OAN’s James Meyers
2:22 PM – Wednesday, October 25, 2023
The Senate has passed an amendment banning federal mask mandates on commercial airlines and public transportation.
In a 59-38 vote on Wednesday, senators, which included multiple Democrats voting in favor of the amendment, was introduced by Senator JD Vance (R-Ohio.).
The amendment restricts any federal funds from being used to enforce mask mandates on passenger flights, transit buses, trains, and other publicly funded transportation through the next fiscal year.
In a statement on Wednesday, Vance called the passage of the amendment “a massive victory for personal freedom.”
“We saw countless abuses of authority throughout the COVID pandemic, and the American people were justifiably enraged by unscientific mask mandates,” he said.
“It is narrowly scoped,” Vance continued. “It applies for the next 11 months and applies to transportation cases. And I think it is reasonable to not ask the American people to reenter the era of mask mandates. My amendment does that.”
In September, Vance introduced a bill called the Freedom to Breathe Act, which would not allow any federal official, including the president, from implementing a mask mandate through the end of 2024.
This comes after the CDC had issued an order in January 2021 mandating travelers on public transportation transits to wear a mask, which was in line with President Joe Biden’s executive action mandating masks for any interstate travel.
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