Rand Paul: “there is a very distinct possibility that the mask mandates saved no lives. There is a very distinct possibility that…”

“there is a very distinct possibility that the mask mandates saved no lives. There is a very distinct possibility that the mask mandates did not change the trajectory or incidence of the coronavirus pandemic. In fact, there is a distinct possibility that mask mandates were simply coercive security theater that did not enhance the public safety at all. While the efficacy of masks is debatable, the question of whether or not the Federal Government possesses the power to mandate that you wear a mask is not debatable. The 10th Amendment clearly states that powers not specifically enumerated by the Constitution for the Federal Government are retained by the States and the people respectively. In United States v. Lopez, the 10th Amendment is affirmed. The Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution withholds from Congress the plenary power that would authorize enactment of every type of legislation. The Supreme Court went on to say that allowing the Federal Government a general police power of the sort retained by the States would violate the principle that the Federal Government is one of enumerated and limited powers. Furthermore, no statute exists that remotely conveys a power to mandate masks to any Department of the Federal Government. Yet, since March of 2020, unelected bureaucrats from the Centers for Disease Control have incessantly declared that we should ``follow the science'' and submit to their mandates.…”