Georgia U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA-14) recently introduced the Freedom to Breathe Act which, if enacted, would prohibit the federal government from reimposing mask mandates on American travelers and students.
Greene’s bill, H.R.5368, is the companion legislation to Ohio Senator JD Vance’s (R-OH) bill in the Senate.
I just introduced the companion bill to @JDVance1’s Freedom to Breathe Act in the Senate to ban federal mask mandates.
We cannot allow our country to be sucked back into the COVID hysteria that ushered in unscientific and nonsensical health mandates like blanket masking…
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) September 8, 2023
The Georgia congresswoman says her legislation is a “resolute stance against unwarranted government intrusion,” which ensures “medical decisions remain a private matter between individuals and their physicians.”
“Dr. Fauci privately recommended not wearing a mask to his close friends, admitting they weren’t effective, yet he provided nationwide public health guidance stating Americans be required to mask in nearly all social settings, including while on public transit and in schools,” Greene said in a statement. “Even Joe Biden himself declared the pandemic is over! We cannot allow our country to be sucked back into the COVID hysteria that ushered in unscientific and nonsensical health mandates like blanket masking policies.”
The bill would specifically mandate the following:
- Prohibit any federal official, including the President, from issuing orders mandating mask-wearing on passenger flights within the US national airspace system, on public transit, or within educational institutions (primary, secondary, and colleges).
- Prevent Commercial Air Carriers, public transit authorities, and educational institutions from denying services to individuals who choose not to wear masks or other face coverings.
- Bar the Secretary of Health and Human Services from mandating masks or face coverings for plane or train passengers and students during public health emergencies.
- Restrict federal funding allocation for proposing, establishing, implementing, or enforcing mask requirements on airline and public transit passengers and students.
- Mandate that all agencies issue new and revised guidance within 90 days of enactment to ensure proper implementation, preempting any conflicting laws or guidance.
Greene and Vance’s bills come as schools and universities around the nation are bringing back mask mandates and shutdowns as data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows both COVID-related deaths and hospitalizations are on the rise.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Georgia Star News and The Star News Network.
Photos “Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene” and “Sen. J.D. Vance” by Gage Skidmore CC2.0
