Last week, U.S. Representatives Jerry Carl (R-Mobile), Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville), Mike Rogers (R-Saks), Gary Palmer (R-Hoover), Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) and Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) joined a group of their colleagues in the House in sending a letter to the Biden administration demanding an end to the federal transportation mask mandate.
The Transportation Security Administration announced earlier this month that it would be extending the expiring mask mandate for aviation and public transportation until April 18, 2022, in an effort to protect against the spread of the coronavirus.
The letter states, “We write today to express our frustration with your Administration’s decision to extend the Federal transportation mask mandate and to urge you to reverse this ill-advised, arbitrary decision.1 It is far past time that we relieve both the traveling public and frontline transportation workforce of this unnecessary burden and get our Nation’s transportation system back to normal.”
“All around the country masks are coming off,” it continues. “After realizing that Americans were fed up with conflicting, outdated, and nonsensical public health mandates, even state governments, controlled by both the Democratic and Republican parties, began announcing plans in early February 2022 to relax mask guidance, prompting the CDC to quickly shift its plans. Whether Americans are dining at a restaurant, going to a concert, riding a school bus, attending the Super Bowl, or visiting Philadelphia for a political retreat, the CDC has finally recognized that masking is not required. Against that backdrop, it is unconscionable that your Administration believes that it is acceptable to continue to threaten airline passengers and public transportation users with fines and removal if they take off their mask for longer than it takes to sip a cup of coffee.”
The letter is led by Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-Mo.) and Aviation Subcommittee Ranking Member Garret Graves (R-La.).
Read the full letter here.
