September 8, 2023 |
Photo – Senator JD Vance of Ohio – Courtesy senate.gov
Republicans in the U.S. Congress rallied Thursday but failed to passed legislation to block mask mandates as another round of COVID hysteria flared up around the country this week.
Wyoming Senators John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis joined the cause. Barrasso and Lummis yesterday announced their support for a measure from Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio that would have prevented the federal government from imposing nationwide mask mandates for domestic air travel and public transit systems.
The Freedom to Breathe Act would also prevent schools from turning children away from classrooms if they chose not to wear face masks. Earlier this week, Sen. The floor debate Thursday was lively with Senator Vance explaining his reasons for the bill.
Vance’s bill included a sunset provision allowing it to expire at the end of 2024 if passed. Republican lawmakers said they were offering the bill to push back at the imposition of new mask mandates.
Wyoming Senator John Barrasso rose in support of the legislation.
True to form with past support for government-imposed mask mandates, senate Democrats killed the bill. Just one senator’s objection is enough to foil a unanimous consent vote. Democrat Ed Markey of Massachusetts blocked the vote. Markey called the bill a “red herring.”
Some senate staffers on the Democrat side of the aisle wore masks during the debate. Sen. Vance said this week that Democrats used the mask and vaccine mandates to categorize Americans who refused to comply with their arbitrary and ineffective rules as “second class citizens.”
