BILL: Should We End Mask Mandates? - No Mask Mandates Act of 2023 - S.172

The Bill

S.172 - No Mask Mandates Act of 2023

Bill Details

• Sponsored by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Jan. 31, 2023
• Senate - Health, Education, Labors, and Pensions
• House: Not yet voted
• Senate: Not yet voted
• President: Not yet signed

Bill Overview

• Nullifies existing federal mask mandates and prohibits future actions to require individuals to wear face masks to respond to COVID-19 and other public health emergencies.
• Prohibits federal agencies or offices from issuing any future orders that mandate face masks or using previously appropriated federal funds to implement or enforce masking requirements to respond to COVID-19.

What's in the Bill

Terminates existing mask mandates

• Ends the mask mandate for all Americans, regardless of vaccination status. 
• Ends the executive order issued on Jan. 20, 2021, that mandates the use of face masks in federal buildings and on federal lands.
• Overturns the Jan. 29, 2021, mandate by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that requires masks on public transit systems, airplanes, and other transportation.

Prevents future mask mandates

• Prohibits implementation of similar federal mandates in the future.

Prevents taxpayer funds from being used to support mask mandates

• Ensures that taxpayer funds are not used for enforcement purposes.

What Supporters Are Saying

• According to the sponsors, the bill preserves individual liberty.
• Sen. Cruz said:

"Thanks to vaccinations and the natural immunity of Americans who have recovered from COVID-19, America is reopening. America is recovering, our kids are going back to school, and small businesses are returning as our nation's economic heartbeat. At the same time, President Biden is imposing unscientific and burdensome mandates to control Americans' lives."

• Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said:

"When it comes to handling COVID-19, Americans are self-governed people who have more than enough information available to them on how to talk to their doctor and figure out what is best for themselves and their families. Efforts by the Biden Administration and its allies to bully or force people to comply with mask and vaccine mandates - even though their guidance has been inconsistent and haphazard throughout the pandemic - will only succeed at infringing upon the rights of the American people."

What Opponents Are Saying

• The bill is unlikely to advance in the Democrat-controlled Senate.
• A meta-analysis of 172 studies published in The Lancet found that mask-wearing reduces the risk of viral transmission. The co-author of the study, Holger Schünemann, said:

 "What this evidence supports is that, if there is a policy around using face masks in place, it does actually come with a fairly large effect."

• Jeffrey Shaman, an epidemiologist at Columbia University, said:

"I personally think that face masks are a key component of the non-pharmaceutical arsenal we have to combat COVID-19."

• Professor Simon Williams said:

“Masks remain a symbol of a divided society – between those who feel we have restricted too much and those who feel we have not intervened enough during the pandemic."

Tell your reps to support or oppose this bill

—Emma Kansiz 

(Photo Credit: Canva)