Contact: Usamah Andrabi, 832-878-4839
MADISON, WI – Congressman Mark Pocan (WI-02) released the following statement in response to the Wisconsin State Legislature voting to overturn Governor Tony Evers’ statewide mask mandate.
“There is no excuse for Wisconsin potentially being one of only ten states without a statewide mask mandate. With new variants of COVID-19 emerging from England, South Africa and Brazil, masking is the most effective defense we have against this pandemic as vaccines are still in the early stages of rollout.
“Over and over again, we hear excuses from Republican state leaders that this mask mandate is an ‘overreach’ by the Governor. If that is the honest objection, then the legislature should immediately pass a bill themselves requiring masks to be worn statewide. If this is simply about appealing to the lowest common denominator of science deniers for political purposes, then shame on our legislature. Without a mask mandate, too many Wisconsinites will have long-term health consequences or die, our rates will increase again, and businesses will have even more difficulties in recovering economically. We cannot afford this kind of raw partisanship.”
