STATEMENT: KHANNA ON PRESIDENT BIDEN’S PLEDGE TO SEND HIGH-QUALITY MASKS TO AMERICANS FOR FREE

Washington, DC – January 13, 2022 – Today, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) cheered President Biden's announcement that he will be making high-quality masks free and easily accessible for every American. The news follows the introduction of Rep. Khanna's Masks for All bill with Senator Sanders (I-VT), which would send every person in the country N95 masks, which have been proven to be most effective for protecting against the Omicron variant.

In just the past week, more than 15 million Omicron cases have been reported with some U.S. officials predicting that "most people are going to get covid." Studies have shown that the widespread use of face masks could curb the surge and prevent tens of thousands of COVID-19 deaths. While other face masks have been effective against past COVID-19 variants, N95 masks provide maximum protection from the Omicron variant and are necessary at this stage of the pandemic.

"We know that N95 masks are the most effective at protecting people from COVID-19, but they are expensive and hard to find. That's why I was glad to see President Biden announce that his administration will be distributing highly protective masks, something that Senator Sanders and I pushed for in our Masks for All bill.

It is critical that Congress and the administration mobilize now. We must do everything in our power to get this pandemic under control, so that people's lives can return to normal. President Biden's announcement today is a good step forward and I look forward to continuing to work with him to address this crisis."

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About the Office

Congressman Khanna represents the 17th District of California, which covers communities in Silicon Valley. Visit his website at khanna.house.gov. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @RepRoKhanna.