Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) said Tuesday he will introduce legislation dubbed the “Freedom to Breathe Act” which will effectively ban federal mask mandates.
The act would prohibit President Joe Biden and federal agencies from implementing face mask requirements requiring submission from public transit passengers or students in schools.
“The bill, if passed into law, would prevent the reimposition of federal mask mandates in the United States — particularly in public schools and on airplanes and public transportation systems. It would only apply through the end of 2024.
“We tried mask mandates once in this country. They failed to control the spread of respiratory viruses, violated basic bodily freedom, and set our fellow citizens against one another,” Vance said in a statement.
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“This legislation will ensure that no federal bureaucracy, no commercial airline, and no public school can impose the misguided policies of the past. Democrats say they’re not going to bring back mask mandates — we’re going to hold them to their word.”
UPI reports it was not immediately clear why Vance proposed a time cap through to the end of 2024 which falls during the next presidential election cycle.
However, the limitation could be to include a budget-related prohibition preventing federal funds from directly or indirectly being used for the enforcement of such mandates, the outlet reports.