U.S. Reps. Don Beyer (D-VA) and Ritchie Torres (D-NY) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) are leading 36 congressional Democrats urging the Biden administration to require proof of vaccination or a recent negative test for airline passengers.
Their letter, addressed to President Biden, was sent ahead of the uptick in airline travel expected for the holiday season.
“As the nation approaches holiday season, we ask that you put in place requirements for airline passengers to provide proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 or a negative test to board a domestic flight. We also ask that safety protocols in place for trains and other popular modes of public transportation continue to be updated to reflect the best available data to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This is a necessary and long overdue step toward ensuring all Americans feel safe and confident while traveling and reduce the chances of yet another devastating winter surge.
“As the success of vaccine requirements in the private sector has shown, requiring proof of vaccination for domestic flights has the potential to increase vaccine acceptance among the public. Research by the Kaiser Family Foundation has shown that unvaccinated people would be significantly more likely to get fully vaccinated if it was a requirement to fly on an airplane. It is in the best interest of our nation’s public health to adopt these vaccination requirements for U.S. air travel.”
Beyer, Torres, and Feinstein are sponsors of legislation requiring vaccinations for passengers prior to domestic air travel.
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