This letter has been formally submitted to the Office of President Joseph Biden
Dear Mr. President,
We, the International Executive Committee and Country Chairs of the Democratic Party Committee Abroad (Democrats Abroad), urge you to enable the swift vaccination of U.S. citizens abroad. While we cheer the rapid and highly effective management of Covid-19 vaccinations within the United States — as well as your March 11 commitment to make FDA-approved vaccines available to every adult U.S. citizen — many U.S. citizens overseas remain unvaccinated, in many cases due to limited availability of vaccines. Although some of us have access to vaccines in our host countries, we all agree that the U.S. government should take appropriate steps to ensure that vaccines are available to all of its citizens worldwide.
As you recently stated, using the United States’ vaccine stockpile to fight the disease around the world is “the right thing to do... the smart thing to do... the strong thing to do.” We respectfully ask that, in implementing this pledge, our government also considers the lives and situations of its own citizens residing outside of the United States and ensures their access to FDA-approved vaccines.
Vaccine-related issues facing U.S. citizens abroad were recently highlighted in The Atlantic article “They Get Taxed, but Not Vaxxed.” As described, returning to the United States for a jab is simply not an option for most people. Jobs, family obligations, and costs preclude taking the five or six weeks required for travel, completion of the vaccination cycle, and in many cases the need to still comply with quarantine requirements upon returning to their host country. And, of course, the risk inherent in the trip itself, as pointed out in the U.S. State Department’s own recent travel advisory, can and should give pause.
To quote from the U.S. State Department website: “The U.S. Government has no higher priority than the protection of American citizens.” The security of nine million American lives may be at stake. We respectfully urge you to address this matter and ensure the swift vaccination of U.S. citizens worldwide.
Sincerely,
Candice Kerestan
International Chair
Democratic National Committee Member
Pennsylvania voter in Germany
International Executive Committee
Art Schankler
International Vice Chair
Democratic National Committee Member
New York voter in Serbia
Beth Landry
International Secretary
Maryland voter in Sweden
Quyen Nguyen
International Treasurer
Iowa voter in Colombia
Orlando Vidal
International Legal Counsel
Washington, D.C. voter in the United Arab Emirates
Nicholas Gordon
Regional Vice Chair, Asia Pacific
Massachusetts voter in Hong Kong
Steve Nardi
Regional Vice Chair, the Americas
Michigan voter in Canada
Jennifer Rakow-Stepper
Regional Vice Chair, Europe, Middle East, and Africa
California voter in Austria
Country Chairs
Kenton Barnes
Country Chair, Germany
Ohio voter
John A. Baumlin Jr.
Country Chair, Japan
New Jersey voter
Elizabeth Blackbourn
Country Chair, China
Wisconsin voter
Kendra Borgen
Country Chair, The Netherlands
Alaska voter
Eric Burns
Country Chair, Switzerland
North Carolina voter
William J. H. Chapman
Country Chair, Mexico
New Hampshire voter
Reno Domenico
Country Chair, Ukraine
New Jersey voter
Trip DuBard
Country Chair, Belgium
South Carolina voter
John Eastwood
Country Chair, Taiwan
North Carolina voter
Kee Evans
Country Chair, Guatemala
New Mexico voter
Stacey Harris-Papaioannou
Country Chair, Greece
Florida voter
Jonathon Holler
Country Chair, France
Texas voter
Kristi Holmes Espineira
Country Chair, Portugal
Colorado voter
Daniel James Jiron
Country Chair, Spain
Virginia voter
Steven Johnson
Country Chair, Costa Rica
South Carolina voter
Sam Khunaizi
Country Chair, United Arab Emirates
Michigan voter
Cory J. Lemke
Country Chair, Republic of Korea
Arizona voter
Stephanie Mattes
Country Chair, Argentina
Texas voter
Merrill Oates
Country Chair, Hungary
Utah voter
Leda M. Pérez
Country Chair, Perú
Florida voter
Paul Risley
Country Chair, Thailand
Virginia voter
David Shallenberger
Country Chair, Ecuador
Vermont voter
Suma Shamanna
Country Chair, India
Oregon Voter
Christina Skovsgaard
Country Chair, Norway
Ohio voter
Rebekah Straneva
Country Chair, Vietnam
Pennsylvania voter
Elana Sztokman
Country Chair, Israel
New York voter
James Todd
Country Chair, Philippines
California voter
Justin Underwood
Country Chair, Australia
Illinois voter
Christine Valverde
Country Chair, New Zealand
Pennsylvania voter
Randi Weitzner
Country Chair, Canada
New York voter