In an attempt to continue forcing masks on all Americans, Sen. Bernie Sanders and a group of more than 50 Democrats introduced legislation Wednesday to send masks to everyone in the country.
Despite the CDC saying that any mask will do the trick, the legislation would send every American a package of three N95 masks, The Hill reports.
The legislation would appropriate $5 billion to boost manufacturing and distribution of the masks, and use the U.S. Postal Service to distribute them, along with creating pick up locations at sites like schools and public transit stations.
“As we face the rapidly spreading omicron variant, we should remember that not all face masks are created equal,” Sanders said in a statement. “Congress must demand the mass production and distribution of N95 masks, one of the most effective ways to stop the spread of the Covid virus. It is an absolute scandal that in the richest country in the history of the world, high-quality masks are not more readily available to frontline workers, health care workers, and all Americans.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden are among the co-sponsors of the “Mask for All Act.”
Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Ro Khanna, and Lori Trahan are leading the effort in the House, along with Rep. Pramila Jayapal.
“This is a crisis and our response must meet the moment,” Khanna said. “If we can afford a $778 billion defense budget, we can afford to send N95 masks to every American to keep people safe as omicron cases spike.”