White House faces tough choice on appealing mask mandate for travel
by Peter Sullivan and Brett Samuels - 04/19/22 3:40 PM ET
The White House is facing a politically charged decision on whether to appeal a Trump-appointed judge’s decision to block a federal requirement to wear masks on public transportation.
Officials have stressed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic that health experts will guide decisionmaking on how to address the virus. But as the White House has in recent weeks sought to move toward more of a sense of normalcy, appealing the ruling could be politically unpopular and undercut those efforts.
Even before the ruling, the order was set to expire on May 3, and many health experts thought the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at that point would choose on its own not to renew it, unless a major new surge was underway.
On the other hand, some health and legal experts warn that allowing the precedent striking down the order to stand could handcuff the CDC’s response in future crises, like if a dangerous new variant arose.
The administration notably did not immediately announce it would appeal, and is now deliberating on whether it will.
Lawrence Gostin, a leading public health law expert at Georgetown University, said the administration should appeal to protect the CDC’s power in a future crisis, and that the ruling overstepped by limiting basic CDC public health authority.
“My biggest worry is that this decision handcuffs the CDC,” he said.
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https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/3273300-white-house-faces-tough-choice-on-appealing-mask-mandate-for-travel/
