Democratic lawmakers are attempting to put a good bit of distance between themselves and the pro-mask stance that many of them took during the thick of the COVID pandemic, according to new reports from The Hill.
The outlet went on to point out the strong pro-mask stance is now becoming more and more of a political liability in the U.S. Many lawmakers have pointed to polls that show President Joe Biden’s approval rating slipping down to 40 percent or less.
Lawmakers are making the claim that COVID fatigue is a huge reason that so many voters are no longer satisfied with the direction the country is going.
via Newsmax:
Biden’s approval rating sank to 37%, a Washington Post-ABC News poll showed Sunday.
The survey conducted ahead of Biden’s State of the Union address showed the president with a 55% disapproval rating.
The Hill noted hardly any Democrat senators wore masks on the House floor when Biden gave his State of the Union address on Tuesday. Brian Monahan, the Capitol’s attending physician, had said people would no longer be required to wear masks in the chamber. Monahan announced masks would be optional.
“More and more Democrats have ditched their masks in the hall of Congress and joined Republican counterparts, who got rid of their face coverings long ago, according to The Hill,” the report went on to say.
Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow quit wearing her mask in the Capitol this week. She revealed the reason for this decision was based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We [Stabenow and her colleagues] have discussed it and now based on the science, it’s really recommended to be an individual decision,” she stated. “Based on what Monahan said, based on D.C. lifting [its mask mandate], it’s become something that’s more of an individual decision.”
The city government in Washington stopped requiring masks be worn at restaurants, bars, sports venues, gyms, and grocery stores on Tuesday of this week.
“Neither Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., nor Biden’s Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson wore a mask when they met for a photo opportunity just off the Senate floor,” Newsmax reported.
“As the president said, Democrats have done a … very good job at getting us out of the COVID mess, and we’re about to turn the corner,” Schumer commented.
Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, believes that masks are laying down a serious hurting on Democrats.
“[Biden] made it political in his campaign against [Donald] Trump, and he’s paying the price for that,” he stated.
“It’s schools and it’s education and it’s parents’ roles in their kids’ education. All that stuff has flowed from that [mask] controversy, and I think they’re paying a political price for it now,” the senator added.