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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY-02) led the New York Republican Delegation in a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul urging an immediate end her Administration's statewide mask mandate in schools. Joining Rep. Garbarino, the letter was signed by Representatives Elise Stefanik (NY-21), Lee Zeldin (NY-01), Chris Jacobs (NY-27), Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), John Katko (NY-24), Claudia Tenney (NY-22) and Tom Reed (NY-23).
"In light of the announcements by the Governors of New Jersey, Connecticut, and Delaware, we write today to urge you to immediately rescind the onerous and unconstitutional mask mandate in New York State’s schools," the Members wrote. "We have heard from countless families throughout our districts expressing their concerns with the mandate, and how it has negatively impacted their child’s experience in the classroom. The time is now to put an end to this unlawful mandate and to allow our children to get back to being just that, children."
"After years of abiding by public health safety guidelines, children are itching to be able to return to some semblance of normalcy," the letter continues. "Knowing that the risk of transmission among children is extremely low, it is counter-intuitive to keep this ill-conceived mandate that does little to improve the wellness and safety of our state’s children. For these reasons, we urge you to end these punitive measures for once and for all."
This letter comes as several neighboring states announced an end to their respective mandates and amidst reports that, not only does the Governor intend to keep the mandate in place, she intends to extend it further
Read the full letter here.
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