Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas took aim at Sesame Street's \"Elmo\" after the popular children's show puppet promoted COVID-19 vaccines for children on Twitter.<\/p>\n
A minute-long clip posted on the show's Twitter page showed Elmo speaking with his loving TV puppet dad, Louie, about feeling \"a little pinch\" when got a shot. Louie then says he had questions about Elmo getting the vaccine, which he took to Elmo's pediatrician.<\/p>\n
\"I learned that Elmo getting vaccinated is the best way to keep himself, our friends, neighbors, and everyone else healthy and enjoying the things they love,\" Louie said.<\/p>\n
\"Elmo\" retweeted the original tweet from the Sesame Street page, echoing that his vaccination will benefit his loved ones.<\/p>\n
But the puppet's message didn't sit well with the junior senator from Texas.<\/p>\n
Sesame Street Muppet 'Elmo' attends the Sesame Workshop's 13th Annual Benefit Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street, May 27, 2015, in New York. Sen. Ted Cruz speaks during a campaign event for Yesli Vega, a candidate for the 7th Congressional District, June 20, 2022, in Fredericksburg, Va.<\/p>\n
WireImage\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
Cruz took to Twitter where he said Elmo \"aggressively\" advocates for vaccinating young children without citing scientific evidence.<\/p>\n
The senator's tweet linked to a June press release in which Cruz announced he and 17 fellow members of Congress called on the Food and Drug Administration to answer 19 questions about the COVID-19 vaccine for kids.<\/p>\n
\"Why has the FDA recently lowered the efficacy bar for COVID vaccines for youngest children?\" one question asks.<\/p>\n
While the Sesame Street video with Elmo and Louie does not directly offer scientific evidence for the COVID-19 children's vaccine, a voice promotes asking questions about the vaccine and directs viewers to GetVaccineAnswers.org at the end of the video.<\/p>\n
\"Thanks, @sesamestreet for saying parents are allowed to have questions!\" Cruz wrote, in an apparent flippant reaction.<\/p>\n
The website mentioned in the Sesame Street video offers that research and clinical trials demonstrate the vaccine is safe and effective for children.<\/p>\n
This is not the first time Cruz has gone after a Sesame Street character online.<\/p>\n
An actor dressed as Sesame Street character \"Big Bird\" speaks during an Apple Inc. event at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, Calif., March 25, 2019.<\/p>\n
Bloomberg via Getty Images<\/p>\n
In November, Elmo's fellow Sesame Street puppet, Big Bird, tweeted about getting the COVID-19 vaccine. At the time, Cruz called it \"government propaganda.\"<\/p>\n
Cruz's latest attack on a muppet comes less than two weeks after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the nationwide rollout of COVID-19 vaccines for children older than six months.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, the U.S. government bought 105 million COVID-19 shots from Pfizer for $3.2 billion with a late summer to fall delivery date.<\/p>\n
Pfizer and Moderna produce the two vaccines approved for children under five years old.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
See the original post here:<\/p>\n
GOP's Ted Cruz feuds with Elmo over kids getting COVID-19 vaccines - ABC News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas took aim at Sesame Street's \"Elmo\" after the popular children's show puppet promoted COVID-19 vaccines for children on Twitter Continue reading