Federal government is taking a 'very close look' at vaccine passports to travel, Mayorkas says

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Friday that the federal government is looking into whether it should require so-called vaccine passports for those coming into or out of the country.

"We’re taking a very close look," Mayorkas said on ABC's "Good Morning America."

He also said the federal government's top priority is to "sure that any passport that we provide for vaccinations is accessible to all and that no one is disenfranchised."

Mayorkas's comments appear contradictory to those made last month by White House press secretary Jen Psaki who said the Biden administration did not support a federally organized vaccine passport.

"The government is not now nor will we be supporting a system that requires Americans to carry a credential," said Psaki, according to The Washington Post. "There will be no federal vaccination database, no federal mandate requiring everyone to acquire a single vaccination credential."