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Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz wears gas mask on House floor during vote on bill to fund coronavirus fight | TribLIVE.com
Coronavirus

Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz wears gas mask on House floor during vote on bill to fund coronavirus fight

Bret Gibson
Bret Gibson
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AP
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2020, at the National Harbor, in Oxon Hill, Md.

Evidently, a worldwide epidemic and the fact Congress is spending billions of dollars for the United States to be prepared for it is a laughing matter for Matt Gaetz.

Gaetz, a two-term representative from Florida, showed up Wednesday on the House floor wearing a gas mask during a vote for the emergency spending bill.

“Reviewing the coronavirus supplemental appropriation and preparing to go vote,” Gaetz cheekily tweeted before the vote, including a photo of himself wearing the mask.

Gaetz, a Republican, said he wore the mask because he wanted to be conscious about spreading germs.

“Members of Congress are human petri dishes,” he said. “We fly through the dirtiest airports. We touch everyone we meet.”

A statement from Gaetz’s office added, “If there’s anybody that’s going to get coronavirus it’s going to be the United States Congress. House rules do not explicitly allow medical headgear even at this time of heightened concern. This is a rule that should be revisited.”

The House passed the $8.3 billion emergency spending bill to fight the novel coronavirus. The Senate could act on the legislation as soon as Thursday. President Trump is expected to sign it.

The vote passed 415 to 2, with Gaetz voting in favor with most of his Republican and Democratic colleagues.

The virus has sickened over 95,000 worldwide, and has killed more than 3,000, according to Johns Hopkins University.

As of Wednesday evening, there have been 150 cases of the coronavirus confirmed in the United States that has resulted in 11 deaths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not confirmed any cases in Washington, D.C., but three cases have been confirmed in Gaetz’s home state.

Bret Gibson is a TribLive digital producer. A South Hills resident, he started working for the Trib in 1998. He can be reached at bgibson@triblive.com.

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Categories: Coronavirus | News | Politics Election
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