Tillis, U.S. Senators file bill to audit CDC's decision-making on masks

The bill would require the U.S. Government Accountability Office to review the data the CDC uses to make its recommendations, the degree to which outside entities were able to influence decision-making, and the impact of its "inconsistent messaging" "on Americans’ trust in the institution and willingness to follow the guidance, including as it relates to vaccine uptake."

On Tuesday, the CDC recommended places require all people to wear masks indoors, citing a rise in COVID-19 cases nationwide.

"The CDC made this recommendation without providing a clear, verifiable justification for why the science on the Delta variant in July 2021 is supposedly different from the data in May 2021," a news release from Tillis's office reads.

Tillis also stated in the news release that data supports vaccines as the most effective way to return to normal from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Just half of North Carolinians have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and about 47% are fully vaccinated. As cases rise, hospitalizations are rising, and officials note the most severe cases are coming from unvaccinated people.

The CDC reports Delta variant of the virus is more transmissible than previous variants that have been dominant in the U.S.