U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney’s office blasted fellow Republican and congressional candidate Harriet Hageman on Thursday, claiming she was falsely spreading misinformation about Cheney’s vote on a bill Hageman said would let the government track private citizens’ vaccination statuses.
The bill — The Immunization Infrastructure Modernization Act — would provide funds to improve existing immunization information systems in place in most states and improve the sharing of information.
Hageman said the bill represents a “massive intrusion into most basic personal privacy” and criticized Cheney’s support.
But Cheney spokesman Jeremy Adler said the bill actually takes steps to safeguard people’s private information.
Adler called Hageman’s accusation “reckless,” noting the bill was supported by 80 Republicans in the House, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-California) — actually safeguards peoples’ information.
“It’s dangerous, reckless, and irresponsible for the Hageman campaign to be spreading misinformation like this,” Adler told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday.
Hageman, in a release distributed on Thursday, labeled the legislation was “Orwellian”.
“This is straight out of George Orwell, and the fact that Liz Cheney thinks the federal government has the right to know your personal medical information to help Joe Biden enforce his unconstitutional mandates shows you that she has lost her mind,” Hageman said.
“Taking the vaccine is a personal decision, and it is not business of the government,” she said. “In the United States, we value personal privacy, and we don’t allow the federal government to identify and harass people over medical decisions they make for themselves,” she said.
Adler disputed Hageman’s statements and pointed out the bill provides money for an existing network and does not collect personal identifiable information.
“Each state system has their own standards, and all are confidential,” Adler said. “This [provides] an extra layer of protection to ensure they remain confidential and that any new state system is confidential as well.”
