Newly Elected House Republicans Already Eschewing COVID-19 Precautions
The 2020 elections resulted in several House seats being filled by new Republican representatives. They’re currently going through orientation before joining Congress in just under two months. Violations of COVID-19 precautions are already cropping up.
Marjorie Taylor Greene — who ran essentially unopposed in Georgia’s 14th House District — has already been on Twitter boasting that she’s evangelizing her anti-mask sentiments to her orientation classmates. “I proudly told my freshman class that masks are oppressive!” she declared.
Our first session of New Member Orientation covered COVID in Congress.
Masks, masks, masks….
I proudly told my freshman class that masks are oppressive.
In GA, we work out, shop, go to restaurants, go to work, and school without masks.
My body, my choice.#FreeYourFace
— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) November 13, 2020
It doesn’t look like she had to fight too hard to convince her fellow GOP Congressional Representatives-Elect though. In a photo shared by Byron Donalds, who will represent Florida District 19, seven classmates, including Greene and Donalds, can all be seen huddling close together, without masks.
The journey begins the new members of the 117th Congress! @Kat_Cammack @Bethvanduyne @mtgreenee @FischbachMN7 @Santos4Congress @FallonForTexas pic.twitter.com/9x4zkXYDCT
— Byron Donalds (@ByronDonalds) November 13, 2020
Also in the photo are Kat Cammack, for Florida’s 3rd Congressional District, Beth Van Duyne for Texas’ 24th District, Michelle Fischbach for Minnesota’s 7th, George Santos for New York’s 3rd, and Pat Fallon for Texas’ 4th District.
In the background, everyone else in the room appears to be wearing a mask.
The Republican war against COVID-19 protections may have been led boldly and loudly by Donald Trump, who occasionally claimed to support masks and social distancing, though he made a display of avoiding both precautions himself and for the White House, but these new House members seem to be prepared to carry it on with or without him. The new Congressional session begins on January third, so these new members will take office just over two weeks before Trump’s term ends. It remains to be seen how precautions will be enforced in Congress at that time.