ORLANDO, Fla. – A group of nearly 40 Congressional lawmakers are pressuring the White House to expand COVID-19 restrictions to travel domestically in the U.S.

Specifically, the request from members of Congress is for the White House to require domestic travelers on planes, trains and other public transit to show proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test.

“This is a necessary and long overdue step toward ensuring all Americans feel safe and confident while traveling and reduce the chances of yet another devastating winter surge,” the group's letter states.

The effort is led by Virginia congressman Don Beyer, with support from Florida congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and California Sen. Diane Feinstein, among others.

“As the success of vaccine requirements in the private sector has shown, requiring proof of vaccination for domestic flights has the potential to increase vaccine acceptance among the public,” the group’s letter states.

The mandate would match standards for international travelers who are required to show proof of negative testing and vaccination in order to travel into the U.S.

“By in large, they’re very happy to deal with it because they’ve been denied their Florida fix for the last 20 months,” Simon Veness of Veness Travel Media said about foreign tourists' acceptance of vaccine requirements.

Veness and his wife Susan have written multiple books and articles over the years about tourism’s link between Central Florida and the U.K.

“From the intra-point of view, it does seem odd you can require international visitors to be fully vaccinated and to have had negative COVID tests before traveling and not do the same for domestic travelers who could be on the same flight, and certainly going through the same airport as international travelers,” Veness said. “From practicality and political view, I think you’re in danger of opening up a major can of worms.”

There are only a few current mandates in place for domestic traveling, including the requirement that people wear facial coverings while inside airports and airplanes. This mandate is in effect at least until Jan. 18, 2022.

The effort comes as the U.S. nears the busy months of holiday travel. Orlando, a frequent top destination in the U.S. at Thanksgiving, is expected to see a significant boost in travelers this year.

Orlando International Airport officials predict 1.6 million people will fly in and out of the airport over the 12-day holiday period.

The call for more restrictions also comes just one week after the U.S. reopened its border for foreign tourists for the first time in nearly two years.

Any effort to expand new or existing mandates will no doubt face plenty of pushback.

“I still feel like it’s a violation of my rights, my body my choice, and it shouldn’t have to be told to do something to move about freely around the country in a means of travel I would need to,” said Christina Miller of Seattle, Wash.

Miller and her husband returned home Monday after spending 10 days in Central Florida, visiting area theme parks and a rock concert festival. It’s a trip they spent a year planning.

“We had tickets to other festivals and unfortunately had to cancel due to COVID, mask mandates, and just not wanting to travel because of a lot of the mandates,” Miller said. “We absolutely love Florida for that reason, just having the flexibility to choose … it feels liberating to be here and not have restrictions like we have in place at home.”

The Seattle resident said despite having COVID twice, and being vaccinated, she would not favor vaccination requirements for domestic travel.

Spectrum News reached out to the White House and Central Florida’s members of Congress.

Here are some of the responses received:

“Vaccine mandates are a violation of our medical liberty, and the White House has already gone too far by mandating vaccines for federal employees and private businesses through OSHA,” Congressman Greg Steube (R-District 17) told Spectrum News in a statement. “Demanding proof of vaccination for domestic air travel is another outrageous overstep on our freedoms. I do not support any vaccine mandate or forced disclosure of private medical information.”

“This request is not based on science; data has shown that the risk of contracting COVID-19 onboard planes is very low,” said Congressman Daniel Webster (R-District 11). “Thanks to American ingenuity and research, we have a broad array of vaccines and therapeutics to fight COVID-19 which reduce the risk of severe outcomes. I am opposed to vaccine mandates – healthcare decisions should be between an individual and their care provider, not the result of demands by Washington politicians. Florida is a leader in providing that mandates and lockdowns are not the answer, Democrats need to stop using COVID-19 to push more government control and restrictions on American freedoms and liberties.”

“I certainly object to my colleague’s proposal,” Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-District 12) told Spectrum News in a statement. “While some of my colleagues on the left appear to  believe that all problems can be solved with government mandates, I believe we should always week to maximize individual freedoms."

“Earlier this summer, Senator Rick Scott introduced the Freedom to Fly Act, which would prohibit the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) from requiring Americans to show proof of vaccination or produce a vaccine passport for domestic flights and protect the privacy of personal health information," Scott's office said in a statement to Spectrum News. "The federal government has no business requiring travelers to show proof of vaccination for domestic air travel." 

”As a former career law enforcement officer, I believe in keeping people safe and keeping our economy open," Congresswoman Val Demings (D-District 10) told Spectrum News in a statement. "Since the release of the FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine, private businesses, including airlines, have made important strides to protect the safety of the traveling public. As we work to ensure the safety and free flow of Florida’s visitors and business travelers, I believe we are currently on the right track. At the same time, the fact that some politicians have decided to politicize vaccines and harm our safety by prolonging the pandemic is totally unacceptable. Instead, we need to continue to trust public health professionals and empower individuals and private companies to beat this pandemic and keep Florida in business.”