News: CDC can’t stop the spread of mask politics

Wednesday, July 28, 2021

CDC can’t stop the spread of mask politics

Jul 28, 2021

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By Myah Ward

People wear masks while walking in Grand Central Terminal in New York City.

People wear masks while walking in Grand Central Terminal in New York City. | Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

'EMBARRASSING' — The mask wars are back.

Two members of Congress — Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) and Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) — had a tense encounter outside the House chamber after Huffman witnessed Donalds, unmasked, in an elevator, POLITICO's Sarah Ferris, Olivia Beavers and Heather Caygle report. Earlier in the day, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) threw a mask in the face of a floor staffer who offered her one for being unmasked. Roughly two dozen House Republicans disregarded the new guidance and opted not to wear a mask on the floor — risking a $500 fine.

From GOP members of Congress to state leaders in hot spots across the country, Republican voices are describing mask mandates in conspiratorial tones, as a Democratic ploy to maintain power.

"Make no mistake—The threat of bringing masks back is not a decision based on science, but a decision conjured up by liberal government officials who want to continue to live in a perpetual pandemic state," House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said on Twitter Tuesday night.

After Quinton Lucas, Kansas City's Democratic mayor, said he would unveil details of an indoor mask mandate today, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a Republican, said, "To the great people of Kansas City: I will be filing a lawsuit to protect your freedoms."

"This mask mandate is about politics & control, not science," Schmitt tweeted today.

Nightly talked with Lucas about why he thinks an indoor mask mandate is necessary in his city, and how the return of the mask wars might affect the next stage of the pandemic. This conversation has been edited.

Tell me what your mandate means.

What it reflects is the embarrassing position the state of Missouri is in right now. For several weeks now, our state has been an epicenter of Covid.

It's been frustrating to hear rhetoric from some in our state, particularly out of our state capitol, who are suggesting that this has been drummed up in some way by folks who are trying to terrify the public. The real story is, we have hospitalizations that are matching the numbers we last saw in January.

Does your new guidance match the CDC's recommendation for masks in school?

Our order would be for people who are 5 and up. And so for at least the first few weeks of school, we would have masks.

Mike Parson, Missouri's Republican governor, signed a bill in June that limits local jurisdictions' power to introduce Covid restrictions. How did that affect your mask mandate?

They didn't curtail it entirely, unlike in some other states.

There's a political debate about this — whether mask mandates are business restrictions. Our view is they are not. Business restrictions, due to the governor's order, can last only several weeks, and then need to be renewed by the legislative body.

What's more, we're only trying to have it last for a few weeks, after which point I hope we're in a better place in Missouri.

We're seeing similar rhetoric at the local and federal level, from Missouri's AG and from McCarthy, for example. How do you respond?

I think it's time for people to be realistic and responsible with their rhetoric, and unfortunately, the minority leader is not. Unfortunately, my state attorney general is not. It's unfortunate, but it won't change what we're doing: listening to medical advice. We listened to the Centers for Disease Control under President Trump. We will listen to the Centers for Disease Control under President Biden. And I think that's the way that we actually try to make sure we keep people safe, rather than anyone wanting control.

I'm a guy from Middle America who likes football, likes eating out, and who likes his family. I want to see us have full stadiums this year. I don't want to see everyone in masks. I want to see kids be able to get beyond this pandemic. But to do all of those things, we need to actually get beyond the pandemic.

Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas for us at nightly@politico.com. Or contact tonight's author directly at mward@politico.com or on Twitter at @MyahWard.

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From the Health Desk

STEERING CLEAR OF THE M WORD — The White House is readying its most aggressive action to date on Covid vaccinations. But it's trying to avoid one word: mandate.

President Joe Biden is due to issue a directive Thursday requiring some 2 million federal employees to attest they've received the shot or submit to weekly testing, according to four people familiar with the plans. The move would avoid the kind of top-down order Biden has resisted using for months to contain the virus. But it would give federal departments and agencies discretion to force certain employees to show proof of vaccination, as the Department of Veterans Affairs did this week with its front-line health workers.

Federal officials today were finalizing details on the policy. Two people familiar with the discussions said to expect an agency-by-agency response.

While details remain in flux, the people close to the conversations said it would serve as a powerful incentive for unvaccinated individuals to get shots, without conflicting with the administration's earlier insistence that it would not impose a mandate.

Ask The Audience

Nightly asks you: As the Delta variant leads to increased cases around the nation, are you changing your behavior this summer? Send us your answers using our form, and we'll feature select responses in Friday's edition.

What'd I Miss?

— Senate advances on bipartisan infrastructure deal: The Senate voted to move forward today on a bipartisan infrastructure deal , a major breakthrough after weeks of plodding negotiations. In a 67-32 vote, 17 Republicans joined all 50 Senate Democrats in beginning to consider the $550 billion package. While Wednesday's vote is a positive sign, it could be a week or more before the bill ultimately clears the chamber. And trouble still looms, with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) voting for the package but indicating she will seek to pare down the cost, infuriating progressives in the House.

