In an impassioned speech on Wednesday morning, Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) railed against the House of Representatives’ reimposed mask mandate, calling for the House to adjourn in protest of the new rule.
Following the new guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Capitol Attending Physician Brian P. Monahan announced on Tuesday evening that masks would immediately be required in the House chamber and all House office buildings. Violators of the mandate will be subjected to $500 fines for the first offense, and up to $2,500 for further offenses.
NEW: Capitol's attending physician reimposes an indoor mask mandate for House office buildings, committee rooms and the chamber.
— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) July 28, 2021
Here's the alert sent out just now to staff ?? pic.twitter.com/51CrRCvCsl
Roy, who represents the area north of San Antonio and west of Austin (Texas’ 21st district), pointed out the absurdity of re-mandating masks while thousands of Wuhan coronavirus-positive migrants enter the country illegally.
Rep. @chiproytx is NOT happy with Democrats, the CDC, and mask mandates.
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 28, 2021
"This institution is a sham." pic.twitter.com/htjjc8vH3J
“The Speaker [Nancy Pelosi] comes down here at 10 o’clock in the morning, saying we’ve got to wear masks, in the people’s house?” Roy said. “We’ve got thousands of people pouring across our border, and Democrats don’t do a darn thing about it, heavily infected with COVID.”
Roy continued by calling the new CDC guidelines “nanny state stuff that will only breed resentment,” and asserting that this resentment had already reached the House floor. He said that the American people are “fed up” with mask mandates and other pandemic restrictions, and ridiculed the idea that representatives cannot fulfill their “constitutional duty” of speaking on the House floor unless they wear a mask.
Roy also implied that the new CDC guidelines send the wrong message about the effectiveness of both masks and Wuhan coronavirus vaccines. He called on Dr. Anthony Fauci to answer “a question about natural immunity” before the new guidelines are enforced.
“If you’ve been infected with the virus, do you have immunity?” Roy said. “Or are they going to go around poking people, saying ‘you must take a vaccine’ … Oh sorry, the vaccine doesn’t work. You must wear a mask.”
Roy concluded his speech by calling the institution of Congress a “sham” and proposing an adjournment vote in protest of the mandate. The motion failed in a 225-197 vote, with seven Republicans joining all 218 Democrats in voting against it.
The House rejected a motion to adjourn offered by @RepChipRoy by a vote of 197-225.
— House Press Gallery (@HouseDailyPress) July 28, 2021
Roy’s speech drew visible applause from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who was sitting directly behind him as he spoke.