Congressman Price Renews Calls for Public Transportation Mask Requirement After White House Blocks CDC Mandate

Press Release

Today, Congressman David Price (NC-04), Chairman of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Committee (T-HUD) renewed calls for the Trump administration to mandate masks for public transportation following reports that the White House blocked guidelines drafted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to require masks to slow the spread of the coronavirus and protect the public and essential transportation workers. Chairman David Price authored an amendment in the T-HUD appropriations bill in July to require mask use for transit, rail, and commercial airlines. The bill passed the House floor, but is awaiting action as the Senate has failed to pass any of their annual funding bills.

"This is yet another example of the President putting politics before public health. Recent case increases show that COVID-19 is still spreading and remains deadly -- we must do everything in our power to slow the spread of this virus," said Chairman Price. "That means requiring simple measures like face masks on public transportation to protect the traveling public and our transportation workforce. It's unacceptable that months into the pandemic, the White House and President Trump continue to flout and even undermine basic public health and safety measures that are designed to save lives. I call on President Trump and Secretary Chao to reverse course immediately and require face coverings on all forms of public and commercial transportation."

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