Days After Rep. Matt Gaetz Wore a Gas Mask to Vote on COVID-19 Funding, the Virus Killed One of His Constituents
Tara Law, Time•March 8, 2020
As Congress worked to pass an $8.3 billion emergency funding to address the mounting coronavirus outbreak on Wednesday, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida wore a large gas mask on the House floor.
Gaetz posted an image of himself wearing the mask on Twitter Wednesday, later tweeting that he had ultimately decided to back the funding bill, but “didn’t feel good” about its cost.
Reviewing the coronavirus supplemental appropriation and preparing to go vote. pic.twitter.com/wjJ4YY4VZz
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) March 4, 2020
Gaetz’s decision to wear the mask during the legislative session was immediately criticized by some of his colleagues, including Rep. Sean Maloney, a Democrat of New York, who said that Gaetz had shown “extraordinary insensitivity to people who have lost loved ones and are now scared about what’s going on.”
Just two days later, Florida announced that two people had died after contracting the virus, including one of Gaetz’s own constituents.
On Saturday, Gaetz released a statement to say that he was “extremely saddened” by the news.
“I’m confident our community will continue to remain vigilant in combating this disease and pray there will be no further contractions of the virus in Northwest Florida,” Gaetz said.
However, others said that the gas mask incident showed that Gaetz had failed to grasp the seriousness of the outbreak.
Walter Shaub, the former director of the Office of Government Ethics, tweeted on Sunday, “Matt Gaetz mocked fear over the coronavirus. Now one of his constituents is dead. The family of the deceased has got to be wondering whether their representative will finally get serious about protecting them or continue the frat boy pranks.”
Matt Gaetz mocked fear over the coronavirus. Now one of his constituents is dead. The family of the deceased has got to be wondering whether their representative will finally get serious about protecting them or continue the frat boy pranks. pic.twitter.com/48PIKfBlAI
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) March 8, 2020
Before the constituent’s death was announced, Rep. Bobby L. Rush, a Democrat, noted that he had been treated very differently when he wore a hoodie on the floor of the House to draw attention to racial profiling in 2012.
“Guess which one of us was forcibly removed,” Rush wrote.
In 2012, I wore a hoodie on the House Floor to make a statement about the deadly consequences of racial profiling. On Wednesday, @RepMattGaetz wore a gas mask in the chamber, making light of an epidemic that has killed 14 Americans.
Guess which one of us was forcibly removed. pic.twitter.com/nh2LHPeIFW
— Bobby L. Rush (@RepBobbyRush) March 6, 2020
Gaetz deflected criticism against the gas mask on Twitter Sunday, arguing that he had not been mocking the outbreak at all.
“Made light?!?! I was quite serious. The threat to Congress is real, as I explained based on travel and habits like selfies and handshakes,” Gaetz tweeted.
Made light?!?! I was quite serious.
The threat to Congress is real, as I explained based on travel and habits like selfies and handshakes. https://t.co/O9MDM3kAiq
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) March 8, 2020
Matt Gaetz Wore Gas Mask To Mock Coronavirus Concerns. One Of His Constituents Just Died From It.
Sebastian Murdock, HuffPost•March 7, 2020
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) mocked coronavirus concerns by wearing a gas mask on the House floor just days before an infected man from his district died.
“Reviewing the coronavirus supplemental appropriation and preparing to go vote,” he said in a tweet Wednesday before the Senate approved an $8.3 billion emergency funding bill to combat the virus.
In the tweet, Gaetz is seen wearing a gas mask.
Reviewing the coronavirus supplemental appropriation and preparing to go vote. pic.twitter.com/wjJ4YY4VZz
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) March 4, 2020
Just two days later, Gaetz released a statement saying a death from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, had occurred in his district.
“I’m extremely saddened to learn of the first fatality in our district from coronavirus, a Northwest Floridian residing in Santa Rosa County,” he said. “Our prayers are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time.”
Florida officials announced two deaths from the virus on Friday, including the Santa Rosa County man, as well as two new cases in Broward County. That brings the total number of confirmed cases in Florida to seven, according to CBS News.
So far there have been 17 documented deaths from the virus in the U.S., with hundreds more infected across the country. At least 3,000 people have died worldwide. The situation has been further exacerbated by a lack of CDC testing kits for the virus and by an administration that continues to downplay the growing threat.
Matt Gaetz allowed to mock coronavirus with gas mask in congress, after black lawmaker 'forcibly removed' for wearing hoodie
Posted by Sirena Bergman in news
Getty/Twitter/indy100
Democratic congressman Bobby Rush has called out the double standards of the House of Representatives after Republican Matt Gaetz was allowed to wear a gas mask in congress, making light of the coronavirus epidemic, while Rush was "forcibly removed" for wearing a hoodie to raise awareness of racial profiling of black men.
In 2012, Illinois representative Rush wore a hoodie on the house floor. Rush, who is African American, was trying to raise awareness of racial profiling following the shooting of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin. At the time, the incident was widely reported, with some estimates suggesting it received more press than the presidential election.
George Zimmerman, who shot Martin, would go on to be acquitted of murder in 2013, sparking the #BlackLivesMatter movement.
Around one in every 1,000 black men and boys die in America at the hands of the police, making it one of the leading causes of death among this demographic (needless to say, this is not the case for their white counterparts).
