House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Sunday tweeted an all-caps rant opposing vaccine mandates.
“NO VACCINE MANDATES,” his post simply read.
McCarthy’s message didn’t mention a specific vaccine. However, it comes as Republicans fight President Joe Biden’s push to require most Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
The congressman was among the first people in the U.S. to receive a coronavirus vaccine. He tweeted about getting a “safe and effective” shot on Dec. 20, just nine days after the Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer shot.
Vaccine mandates have been common throughout U.S. history.
As a military general, for example, George Washington ordered his troops to be inoculated against smallpox in 1777 via a precursor to vaccination called variolation. The U.S. military currently requires multiple vaccinations, depending on role and location.
Vaccination mandates at schools have existed in some form for more than 150 years.
McCarthy’s critics had no patience for his all-caps message:
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
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