While it's nothing new for the Biden White House, Monday's briefing by Jen Psaki put a somewhat-chaotic exclamation point on how disjointed the administration's guidance and mandates have been regarding COVID-19.
Happening just hours after a federal judge in Florida struck down the CDC's mask mandate for travelers, Psaki was unable or unwilling to answer multiple questions about whether travelers must still wear masks.
Calling the ruling a "disappointing decision," Psaki quickly made clear that the White House was caught off-guard in the midst of its Easter festivities by the court decision.
PSAKI: Striking down Biden's travel mask mandate "is obviously a disappointing decision." pic.twitter.com/OLB29iNVpS
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 18, 2022
Ed O'Keefe asked the question that's undoubtedly on travelers' minds today, and while she wouldn't use the word "mandate," Psaki reiterated that the CDC's recommendation remains to mask when traveling by planes, trains, and public transit.
CBS's @EdOKeefe: "There may be people sitting in an airport bar watching right now wondering if they're boarding a flight tonight is the mask mandates still in place?"
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) April 18, 2022
Psaki: "We're continuing to recommend people wear masks. I don't have any updates. This just came out[.]" pic.twitter.com/vo3IvlHrhK
But the uncertainty only grew from there. When pressed by O'Keefe repeatedly about what the Biden administration was doing in response to the ruling, there were no clear answers given. When asked whether President Biden was awaiting an announcement from the Department of Homeland Security regarding the now-vacated mandate and guidance, Psaki said "they are assessing it right now and as soon as they have an assessment and an update on additional steps, they'll...they'll make that available."
When O'Keefe asked again, Psaki claimed that "no one here is trying to provoke uncertainty with passengers," which may make for a nice sentiment but has not yet been reflected in Psaki or Biden administration statements.
Peter Doocy pointed out that he and his colleagues in the White House Press Corps were sitting in a relatively crowded room without masks while Psaki was reiterating the White House's recommendation for travelers to continue to masking.
Psaki's response: "I'm not a doctor."
DOOCY: "Why is it that we can sit here in the White House briefing room with no masks, but people can't sit in an airplane cabin with no masks?"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 18, 2022
PSAKI: "I'm not a doctor. You're not a doctor." pic.twitter.com/8v14ZWNcso
Adding to the contradictory positions and apparent hypocrisy between what the White House says and what the Biden administration does, Psaki also restated the president's commitment to allowing Title 42 to expire.
She offered a reminder to reporters that Title 42 is "not an immigration authority...nor is it an immigration plan" but "a health authority," she claimed.
Today the White House continues to say people should mask on planes but that it's totally fine to lift Title 42, a health regulation, which will result in hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants flooding the country.
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) April 18, 2022
As Katie points out, the White House claiming that Title 42 can be lifted because it's a health authority while insisting that travelers continue to mask up even as White House reporters are allowed to go maskless in the White House is more clear-as-mud Psaki-splaining. Quite the briefing from a White House that says it's not "trying to provoke uncertainty."