Federal Judge Strikes Down Biden’s Transportation Mask Mandate

A federal judge in Florida has struck down the Biden administration’s mask mandate for public transportation.

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle ruled that the mandate was unlawful because it went beyond the authority of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Last week, the administration announced it would extend the mandate for at least another 15 days in the wake of the emergence of the BA.2 variant of COVID-19.

A statement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention read, “Since early April, there have been increases in the 7-day moving average of cases in the U.S. In order to assess the potential impact the rise of cases has on severe disease, including hospitalizations and deaths, and health care system capacity, the CDC Order will remain in place at this time.”

The decision to extend the mask mandate came after nearly two dozen CEOs of major U.S. airlines signed a letter asking the administration to end the requirement, as IJR reported.

In a letter to President Joe Biden last month, the executives wrote, “We appreciate your leadership throughout the COVID-19 crisis and now as the country recovers from the impacts of the pandemic.”

“During the global health crisis, U.S. airlines have supported and cooperated with the federal government’s measures to slow the spread of COVID-19. We are encouraged by the current data and the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions from coast to coast, which indicate it is past time to eliminate COVID-era transportation policies,” the letter continued.