Alabama Sen. Katie Britt is co-sponsoring a Republican bill that would prohibit mask mandates by the federal government, a fallout of mask requirements imposed during the COVID pandemic.

Britt joined eight other senators in co-sponsoring legislation introduced by Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, which blocks any federal official, including the president, from imposing mask mandates for domestic air travel, public transit or public schools. It also prohibits air carriers, transit authorities and schools from refusing service to those who choose not to wear a mask.

Related: Sen. Katie Britt has ‘recovered well’ after attack of facial numbness: ‘Your prayers have been felt’

Vance’s bill is known as the Freedom to Breathe Act. Vance requested the bill be passed by unanimous consent and sent to the U.S. House of Representatives. But Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., objected Thursday to the bill’s quick passage.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, draconian shutdowns and mask mandates inflicted immense damage across our nation,” Britt said in a statement. “Just look at the consequences our children faced, from devastating learning loss that put students years behind to deteriorating mental health in kids and teenagers. Enough is enough.

“More than three years later, it’s clear we need to embrace individual liberty and facts rather than a society gripped by fear. Democrats have claimed that mask mandates and lockdowns are not coming back – however, their objection to this legislation reveals their true intentions.”

In the press release, Britt cited an elementary school just north of the District of Columbia in Silver Spring, Md., that began requiring students to wear masks this week after three cases of COVID were detected in one classroom. The requirement will last 10 days, according to media reports.

In Alabama, Talladega City Schools last month said it is encouraging students and faculty to wear masks but made clear it was not a mandate. A similar request went out to students and teachers at Kinterbush Junior High School in Cuba in Sumter County.

“We cannot return to the failed policies of the COVID pandemic,” Vance said in a Senate floor speech. “I’m not mad that we screwed up. I made mistakes. Many people in this body made mistakes. What I do think we should avoid is repeating the mistakes in 2023. Let’s learn from the mistakes we made instead of just doubling down on them.”

In a speech on the Senate floor, Markey hammered Republicans for their votes on other health care issues and described Vance’s bill as “a red herring.”

“It makes no sense to put limits on how communities and individuals can protect themselves,” Markey said. “This bill is a red herring. It is a false debate. We should have an aquarium down in the well of the Senate to capture all the red herrings that are being introduced into this public health debate. It’s a distraction. It’s misleading and it is meant to deflect from what the GOP really stands for right now — gimmicks over people.”

Other co-sponsors of the bill are Senate Republican Conference Chair John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kans.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.).