U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) introduced a Senate resolution this week calling on the Biden Administration’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to end its mask mandate for fully vaccinated individuals on public transportation throughout the United States-including at airports, on commercial airplanes, on buses, and rail systems.
“Over 150 million people in the United States are fully vaccinated and mask mandates have been lifted across the country. But the CDC inexplicably still hasn’t lifted the mask mandate for public transportation. It’s long past time for President Biden and the CDC to follow the science and end this mask mandate for fully vaccinated individuals. Americans should be able to travel to celebrate Independence Day with their friends and loved ones without having to follow an outdated and unnecessary mandate,” Cruz said.
“The CDC recently released recommendations significantly curtailing mask requirements both in indoor and outdoor settings. It makes no sense that someone can go to a restaurant without wearing a mask, but they cannot fly on an airplane without one even though it has a far better ventilation system,” Collins said.
Transportation Safety Administration mask mandates have led to numerous incidents on flights, where cabin crews have had to deal with passengers who won’t comply. Flight attendants have even experienced violence, and now the TSA is starting a its self-defense training course for flight crews.
Sen. Collins said that she had recently spoken with two flight attendants about the mask mandate for air travel and said one of them was frightened about what would happen if she tries to enforce the mandate.
Sen. Moran said: “Vaccination rates in the U.S. have helped end this pandemic and return our lives to normal. Requiring vaccinated passengers on trains and airplanes to continue wearing masks doesn’t follow the science, and the CDC and TSA should update their guidance to reflect their own findings and help us safely return travel to normal.”
Last Monday, a frequent flier filed a lawsuit against seven airlines: Southwest, Alaska, Allegiant, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, and Spirit. Lucas Wall accused the airlines of discriminating against travelers who can’t wear masks because of medical conditions, including his own anxiety disorder. Wall was prevented from boarding a Southwest Airlines flight leaving Orlando. Wall is also suing President Joe Biden, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, TSA, and the Department of Homeland Security.
Sen. Blackburn said that President Joe Biden has lectured people to “follow the science.” She said, “It’s clear that this rhetoric was just another way for the radical left and big government to control Americans. Experts have been clear for months – if you are vaccinated you do not need to wear a mask. It’s time we end these absurd political charades and start following the science.”
Sen. Lummis said that Americans are going back to normal. “Wyoming and most other states lifted their mask mandate months ago. Vaccination rates are increasing and COVID cases are decreasing. The only place most Americans are wearing masks now is in airports and on airplanes. Secretary Buttigieg even said that the mandate is not actually about the science, but instead about ‘respect.’ If there’s no science backing it up, it’s time for the mandate to go.”
Read the full text of the resolution here.
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