It's an issue which lawmakers had systematically failed to address, and Rush's acknowledgement of that fact was important both in its symbolism and visibility – but the establishment disagreed.
Rush was removed based on a rule which doesn't allow members of congress to wear hats, but a hoodie is clearly not a hat. Neither is a gas mask, obviously, but both cover parts of the head and face, so it's hard to understand how logically one could be allowed over the other.
Trump supporting Matt Gaetz presumably thought it would be amusing to come into congress wearing a full gas mask as some sort of joke relating to coronavirus, which has killed 14 Americans.
He claimed that members of congress were the most likely to become infected with coronavirus, because "we fly through the dirtiest airports" and "touch everyone we meet".
This is clearly false. For starters, people in China, which has reported around 80 per cent of the 102,000 cases we've seen thus far, are clearly more at risk than anyone in America. When it comes to risk of death, the main contributing factor is pre-existing conditions.
It's worth noting that in the US 44 million people don't have health insurance, while a further 38 million have "inadequate" insurance. The cost of testing for coronavirus can reach $3,270, more than 3.5 times the average weekly income in America ($865), according to 2017 figures.
The coronavirus outbreak has led to the spread of misinformation (including by President Trump himself), leading to arguably unwarranted panic. However, as cases rise in America, there is clearly reason for concern.
In one fell swoop Gaetz managed to feed in to the hysteria while also mocking a situation which has led to thousands of deaths. Pretty shocking behaviour for an elected official entrusted with representing the interests of the American people.
Sebastian Murdock, HuffPost•March 7, 2020
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) mocked coronavirus concerns by wearing a gas mask on the House floor just days before an infected man from his district died.
“Reviewing the coronavirus supplemental appropriation and preparing to go vote,” he said in a tweet Wednesday before the Senate approved an $8.3 billion emergency funding bill to combat the virus.
In the tweet, Gaetz is seen wearing a gas mask.
Reviewing the coronavirus supplemental appropriation and preparing to go vote. pic.twitter.com/wjJ4YY4VZz
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) March 4, 2020
Just two days later, Gaetz released a statement saying a death from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, had occurred in his district.
“I’m extremely saddened to learn of the first fatality in our district from coronavirus, a Northwest Floridian residing in Santa Rosa County,” he said. “Our prayers are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time.”
Florida officials announced two deaths from the virus on Friday, including the Santa Rosa County man, as well as two new cases in Broward County. That brings the total number of confirmed cases in Florida to seven, according to CBS News.
So far there have been 17 documented deaths from the virus in the U.S., with hundreds more infected across the country. At least 3,000 people have died worldwide. The situation has been further exacerbated by a lack of CDC testing kits for the virus and by an administration that continues to downplay the growing threat.
Matt Gaetz allowed to mock coronavirus with gas mask in congress, after black lawmaker 'forcibly removed' for wearing hoodie
Posted by Sirena Bergman in news
Getty/Twitter/indy100
Democratic congressman Bobby Rush has called out the double standards of the House of Representatives after Republican Matt Gaetz was allowed to wear a gas mask in congress, making light of the coronavirus epidemic, while Rush was "forcibly removed" for wearing a hoodie to raise awareness of racial profiling of black men.
In 2012, Illinois representative Rush wore a hoodie on the house floor. Rush, who is African American, was trying to raise awareness of racial profiling following the shooting of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin. At the time, the incident was widely reported, with some estimates suggesting it received more press than the presidential election.
George Zimmerman, who shot Martin, would go on to be acquitted of murder in 2013, sparking the #BlackLivesMatter movement.
Around one in every 1,000 black men and boys die in America at the hands of the police, making it one of the leading causes of death among this demographic (needless to say, this is not the case for their white counterparts).
It's an issue which lawmakers had systematically failed to address, and Rush's acknowledgement of that fact was important both in its symbolism and visibility – but the establishment disagreed.
Rush was removed based on a rule which doesn't allow members of congress to wear hats, but a hoodie is clearly not a hat. Neither is a gas mask, obviously, but both cover parts of the head and face, so it's hard to understand how logically one could be allowed over the other.
Trump supporting Matt Gaetz presumably thought it would be amusing to come into congress wearing a full gas mask as some sort of joke relating to coronavirus, which has killed 14 Americans.
He claimed that members of congress were the most likely to become infected with coronavirus, because "we fly through the dirtiest airports" and "touch everyone we meet".
This is clearly false. For starters, people in China, which has reported around 80 per cent of the 102,000 cases we've seen thus far, are clearly more at risk than anyone in America. When it comes to risk of death, the main contributing factor is pre-existing conditions.
It's worth noting that in the US 44 million people don't have health insurance, while a further 38 million have "inadequate" insurance. The cost of testing for coronavirus can reach $3,270, more than 3.5 times the average weekly income in America ($865), according to 2017 figures.
The coronavirus outbreak has led to the spread of misinformation (including by President Trump himself), leading to arguably unwarranted panic. However, as cases rise in America, there is clearly reason for concern.
In one fell swoop Gaetz managed to feed in to the hysteria while also mocking a situation which has led to thousands of deaths. Pretty shocking behaviour for an elected official entrusted with representing the interests of the American people.
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