GOP Sens. Graham, Sasse applaud Biden's vaccine diplomacy

• Sasse has advocated for the U.S. to distribute 1 billion vaccines worldwide by Thanksgiving, and in a previous statement called the Biden administration's global vaccination plans "timid."

What they're saying: “Health diplomacy is a smart investment and buying these vaccines is the right move. America should have an aggressive strategy to vaccinate a billion people around the world this year," Sasse said in a statement.

• "America should administer these vaccines directly in order to counter the Chinese Communist Party's strategy of using the pandemic to gain the upper hand."
• "We should move quickly to share these life-saving shots with friends in Asia and across the developing world with a simple message: Uncle Sam, not Chairman Xi, cares about your health.”

Graham said in a statement that the "roughly $3.5 billion required to purchase and distribute 500 million doses of vaccine will help prevent a reemergence of the COVID-19 virus which makes America and the world safer."

• “I support the effort of the Biden Administration to donate vaccines to at-risk populations throughout the world and hope other countries will follow America’s lead. I believe this to be a good investment by the American taxpayer.
• “Again, I do hope other nations will contribute their fair share. The sooner we have vaccines available to the world, the better," Graham added.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with Graham's statement.