Rep. Lauren Boebert Leads House Rejection Of Pelosi’s Mask Mandate

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) has been a vocal part of a Republican movement this week in Congress to defy Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s new mask mandate.

Pelosi imposed new penalties for failure to wear masks inside all Capitol buildings following updated guidance published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on July 27. The CDC is now advising that even fully vaccinated individuals should wear a mask “indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission.”

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the recommendation is needed because “in rare occasions, some vaccinated people infected with the delta variant after vaccination may be contagious and pass the virus to others.”

Pelosi’s new rules authorize a fine of $500 for a first violation and $2,500 for further violations. She also stated, “Members will be permitted to remove their mask temporarily while under-recognition. To be clear, members and staff must wear masks in the halls of the House at all times except when a member may remove their mask when recognized by the chair.”

Rep. Boebert refused a mask offered to her on July 28 after Pelosi updated the Capitol masking rules.

Boebert spokesman Ben Stout told Breitbart News, “when offered a mask, she returned it with a quick slide across the table.” Boebert was present at the time on the House floor speaking against taxpayer-funded abortions.

“I rise to speak in defense of those who cannot defend themselves, the voiceless, the unborn. I rise to say what we all know to be true that human life begins at conception because we know science is real,” she stated.

Journalists quickly took to Twitter to claim that Boebert “threw” the offered mask back at a Democratic staffer when it was delivered to her. As the representative’s spokesman denied that she threw the mask, he did confirm that she does not intend to comply with the Speaker’s “anti-science, totalitarian mask mandate.”

Boebert said in a written statement, “Americans should not succumb to the bully tactics from extreme leftists. If members of Congress cede our freedoms here, what hope is there for the people we represent?”

She also tweeted that morning, writing “My thoughts on @SpeakerPelosi’s anti-science, totalitarian mask mandate,” followed by a video clip of President Trump saying, “It’s bullshit.”