Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined Senator John Thune (R-SD) and Representative Lisa McClain (R-MI) in introducing the Preventing Mandates on Toddlers Act, legislation to nullify an interim final rule (IFR) that was published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) requiring universal masking for all individuals in a Head Start facility above the age of two, including all staff, volunteers, and contractors. The IFR also requires toddlers to wear masks while they are outside on the playground, and it mandates staff and volunteers to be vaccinated by January 31, 2022.
“It’s truly amazing the lengths Joe Biden will go to push mask and vaccine mandates on Americans. This mandate goes further than his many unconstitutional vaccine ones, forcing toddlers to wear masks while they play outside. Our bill overturns this latest Biden COVID-19 mandate on Head Start facilities, which serve children at or below the poverty line,” said Senator Cramer.
“The long arm of the federal government should not extend to the kickball field at our kids’ and grandkids’ playground,” said Senator Thune. “A toddler mask mandate highlights everything that’s wrong with Washington, which is why I introduced this common-sense bill that would prohibit the Biden administration from enforcing or implementing this intrusive, one-size-fits-all Washington rule. It would ensure these decisions can continue to be made by individual Head Start programs and families who know these kids best – as they have been doing since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“The science shows masking is detrimental to early child development. It’s time we start following the science, not the political science, and put policies into place that are beneficial to our toddlers and children,” said Representative McClain. “This commonsense legislation ensures not a single dollar of taxpayer money will go to enforcing the HHS rule that is detrimental to our future generations.”
Senators Cramer and Thune and Representative McClain are joined on the bill by Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Mike Braun (R-IN), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Josh Hawley (R-MO), John Hoeven (R-ND), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), James Lankford (R-OK), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Jim Risch (R-ID), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Tim Scott (R-SC), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Representatives Rick Allen (R-GA) and Lance Gooden (R-TX).