden’s current stance on travel restrictions on pandemics follows a Reuters report on the CDC’s new protective measure.
“We are adding South Africa to the limited list because of the current variety that has already spread outside South Africa,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, deputy director of CDC, said.
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The restriction on South Africa is in addition to the ban on access to the US for most citizens of non-US countries who have recently been to more than two dozen other countries, including Brazil, the United Kingdom, Ireland and 26 countries on the European continent. allowing you to travel across open borders, White House sources confirmed to Fox News.
The restrictions on Europe and Brazil were initially imposed by Trump. Two days before he left office, Trump ordered them removed this morning. Instead of allowing the ban to lapse, Biden reinstated it.
Foxford’s Bradford Betz contributed to this report.