On Sunday night Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) baselessly blamed the hundreds of canceled Southwest Airlines flights on the company’s imposition of a Covid-19 vaccine mandate on its employees. The company’s CEO has said he is personally opposed to the mandate, but that his hand has been forced by the Biden administration policy requiring companies such as Southwest that do business with the federal government vaccinate their employees.
The air carrier has recently canceled hundreds of flights, and some conservatives, including Cruz, have blamed the mandate, despite the fact that the company and an employees union have denied there’s a connection.
During Tuesday’s White House press briefing, Press Secretary Jen Psaki took a snarky shot at Cruz in response. She was asked by Jacqui Heinrich of Fox News, “What’s the White House response to people who say vaccine mandates have reduced the workforce and contributed to this problem?”
“Well I know world-renowned business, travel, and health expert Senator Ted Cruz has made that point,” Psaki replied. “But I wouldn’t say that that is widely acknowledged or echoed by business leaders who have implemented these mandates, by health experts who’ve conveyed the way to get out of the pandemic is to ensure that we’re doing exactly the steps that the president has announced and we are working to implement.”
Psaki was likely making a reference Cruz’
Psaki’s jab didn’t go unnoticed, as Cruz soon responded, claiming a “very credible & senior source” told him there had been a “sick out” among air traffic controllers in Jacksonville, Florida.
Previously, a rumor had circulated that a sick out among pilots had caused the cancelations, but that turned out not to be true.
Watch above via Fox News.