A policy to provide prisoners at the detention camp at the US base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba which conservative media has lambasted as a Biden policy putting foreigners before Americans was actually part of the roll out plan initiated by the Trump Administrations Department of Defense, Politico writes.
The Trump Administration laid out a DoD plan that the priority for vaccines would be health care workers and their support staff, followed by those with critical national security jobs, and then the workforce over 65 years of age or with prior medical conditions. Others at the base, including prisoners, were then to be inoculated.
Because of the unique situation at Guantanamo, the base rolled through the priorities quickly. There was no rule to vaccinate prisoners before others, but they were the last in line when their time came.
“The vaccination plan underway was underway before President [Joe] Biden took office, before Secretary [Lloyd] Austin took office,” John Kirby, the Pentagon’s top spokesperson, said. “That’s not to impugn that decision-making process at all … that scheme was already underway and being executed.”
Conservative media went after the policy, blaming President Joe Biden for the decision to vaccinate the 40 prisoners held at Guantanamo as an example of, what they’ve deemed, Biden’s “America Last” policy.