— Vaccinated visitors from EU and US to avoid quarantine in England: Travelers from the European Union and the United States who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus will soon be able to avoid quarantine when arriving in England . Confirming the move after weeks of negotiations, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said today: "We're helping reunite people living in the US and European countries with their family and friends in the U.K." He said that after 4 a.m. on August 2, people from the U.S. and EU would be able to come to England from an amber country without having to quarantine, "if they're fully vaxxed."

— DOJ fires warning shot against 'unusual' post-election ballot reviews: The Justice Department today issued another warning aimed at states conducting or considering audits of ballots tallied in last year's election , reminding election authorities that allowing ballots to be mishandled can violate federal law. While the Biden administration "guidance" document carries no formal legal weight and may not strike fear into local officials, the Justice Department used the release of the legal analysis to press against Republican-led audits of the 2020 vote in Arizona and other states, as well as voting changes many GOP-controlled states are pursuing as part of purported anti-fraud efforts.

— Abbott aims to restrict immigrant travel through Texas, citing rising Covid-19 infections: Republican Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order today designed to restrict border entries in Texas , saying the action would cut down on Covid-19 infections, as his party continues to criticize the president's handling of the border. The move comes about a month after the governor vowed to build a border wall in Texas, a nod to former President Donald Trump's plan to curb migration.

— Adams, New York delegation present a united front after candidate's criticism of the left: Democratic mayoral nominee Eric Adams downplayed his recent criticism of the party's left wing and said it would not be a hindrance to working with members of New York City's congressional delegation during a meeting with the group Wednesday in Washington, D.C. "After election day, we're no longer campaigning — we're governing," Adams told reporters after the meeting. "I'm in the campaign season. I need to show the differences on philosophy between those whom I'm running against, and then January 1 when I'm governing it's all about making sure everyone's at the table."

— Warren ties California recall to 'Trump Republicans' in latest Newsom ad: California Gov. Gavin Newsom is enlisting national Democratic star power to fight a looming recall vote by launching an ad today featuring Sen. Elizabeth Warren. The Warren-starring spot is hitting the airwaves three weeks before ballots start landing in California voters' mailboxes. The Massachusetts progressive warns that "Trump Republicans" who have been "attacking election results and the right to vote" are "coming to grab power in California," before urging Californians to stymie conservatives by voting against the recall.

STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.

AROUND THE WORLD

BRUSHBACK FROM BEIJING — In a veiled warning to Brussels, Chinese officials urged an end today to "politicizing the issue of origins tracing" amid growing pressure on Beijing to allow for a more thorough investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.

The statement, made by China's mission to the EU, comes after Research and Innovation Commissioner Mariya Gabriel added her name on Tuesday to a group of scientific experts and government representatives from the U.S., Australia and Japan. In a statement, they called on the "Chinese government to reconsider its decision to not engage in the World Health Organization's proposal for the next phase of the COVID-19 origins study."

Earlier in the month, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus asked China to be "open and to cooperate" with its ongoing mission to pinpoint the origins of the virus, first detected in Wuhan. In particular, the WHO has asked China to provide raw data from early days of pandemic, which so far it has refused to do.

SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" TODAY: Power is shifting in Washington and in communities across the country. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. The Recast is a twice-weekly newsletter that explores the changing power dynamics in Washington and breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics and policy in America. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country and hear critical new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out, SUBSCRIBE . Thank you to our sponsor, Intel.

Nightly Number

Near 0

The rate at which the Federal Reserve held interest rates today. Fed Chair Jerome Powell today downplayed concerns that the latest Covid spread tied to the Delta variant could cause significant financial pain to Americans, saying that even though the health consequences could be serious for those infected, the economy has grown more resilient to the virus.

Parting Words

EUROPE EASES INTO NORMAL — Europe is learning to stop worrying and live with coronavirus. But some countries are taking different routes to plot their return to normal.

Case numbers are once again skyrocketing, thanks to the Delta variant. But this is less worrying to European leaders as vaccines are keeping hospitalizations and deaths well below last year's levels, Jillian Deutsch, Cornelius Hirsch and Carlo Martuscelli write.

This means EU leaders are changing the way they view the virus, looking more at hospitalization rates rather than case numbers to assess its spread.

"200 is the new 50," German Health Minister Jens Spahn declared last week, referring to the country's long-standing weekly benchmark of 50 new cases per 100,000 people as critical. Berlin's higher threshold reflects the fact that infections now yield far fewer hospitalizations.

Italy, similarly, said this month that it will give greater weight to hospitalizations when determining whether to implement new restrictions.

In effect, Europe has entered a new phase of the pandemic, but political leaders are struggling with a new set of unknowns: The effect of vaccines; the risk of more variants; and a potential spike in serious illnesses. At the same time, Europeans desperately want to return to normal — and their leaders want to kick-start economic growth.

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