Press Releases

House and Senate Republican Transportation Committee leaders today renewed their calls for the Biden administration to end its baseless federal mask mandate for transportation operators, employees, and users.

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO); House Aviation Subcommittee Ranking Member Garret Graves (R-LA); Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Ranking Member Roger Wicker (R-MS); and Senate Safety, Operations, and Innovation Subcommittee Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-TX) sent a letter to the President ahead of the April 18, 2022, expiration of the transportation mask mandate.

They called on the President to immediately end the mandate, which should have been allowed to expire last month but was extended, despite other mask mandates being lifted all across the country and the CDC’s own announcement that nearly all Americans could forego wearing a mask indoors.  They also noted requests to end the mandate from various transportation stakeholders, including the U.S. Travel Association, Airlines for America, and the American Bus Association.

According to their letter, “It is our belief that these inconsistent decisions further erode public trust in the Federal government, especially when transportation operators have taken significant steps to keep passengers safe.  The American people have seen through the false logic that COVID-19 only exists on airplanes and public transportation.”

The Congressmen and Senators stated, “On February 25, 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched its COVID-19 Community Level Framework, to ensure consistent Federal mask policies.  However, TSA’s extension of its mask mandate following the CDC’s new framework means that there is no excuse for failing to align the Federal mask policies.”

Read the full letter here.