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House Republicans have been blasting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over several issues as of late, including the January 6 select committee. Pelosi recently mocked House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy over his outrage towards the reinstatement of the mask mandate.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Pelosi mocked the House Minority Leader, who criticized the reinstatement of the mask mandate in the Capitol. McCarthy earlier called the reinstatement of masks on the House floor is contrary to the science. McCarthy added that the Democratic Party is using the mask mandate as a political tool, and unsurprisingly earned him backlash from many on social media.
The mandate comes as growing concerns of the Delta variant of COVID-19, which can jump to those who have been vaccinated and unknowingly affect others. Most of the House Republicans have either refused to acknowledge or disclose whether they have been vaccinated or not, contrary to House Democrats, who have all disclosed that they have been vaccinated. Many House Republicans have also refused to abide by wearing masks on the House floor, resulting in fines.
“He’s such a moron,” said Pelosi regarding McCarthy’s rant. The attending Capitol physician reimposed the mask mandate. Pelosi’s comments also follow reports that one aide of the House Speaker and two Representatives tested positive for COVID-19 in recent weeks. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee also had to postpone a hearing after some members of the committee were partially exposed.
The House dropped its mask mandate six weeks ago out of optimism that the US had mostly overcome the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Pelosi weighed in on the question of whether US President Joe Biden had the authority to cancel student debt, an issue being advocated by several progressive lawmakers in the House and the Senate, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. During a press briefing, Pelosi said that Biden does not have the authority to cancel thousands of dollars in student debt, suggesting that those who believe that Biden can do it on his own are misinformed.
“The president can’t do it,” said Pelosi during the briefing. “That’s not even a discussion.”
Pelosi added that any proposal of student debt forgiveness would be carried out by Congress.
