Three Republican lawmakers will be paying a fine of $500 for failing to comply with a rule requiring them to wear masks on the House floor last month amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reps. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), Marianne Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), and Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) will all pay $500 for not wearing masks during last month’s session, as The Hill reports.
Mast and Van Duyne filed appeals with the House Ethics Committee, but the panel announced on Friday their appeals were rejected.
“It’s evident now that enforcement of any mask rule has become a partisan, political issue, rather than one grounded in science,” Van Duyne wrote in her appeal.
She added, “Masks are now a political statement to which I object, and requiring me to wear one violates my First Amendment rights under the United States Constitution.”
Mast argued in his appeal, on the date of the alleged violation, “I was in full compliance with Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance. I am fully vaccinated and followed the science, which on May 13, 2021, was updated by the CDC to state that ‘fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance in any setting.'”
Correction – my mistake. Got my fines mixed up. Rep. Beth Van Duyne R-TX and Rep. Brian Mast R-FL were fined for not wearing masks on the House floor. Their appeals were rejected by the House Ethics Committee. pic.twitter.com/ybpIYY5Xvo
— Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) June 25, 2021
They both argued the fine violates the 27th Amendment, “which prohibits any change to the salaries of members of Congress until an election has passed,” as The Hill notes.
Miller-Meeks did not file an appeal.
Democrats voted in January to implement new guidelines slapping lawmakers with a $500 fine on the first offense and $2,500 on the second. The fines would be deducted from their pay.
Brian P. Monahan, Congress’s attending physician, announced new mask guidance on June 11.
“The guideline document reflects that fully vaccinated individuals may discontinue mask wear and 6-foot social distance separations in most situations consistent with the CDC revision regarding fully vaccinated individuals of May 13, 2021,” Monahan said.
He did make it clear the policies remain in place for those who have not been fully vaccinated or whose vaccination status is unclear, as The Washington Post reports.
