“Essentially the floor of the Congress is a Petri dish. We all fly into these dirty airports, we touch and selfie everyone we meet, and then we congregate together.”
-Matt Gaetz
Rep. Matt Gaetz wore a gas mask to Wednesday’s House vote on the $8.3 billion bill for emergency funding to help tackle the issue.
Gaetz’s decision was not in line with the administration’s recommendations. U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams tweeted last week, “Seriously people — STOP BUYING MASKS! They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus.”
Gaetz said he was allowed to wear the mask on the floor because “there are provisions in the House rules that permit medically necessary headgear.” Asked if he planned on wearing it regularly, he said, “Great question.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D.-Calif,, didn’t sound amused when she heard about the stunt. “I didn’t even know that he was doing that but they advised us not to wear masks,” Pelosi said.
The Sergeant at Arms eventually asked Gaetz to remove the mask.
The bill’s passage marks the first major step taken by Congress to address the outbreak. The Senate could act on the legislation as soon as Thursday
The vote was 415-2. Gaetz voted in support of the bill. Two Republicans, Andy Biggs of Arizona and Ken Buck of Colorado, voted against it.
