Anthony Fauci: ‘Unfortunate’ that a Court Order ‘Superseded the Authority of the CDC’

Anthony Fauci this week said it is “unfortunate” that a federal judge “superseded the authority of the CDC” by deeming the Biden administration’s federal mask mandate illegal.

When asked about airlines quickly dropping their mask mandates following the Monday ruling of United States District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, who effectively nixed the federal mask mandate for public transportation, Fauci called it “unfortunate” and made it clear that he still continues to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance.

“Well, I follow the CDC guidelines. And the CDC wanted to extend the mandate for the 15-day period beyond April 18, up to May 3. The reason they wanted to do that was they wanted to see what the pattern of infection is during this bit of a surge we’re seeing,” Fauci said.

“I think it’s unfortunate that a court order came in and, I believe, superseded the authority of the CDC,” he added.

On Wednesday, the CDC instructed the Department of Justice to proceed and appeal the Trump-appointee’s ruling, which ended the heavy-handed mask mandate that has dominated Biden’s presidency. 

“To protect CDC’s public health authority beyond the ongoing assessment announced last week, CDC has asked DOJ to proceed with an appeal in Health Freedom Defense Fund, Inc., et al., v. Biden, et al,” the CDC said in a statement, deeming masking on public transportation “necessary for the public health.”

“CDC will continue to monitor public health conditions to determine whether such an order remains necessary. CDC believes this is a lawful order, well within CDC’s legal authority to protect public health,” the federal health agency added:

In light of today’s assessment by @CDCgov that an order requiring masking in the transportation corridor remains necessary to protect the public health, the Department has filed a notice of appeal in Health Freedom Defense Fund, Inc., et al., v. Biden, et al.

— Anthony Coley (@AnthonyColeyDOJ) April 20, 2022

The Biden White House initially deemed the ruling, which freed travelers from being forced to cover their faces, “disappointing.” White House press secretary Jen Psaki was also unwilling to explain the widespread discrepancies across the country, as remaining states lifted their mask mandates over the past few months, yet, Biden’s CDC continued to extend the mask mandate on public transportation.

“I’m not a doctor, you’re not a doctor, that I’m aware of,” she told Fox News reporter Peter Doocy at the time.