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On Wednesday, Chris Sununu’s Executive Council voted to essentially block CDC funding provided through the American Rescue Plan for 12 new positions for immunization purposes. This shocking decision comes when New Hampshire’s vaccination rate is largely stagnant and ranks last in New England. And, in another partisan effort to block efforts to end the pandemic, Sununu also threatened to sue to block requirements that large companies ensure that their workers are either vaccinated or regularly tested. “In another glaring example of Chris Sununu’s failure to lead a successful vaccination campaign, Chris Sununu’s Executive Council voted to block critical funding for immunizations,” said NHDP Chair Ray Buckley. “New Hampshire could desperately use that money for immunization, but instead, Chris Sununu’s Executive Council is playing politics and Granite Staters are going to pay the price.”
The Sununu administration has no plan to address the state’s lagging vacation rate — and according to a new report from NHPR, serious questions remain about whether the state’s COVID-19 dashboard is even accurate. Sununu chose to spend much of the state’s vaccination outreach funds on a massive taxpayer-funded ad campaign starring himself — even though research shows ads starring politicians are ineffective at actually convincing people to get vaccinated. Sununu’s administration recently refused to commit to not including him or other politicians in a new round of taxpayer-funded PSA ads. And with no real plans of his own, Sununu instead has decided to pursue legal action against the Biden administration for working to get more shots in arms.