President Biden Signs Bill Package With Ban on Mask Mandates Tucked Inside

The legislation was inside the $460 billion spending package that the president signed to avoid a partial government shutdown.

People gather their luggage after arriving at Miami International Airport on a plane in Miami, Fla., on Feb. 1, 2021. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

President Joe Biden signed a $460 billion package of spending bills over the weekend to avoid a partial government shutdown, which included Sen. J.D. Vance’s (R-Ohio) legislation banning federal mask mandates from the Department of Transportation.

The law, known as the “Freedom to Breathe Act,” prohibits the Transportation Department from using federal monies to enforce mask mandates on passenger airlines, busses, rail, and any other transportation program funded through fiscal year 2024.