Jerome Adams, who served as Surgeon General during the Trump administration, slammed a federal judge's decision to end the CDC mask mandate on public transportation, saying it would endanger more lives.

Florida Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump in 2020, struck down the mandate Monday in a 59-page ruling. Mizelle, 33, said that the Biden administration and the CDC overstepped their authority by extending the mask mandate. She said that the CDC in particular failed to explain its decision and overreached.

“Remind me — which schoolhouse rock explains to kids how a single unelected judge has the power to endanger their lives in public settings? I’m just a judge- I’m just a judge, and I’m hurting you cuz I’ve got a grudge…,” Adams posted Tuesday on Twitter.

Adams acknowledged that Mizelle had the power to act, but questioned whether all of the variables connected to the virus situation were taken into account. He was also critical of Mizelle’s argument that the CDC was overstepping its public health powers, warning that this characterization could be a slippery slope to undermining other public health measures in the future.

“If you don’t believe health officials have authority based on our laws, where does it stop? Food sanitation? Swimming pool safety? No more measles vaccines in schools?” Adams asked in a tweet.

Airlines and ride-hailing companies were quick to drop masking requirements after the mandate ended. Delta went so far as to characterize COVID-19 as akin to a "seasonal flu," a portrayal that earned pushback from experts and the White House. Other public transit agencies and airports kept in place their own local mask mandates.

The injunction comes at a time when concern is building about the highly transmissible COVID-19 BA.2 “stealth subvariant.” Several states have already warned that case numbers are inching higher and it has prompted some public health agencies to reinstitute preventative measures.

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