US Senate votes to overturn transit mask mandate; Biden vows veto

The US Senate voted 57 to 40 on Tuesday to overturn a 13-month-old public health order requiring masks on airplanes and other forms of public transportation, drawing a quick veto threat from President Joe Biden. Last week, the White House said it would extend the current COVID-19 mask requirements at airports, train stations, ride share vehicles and other transit modes through April 18 but pledged a new review. The order was set to expire on Friday. The mandate has drawn significant opposition from Republicans who note that the Centers for Disease CDC said last week that 98% of Americans live in places where it is safe to ditch indoor masks. Republican Senator Rand Paul, who led the repeal effort, said the vote "sent a message to unelected government bureaucrats to stop the anti-science, nanny state requirement of travel mask mandates." The CDC order said the mask mandate could help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in crowded transport settings. The repeal vote fell shy of the two-thirds majority that would be needed to override a Biden veto. The White House said Tuesday "circumstances under which masks should be required in these settings should be guided by science, not politics." Eight Democrats joined all but one Republican - Senator Mitt Romney - in voting to reject the rule.<br/>