House to require face masks after Republican who wouldn't wear one tests positive for virus
Source: American Independent
By Josh Israel -June 17, 2020 11:15 AM
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made the decision based on new guidelines from the congressional physician.
After Rep. Tom Rice (R-SC) announced on Monday that he had tested positive for the coronavirus, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will require members to wear face masks. Rice was one of several House Republicans who had refused to wear a face covering in Congress.
Pelosi requested on Tuesday night that all House committee chairs mandate masks at their hearings. "This requirement will be enforced by the Sergeant at Arms and non-compliant Members will be denied entry," a senior aide told the Washington Post. "Ultimately, Chairs will have the option of not recognizing Members in committee proceedings that fail to comply with the mask requirement."
The sergeant at arms will be authorized to bar members without face coverings from committee rooms. Any member who refuses to wear a mask will be allowed to participate in committee meetings virtually, from a remote location.
Pelosi's decision came after congressional physician Dr. Brian P. Monahan updated his safety guidance to require masks for all those "in a limited enclosed space, such as a committee hearing room, for greater than 15 minutes." Masks are also "strongly recommended" for everyone on the House floor and in the Capitol building.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.
Read more: https://americanindependent.com/house-facemasks-requirement-coronavirus-tom-rice-nancy-pelosi-congress-covid-19/
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Rice and other Republicans have refused to take advantage of a recent temporary rule change allowing members to work from home and cast their votes by proxy during the pandemic.
Last month, Rice complained that proxy voting broke more than "230 years of precedent," tweeting that it was "a huge power grab attempt" by Democrats and "violates the Constitution." House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and others in the GOP caucus have challenged the rule in court, though legal experts say the House has wide authority to set its own rules and procedures.
Rice is not the first member of Congress to test positive for the coronavirus. At least seven representatives and one senator have been diagnosed with the virus since the start of the pandemic.
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