House Republicans Just Told Pelosi Don’t You Dare Try It!
There are several House Republicans who stood in open defiance of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) and her continued mandate that every member of Congress should continue to wear their masks. They did this despite the fact that they are running the risk of hefty fines for a rule violation.
Details
Politico is the newsgroup that broke the story, and one of the most interesting aspects of it would be one Brian Mast, who announced during a GOP conference meeting a few hours earlier that he was completely “done” with wearing masks, and that he is going to refuse to wear one while he is on the House floor.
Mast confirmed his plan to The Outlet, and he also indicated that “many” of his colleagues had agreed to do the same. Indeed, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) tweeted from the House floor, writing, “We’ve had enough. We will refuse to wear these masks on the floor even though there is a threat from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of a fine of $500. Pelosi’s rule is not scientific at all. Seriously. The only thing you need to know is that this mask rule has only applied when these members can be seen on tv!”
Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has also shown some excellent leadership in this area. She and several other prominent House Republicans (Mary Miller of Illinois and Ralph Norman of South Carolina) During their tweet, they proclaimed, “#freeyourface masks are oppressive and they are nothing but a political tool. End this oppression!”
Greene definitely went above and beyond the call of duty, posting a picture of herself standing with seven other Republicans outside the steps of the capitol, tweeting, “Proud to join these patriots on the House floor protesting against the mask mandates!”
Journalist Jordan Schactel was also proud to report that other GOP members ultimately joined in the protest as well. This included representatives Lauren Boebert (CO), Chip Roy (Texas), Bob Good (VA), Beth Van Duyne (Texas) and Greg Steube (Florida). House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California was considering issuing a motion regarding the issue, but at press time he was “still working out the language” with his associates.
The Background
Pelosi keeps insisting on having her mask mandate in place, and she is threatening those caught without a mask with a $500 fine for a first offense and a $2,500 fine for a second offense. This is despite the fact that the CDC recently announced that fully vaccinated individuals did not need to wear a mask in most indoor locations.
Pelosi’s mask mandate is also in direct defiance of her colleagues in the Senate, who never had a mask mandate in place at all. Moreover, both the Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell stopped wearing their masks after the CDC’s new guidelines came out.
What do you think about these GOP members who are defying Nancy Pelosi? Your comments would be appreciated!