DCCC Chair Maloney: I’m Not Worried Mandating Masks for Kids While Allowing Adults to Go Maskless Will Hurt Dems

On Wednesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “OutFront,” DCCC Chair Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY) said he’s not worried about states like New York requiring masks in schools for children, but not requiring them for adults in other places will hurt Democrats.

Host Erin Burnett asked, “Congressman, are you concerned about how the double standard on masks may come off, where they’re required in schools for kids, but not for adults in the same states, that that will hurt Democrats?”

Maloney responded, “No, no. I personally believe we are very close, if not already at a place, particularly in states like New York, where you don’t need a mandate in schools or anywhere else. I do believe with cases dropping precipitously, with the success of vaccines. You know you are 97 times less likely to die if you are vaccinated and boosted, where masks are very effective at protecting you, even if the other person is unmasked, which means kids or parents can make these decisions in ways that make sense for themselves, as can business owners and the rest of us. And that is a function of people doing the responsible thing, no thanks to Kevin McCarthy, by the way, or folks who have fought us every step of the way on the responsible measures that have brought us to this point. But at this point, yes, I think we can move beyond mandates.”

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