Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has introduced a bill to end what he called the “nanny state,” referring to a pandemic-related executive order put in place by President Joe Biden.
On his first day in office, Biden signed a mandate ordering federal agencies to take “immediate action” to order face masks on all forms of public transportation.
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The conservative senator’s Travel Mask Mandate Repeal Act of 2021 would ban the federal government from imposing a mask mandate when utilizing any “conveyance” or “transportation hub.”
“The federal government forcing the American people to continue to wear masks despite the fact that we’ve already reached herd immunity is ridiculous and needs to end immediately,” Paul said in a statement Wednesday. “I am introducing the Travel Mask Mandate Repeal Act of 2021 to put a stop to this nanny state mandate of requiring masks on public transportation. In a free county people will evaluate their personal risk factors and are smart enough to ultimately make medical decisions like wearing a mask themselves.”
The federal mask mandate was set to expire May 11, until it was extended to Sept. 13 by the Transportation Security Administration.
Paul’s legislation is supported by Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.).
In a statement of his own, Cotton said, “Mask mandates have outlived their usefulness, yet they remain in effect on flights and other modes of public transportation. This policy discourages family travel and forces Americans with children — especially those with disabilities — to cancel travel or else live in fear that an untimely tantrum or bad day could ruin their trip and cost them more than a thousand dollars in fines. Our bill will put an end to this unscientific and punitive practice.”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) led a group of senators last month with a resolution calling on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to lift its mask mandate on modes of public transportation.
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