Democratic governors relaxing mandates on masks
Fox News correspondent Madeleine Rivera details the number of blue states rolling back mask mandates on 'Fox News @ Night.'
Critics are calling the "science" into question after Congress announced Sunday that it would be lifting its mask mandate ahead of President Joe Biden's State of the Union address.
The White House also lifted its mask mandate for those that are vaccinated ahead of the president's speech. Both announcements follow the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) updated guidance on masking, which focuses on community risk, as opposed to case numbers.
NPR reporter Franco Ordoñez asked White House press secretary Jen Psaki about the decision and whether there was a "message" he was hoping to send with the news during Monday's press conference.
Press secretary Jen Psaki speaks at a press briefing at the White House in Washington on Jan. 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
"I would say the president is powerful, but … it had nothing to do with the timing around the State of the Union," Psaki said.
Critics were quick to slam the timing of the decision, as well as question the science behind it.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas., called the decision a "State of the Union miracle!"
Fox News medical contributor Nicole Saphier said the timing was "impeccable" and that she "can't wait" to see what other decisions come this week from "new scienceTM."
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said the "masks were always political." Fox News contributor Tammy Bruce said the decision was "just in time" for the State of the Union.
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Real Clear Politics investigative reporter Mark Hemingway said the "optics" of everyone wearing masks at the address would "kill them politically" and joked that the science changed "coincidentally."
Biden is expected to focus his speech on the economy and the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. Inflation hit a 40-year high earlier in February as the price of goods has been on the rise for months.
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden leave after they voted at the Carvel State Office Building on Oct. 28, 2020, in Wilmington, Delaware. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Most U.S. states lifted their indoor mask mandates earlier this month and New York City is expected to end its mask mandate for schools on March 7.
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During his address to Congress, Biden is reportedly set to outline his goal for lowering prices, which includes strengthening supply chains, reducing everyday expenses, advancing antitrust measures, and encouraging union labor.
Gas prices grow along with inflation as this sign at a gas station shows in San Diego, California, on Nov. 9, 2021. (Reuters/Mike Blake/File Photo)
On the sixth day of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, satellite imagery showed a 40-mile stretch of Russian tanks outside of Ukraine's capital, Kyiv.