Pelosi confirms she will be maskless at State of the Union

President Biden's first-ever State of the Union address is rapidly approaching, and of course, Americans can expect him to touch on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic — including, presumably, the Centers for Disease Control's updated mask guidance, which advised residents in counties with a low or medium level of community transmission that it was safe to go maskless indoors.
Washington, D.C. currently falls within that low risk category, notes The Hill. What's more, as of Tuesday, the White House lifted its mask mandate for fully vaccinated individuals, just in time for the president's hallmark speech, to which all members of Congress were invited, reports The New York Times. Additionally, the Capitol physician on Sunday lifted the House mask mandate, per ABC News (a formal mask requirement was never enforced in the Senate, notes Roll Call).
Well, at least one attendee plans to heed the Capitol physician's and CDC's advice — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) confirmed Tuesday she would not wear a mask during the president's address, though she noted that if she "if I had little children or if I were around little grandchildren, I would."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"I'm not going to be wearing a mask tonight. If I had little children or I were around little grandchildren, I would, because some of them would not be vaccinated," she told MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell. "Or if I were around a person or were a person with ... some kind of a condition that would make me susceptible to it."
"So I think people have to use their judgment about it," she concluded.
Anyone who chooses to attend Biden's speech is still nonetheless required to take a COVID-19 test before entering the chamber, adds The Associated Press.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
RFK Jr. names new CDC head as staff revolt
Speed Read Kennedy installed his deputy, Jim O'Neill, as acting CDC director
-
DC prosecutors lose bid to indict sandwich thrower
Speed Read Prosecutors sought to charge Sean Dunn with assaulting a federal officer
-
White House fires new CDC head amid agency exodus
Speed Read CDC Director Susan Monarez was ousted after butting heads with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccines
-
DOGE put Social Security data at risk, official says
Speed Read DOGE workers made the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans vulnerable to identity theft
-
Court rejects Trump suit against Maryland US judges
Speed Read Judge Thomas Cullen, a Trump appointee, said the executive branch had no authority to sue the judges
-
Trump expands National Guard role in policing
Speed Read The president wants the Guard to take on a larger role in domestic law enforcement
-
Trump says he's firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Speed Read The move is likely part of Trump's push to get the central bank to cut interest rates
-
Abrego released from jail, faces Uganda deportation
Speed Read The wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego García is expected to be detained at an ICE check-in and deported to Uganda