Bird flu has caused entire flocks of chickens and other fowl to have to be destroyed, but healthwise, Americans have more to worry about from the "regular" flu, Rep. Andy Harris, also a physician, told Newsmax on Tuesday.
"There are millions of people who have the regular flu," the Maryland Republican told Newsmax's "Wake Up America." "There are people who die from the regular flu. The regular flu is much more dangerous right now than the bird flu."
Health experts are keeping a watch over the avian flu, including testing wild birds, to control its spread, he added.
Humans can catch bird flu if they come into contact with a flock of birds or a herd of animals where the flu has been detected, but "keep that number in perspective," said Harris.
"It's really the regular flu that's the most dangerous thing right now at this time of year, he added.
Harris stressed that humans can't catch bird flu by eating eggs or chicken, as that is not how the disease is transmitted.
The congressman also on Tuesday discussed the news that Canada and Mexico have agreed on border measures and to stem the flow of fentanyl coming into the United States, while standing down on retaliatory measures, after President Donald Trump had threatened the countries with 25% tariffs.
Harris said he wants to know why former President Joe Biden didn't try similar actions four years ago.
"Joe Biden could have done exactly the same thing," he said. "He could have had the border under control. We could have had 10,000 troops in Canada and Mexico of their own troops going to the border to enforce the border. Clearly, this president is serious about border control, and the last administration wasn't."
Instead, he added, the Biden administration "wanted 10 to 12 million illegal immigrants across the border, hopefully becoming voters someday. That's not the way [Trump] does business."
Trump, he added, is "projecting American power" by sending people like Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Panama and El Salvador and envoy Ric Grenell to Venezuela to handle business.
"These people are going around the world not apologizing for America and its policies, but actually dealing with these foreign countries as we should from a position of strength," said Harris. "That strength is given to them by President Trump's policies. And it's a great change in our foreign policy situation. And I think it bodes well for not only the United States, but for the entire world."
Harris also defended the administration over its growing measures to cut government spending.
"The average American should be outraged that this is where their tax dollars are being spent," he said of programs coming on the chopping block, including the foreign aid program USAID.
"This is how we generate a $2 trillion deficit every year," said Harris. "USAID was a perfect place to start because they waste tens of billions of dollars a year."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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