Vaccinated reps can ditch masks

WASHINGTON — Fully vaccinated members of Congress and staffers will no longer have to wear masks on the House floor and in committee rooms, the Office of the Attending Physician said Friday, delighting some GOP lawmakers who have been chafing at the mask requirements.

The new protocol came nearly a month after vaccinated Americans were told they could ditch their masks, and just days before House lawmakers were set to return to Washington following three weeks in their home districts. Before they left, some Republicans invited fines by not wearing a mask on the House floor.

One of those lawmakers, Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., tweeted Friday in a dig at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: “PELOSI CAVES. FREEDOM PREVAILS.”

Another, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, tweeted: “Excellent news! I have been urging the House to lead by example and all fully vaccinated Members to go without masks since April. Great to see the House is FINALLY listening to the science.”

Both of the GOP lawmakers had been fined $500 last month for failing to wear a mask on the House floor. Democrats said they were hoping to ditch their masks, too, but wanted their GOP colleagues to get vaccinated first.