Democratic chair Jim Clyburn scolds committee members: Wear a face mask or stay home
Rep. Jim Clyburn says he won’t tolerate committee members coming to in-person meetings without a face mask.
In a scathing rebuke, Clyburn, who heads the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, said he will refuse to recognize panel members who “undermine the safety of everyone in the hearing room” by forgoing a face covering.
“Going forward ... I will not recognize any member of this subcommittee to participate in person in any subcommittee meeting or hearing unless the member is wearing a mask and strictly adheres to the Attending Physician’s [of the Congress] guidance,” the South Carolina Democrat wrote in a letter to ranking member Rep. Steve Scalise, a Republican from Louisiana.
Members who do not wish to wear a mask are free to participate remotely, Clyburn said.
The criticism comes after a handful of Republicans, including Scalise, refused to wear face masks at a June 26 meeting, The Hill reported. Before Friday, the committee was meeting virtually for hearings and briefings, according to the outlet.
Clyburn called the move “perplexing,” considering it was Republican members who had “asked repeatedly to hold in-person hearings” again, with Scalise assuring it “could be done safely,” according to the letter.
“Masks save lives,” Clyburn wrote. “As Members of Congress, we have a responsibility to protect our colleagues, our staffs, our witnesses, the Capitol Police and custodial and other frontline workers from potentially deadly exposure to the coronavirus.”
In recent weeks, the U.S. has seen a resurgence of COVID-19 cases as states continue to relax social distancing guidelines. As of Monday, the nation recorded more than 2.5 million coronavirus cases and over 125,000 deaths, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University.
In his letter, Clyburn pointed to guidance from the attending physician requiring members to wear masks at committee meetings. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released similar guidance stating that face coverings are effective at reducing the spread of COVID-19.
Masks are recommended “in public settings when around people outside of their household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain,” according to the public health agency.
Republican Rep. Mark Green, who was among those without a face mask at Friday’s meeting, argued they weren’t necessary because panel members were practicing safe social distancing.
“We are 6 feet apart. We don’t need a mask,” Green said, according to The Hill. “When I came in today, I put my mask on because I walked past people. Now that I’m in a seat, I don’t need a mask.”
Clyburn has since threatened to end the in-person meetings altogether if Republicans refuse to adhere to the guidance, the outlet reported.
This story was originally published June 29, 2020 at 4:30 PM with the headline "Democratic chair Jim Clyburn scolds committee members: Wear a face mask or stay home."