The House Ethics Committee on Monday disclosed additional fines against Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Andrew Clyde for failing to comply with the chamber’s face mask rules.
The fines are the latest in a series for the Georgia Republicans, who have both protested a requirement to wear a face mask on the House floor as a COVID-19 mitigation effort by flouting the rule. Infractions after a first offense result in a $2,500 deduction from a congressional paycheck. Neither lawmaker appealed any of the fines disclosed Monday before the deadline to do so.
Greene’s refusal to comply with the rule has caused her to accrue at least $48,000 in fines. Clyde reportedly raised the federal withholding level on his congressional salary earlier this year in an effort to evade paying the fines. His fines also total in the thousands.
A mask mandate remains in place for those on the House floor. The requirement was briefly lifted over the summer for people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, but it was re-implemented for everyone as the delta variant surged. Washington, D.C., also re-implemented its citywide indoor mask mandate, which remains in place.
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The city’s requirement to wear a mask is not always observed in the hallways of the Capitol complex, sparking occasional confrontations between lawmakers and congressional staff. Multiple members of Congress have tested positive for COVID-19 this fall.
