On Wednesday, Republican Texas Rep. Chip Roy spoke out against Democratic New York Rep. Jerry Nadler’s comments surrounding masking children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nadler had argued that parents who did not mask their two-year-old children prior to the release of vaccines were guilty of “child abuse” and also claimed that the vaccine prevents transmission of the virus, a claim which has been widely debunked.
In response, Roy took to the House floor and vehemently disagreed with Nadler’s stance. He argued that it was wrong for Nadler to suggest that “the full power of the federal government should be used to force your two-year-old child to wear a mask” and also denounced Nadler’s argument that citizens should take an experimental vaccine that “has not been proven to actually do what [he] said.”
In short, Roy believes that it is wrong for any level of government to mandate such restrictions upon citizens, especially those pertaining to medical decisions like whether or not one should take a vaccine or wear a mask at all times in public places.
He argued that these policies are indicative of an oppressive state within the executive branch as they limit individual freedoms and privacy rights without sufficient scientific evidence showing they are necessary or beneficial in curbing the spread of COVID-19.
In a floor speech in support of his amendment to the REINS Act, which sought to prevent the executive branch from unilaterally enacting rules “likely to result in an increase in mandatory vaccinations,” Roy said: “Why should we wait on the Supreme Court to check the unconstitutional, unlawful, and tyrannical actions by an executive branch that shut down the greatest economy in the history of the world, forcing people to choose between their livelihoods, their ability to make money, their families, their ability to go to school, the ability of a nurse to be able to go in and perform her job in a hospital?”
Ultimately, while wearing masks may be recommended by health authorities during this pandemic, forcing individuals — especially young children —to abide by such mandates is unjustified and tyrannical according to Roy’s perspective.
The debate between views on this issue continues on but it is clear where Roy stands on this matter: protecting individual freedoms from governmental overreach takes precedence over any other potential benefits of mandating face coverings for all citizens regardless of age or personal preference.
He then pointed to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who defended a policy forcing 2-year-old children to wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic when he was questioned at a Tuesday hearing held by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
“Mr. Secretary, did forcing 2-year-olds to wear masks save lives?” Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) asked at the time.
“Making sure people were masked when it was appropriate was essential to making sure we were able to get out of this pandemic,” Becerra maintained.
Following Roy, Nadler spoke against the amendment, addressing Becerra’s defense of toddler masking as well.
“When we have a pandemic like the COVID-19 pandemic that we had, 2-year-olds should have been required to wear masks. It would be child abuse for parents not to do that because there was no vaccination available for 2-year-olds,” he said. “And the only way to protect them against COVID was to have them wear masks, and these mandates are meant to protect the public’s health and safety.”
Afterward, Roy suggested that he should yield all his remaining time to Nadler because he was making his point for him.
“I want everybody in America to understand what they just heard from the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee in the United States House of Representatives: ‘Your 2-year-old should be forced to be masked.’ That is what the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee just said here on the floor of the House of Representatives,” said Roy.
Nadler: "When we have a pandemic like covid, two-year-olds should have been required to wear masks. It would be child abuse for parents not to do that." pic.twitter.com/8dcF9MJhDC
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) June 14, 2023
