DeSantis thanks first responders, military on eve of 9/11 anniversary

Governor also criticizes Biden administration

Posted

Gov. Ron DeSantis visited Palm Valley American Legion Post 233 on Friday, Sept. 10, to thank first responders and military personnel on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

He also took the opportunity to address recent mandates announced by President Joe Biden regarding coronavirus vaccinations.

“When you have a president like Biden issuing unconstitutional edicts against the American people, we have a responsibility to stand up for the Constitution and to fight back,” DeSantis said. “This is a president who has acknowledged in the past he does not have the authority to force this on anybody. This order would result, potentially, in millions of Americans losing their jobs. I think we should be protecting people’s jobs, not trying to kick people out of work right now.”

On Thursday, Sept. 9, Biden announced that all employers with more than 100 workers would have to require vaccinations or weekly testing of employees. That mandate would come in the form of a rule by OSHA.

In addition, Biden is issuing an executive order requiring vaccination for federal employees and contractors who do business with the U.S. government.

DeSantis noted that these actions failed to recognize people who have immunity through infection.

“We will be acting in the state of Florida to provide protections for people,” he said. “People should not be cast aside because they make a medical decision for themselves. They should not lose their jobs. They should not be unable to put food on their table just because they made a different decision than the powers that be are demanding that they make.”

On Monday, Sept. 13, media outlets reported that DeSantis warned local governments in the state that they would face a $5,000 fine per violation if they required employees to get vaccinated.

Remembering 9/11

In his remarks concerning the Sept. 11 anniversary, DeSantis also took the Biden administration to task for the manner in which it vacated Afghanistan, calling it “a total fiasco.”

“As we look to the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, we do that with an even heavier heart than we have over the previous anniversaries in light of the service members that were tragically killed in Afghanistan very recently,” he said.

On Aug. 26, suicide bombers and gunmen attacked people outside the airport in Kabul. Officials reported that 13 U.S. troops and 60 Afghans were killed.

DeSantis asked those gathered at the post to remember the families suffering from these losses.

“I can only imagine the Americans that have been left behind,” he added. “What may be happening, and what may happen over the coming days, weeks and months.”

A veteran of the U.S. Navy who served in Iraq during The Surge, DeSantis thanked members of the U.S. military for their service in the War on Terror and the first responders who put their lives on the line to rescue victims of the 9/11 attacks.

“All the people in uniform who were running into those buildings,” he said, “climbing up all those stairs, trying to usher people to safety, knowing full well that they would likely never see the great, blue skies again because of what was happening. The chance of them making it out alive was virtually zero at that point, and yet they went in and were able to save hundreds, if not thousands, of people.”

DeSantis praised K9s for Warriors, which helps veterans facing certain hardships as a result of their service, and thanked the families of active military personnel who are also asked to make sacrifices.