As tensions continue to mount surrounding face mask policies, Sen. Rand Paul wants to force a vote on legislation prohibiting them from being mandated on public transportation.
The Republican senator from Kentucky said he is “tired of paying the airlines to be treated like crap.”
“It’s a joke, it’s theater, and there’s no reason to be wearing them on the planes,” Paul said on Newsmax. “I want them to bring me at least a glass of water and peanuts, and I don’t want somebody jammering at me to put my mask on in between peanuts.”
Current guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention require masks to be worn by all travelers 2 years and older while on public transportation. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the agency is considering new policy.
In July, the physician and senior member of the Senate Health, Education, and Labor Committee introduced the Travel Mask Mandate Repeal Act to prohibit the imposition of mask mandates on public transportation.
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“Let’s get rid of [the mandate],” Paul said. “I’m going to force a vote on it, and we’ll see where the Democrats are.”
Paul’s comments come as Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Beth Van Duyne sued the Biden administration Wednesday over airport and plane mask mandates.
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Face mask requirements aboard airplanes have been a source of friction. As of Feb. 1, the Federal Aviation Administration had received 323 reports of unruly passengers, with 205 of the incidents related to face masks, since the beginning of 2022.
