The White House will seek to reinstate a federal mask requirement on public transportation after the rule was tossed out by a judge earlier this week, with the Justice Department citing a recent assessment by US health officials.
A notice of appeal was filed in a federal court in Tampa, Florida on Wednesday – soon after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) asked Justice officials to review the ruling which overturned Biden’s mask mandate on planes, trains and buses, arguing it was still needed to safeguard the public.
The decision was made “in light of today’s assessment by the CDC that an order requiring masking in the transportation corridor remains necessary to protect the public health,” DOJ spokesman Anthony Coley told the Associated Press.