FIRST ON FOX: Republican lawmakers blasted President Biden’s alcohol czar’s comments about potentially advising Americans to stick to two beers a week, with one calling it “ridiculous.”
Several GOP lawmakers weighed in after National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) director George Koob said in an interview the U.S. may follow in Canada’s footsteps in updating recommended alcohol consumption.
Canada recently changed their national alcohol consumption recommendations from two drinks a day for men to two drinks a week, sparking backlash.
BIDEN WHITE HOUSE DODGES ON RECOMMENDATION AMERICANS STOP AT TWO BEERS A WEEK
“Democrats are trying to control every aspect of your life,” Sen. Ted Cruz told Fox News Digital. (Anna Rose Layden/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz told Fox News Digital, “Democrats are trying to control every aspect of your life.”
“We saw this especially during COVID and it’s continued throughout the Biden administration,” Cruz said. “All it’s done is erode trust in public health bureaucrats.”
Tennessee Republican Rep. Tim Burchett, who does not drink himself, called the potential recommendation to two beers a week “ridiculous.”
“This is what happens when 30 million Americans don’t vote,” Burchett said. “Overpaid unelected bureaucrats sticking their fat noses somewhere it does not belong.”
“I am a non-drinker, but this is ridiculous,” he added. “If they want to look at abuse, look at the spending in Washington and the overreach by the White House.”
Rep. Tim Burchett, who does not drink himself, called the potential recommendation to two beers a week “ridiculous.” (Fox News)
Several Republican lawmakers weighed in online, too, with Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa calling the potential recommendations “absurd.”
“Another Biden ‘czar’ – this one wants to take away Americans’ beer,” Ernst wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Absurd.”
Florida Rep. Brian Mast, a Republican, likened the potential alcohol recommendations to “Prohibition” and quipped there is “a reason we ended it.”
“We tried something similar to this before,” Mast wrote on X. “It was called Prohibition.”
“There’s a reason we ended it. It was terrible,” the Florida Republican continued.
“Let the people drink their beer,” he added.
The lawmakers’ comments come after Koob told the Daily Mail last week that the U.S. may follow Canada’s footsteps on alcohol guidelines.
Currently, American guidelines recommend men limit themselves to two drinks per day while women should only have one drink. The American recommendations are up for review in 2025.
Koob, who said he partakes of a couple of glasses of “buttery Californian Chardonnay” a week, said he was watching the Canadian “big experiment” with interest.
Koob, who said he partakes of a couple of glasses of “buttery Californian Chardonnay” a week, said he was watching the Canadian “big experiment” with interest. (Getty Images/HBO)
“If there’s health benefits, I think people will start to re-evaluate where we’re at,” Koob said.
Koob said there are “no benefits” to physical health from drinking alcohol and that he was “pretty sure” American alcohol consumption recommendations are “not going to go up.”
“So, if [alcohol consumption guidelines] go in any direction, it would be toward Canada,” Koob said.
On Monday, the White House refused to say whether it would support a recommendation that Americans stop at only two beers a week, though White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre suggested President Biden might defer to “the experts.”
Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked Jean-Pierre if Biden wants “to limit Americans to two beers a week,” which the press secretary did not answer.
Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about the recent reports that President Biden’s alcohol czar may recommend Americans have no more than two beers a week. (Getty Images)
Doocy rephrased his question, asking Jean-Pierre how dropping the recommendation on alcohol consumption “will go over” with the American public.
“Let me tell you what I’m not gonna get involved in: that question,” Jean-Pierre responded. Doocy followed up by asking if Biden would be “OK” with Americans being recommended to drink only two beers a week.
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“I will leave it to the experts,” Jean-Pierre replied. “I’m just not going to comment on that.”
Biden, who does not drink, previously encouraged Americans to take part in an Anheuser-Busch promotional giveaway to get COVID-19 vaccination numbers up.