A surge of new coronavirus positives in the White House and Congress has renewed the ongoing and ever-intensifying debate on face masks.
Last week, President Trump and the first lady were confirmed as positive for COVID-19; several other White House aides, Trump staffers, and Republican senators also received positive diagnoses.
Individuals who have tested positive for the infamous COVID-19 are taking their own measures to quarantine; however, this is not enough for Democrats in the upper congressional chamber.
According to Washington Examiner, Democrats in the Senate are now pushing for a resolution that would force senators to wear face masks.
A Closer Look at the Push for Mandatory Masks in the Senate
The proposed resolution is being headed by Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Chuck Schumer, the Senate Minority Leader. Both Schumer and Klobuchar maintain that everyone in the Senate should wear a mask; furthermore, both Democrats seek to enact a “robust testing regime” for Capitol Hill employees.
If the liberal senators get their way, Senate members will have to test negative for the virus prior to voting on the body’s floor. Likewise, senators exposed to COVID-19-positive persons will have to quarantine for two weeks, before a return to Congress.
Republicans must halt this increasingly reckless Supreme Court process, and the Senate needs thorough COVID testing immediately.
Americans see the similarity between the GOP willingness to put Senators and staff at risk and their willingness to rip health care from millions.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) October 6, 2020
In a statement, the Senate Majority Leader asserted that the upper congressional body has turned into a “hotspot” for coronavirus. The Democrat senator then declared that Republicans in the Senate must ” join [Democrat senators] here in reality” before slamming the GOP’s alleged “inaction.”
Why is the Forced Masking Push Likely to Fail?
At this time, Republicans maintain control in the U.S. Senate. For this reason, the resolution being proposed by Sens. Klobuchar and Schumer is unlikely to go anywhere.
The Senate also remains free of a mask requirement; unlike most Democrats, the GOP tends to favor individuals’ choices on whether or not they wish to wear a mask.
The vast majority of senators have not tested positive for coronavirus; however, in the cases of senators who received positive coronavirus diagnoses, they’ve already gone into self-isolation.
If Democrats were serious about providing the American people needed relief in the coming weeks, they would immediately ask for that package to be reconsidered and voted on in both chambers.
— David Perdue (@sendavidperdue) October 7, 2020
At this time, there is nothing to indicate that GOP Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will make any moves to advance Schumer and Klobuchar’s forced masking resolution.
Do you think U.S. senators should be forced to wear face masks? Do you believe that face masks are as effective as certain groups have claimed? We want to know your thoughts in the comments section below!
