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House Republicans have introduced legislation to ban federal coronavirus mask mandates on public transportation, arguing it is time to return to pre-pandemic normalcy.
Rep. Andy Biggs, the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, shared his laws first with Fox News. It serves as the House companion bill to Sen. Rand Paul’s mask mandate legislation within the Senate.
“There is no scientific evidence for the continuation of mask mandates on public transportation,” Biggs, R-Ariz., told Fox News in an announcement. “Bottom line, mask mandates are old news and are only being kept in place by those who relish controlling our day-to-day lives. The viral spread is collapsing and our normal lives are returning. It’s time for the CDC to follow the science and end the tyrannical COVID-19 restrictions once and for all.”
While states and companies have largely loosened their mask mandates due to the widespread availability of vaccinations and decrease in coronavirus instances in contrast to the height of the pandemic, one main exception has been public transportation.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) extended its mask mandate that covers airports, business planes, over-the-road buses, and commuter bus and rail techniques until September 13.
The GOP laws would ban any federal company from imposing any COVID-19 mask requirement aboard public transportation or at any transportation hub.
In addition to Biggs, the bill is sponsored by GOP Reps. Randy Weber of Texas, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Tom McClintock of California, Bob Gibbs of Ohio, Chip Roy of Texas, and Lance Gooden of Texas.
“It’s time to recognize the never-ending government mask requirements as the political theater they are,” Roy mentioned in an announcement. “Americans are capable of making their own decisions; it’s time to choose freedom over fear.”
The calls for mask loosening come even as the highly contagious Delta variant has become the most dominant strain within the United States and has contributed to an uptick in coronavirus instances.
