There has been some debate between House Democrats and their Republican counterparts regarding the COVID-19-related rules inside the Chamber. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi responded to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s criticism that masks are no longer required to be worn inside.
Despite the more relaxed guidelines made by the CDC in recent weeks, Pelosi still maintains the strict guidelines regarding wearing masks within the House chamber. This led to criticism from House Republicans including McCarthy. Pelosi’s spokesman Drew Hammill issued a response to the Republicans’ complaint, saying that they do not want to wear masks on the House Floor, McCarthy should have his GOP colleagues vaccinated.
“If Minority Leader McCarthy wants to be maskless on the Floor of the House of Representatives, he should get to work vaccinating his members,” said Hammill. Hammill added that McCarthy’s complaint was a “sad move” in an effort to distract House members from voting towards a Jan. 6 commission into the Capitol riots. The House voted 218-210 against McCarthy on the rule.
McCarthy’s complaint also follows several House Republicans staging a protest on the House Floor by going maskless. GOP Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Louie Gohmert, and Brian Mast were among those who made the protest. Rep. Thomas Massie organized the protest, and also took to social media to tweet his frustration regarding the rule requiring House members to wear their face masks even on the Floor.
It should be noted that not all members of Congress have been vaccinated. Congress attending physician Brian Monahan, said that the House rules were consistent with the guidelines by the CDC. Monahan added that these precautions are needed especially given the number of members who have been vaccinated and unvaccinated as well as “vaccine-indeterminate individuals.”
Pelosi also pushed back against former vice president Mike Pence’s brother Rep. Greg Pence’s claim that the House Speaker wanted to delay the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory. Pelosi told The Hill that Greg Pence “does not know what he is talking about,” and that “He can ask his brother if he wants to get any information.”
Pelosi cited that she was insistent on returning to the Capitol after the insurrection and that she was glad that it was a bipartisan agreement to return.