Congressman Andy Biggs announced that he has introduced the House companion legislation to Senator Rand Paul’s Travel Mask Mandate Repeal Act of 2021. The bill prohibits the imposition of mask mandates on public transportation. It is co-sponsored by Congressmen Randy Weber, Andrew Clyde, Tom McClintock, Bob Gibbs, Chip Roy, Louie Gohmert, and Lance Gooden.
According to the CDC website, masks are still required on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation, including airports and stations. However, the CDC also recognizes that fully vaccinated travelers are less likely to get and spread COVID and that traveling poses a low risk. The CDC also recommends that masks be worn by people who are not fully vaccinated.
Last week, Arizona state health officials reported 1,945 new cases on Wednesday, 1,014 on Thursday, 1,251 on Friday, and 1,152 on Saturday. This marks the longest stretch of quadruple-digit case reports since a five-day run March 2-7. The rise in cases can be attributed to low vaccination rates, the fast-spreading delta variant, and July Fourth gatherings.
Biggs commented, “There is no scientific evidence for the continuation of mask mandates on public transportation. 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.”
“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,” stated Paul. “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 country, people will evaluate their personal risk factors and are smart enough to ultimately make medical decisions like wearing a mask themselves.”
“CDC Director Walensky said last month that those who are fully vaccinated are fully protected from the variants of COVID-19, including the ‘delta’ variant,” said Congressman Gibbs. “The science has made clear how effective the vaccines are, and we are reaching the point at which those choosing to remain unvaccinated have taken on that risk to themselves, not to anyone else. We cannot only ‘follow the science’ when it is politically convenient and ignore it like we are now when it no longer conforms to bureaucrats’ desire for power. Continuing to punish those who have been fully vaccinated makes as much sense as defunding the police after violent crime incidents have spiked. If the TSA and CDC won’t rescind this mandate, it’s time for Congress to act.”
“It’s time to recognize the never-ending government mask requirements as the political theater they are. Americans are capable of making their own decisions; it’s time to choose freedom over fear,” commented Congressmas Roy.
