Rand Paul Says No One Should Follow CDC's New Mask Rally Cry

Rand Paul said the CDC's ramped up mask guidelines aren't based on anything concrete and, therefore, can be ignored.

"‘No one should follow the CDC’s antiscience mask mandates," the senator said in a Twitter video.

"We are at a moment of truth and a crossroads," Paul said. "Will we allow these people to use fear and propaganda to do further harm to our society, economy, and children? Or will we stand together and say, 'Absolutely not.'

"Not this time. I choose freedom."

Paul's comments come a little more than a week after a reversal of the mask guidelines in May, when the CDC indicated that fully vaccinated individuals no longer needed to shield their faces.

So much for that idea. And Paul isn't the only one pushing back. No less than CDC director director Rochelle Walensky told Fox News that few have welcomed the change back to a masked America.

"This was not news that I expected the American people to welcome. This weighed heavily on me to have to do this," she said. "I have no interest in continuing mask guidance, and the best way to stop a new variant from spreading is to have less virus out there and the best way to do that is to get people vaccinated and to mask up until they are."

But Paul and many others aren't going to go with a recommendation that they feel isn't backed by hard evidence just because the CDC thinks it may be a good idea.