Rep. Bowen Statement on baseless repeal of Mask Mandate

MILWAUKEE – State Rep. David Bowen (D-Milwaukee) released the following statement in response to legislative Republicans’ attempts to repeal measures like the mask mandate taken by Governor Evers to help stop the spread of COVID-19:

“Legislative Republicans have spent the last eight months doing everything in their power to block Governor Evers and his administration from being able to keep Wisconsinites safe during this once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, while offering no real solutions of their own. As a fourth-term legislator, I am no stranger to the political polarization in this building and around Wisconsin, but over 6,000 of our neighbors and family are dead from this virus, many of us only by the grace of God survived it, and it is clear that Republicans are fine with playing political games while everyone else suffers. Instead of working on legislation that would help those affected by COVID-19, Republicans are pushing through resolutions that would get rid of the life-saving mask mandate and end the current public health emergency declared by Governor Evers on January 19, 2021, which will have the unintended consequence of blocking millions of federal FoodShare dollars to the most needy in our communities.”

According to a newly released Legislative Fiscal Bureau memo, overturning the current public health emergency would reduce the amount of federal money that over 240,000 Wisconsinites rely on to feed themselves and their families. This amounts to almost $50 million in federal assistance for everyday Wisconsinites already struggling to make ends meet.

“It is clear that this shortsighted & negligent response is a temper tantrum that will lead to the acceleration of the virus with possibly newer strains through our communities, and will now literally take the food out of the mouths of struggling families. I urge my Republican colleagues to stop playing politics and to work together with Democrats on policies of common sense backed by science and utilize all the tools necessary to keep our communities & economy safe. I pray they can see we have suffered enough.”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.