Three GOP lawmakers fined $500 for defying House floor mask rules

Three House Republicans will be issued $500 fines for defying COVID-19 mask mandates set by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for the House floor.

Reps. Brian Mast, Florida, Beth Van Duyne, Texas; and Mariannette Miller Meeks, Iowa, will be fined after being issued multiple warnings Tuesday, according to The Hill.

Seven other GOP House members could join them in paying fines for refusing to wear masks. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia; Lauren Boebert, Colorado; and Louie Gohmert, Texas, are among those who could face the fines and a formal warning for protesting the mask mandate.

The Republican lawmakers were staging a protest against the mask rules after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced new guidance stating fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks indoors or outdoors, except in certain situations.

Any subsequent offense to breaking the mask mandate could result in a $2,500 fine.