Biden triggers GOP backlash with federal mask mandate extension

The Biden administration announced an extension to the federal mask mandate for airplanes, airports, and public transit, upsetting a host of critics who cheered the end of COVID-19 restrictions in blue states and public buildings.

President Joe Biden conducted a mask-optional State of the Union address, and the White House went maskless days later as the nation began moving out of the panic phase of the pandemic. Nonetheless, passengers in almost anything but a private vehicle will be required to wear a mask until at least April 18, the fourth extension of a mandate introduced soon after Biden took office.