WASHINGTON - Ohio’s Republican U.S. Senator J.D. Vance was unsuccessful in his bid to have his colleagues in Congress give unanimous consent to legislation that would prohibit any federal official, including the President, from issuing mask mandates applying to domestic air travel, public transit systems, or primary, secondary, and post-secondary schools.

Vance, who introduced the “Freedom to Breathe Act” earlier this week, sought consent during a speech on the Senate floor Thursday. 

“We cannot repeat the anxiety, the stress, and the nonstop panic of the last couple of years,” said Senator Vance. “That's what this legislation is about. End the mandates, end the panic, and let's get back to some common sense.”

Despite support from nine fellow Republicans, the request failed due to an objection from Massachusetts Democrat Ed Markey.

“This bill would undermine the ability of states to make decisions about what's best for their communities,” said Senator Markey. “It would silence and hamstring public health experts who guided our nation out of the darkest days of a pandemic that has killed 1,139,000 people in our country in three years.”

Senate Bill 2738 has been referred now been referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions for further consideration.