By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
CONCORD – Protesters will greet Executive Councilors Wednesday in Manchester to oppose a tabled item related to accepting two contracts to hire 13 new temporary full-time positions to manage immunizations in the state through June 2023.
It is part of a statewide pushback against the Biden Administration’s orders to require coronavirus vaccinations of federal employees, federal contractors, and private employers with 100 or more employees and others.
Andrew Manuse, chairman of Rebuild NH, sent an email to the five-member Executive Council, letting them know about the protest.
In the balance is over $27 million dollars in federal funds through the American Rescue Plan to implement the state’s COVID-19 vaccine response as well as additional resources to support ongoing immunization efforts.
“We want the Executive Council to KILL the federal DHHS grant for 13 vaccine propaganda bureaucrats. Come PROTEST with us on Wed. Sept 29 @ 7:30 AM,” their poster reads.
The poster, sent as a head’s up to council members says: “Join us to OPPOSE federal DHHS money and STAND UP for medical freedom.”
The literature states that the federal grant “REMOVES state sovereignty.” It also says there is an additional march to the State House in support of “medical freedom” Saturday, Oct. 2, 12–3 p.m. “Join us for the March for Medical Freedom to push back against vaccine mandates and other violations of freedom,” it states.
Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican, and Lori Shibinette, commissioner of the state Department of Health and Human Services, have supported the contracts noting it is important funding to help support statewide immunization efforts, not just COVID-19.
Separately, the governor has said Biden’s plan is overreaching and said he plans to sue.
On Sept. 15 the Council tabled the two contracts. That was followed by the legislative Fiscal Committee also tabling the DHHS request last Friday. Both votes are needed to accept the money.
Executive councilors have been receiving emails and phone calls all week from opponents urging them not to support the contracts.
“We need to send a LOUD message to the Executive Council that we DO NOT WANT federal grants with strings attached and 13 new vaccine propaganda bureaucrats. The federal puppet masters want to strip us of local control and force us to ‘comply with existing and/or future directives and guidance from the [federal HHS] Secretary regarding control of the spread of COVID-19′” which they note is the language in the grant.
“No amount of money is worth giving the feds this control over New Hampshire citizens! We put enough pressure to get Executive Council and Council and Fiscal Committee to lay these on the table – time to put the nail in the coffin on this federal overreach,” the literature states.
The protest is planned from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. outside the meeting which will be held at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, 100 Saint Anselm Drive in Manchester.
Also signing the literature in addition to Manuse are JR Hoell, treasurer; Melissa Blasek, executive director; Carolyn McKinney, grassroots coordinator.
