In a statement made during a Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic hearing, Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) expressed his concerns over the violation of constitutionally protected civil liberties during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The hearing was aptly named “Churches vs. Casinos: The Constitution is not Suspended in Times of Crisis” and explored the perceived overreach of government at all levels during the pandemic.
Rep. Wenstrup declared, “Arbitrary lockdowns and stay-at-home orders stripped Americans of their freedoms, while the issuance of restrictive vaccine and mask mandates imposed on their civil liberties.”
He lamented that even as more data became available on COVID-19 transmission, governments did not adapt their strategies or answer for “their unconstitutional directives.”
Wenstrup highlighted Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Neil Gorsuch’s perspective that the government’s response to COVID-19 was one of “the greatest intrusions on civil liberties in the peacetime history of this country.”
The Chairman criticized the early response to the pandemic, with its restrictive measures, stating, “We were told to shutdown society. We were told ’15 Days to Slow the Spread.’”
He detailed how stay-at-home orders affected around 316 million people across 42 states, effectively limiting social interaction and closing businesses, churches, and schools.
Wenstrup went on to denounce specific examples of government overreach, citing actions by the Governors of Michigan and Rhode Island and highlighting an incident in California where a man was arrested for paddle boarding alone in violation of Governor Newsom’s stay-at-home order.
The Chairman took issue with how governments maintained their restrictive policies as the pandemic progressed, even in the face of changing data.
He stated, “Time and again, in the face of new evidence questioning the usefulness of specific COVID-19 measures—including lockdowns, social distancing, school closures, and masking requirements—governments refused to adapt.”
Wenstrup went on to criticize President Biden’s executive order to mandate vaccination for certain groups, labeling it as “unscientific, did not consider previous infection, and were most of all unconstitutional.”
He further accused the Biden administration of manipulating big tech companies to suppress debate in the name of “science.”
The hearing was called to review the government’s response to the pandemic and make recommendations for the future.
Wenstrup emphasized, “We are holding this hearing today to look back to help prepare for a future pandemic. To determine what went wrong and to recommend how to do it better.”
Chairman Wenstrup closed his remarks with a potent quote from Benjamin Franklin: “[t]hose who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”