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Thune on Fox News: Unmask America’s Children

“We don’t think that two year olds ought to have to wear masks, particularly outside …”

February 15, 2022

Click here to watch the interview.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today joined Sandra Smith on Fox News to discuss his resolution to overturn the Biden administration’s mask mandate for toddlers in the Head Start program. Yesterday, Thune and House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) authored a joint op-ed on the need to unmask America’s children. 

 

On the Head Start mask mandate for toddlers:

 

“You know what’s interesting about this, is you now see Democrat politicians going maskless around kids, and you saw a lot of prominent celebrities at the Super Bowl not wearing masks … and blue states are now starting to withdraw their mask mandates.

 

“The one area that they haven't done that yet on is toddlers. And so we have literally Head Start schools, 1,600 of them around the country, [and] the president is proposing a regulation that would require toddlers under the age of five to wear masks. 

 

“And so I’ve got a piece of legislation that would prevent that from going into effect. We don't think that two year olds ought to have to wear masks, particularly outside, and this [rule] would require that.”

 

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