NVM

Biden Administration Won’t Challenge Striking Down of Travel Mask Mandate

Multiple U.S. airlines and the TSA said Monday evening that they would not require passengers to wear masks after a federal judge ruled the 14-month-old mandate unlawful.

The White House on Monday evening indicated it would not seek to challenge a federal judge’s ruling that a nationwide mask mandate on board public transportation was unlawful, according to Reuters. The Biden administration’s decision came after Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle issued a 59-page voiding decision earlier on Monday, arguing that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had exceeded its legal limitations in continuing to enforce the policy for 14 months. After a Biden official told reporters that the Transportation Security Administration would not be requiring masks in airports, United, Delta, American, and Southwest Airlines all dumped their own masking regulations for domestic flights and certain international flights. A White House official on Monday told airline business reporter David Slotnik that there were no plans in place to lift the requirement for travelers inbound for the U.S. to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test before their arrival.