3 Republicans Fined for Breaking House Mask Mandate, But Most Get Off with a Warning
Twitter/Laauren Boebert
Most of the GOP members of Congress who made a show of defying the House mask mandate Tuesday were taking their stand in the face of nothing more than a warning — only 3 will actually pay a fine for the protest.
Republican Reps. Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Louie Gohmert, Thomas Massie, Chip Roy, Bob Good, Mary Miller, Brian Mast, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, and Beth Van Duyne all flouted Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s longstanding mask mandate on Tuesday, in ostentatious fashion.
The “defiant” anti-maskers treated the act as a photo op, posting their stand on social media with messages casting themselves as freedom-loving followers of science.
#FreeYourFace
Masks are oppressive and nothing but a political tool.
End the oppression! pic.twitter.com/EBvCtBpE6u— Marjorie Taylor Greene ?? (@mtgreenee) May 18, 2021
These patriots stood up to @SpeakerPelosi and said no longer will we go against the science and perpetuate a culture of fear.
It’s time to unmask America.@RepCawthorn @RepBrianMast @RepThomasMassie @RepMTG @RepMaryMiller @RepBobGood @Bethvanduyne pic.twitter.com/MMd3W47EiY
— Rep. Lauren Boebert (@RepBoebert) May 19, 2021
But according to Punchbowl, only three of the courageous bunch will actually face fines under the mandate, while the others will receive only a warning:
Getting hit with $500 fines on Tuesday for a second offense were Reps. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) and Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas).
Those receiving warnings included GOP Reps. Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Thomas Massie (Ky.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Chip Roy (Texas), Bob Good (Va.), Louie Gohmert (Texas) and Mary Miller (Illinois).
The fines are deducted automatically from the lawmaker’s congressional salary. They can appeal to the House Ethics Committee, but since they will need some Democratic support to win those appeals and that’s unlikely to happen.
The fine for a second offense is $2,500.00.
As Punchbowl also notes, the mask mandate remains in place despite recent CDC guidance permitting the removal of masks by fully-vaccinated people in most circumstances because many House Republicans are not confirmed to be in that category. In a CNN survey of members of Congress, 100 percent of Democrats in the House and Senate say they have been vaccinated. But just 44.8 percent of Republican House members and 92 percent of GOP senators say they’ve gotten the jab.
