Rep. George Santos introduces vaccine bill named after Nicki Minaj

The Minaj Act comes after Minaj stoked vaccine skepticism with tweets claiming that her cousin’s friend’s testicles swelled up after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

April 17, 2023
Rep. George Santos introduces vaccine bill named after Nicki Minaj Rep. George Santos by Scott Olson via Getty Images / Nicki Minaj via Press

Rep. George Santos (R-NY), the House of Representatives member with a long-documented history of misleading the public and his constituents, has introduced a new bill named after Queens rap star Nicki Minaj. Reporter Kadia Goba of Semafor tweets The Minaj Act is supposed to "establish a development period for new vaccines in order to generate public confidence." It should be noted that all vaccines, including the ones used to fight COVID-19, undergo rigorous testing and trials before being made available to the public.

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In September 2021, Nicki Minaj's concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine garnered backlash. She said "They want you to get vaccinated for the Met. if I get vaccinated it won’t for the Met. It’ll be once I feel I’ve done enough research. I’m working on that now. In the meantime my loves, be safe. Wear the mask with 2 strings that grips your head & face. Not that loose one" followed by a praying hands and heart emoji.

A few minutes later, she tweeted a story about one of her cousin's friends getting the vaccine. She said he became "impotent" and had to call of his wedding due to his "swollen testicles." The incident — nicknamed "BallGate" — prompted medical experts to reply and fact-check the claim that the COVID-19 vaccine caused swollen testicles.

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The rapper said she was then invited to The White House to discuss her apprehensions about the vaccines. However, Press Secretary Jen Psaski clarified that Minaj was only offered an early-stage call. There were no reports following the dialogue.

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Nicki Minaj's reps did not immediately respond for comment.

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Rep. George Santos introduces vaccine bill named after Nicki Minaj