Masks for All Isn’t a Radical Idea
By Senator Bernie Sanders
I don’t need to tell anyone that we are living in truly unprecedented times. 5 million Americans have tested positive for Coronavirus, and over 160,000 are dead. We don’t know when it will be safe to gather with friends and family again. We don’t yet know exactly when a vaccine will be widely available. And we do not know how many Americans will ultimately die from COVID-19.
But there is one thing we do know for certain – wearing a mask saves lives and is the quickest, simplest, and most effective way to begin to contain this pandemic in the United States.
Making it easier to wear a mask is our greatest chance to finally get this virus under control, restart the economy, reopen schools and keep Americans alive. In fact, one estimate predicts that we could save 70,000 lives this fall if we all wore masks.
That is why I have introduced legislation in the U.S. Senate that would use the authority of the Defense Production Act to manufacture and send three high-quality, reusable masks to everyone in the United States. The “Masks for All” legislation would also distribute masks to homeless shelters, jails, and detention centers, where we’ve seen horrible outbreaks of COVID-19. The legislation would also require the production of N95 masks to eliminate the shortages faced by our health care providers.
Now I know it is easy for some to dismiss the idea of the federal government providing basic necessities to the American people as “partisan.”
But in an August survey, Data for Progress found huge bipartisan support for this “radical idea.”
First, the survey asked if voters supported or opposed the federal government sending three free masks to every American. The poll found that 70 percent of all voters support this proposal, including 81 percent of Democrats and 65 percent of Republicans.. The percentage of Republicans who “strongly opposed” the idea was only 16 percent.
It would be tough to imagine an idea supported by Senate Democrats to be less controversial among Republican voters.
But then Data for Progress asked voters if they would support or oppose investing $5 billion to ramp up mask production. The survey found that 70 percent of voters supported the idea, including 79 percent of Democrats and 68 percent of Republicans, while only 11 percent of Republicans “strongly opposed” the proposal.
It comes as no surprise to me that “Masks for All” is something people believe is rational, simple, and life-saving. This is not about ideology or political party. As Republicans and Democrats understand, it is quite simply a no-brainer. In fact, the bipartisan support for these ideas stands in stark contrast to the radical incompetence of the Trump Administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
In this unprecedented crisis, we can and should send a united message of action to our people, and provide masks for every American. Now let’s stand together and demand Congress act to save lives by passing this bill.
Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) is a Senator from Vermont.