The CDC relieved face mask guidelines this week, saying those who have been vaccinated can go without a face mask indoors. Despite claims by Democrats like Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi that they listen to experts and “follow the science,” most leftist lawmakers have continued to press their authoritarian rules, at least when the television cameras are rolling.
Pelosi has maintained her rule of wearing face masks on the House floor, going against the science and overruling the experts at the CDC. But Representative Thomas Massie and a handful of other Republicans are openly defying her today.
We’ve had enough. We are refusing to wear our masks on the floor during this vote in spite of Pelosi’s threat to take $500 from each of us.
Her rule is not based on science. All you need to know is the mask rule has only ever applied to members when they can be seen on TV !
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) May 18, 2021
“We’ve had enough. We are refusing to wear our masks on the floor during this vote in spite of Pelosi’s threat to take $500 from each of us,” he Tweeted. “Her rule is not based on science. All you need to know is the mask rule has only ever applied to members when they can be seen on TV!”
Pelosi has been flexing her Speaker muscles throughout the pandemic, especially after the January 6 Capitol Riots that emboldened her to install metal detectors and force members of Congress to jump through a variety of hoops. But GOP members like Massie, Lauren Boebert, Matt Gaetz, and Marjorie Taylor Greene have continued to vex her.
It is unclear who is participating with Massie in following the CDC guidelines for face masks, but he claimed on Twitter that it’s more than the usual suspects of freedom-loving conservatives.
There are at least 8 of us now on the floor, openly ignoring Pelosi’s oppressive unconstitutional rule.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) May 18, 2021
“There are at least 8 of us now on the floor, openly ignoring Pelosi’s oppressive unconstitutional rule,” he Tweeted before upping the number moments later. “5 Republican women and 5 Republican men are now maskless on the floor.”
5 Republican women and 5 Republican men are now maskless on the floor.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) May 18, 2021
A selfie posted by Greene revealed at least three of Massie’s cohorts.
#FreeYourFace
Masks are oppressive and nothing but a political tool.
End the oppression! pic.twitter.com/EBvCtBpE6u— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) May 18, 2021
“#FreeYourFace – Masks are oppressive and nothing but a political tool. End the oppression!” she Tweeted from the floor with Massie, Mary Miller, and Ralph Norman pictured without masks.
The seed for the idea to oppose Pelosi’s draconian mandate came from an observation Massie had made earlier.
Thought America might like to know this… Few congressmen or staff or guards are wearing masks in the hallways or offices. ONLY ON THE FLOOR FOR TV. It’s all theatrics folks.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) May 18, 2021
“Thought America might like to know this… Few congressmen or staff or guards are wearing masks in the hallways or offices. ONLY ON THE FLOOR FOR TV. It’s all theatrics folks,” he posted before the mask-free protest.
It truly is theater, as Dr. Anthony Fauci had noted earlier on ABC during an interview with George Stephanopoulos:
On March 18, he told Senator Rand Paul and the world that “Well, let me just state for the record that masks are not theater, masks are protective.”
Paul was asking him why he wore face masks even after being vaccinated, and more importantly why he was telling everyone else to do the same thing. Fauci became indignant about having his immense expertise questioned by a United States Senator (who happens to be a trained doctor as well). After all, he’s THE Dr. Anthony Fauci. NOBODY may question his authority, right?
Today, he finally acknowledged that he was lying when he said it wasn’t theater. In an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, Fauci was asked about how things have changed now that the CDC lifted their face mask guidelines for vaccinated people. It’s important for Fauci to change his tune as the White House now believes face mask freedom is the pathway to get more people vaccinated. Conveniently, Fauci contradicted his own Senate testimony.
“Well, you know George, I’m obviously careful because I’m a physician and a healthcare provider,” he said. “I am now much more comfortable with people seeing me indoors without a mask. I mean, before the CDC made the recommendation change, I didn’t want to look like I was giving mixed signals.”
So, in other words, it was theater. He didn’t want to contradict the mask recommendations the CDC was giving, albeit erroneously if we look at Texas. But he’s been vaccinated since the beginning of the vaccine rollout, so by his current understanding which is practically identical to his understanding before (not to mention his understanding when he testified before the Senate), he should have been able to take the mask off two weeks or so after getting vaccinated. He confirmed this later in the interview this morning.
Dr. Fauci admits his wearing masks indoors despite being vaccinated was based on imagery, not science:
"I didn’t want to look like I was giving mixed signals but being a fully vaccinated person, the chances of my getting infected in an indoor setting is extremely low." pic.twitter.com/UdJdhHvoR0
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) May 18, 2021
“But being a fully vaccinated person, the chances of my getting infected in an indoor setting is extremely low,” he said. “And that’s the reason why in indoor setting snow, I feel comfortable about not wearing a mask because I’m fully vaccinated.”
Thomas Massie and his nine Republican cohorts put Pelosi between a rock and a hard place. If she fines them, she’s not following the science and ignoring the CDC. If she doesn’t, she looks weak. Which is it, Nancy?