[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 110 (Thursday, June 24, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S4767]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              MASK MANDATE

  Mr. CRUZ. Mr. President, if you have flown in the past year, you have 
heard the announcement at the beginning of every flight that says 
Federal law requires that passengers wear a mask. Well, the last I 
checked, we have a constitutional system, and Congress makes laws. 
Something is not required by Federal law unless Congress passes such a 
law and the President signs it. That is the only way something becomes 
a federal law in this country.
  We are coming through a pandemic, and we can see the light at the end 
of the tunnel. Over 150 million people in the United States are fully 
vaccinated against COVID-19. Any American adult who wants to be 
vaccinated against COVID-19 can get vaccinated at this point, and the 
science should drive our decisions on how to open up. That is why today 
I introduced a resolution to encourage the CDC to review and update its 
guidance on wearing masks in confined spaces to clarify that people who 
are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 no longer need to wear a mask on 
public transportation in the United States, including at airports, on 
commercial flights, and on buses and rail systems, and for the 
Transportation Security Administration to update its travel guidance to 
track with the latest science. I was joined in this effort by Senators 
Collins, Lummis, Wicker, Moran and Blackburn, and I appreciate their 
support.
  The CDC has been quite clear that masks are not needed for people who 
are fully vaccinated. Science matters, and vaccines work. The mandate 
to wear masks on planes and on other modes of transportation--when they 
are no longer required in many businesses and restaurants for 
vaccinated people--is hurting the aviation industry.
  If the objective is to encourage people to be vaccinated, one way to 
do that is for there to be a real difference in what you can do after 
being vaccinated. Repealing this requirement to wear masks on 
airplanes, at airports, and on public transportation would increase 
demand, increase travel, and would tie the policy to science. It is a 
commonsense step to take, and I hope more of my Senate colleagues will 
join us in encouraging the CDC to follow the science.

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