Travel mask mandates have majority support, despite the viral videos

With help from Tanya Snyder and Oriana Pawlyk

— The federal mask mandate for travel still has more than 50 percent support among Americans, despite its uncertain future after a federal judge struck it down.

— The Federal Aviation Administration has admitted fault for an unnecessary evacuation of the Capitol complex.

— The Federal Railroad Administration is asking the nation’s rail network to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

IT’S MONDAY: You’re reading Morning Transportation, your Washington policy guide to everything that moves. Send tips, pitches, feedback and song lyrics to us at [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected] You can also find us on Twitter: @alextdaugherty, @TSnyderDC and @Oriana0214.

“You’re freakin’ me out, you wear a mask/Freakin’ me out, you wear a mask called counterfeit”

Due to an editing error, Friday’s newsletter incorrectly stated American Airlines’ policy for reinstating some banned passengers.

Want to receive this newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You’ll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day’s biggest stories.

MASK MANDATES POPULAR? A Florida judge’s decision to strike down the CDC’s mask mandate for travel last week eventually prompted a DOJ appeal (after some internal kvetching from the White House about what to do). But while social media was filled with videos of cheering flight crews and passengers taking off masks mid-flight last week, five public polls conducted since the beginning of April show varying but sustained support for travel mask mandates.

THE POLLS: A Harris Poll conducted from April 1 to 3, a Morning Consult/POLITICO survey from April 15 to 17, an AP-NORC poll conducted from April 14 to 18, a daily YouGov poll conducted on April 18 and a Premise poll conducted from April 15 to 17 all show continued support for the mandate, though the methodologies, question wording, sample size and timing of the polls were different. Support for travel mask mandates polled between 56 percent and 62 percent in the five polls, despite increasing support from elected Democrats to do away with masks on planes, trains, buses and other forms of travel.

The administration is worried that the ruling overturning the mask mandate last week will erode the CDC’s public health authority if it is allowed to stand, even though many administration officials acknowledged that the mandate itself wasn’t going to be around much longer anyway.

OOPS: The FAA on Friday admitted it was the source of the communications breakdown that forced an evacuation of the Capitol complex on Wednesday over fears that an unidentified plane was headed there with nefarious intent, Oriana and Nicholas Wu report. In fact, it was a U.S. Army demonstration plane containing the Golden Knights parachute team, set to skydive into a Washington Nationals baseball game later that night. The FAA said it “did not provide advance notification of this event to the U.S. Capitol Police,” prompting the false alarm. The Army plane with the Golden Knights parachute team took off from Joint Base Andrews outside Washington and was circling the area around the Capitol Wednesday evening.

FALSE ALARM: The Capitol Police defended its actions in a statement issued Thursday morning, saying the precautionary measure to evacuate the Capitol was “not one we take lightly.” The FAA apologized “for the disruption and fear experienced by those who work there,” adding a further review into the communication breakdown is underway with partner and other law enforcement agencies. Together, the agencies will additionally “take any additional steps necessary to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future,” the FAA said.

DIVERSIFYING DUMMIES: Verity Now, a coalition advocating for gender equity in car safety, is driving mobile billboards around DOT headquarters and Capitol Hill starting today, the group’s latest attempt to push the NHTSA to adopt female crash test dummies. Verity Now says NHTSA’s own research has shown that women are 17 percent more likely to die and 73 percent more likely to be severely injured in car crashes than men, highlighting the need for female-specific dummies instead of a scaled-down version of a male dummy.

“NHTSA has known for decades that women are more likely to suffer serious injury and die in comparable crashes compared to men,” Verity now co-chair and former member of Congress Susan Molinari said in a statement. “And yet they continue to refuse to bring equity to car safety standards. It is unacceptable that NHTSA refuses to utilize the same nature and number of tests for women — along with the same quality of testing equipment — that they use for men.”

BUTTIGIEG ON TRAINS: DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg will provide testimony at Tuesday’s Surface Transportation board hearing on urgent issues in freight rail service. On Tuesday and Wednesday, STB will hear from freight rail executives, rail customers and labor organizations regarding recent service issues. Labor interests have accused freight rail companies of using new scheduling rules and attempting to operate trains with as few workers as possible, creating attrition within the industry.

RACE TO ZERO: On Friday, the FRA announced its rail industry climate challenge, asking the nation’s rail network to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

“FRA commits to supporting innovation in the rail industry to keep rail one of the most sustainable transportation choices,” FRA Administrator Amit Bose said in a statement.

— “Here’s why you might still want to wear masks on public transport.” NPR.

— “The End of the All-Male, All-White Cockpit.” New York Times.

— “Osterholm calls decision striking down mask mandate on mass transit ‘a real challenge.’” ABC News.

— “With Trump gone, Republicans look to weaken his China tariffs.” POLITICO.

— “Free public transit is not a climate policy.” Bloomberg.

Did we miss an event? Let MT know at [email protected]