House Republicans escalate mask revolt by walking to Senate for 'a taste of freedom'

A group of House Republicans, still enraged over the chamber's reinstated mask mandate, attempted to make a point Thursday by walking to the Senate in protest.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said members came to "the Senate side" for "a taste of freedom," reports Roll Call's Chris Cioffi. The upper chamber's mask policy is still "largely voluntary for now," per HuffPost.
Such mask-mandate displeasure began almost immediately following the Capitol physician's guidance earlier this week, and hasn't stopped since. On Wednesday, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) reportedly threw a mask back in the face of a staffer who offered her one, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) reportedly called House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) a "moron" for suggesting mask requirements are not rooted in science. And the fun continued.
Subscribe to 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.
During a press conference Thursday morning, McCarthy denounced both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for supposedly controlling "every element of our life" and Pelosi for enforcing the latest mandate when the Senate is free to govern maskless, per HuffPost. Meanwhile, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) reportedly confronted McCarthy regarding a "new Capitol Police bulletin that suggests congressional staffers and visitors could be arrested" for violating the mask rule, per Politico. "This is bulls---. We need to lead," said Roy.
Later, in continuation of the day's theme, the group of angry, maskless Republicans walked in protest to the Senate, where what they actually accomplished remains unclear.
The swarm seemingly shortly thereafter returned to the House for a vote, per Cioffi.
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.
-
Book reviews: '1861: The Lost Peace' and 'Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers'
Feature How America tried to avoid the Civil War and the link between lead pollution and serial killers
-
Brian Wilson: the troubled genius who powered the Beach Boys
Feature The musical giant passed away at 82
-
'HBCUs have always had to think more strategically'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Supreme Court clears third-country deportations
Speed Read The court allowed Trump to temporarily resume deporting migrants to countries they aren't from
-
Judges order release of 2 high-profile migrants
Speed Read Kilmar Ábrego García is back in the US and Mahmoud Khalil is allowed to go home — for now
-
US assessing bomb damage to Iran nuclear sites
Speed Read Trump claims this weekend's US bombing obliterated Tehran's nuclear program, while JD Vance insists the US is 'not at war with Iran'
-
Trump's LA deployment in limbo after court rulings
Speed Read Judge Breyer ruled that Trump's National Guard deployment to Los Angeles was an 'illegal' overreach. But a federal appellate court halted the ruling.
-
Marines, National Guard in LA can detain Americans
speed read The troops have been authorized to detain anyone who interferes with immigration raids
-
Trump vows 'very big force' against parade protesters
Speed Read The parade, which will shut down much of the capital, will celebrate the US Army's 250th anniversary and Trump's 79th birthday
-
Smithsonian asserts its autonomy from Trump
speed read The DC institution defied Trump's firing of National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet
-
Trump sends Marines to LA, backs Newsom arrest
speed read California Gov. Gavin Newsom is filing lawsuits in response to Trump's escalation of the federal response to ICE protests