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Millions of Americans have rued the days from 2020 and have attempted to move forward from the days they had been ridiculed by the government over their refusal to wear masks during the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, as numerous federal officials—including Dr. Anthony Fauci, have begun expressing concern over a lack of mask mandates, Ohio GOP Sen. J.D. Vance announced his plans to fight potential mandates before they begin.
Vance announced the “Freedom to Breathe Act” on Tuesday, which—if signed into law—would prohibit Joe Biden and the federal government from imposing mask mandates on the American people through Dec. 31, 2024.
Specifically, Biden and federal agencies would be prevented from requiring facial coverings on commercial flights, public transit, or in schools. These institutions would also be blocked from refusing service to those who decline to wear masks.
“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 told Fox News.
“Democrats say they’re not going to bring back mask mandates—we’re going to hold them to their word,” he added.
Vance’s legislation comes amid President Donald Trump cautioning last week that “left-wing lunatics are trying very hard to bring back Covid lockdowns and mandates” ahead of next year’s presidential election.
Trump claimed that Democrats want to “restart the Covid hysteria so they can justify more lockdowns, more censorship, more illegal drop boxes, more mail-in ballots and trillions of dollars in payoffs to their political allies” prior to the election.
“Trump is right. The left is trying to bring lockdowns back. Next week, I’ll introduce legislation to stop it,” Vance said in a post to X (formerly Twitter) last Wednesday.
While it may be difficult for Vance’s bill to pass through the Senate, it will ultimately force vulnerable Democrat senators up for reelection in 2024 (particularly from red states and swing states), to take a position on the issue.
Ultimately, the bill will have to pass through the Senate and House—and if successful—signed into law by the president.