Sen. Britt co-sponsors bill against mask mandates

WASHINGTON (WSFA) - U.S. Sen. Katie Britt and several of her fellow Republican lawmakers took to the Senate floor Thursday in support of new legislation to ban future federal mask mandates.

The proposed legislation, dubbed the Freedom to Breathe Act and sponsored by Ohio’s J.D. Vance, was considerd on the Senate floor under unanimous consent, a rule that allows a bill to be passed along to the U.S. House if no senator objects. In this case, however, Britt said in a news release that one Democratic senator, Ed Markey from Massachusetts, objected to its passage.

The bill would have barred air carriers, public transit officals, and public school officials from dening service to anyone who refuses to wear a mask.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, draconian shutdowns and mask mandates inflicted immense damage across our nation.” Britt said in her release. “Just look at the consequences our children faced, from devastating learning loss that put students years behind to deteriorating mental health in kids and teenagers. Enough is enough.”

The press release referenced a public elementary school in Silver Spring, Maryland that reinstated mask mandates following an outbreak of COVID inside the school.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not have a broad policy for adopting mask. However, a growing number of health experts say high-risk individuals should start masking up again amid a recent uptick in COVID-19 hospitalizations.

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