The Biden administration will suspend the mandate of the mask for travel on planes and trains after a Trump-appointed federal judge ruled against an order from the Centers for Disease Control that requires coverage for the face to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki on Monday called Florida’s federal judge’s decision “disappointing” and said federal officials appreciated the ruling.
“TSA will not comply with its safety directives and emergency amendments that require the use of masks on public transport,” a Biden administration official said Monday night. The statement called on Americans to continue wearing masks on public transportation.
“It’s obviously a disappointing decision,” Ms. Psaki said when asked about U.S. District Court Judge Catherine Misel’s decision, which was upheld by the Senate in the weeks between Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 election and Joe Biden’s inauguration in January 2021. year.
Ms. Psaki added that the CDC “continues to recommend wearing a mask on public transport” and said that the Ministry of Homeland Security, the Centers for Disease Control and the Ministry of Justice are “reviewing the decision” and the latter is deciding whether to continue defending its mandate. trial.
In his 59-page decision, the Trump-appointed lawyer concluded that the CDC’s mandate exceeds the agency’s statutory authority and was issued in violation of laws governing administrative rules by U.S. agencies.
Judge Misel, then a Republican-controlled U.S. Senate, confirmed on November 18, 2020, despite receiving a “non-qualified” rating from the American Bar Association, that the CDC’s authority to “provide … sanitation.” »Measures under the Health Care Act are limited to cleaning.
Her ruling granted a request for a simplified decision – a request to dismiss the case – by a Republican-backed group called the Freedom of Health Foundation to revoke the mandate.
The order against the federal mask mandate is the latest attempt by a district judge appointed by Mr. Trump to overturn one of the Biden administration’s policies, and comes after the CDC announced it would extend the mask mask – requiring face coatings on interstate trains , buses, planes, and in airports, railway stations and bus stations – until May 3.
While many airline employees welcomed the mask mask when it was first issued last year, a group of airline CEOs and at least one flight attendants union have asked the Biden administration to end the policy in recent days.
Separately, a group of 21 states led by Republicans and a group of pilots and flight attendants appealed to federal courts to invalidate the mandate, which the Federal Aviation Administration said involved nearly 750 incidents involving unmanned airline passengers this year alone.
The Independent Asked the White House for comment.
