Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) looks on during an Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill, in Washington, D.C. on July 29, 2020. (Photo: Graeme Jennings/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
Jan 11, 2021
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal late Monday castigated Republican lawmakers for their life-threatening refusal to wear face coverings and demanded that they be held to account after the Washington Democrat tested positive for Covid-19, a diagnosis that came after she was forced to hide in a room with GOP colleagues who declined to wear masks as a violent pro-Trump mob rampaged through the U.S. Capitol last week.
"This is not a joke. Our lives and our livelihoods are at risk, and anyone who refuses to wear a mask should be fully held accountable for endangering our lives because of their selfish idiocy."
--Rep. Pramila Jayapal
In a furious statement, Jayapal slammed Republican lawmakers for "cruelly and selfishly" refusing to "take the bare minimum Covid-19 precaution and simply wear a damn mask in a crowded room during a pandemic--creating a superspreader event on top of a domestic terrorist attack."
"Too many Republicans have refused to take this pandemic and virus seriously, and in doing so, they endanger everyone around them," said the Washington Democrat, who was holed up for hours in a secured room with more than 100 people during the mob attack.
Jayapal pointed to video footage published by Punchbowl News showing Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Michael Cloud (Texas), and others in the room rejecting surgical masks offered by Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.).
Jayapal, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, called for "serious fines to be immediately levied on every single member who refuses to wear a mask in the Capitol" and said that any lawmaker who declines to put on a face covering "should be immediately removed from the floor by the Sergeant at Arms."
"This is not a joke," said Jayapal. "Our lives and our livelihoods are at risk, and anyone who refuses to wear a mask should be fully held accountable for endangering our lives because of their selfish idiocy."
Jayapal's positive coronavirus test came hours after Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), a 75-year-old cancer survivor, announced her Covid-19 diagnosis Monday and said she believes she was exposed "during protective isolation in the U.S. Capitol building as a result of insurrectionist riots."
"While I feel OK, on my doctor's advice I'm on my way to a local hospital for monoclonal antibody treatment," Coleman tweeted late Monday afternoon. "I thank you for the outpouring of supportive messages. The love you've sent has been overwhelming. Please, wear a mask and social distance."
Jayapal, who toldThe Cut last week that she decided to quarantine following the Capitol lockdown out of fear of a superspreader event, was among those who voiced outrage in response to news of Coleman's positive test, tweeting that "we must hold GOP to the rules on the floor and in the Capitol."
"If they want to play Roulette with their own lives, go for it," Jayapal said. "But no one should be allowed on the floor or in rooms in violation of our rules and public health. We are at risk because of them. Follow the rules or leave."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
coronavirusjan 6 insurrectionmarjorie taylor greenepoliticspramila jayapalpublic healthrepublican partyus house
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal late Monday castigated Republican lawmakers for their life-threatening refusal to wear face coverings and demanded that they be held to account after the Washington Democrat tested positive for Covid-19, a diagnosis that came after she was forced to hide in a room with GOP colleagues who declined to wear masks as a violent pro-Trump mob rampaged through the U.S. Capitol last week.
"This is not a joke. Our lives and our livelihoods are at risk, and anyone who refuses to wear a mask should be fully held accountable for endangering our lives because of their selfish idiocy."
--Rep. Pramila Jayapal
In a furious statement, Jayapal slammed Republican lawmakers for "cruelly and selfishly" refusing to "take the bare minimum Covid-19 precaution and simply wear a damn mask in a crowded room during a pandemic--creating a superspreader event on top of a domestic terrorist attack."
"Too many Republicans have refused to take this pandemic and virus seriously, and in doing so, they endanger everyone around them," said the Washington Democrat, who was holed up for hours in a secured room with more than 100 people during the mob attack.
Jayapal pointed to video footage published by Punchbowl News showing Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Michael Cloud (Texas), and others in the room rejecting surgical masks offered by Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.).
Jayapal, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, called for "serious fines to be immediately levied on every single member who refuses to wear a mask in the Capitol" and said that any lawmaker who declines to put on a face covering "should be immediately removed from the floor by the Sergeant at Arms."
"This is not a joke," said Jayapal. "Our lives and our livelihoods are at risk, and anyone who refuses to wear a mask should be fully held accountable for endangering our lives because of their selfish idiocy."
Jayapal's positive coronavirus test came hours after Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), a 75-year-old cancer survivor, announced her Covid-19 diagnosis Monday and said she believes she was exposed "during protective isolation in the U.S. Capitol building as a result of insurrectionist riots."
"While I feel OK, on my doctor's advice I'm on my way to a local hospital for monoclonal antibody treatment," Coleman tweeted late Monday afternoon. "I thank you for the outpouring of supportive messages. The love you've sent has been overwhelming. Please, wear a mask and social distance."
Jayapal, who toldThe Cut last week that she decided to quarantine following the Capitol lockdown out of fear of a superspreader event, was among those who voiced outrage in response to news of Coleman's positive test, tweeting that "we must hold GOP to the rules on the floor and in the Capitol."
"If they want to play Roulette with their own lives, go for it," Jayapal said. "But no one should be allowed on the floor or in rooms in violation of our rules and public health. We are at risk because of them. Follow the rules or leave."
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal late Monday castigated Republican lawmakers for their life-threatening refusal to wear face coverings and demanded that they be held to account after the Washington Democrat tested positive for Covid-19, a diagnosis that came after she was forced to hide in a room with GOP colleagues who declined to wear masks as a violent pro-Trump mob rampaged through the U.S. Capitol last week.
"This is not a joke. Our lives and our livelihoods are at risk, and anyone who refuses to wear a mask should be fully held accountable for endangering our lives because of their selfish idiocy."
--Rep. Pramila Jayapal
In a furious statement, Jayapal slammed Republican lawmakers for "cruelly and selfishly" refusing to "take the bare minimum Covid-19 precaution and simply wear a damn mask in a crowded room during a pandemic--creating a superspreader event on top of a domestic terrorist attack."
"Too many Republicans have refused to take this pandemic and virus seriously, and in doing so, they endanger everyone around them," said the Washington Democrat, who was holed up for hours in a secured room with more than 100 people during the mob attack.
Jayapal pointed to video footage published by Punchbowl News showing Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Michael Cloud (Texas), and others in the room rejecting surgical masks offered by Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.).
Jayapal, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, called for "serious fines to be immediately levied on every single member who refuses to wear a mask in the Capitol" and said that any lawmaker who declines to put on a face covering "should be immediately removed from the floor by the Sergeant at Arms."
"This is not a joke," said Jayapal. "Our lives and our livelihoods are at risk, and anyone who refuses to wear a mask should be fully held accountable for endangering our lives because of their selfish idiocy."
Jayapal's positive coronavirus test came hours after Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), a 75-year-old cancer survivor, announced her Covid-19 diagnosis Monday and said she believes she was exposed "during protective isolation in the U.S. Capitol building as a result of insurrectionist riots."
"While I feel OK, on my doctor's advice I'm on my way to a local hospital for monoclonal antibody treatment," Coleman tweeted late Monday afternoon. "I thank you for the outpouring of supportive messages. The love you've sent has been overwhelming. Please, wear a mask and social distance."
Jayapal, who toldThe Cut last week that she decided to quarantine following the Capitol lockdown out of fear of a superspreader event, was among those who voiced outrage in response to news of Coleman's positive test, tweeting that "we must hold GOP to the rules on the floor and in the Capitol."
"If they want to play Roulette with their own lives, go for it," Jayapal said. "But no one should be allowed on the floor or in rooms in violation of our rules and public health. We are at risk because of them. Follow the rules or leave."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.