Biden Administration Faces Pressure to Mandate Vaccines for Air Travel
Could air passengers in the U.S. face a vaccine mandate?
The White House hasn’t ruled in favor of the mandate but, according to a report in Politico, they haven’t ruled it out.
Now, a new voice has spoken up to pressure the administration to introduce a vaccine mandate for air travelers.
Former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who ran the department under the Obama administration, is calling on the Biden administration to put a vaccine mandate for air travelers in the U.S. in place. Hood said the White House should pressure airlines to make the move on their own but said if they don’t, the administration should act on its own.
“I don’t think it would be difficult at all. It’s no different than showing your driver’s license to TSA,” LaHood said in an interview. “I don’t see it as a bureaucratic challenge to the airlines. I really don’t. You got to show ID in order to get through TSA, then make it a part of getting through TSA—that you can’t get through TSA unless you show proper identification, your ticket and a vaccination card.”
Industry officials have resisted, noting that a program requiring vaccines would be costly and difficult to implement.
Early this week, White House Chief Medical Advisor to the President Dr. Anthony Fauci came out in favor of mandating vaccines for air travel. The U.S. Travel Association expressed disagreement, noting that current safety protocols work to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“The science—including studies from the Harvard School of Public Health and the U.S. Department of Defense—overwhelmingly points to the safety of air travel as long as masks are worn. And with the federal mask mandate for all forms of public transportation and U.S. airports extended through January 2022, proper tools are already in place to enable safe air travel for Americans,” said U.S. Travel Association executive vice president of public affairs and policy Tori Emerson Barnes.
While there is resistance from within the travel industry, research shows that the general public is in favor. A new Gallup poll from September 3, 2021, found that the majority of Americans support vaccination mandates on airplanes, hotels, dine-in restaurants and to attend large events.