Three Republican representatives were fined $500 each after defying the House floor mask mandate, according to reports.
Texas Rep. Beth Van Duyne, Florida Rep. Brian Mast and Iowa Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks were all fined after refusing to comply with a mask mandate imposed by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi despite the nation’s Capital waiving the mask mandate for fully vaccinated people, The Washington Post reported.
“And yet we’re still required to wear a mask on the House floor … (It’s a $500 fine if you refuse, right @Bethvanduyne @millermeeks …)” Oklahoma Rep. Stephanie Bice tweeted.
And yet we’re still required to wear a mask on the House floor … ????????♀️ (It’s a $500 fine if you refuse, right @Bethvanduyne @millermeeks…) https://t.co/KRLnOmrFaw
— Stephanie Bice (@stephaniebice) May 18, 2021
Van Duyne said defying the mandate was “worth it,” despite the hefty fine.
Worth it ???? https://t.co/B09FKulAGE
— Beth Van Duyne (@Bethvanduyne) May 18, 2021
Mast slammed the fine, claiming it “was never about science. It has always been about power.”
I have been fined $500 by @SpeakerPelosi for following CDC guidance.
This was never about science. It has always been about power.
— Rep. Brian Mast (@RepBrianMast) May 19, 2021
The trio were fined after having defied the mask mandate once before, according to The Post. Seven other Republicans who were maskless were given a warning, according to the report. (RELATED: ‘Not Based On Science’: Rep. Massie Refuses Pelosi Mask Mandate For Floor Vote)
Mast told Fox News a staff member of the House Sergeant at Arms approached him for not wearing a mask. Mast refused to put a mask on and the staffer told him he would be fined.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently updated their guidance, along with the White House, to say fully vaccinated people need not wear a mask for most indoor and outdoor activities.
More than 30 Republicans sent a letter to Pelosi Thursday calling on her to abide by the CDC guidelines and drop the mask mandate in the House.
The letter, spearheaded by Republican Ohio Rep. Bob Gibbs and signed by 33 others said Pelosi should bring the House back to normal in-person voting procedures and end the mandatory mask requirement.
“CDC guidance states fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance in any setting except where required by governmental or workplace mandate. It is time to update our own workplace regulations. Every member of Congress has had the opportunity to be vaccinated, and you have indicated about 75 percent have taken advantage of this opportunity,” Gibbs said in the letter.
“The United States Congress must serve as a model to show the country we can resume normal life through vaccination. Let’s follow the science and get back to work,” he continued.
Pelosi later told CNN’s Manu Raju she would not be changing the rule while roughly 25% of House members remain unvaccinated.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi told me “no” she isn’t changing the rule requiring masks on the House floor.
“No,” Pelosi said. “Are they all vaccinated?”
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) May 13, 2021