Although the majority of the country considers the COVID-19 pandemic over, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) still has mandates related to symptoms and vaccination status in place in several departments. Representative Scott Franklin (R-FL) wrote a letter signed by 41 fellow Republicans demanding why NOAA is keeping these policies.
Specifically, NOAA's Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) and their Aircraft Operation Center (AOC) still require visitors to fill out forms asking if they have COVID symptoms and whether or not they are vaccinated.
This is despite the Department of Commerce, to which NOAA belongs, stating disclosure of COVID-related information is no longer permitted.
As a result, Rep. Franklin's letter demands answers on NOAA's defiance of the Department's protocol. More specifically, Franklin asked how long NOAA intended to keep the COVID screening questions in place and what they do if employees refuse to comply.
"Months after Biden acknowledged the end of the pandemic and both the White House and Congress acted to end the COVID emergencies, his administration still harasses Americans with unconstitutional COVID mandates," said Franklin in his press release.
Additionally, he chastised "Washington liberals" for viewing the pandemic as a "cover to grow the size and scope of the federal bureaucracy" and refusing to give up these powers, even if the rest of America is "operating business as usual."
"It’s clear to me Washington liberals who viewed the pandemic as cover to grow the size and scope of the federal bureaucracy have slow-rolled returning to normal after the pandemic. Americans are operating business as usual—they expect their government to as well. It’s time the Department of Commerce and NOAA end this overreach, and I thank my colleagues who joined me to demand accountability for this unacceptable abuse of power," Franklin concluded.
Nearly all of Florida's Republican Representatives are signatories of the letter, including Representatives Anna Paulina Luna, Byron Donalds, Cory Mills, and Maria Elvira Salazar.
