DeSantis: Appealing court decision on mask mandates for travelers is ‘totally outrageous’

A day after the Biden administration said it would fight a court decision to keep masks on travelers in airplanes, trains and other public transit, Gov. Ron DeSantis lashed out Thursday on what’s going on in Washington, D.C.

“There should be no mandates. Period. none,” said DeSantis, who was at a press conference Thursday in Destin, in the Panhandle. He was there in blue jeans and a white shirt with a logo spelling out his name, Ron DeSantis, and his title, governor.

DeSantis announced the extension of the 2022 gulf red snapper season, which would include summer and fall holidays. But for the most part, he blasted various issues from out of state.

He touted a possible big surplus at the end of the budget year in Florida, June 30, and he mentioned New York’s “bloated” budget. (New York City mayor Eric Adams has criticized Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law that DeSantis signed earlier this month.)

The governor also criticized the Biden administration related to plunging inflation and spiking prices for gasoline, bills and food. He also said in two or three years out, it’s possible that President Joe Biden will plunge the country into a recession.

After the red snapper announcement, DeSantis took a few questions, including a question about the mask mandates for travelers.

In a Phoenix story, the U.S. Justice Department filed a notice of appeal late Wednesday afternoon challenging a Monday ruling from U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle that struck down the mandate for travelers because she found the CDC lacked the legal authority to impose it.

The CDC said in a statement that the mandate keeps transportation safer for immunocompromised people and the greater public.

DeSantis called the mask mandate on airplanes the “most cruel,” and it prolongs misery for flight attendants and passengers.