Attorney General Cameron Files Lawsuit to End CDC’s Mask Mandate for Airports, Other Transportation Hubs

FRANKFORT, Ky. (March 29, 2022) – Attorney General Daniel Cameron today joined 20 other states in a multistate lawsuit against the Biden Administration’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) mask mandate at public transportation hubs. 

Attorney General Cameron argues that the mandate exceeds the authority of the CDC, noting that the Biden Administration continues to use a failed interpretation of a quarantine statute—that has been ruled against in court several times—to authorize the CDC’s rule.

“With most states now relaxing their COVID-19 requirements, the CDC should follow suit and eliminate the mask mandate for airports, train stations, and other transportation hubs,” said Attorney General Cameron.  “We believe the current mask mandate exceeds the authority of the agency, and the Biden Administration should end it immediately.”

In the complaint filed today, the attorneys general argue that the CDC mask mandate exceeds the agency’s authority in several ways. First, the statute used to justify the mandate does not authorize such broad, economy-wide measures. Second, the statute only authorizes rules directly related to preventing the interstate spread of disease, and it does not permit mask requirements for individuals who show no sign of infection. Additionally, the complaint highlights that the CDC rule is arbitrary and capricious and does not consider actions that states have already taken to control the spread of COVID-19.

The lawsuit seeks to halt the unlawful mask mandate and stop its enforcement.

Attorney General Cameron joins the attorneys general from the following states in signing on to the complaint: Florida, Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.

To read the full complaint, click here.

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