The Coronavirus outbreak isn’t over. Just look at what’s been happening in China, Hong Kong, and South Korea this past week. But in the halls of Congress, it’s obvious that many in both parties are moving on — and that was clear on a number of fronts in recent days.
On Tuesday, the Senate voted 57-40 to repeal a federal requirement that people wear masks when traveling on planes, trains, and buses.
While Georgia’s two U.S. Senators voted to keep the COVID mask mandate in place through April 18, eight Democrats broke ranks to join with Republicans in voting to go mask-free while traveling, clearly demonstrating the change in sentiment after two years of the outbreak.
Across the Capitol, 17 House Republicans filed a federal lawsuit against the mask requirement for travelers, arguing Congress never specifically authorized such an option.
“It’s time to bring an end to the CDC’s medical tyranny,” said U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Athens.
“It’s time to stop wearing masks on airplanes,” added U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome. “Enough is enough.”
Meanwhile, the White House was publicly pleading with Congress to fund extra work on new Coronavirus antivirals, monoclonal antibody treatments, and vaccines for future variants — but wasn’t getting very far, especially with GOP lawmakers.
“Waiting to provide funding until we’re in a surge will be too late,” the White House told U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who yanked the COVID money out of a massive Omnibus spending bill earlier this month — because too many Democrats objected to how it was to be paid for.
But even as the White House was complaining about the lack of COVID funding — and warning about what might be next — officials announced that public tours will resume at the Executive Mansion on April 15.
While the U.S. Capitol officially remains closed to the public because of the virus, there were plenty of people in the hallways wearing ‘TOUR’ badges this past week, escorted around by House and Senate staffers.
Outside, we are seeing many more school groups making their way to the Capitol to meet with lawmakers — like a group of students from Georgia State University, who exchanged fist bumps and smiles with U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock this week.
But amid all the changes, there was one discordant note, as a series of House Democrats announced they had the Coronavirus, a reminder that the virus is still around.
While most Americans have thrown off their masks and moved on, the U.S. continues to average over 1,000 deaths every day from COVID-19.
At that pace, the nation will hit 1 million virus deaths around Easter.
Jamie Dupree has covered national politics and the Congress from Washington, D.C. since the Reagan administration. His column appears weekly in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. For more, check out his Capitol Hill newsletter at http://jamiedupree.substack.com
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