The Senate approved a resolution that Rand Paul (R.KY) introduced to end the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) mask mandate for public transport, including air travel, in a bipartisan vote on Tuesday, March 15. Now, the House will be receiving the resolution.
In a statement posted to his official website, Paul noted, “Today, the Senate said enough is enough and sent a message to unelected government bureaucrats to stop the anti-science, nanny state requirement of travel mask mandates. Since March 2020, unelected bureaucrats have incessantly declared that we should ‘follow the science.’ But the same bureaucrats continue to defy science by imposing an ineffective and restrictive mask mandate for individuals traveling on public transit and airplanes. As the entire world is learning to live with COVID, the federal government still uses fear mongering to stubbornly perpetuate its mandates, rather than giving clear-eyed, rational advice on how to best protect yourself from illness. That is why I forced this vote, and I applaud the Senate for rejecting this nonsense.”
The vote was 57-40, with Mitt Romney voting against it. He didn't even blame Tulsi Gabbard. It's curious that Romney claims to be following science in this matter. However, the reality clearly shows that genuine science would have required a “yes vote.”
The results of 14 RCTs (randomized control trials) that tested the effectiveness of masks provided no statistically significant evidence that they prevent transmission of viruses. However, the three that did suggest that masks may be useful do not support an intention-to-treat analysis. The 11 other RCTs indicate that masks can be either ineffective (as compared to no masks, or because they do not add to good hand hygiene) or counterproductive.
The masks don’t work, that’s the short version.
Romney's vote continues to be a pattern of supporting Democrats in order to position himself as the moderate alternative for a 2024 Presidential race. His recent tweet accusing Gabbard of treason, public support for Liz Cheney and inability to refrain from taking public swipes at Donald Trump, regardless of how forced the references are, are all examples of someone trying too hard to cross the line. He hasn't previously agreed with Paul in matters. What if “The Gospel According To St. Fauci” isn't in the Book of Mormon?
