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.
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.
-
Groypers: the alt-right group pulled into the foreground
The Explainer The network is led by alt-right activist Nick Fuentes
-
10 concert tours to see this upcoming fall
The Week Recommends Concert tour season isn't over. Check out these headliners.
-
How to put student loan payments on pause
The Explainer If you are starting to worry about missing payments, deferment and forbearance can help
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants