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.
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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.
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