SAVAGE: Ted Cruz calls for ‘zero’ COVID restrictions, Rand Paul urges defiance of new mandates

Monday, the United States reported nearly 160,000 Covid cases, forcing states to address the spike in numbers. In response, Republican Senator Ted Cruz (TX) and Senator Rand Paul (KY) have both denounced all calls for more mandates.

Friday, Senator Cruz told Fox News host Sean Hannity that no health regulations are necessary to help slow the nationwide surge caused by the delta variant of the coronavirus. “There should be no mandates – zero – concerning Covid. That means no mask mandates, regardless of your vaccination status. That means no vaccine mandates.  That means no vaccine passports,” Cruz said.  Not long before the interview, he and Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota introduced two bills that would ban mask and vaccine mandates.

The Washington Post reports that the United States marked the most severe day for new cases since January 29th of this year.  Hospitalizations have reached nearly 70,000 as states are forced to reassess safety precautions and vaccination efforts. With just half the country fully vaccinated, the Biden administration has been taking a more aggressive approach towards the pandemic.  

Texas is among the states experiencing a rise in new cases. Despite this, Cruz has attacked Biden of “imposing unscientific and burdensome mandates.” He joins Paul in denouncing the mandates with an ongoing resurgence in cases and hospitalizations. The Kentucky Senator said in a video Sunday, “It’s time for us to resist. They can’t arrest all of us.  hey can’t keep all of your kids home from school. They can’t keep every government building closed, although I’ve got a long list of ones they might keep closed or ought to keep closed.”