“We are just now starting to understand the impact of COVID-related lockdowns. They weren’t just extreme — they were deadly.”
“Locking Americans out of school, work, church, and social contact had disastrous impacts on our economy, our education system, and our society as a whole.”
“We must be the barrier between the American people and tyranny…We have to commit to defending freedom in every circumstance.”
WASHINGTON — As the 118th Congress begins, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) highlighted an important issue worthy of Congress’ attention: the serious and deadly consequences of COVID-19 lockdown measures on Americans’ health and the country’s education system. In a speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate on Monday, Senator Tuberville laid out the shocking rise in excess mortality rates and decrease in educational success during COVID-19 lockdowns. The Senator also called on Congress to vote again to end the federal COVD-19 emergency declaration and vow to never again use such dangerous lockdown measures.
Excerpts from Senator Tuberville’s speech can be found below, and his full remarks can be viewed here.
“It’s high time we take a look back at the devastating impacts some of the federal and state government policies in response to COVID-19…Most importantly, we have to focus on education. We have to look at the toll the lockdowns have taken on our country’s youngest citizens. Unfortunately, like many issues in D.C., the COVID crisis was weaponized for some political gain. The government misused emergency measures to grow its control over Americans’ daily lives. Hopefully, those days are over.”
“The excess rate is a term used to describe the number of deaths above historical norms, or how many Americans died than we would typically expect to pass away during any given year…According to data from the CDC, the number of non-COVID excess deaths reached almost 100,000 people in 2020 and 2021. The hundreds of thousands of non-COVID excess deaths during the pandemic can be mainly attributed to shocking increases in accidents, overdoses, and death from alcoholism and homicide. And those causes disproportionately impacted minorities and low-income Americans, the same groups lockdowns were often billed and made to protect.”
“In total, excess deaths among young adults throughout the pandemic were 27 percent higher than they should be, according to historical trends. It does not take a scientist to draw the connection between lockdowns and all the excess deaths that we’ve had the past three years. Not only were Americans kept out of gyms, parks, churches, social settings, and family gatherings — they were forced to skip routine doctor visits, surgeries, and in-person medical treatments out of fear. And fear was the main weapon used against the American people. As a result, mental and physical health plummeted.”
“Today, our schools are facing a shortage of teachers, months of instruction still missing, [and] a mental health and behavioral crisis among our country’s students. As someone who spent decades as an educator and a coach, and fostered the potential of young adults, I am committed to ensuring we never inflict the damage on our school-aged kids again.”
“We must be the barrier between the American people and tyranny, because tyranny [and] orders — like COVID lockdowns — are dangerous. As we get to work this Congress, I hope all of my colleagues join me in recognizing the tough realities I have just laid out…We have to commit to defending freedom in every circumstance.”
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, and HELP Committees.
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