{"id":46698,"date":"2021-05-20T00:55:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-20T06:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/lauren-boebert-other-republicans-rebel-against-mask-requirement-in-house-chamber\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T03:33:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T09:33:28","slug":"lauren-boebert-other-republicans-rebel-against-mask-requirement-in-house-chamber","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/lauren-boebert-other-republicans-rebel-against-mask-requirement-in-house-chamber\/","title":{"rendered":"Lauren Boebert, other Republicans rebel against mask requirement in House chamber"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"GOP
GOP businesswoman Lauren Boebert said freshmen orientation for newly elected congressional members is at times unproductive. Too much time went to things like educating members-elect on the use of masks and not enough to legislation, she said.<\/span>Hart Van Denburg\/CPR News file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

WASHINGTON \u2014 Republicans are rebelling against the requirement that they wear a mask on the House floor, stoking tensions with majority Democrats who are refusing to change the rules following updated guidance from federal health officials.<\/p>\n

Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., led an effort Wednesday to get the Office of the Attending Physician to update its guidance for mask wearing for vaccinated lawmakers and staff members while they are in the House chamber and in committee hearing rooms, but Democrats defeated it along a party-line vote of 218-210.<\/p>\n

Lawmakers can remove their masks when speaking on the House floor, but otherwise must keep it on when they are in the chamber. There is no requirement for wearing masks in the Senate chamber.<\/p>\n

Democratic lawmakers say they are tired of the requirements, too, but they worry that some of their Republican colleagues have declined to be vaccinated and could spread the virus.<\/p>\n

Some GOP lawmakers opted to go without a mask during votes Tuesday, with a few taking particular care to stand in the well of the chamber to ensure that spectators, colleagues and C-SPAN\u2019s cameras could not miss them.<\/p>\n

\"Rep.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and fellow Republicans arrive for a meeting to consider a replacement for Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., was ousted from the GOP leadership May 13 at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. (J. Scott Applewhite\/Associated Press file)<\/span>J. Scott Applewhite<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Their defiance could come at a financial cost. Lawmakers who refuse to wear masks are subject to a fine of $500 for the first offense. Subsequent offenses can result in a $2,500 fine. In practice, however, the House sergeant-at-arms is providing a warning for the first offense.<\/p>\n

Seven lawmakers will be getting such warnings, according to a list obtained by The Associated Press: Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Chip Roy of Texas, Bob Good of Virginia, Louie Gohmert of Texas and Mary Miller of Illinois<\/p>\n

Three more had already received a warning and will be fined $500. They are Reps. Brian Mast of Florida, Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa and Beth Van Duyne of Texas. They will be subject to a fine of $2,500 for additional offenses.<\/p>\n

McCarthy followed up on their protests with a resolution that stated the mask mandate \u201chinders the ability of the House to properly and effectively conduct the people\u2019s business.\u201d<\/p>\n

The resolution said that those who have not received the vaccine \u201cpose no real threat to those who have been vaccinated.\u201d And it called on the attending physician of the House to consult with the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and provide updated mask guidelines.<\/p>\n

The mask revolt in the House has been brewing for months, with some Republicans chafing at the extra safety precautions imposed during the pandemic and bolstered after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Democrats imposed mask requirements last year when many Republicans, defying public health guidance, refused to wear face coverings.<\/p>\n

The complaints from some Republicans have grown louder now that the CDC has altered its mask guidelines, saying it\u2019s safe for fully vaccinated people to skip face coverings and social distancing in virtually all situations.<\/p>\n

The CDC guidelines say all people should still wear masks in crowded indoor locations such as airplanes, buses, hospitals and prisons. Lawmakers and others in the Capitol have stopped wearing masks when moving around the building.<\/p>\n

Drew Hammill, a spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, said the Office of the Attending Physician has been consistently conferring with the CDC, and as recently as Tuesday. He said new guidance issued Wednesday says the mask requirement is \u201centirely consistent\u201d with the CDC\u2019s recommendations and has ensured that the House can debate and pass legislation safely and effectively.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Minority Leader McCarthy wants to be maskless on the floor of the House of Representatives, he should get to work vaccinating his members,\u201d Hammill wrote.<\/p>\n

At one point Tuesday, Boebert, Taylor-Greene and Massie stood together unmasked for several minutes in the well of the House. Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland went over and spoke with them. The conversation appeared cordial.<\/p>\n

Raskin told reporters that he can\u2019t wait to take his mask off during House floor proceedings. \u201cThe reason we can\u2019t take our masks off is because so many Republicans are not vaccinated and are refusing to do it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

After Tuesday\u2019s votes, several of the Republicans who declined to wear a mask gathered outside the Capitol for a group picture.<\/p>\n

\"Rep.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, center, arrives as the House Republican Conference meets to elect a new chairman to replace Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., who was ousted from the GOP leadership last week. (Andrew Harnik\/Associated Press file)<\/span>Andrew Harnik<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Massie said Wednesday that he had previously contracted COVID-19 and recovered. He said he is \u201cimmune\u201d and that \u201cpart of the reason you know they\u2019re not following the science here is they don\u2019t care if you have the antibody.\u201d<\/p>\n

The CDC says on its website that people should get vaccinated even if they had already had COVID-19.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s because experts do not yet know how long you are protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19. Even if you have already recovered from COVID-19, it is possible \u2013 although rare \u2013 that you could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 again,\u201d the CDC says.<\/p>\n

Massie said he was prepared to test the mask requirement again.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t afford to be fined into poverty, but if I\u2019m not willing to spend $500 defending freedom, I don\u2019t belong here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Roy said that if any lawmakers or staff members have health concerns, they have the ability to get vaccinated and to wear a mask. Meanwhile, he said the availability of vaccines and the data about their effectiveness shows \u201cthat we can engage out in the world\u201d and Americans should see their lawmakers doing that.<\/p>\n

\u201cContrary to some people\u2019s public view and the caricature of myself and others, I\u2019m not looking to, you know, nuke the place,\u201d Roy said. \u201cWhat I\u2019m looking to do is raise issues, consistently sort of push back and represent my constituents who are tired of this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taylor-Greene took to the House floor again on Wednesday without her mask. She remained in the chamber for much of the day and at times positioned herself in a chair behind the Republican lawmakers who spoke on the floor, which ensured she would be seen by television viewers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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