House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy will force lawmakers to vote on ending the chamber’s mask mandate a day after Republican members were fined for not wearing them.
McCarthy, a California Republican, will introduce the resolution Wednesday afternoon, and it will likely prompt Democrats to try to table it with a floor vote.
The measure will call on the Capitol’s attending physician, Dr. Brian Monahan, to align the mask requirement with the new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ending mask and social distancing requirements for those who are fully vaccinated.
Republicans have asked Speaker Nancy Pelosi to end the mask mandate in the House chamber after the CDC and President Joe Biden announced those who are vaccinated could ditch their masks.
But Pelosi, a California Democrat, said the mandate must remain in place until all lawmakers and floor staff are vaccinated.
Fewer than 25% of House lawmakers have not received the shots, and Pelosi has suggested they are all Republicans.
Republican Reps. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina and Brian Mast of Florida were each fined $500 Tuesday for going maskless on the House floor.
House Democrats, who control the majority, voted earlier this year to impose the fines after some Republicans refused to wear masks during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But Republicans say it is now time to end the mandate.
The CDC last week issued a new directive stating that “fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing.”
Monahan announced last week that those in the Capitol who are vaccinated “can resume activities without wearing a mask or staying 6 feet apart.”
But Monahan maintained the mask requirement in the House chamber.
Mast, who is fully vaccinated, was among the GOP lawmakers who was fined for refusing to wear a mask in the chamber on Tuesday.
Under the House rules, the fine increases to $2,500 for lawmakers who violate the rule a second time.
“The truth is, from this moment on, Americans must ignore lies and start to listen to scientists,” Mast said in a statement. “The scientists at the CDC are telling us if you are fully vaccinated, you can go about your life without wearing a mask or physically distancing. So, that’s what I’m doing. The question people should be asking is why is Speaker Pelosi not? For her, this has never been about science. It’s always been about power and control over the American people.”
