Rep. Andy Harris is fed up with being locked down.
“They promised 2 million dead at the beginning of this,” Harris fumed to constituents during a recent teletown hall, later adding, “The media has a vested interest in making things sound worse so that you tune in the next day.”
The conservative Maryland Republican also joined a “reopen America” protest, where he delivered a fiery speech to a crowd of demonstrators without wearing a mask, and ripped into the restrictions at a congressional hearing last week, during which he lamented that “we’re safer from death if we’re not born.”
And Harris — an anesthesiologist who served as a medical officer in the Naval Reserve — is not alone. A growing list of House hard-liners say they have reached their breaking point with the stay-at-home orders, which flipped a switch on the once-booming economy in a bidto limitthe spread of coronavirus.
In recent weeks, Republicans have been angrily lashing out at the media, local and state officials and House Democratic leadership over the continued shutdown — and are now actively encouraging the fired-up protesters swarming state capitols across the country.
“It’s ludicrous, it’s arbitrary and it’s absolutely unnecessary,” said Rep. Jody Hice (R-Ga.), whose state has been one of the earliest to lift coronavirus restrictions. “In some cases, there’s no evidence whatsoever that they eliminate the spread of Covid-19. It’s just abusive, dictatorial, tyrannical-type leadership.”
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, is also cheering on the protests.
“It’s organic, it’s nonpartisan, and it’s basically an effort to send a message to government,” he said. “It’s clear people across all spectrums are feeling the pain of these government actions.”
The push among GOP lawmakers to end isolation orders comes as activist groups look to mobilize the conservative grassroots just as they fueled the tea party movement a decade ago. The move is intended not only to give the economy a boost but also potentially build momentum on the right ahead of the November elections.
“Time will tell if this will turn into a tea party-type movement,” Hice said of the growing social unrest. “Part of me is hopeful this will begin a movement of Americans taking a stand for constitutional liberties that have been eroding for quite some time, but rapidly eroding through this pandemic.”
Yet for all the heated protests taking place — and as several states begin to wind down restrictions — the desire to immediately end the lockdowns remains a minority opinion. According to new polling, most Americans do not feel comfortable with their states reopening salons, gyms, movie theaters and other businesses.
That might explain why some Republicans have taken a more measured approach to the debate, acknowledging it’s difficult to strike a balance between public health concerns and the need to get the economy humming again. And even if the economy is technically reopened, it’s not clear there will be many customers if fear of the virus is widespread.
“No matter what decision you make, there’s going to be people second-guessing it,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas.), who is up for reelection this fall.“You need to do it gradually and you need to be careful. … We all know how to manage risks in our own life — that’s if we have good information and know how to do that. But right now people are being inundated.”
President Donald Trump — who has also encouraged protesters with tweets to “liberate” Democratic-run states — recently tapped a bipartisan congressional task force to explore ways to get the nation back to work. It’s a sign the White House wants some bipartisan buy-in for reopening the economy, one of the most consequential decisions that will be made during the pandemic.
Coronavirus casualties are still climbing, with over 80,000 Americans dead from the virus thus far. Republicans who have been clamoring to reopen the country have faced accusations from Democrats that they care more about the economy than people’s lives.
Many GOP lawmakers, however, counter that continuing the lockdown carries its own set of health risks, pointing to the increase in suicides and routine health exams getting pushed to the back burner.
“We need to get back to our way of life, because there are serious mental health issues,” said House GOP Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.). “You’re seeing suicides on the rise.”
Others have given more blunt assessments. Rep. Trey Hollingsworth (R-Ind.) told a local radio station last month that the health risks are the “lesser of two evils” compared with the economic damage from the virus.
Republicans have also begun to decry the stay-at-home orders as a violation of constitutional rights — a call to arms that plays directly to the right’s fears about government overreach.
“Power has gone to their heads, and they believe government is the answer to everything,” said GOP Rep. Debbie Lesko of Arizona, who accused Democratic Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot of going “ballistic” with her threats to jail people who violate social distancing orders.
Meanwhile, Hice and Biggs wrote a letter to Trump over Easter weekend voicing concern that virus-related restrictions on public gatherings are infringing on Americans’ religious freedoms. They’ve complained that in some places, you can buy alcohol and a lottery ticket but can’t attend your place of worship.
“Just because we have a pandemic does not mean our constitutional rights evaporate or disappear,” Hice said. “I believe there’s a tremendous abuse of civil liberties in certain cases across the country, and I’m hopeful some of these people will be held accountable.”
Attorney General William Barr has said the Department of Justice is monitoring the stay-at-home orders to ensure they don’t violate civil liberties, and he didn’t rule out stepping in if states go too far.
Republicans have also slammed various reports of law enforcement aggressively going after people and businesses who violate the rules.
“I don’t think [the police] should be going after them at all. … It’s overkill,” Biggs said. “That’s where you begin saying, have we crossed the line? In some states, have we become martial law?”
The debate over reopening the country is also playing out in the Capitol. The Senate returned to D.C. last week, but Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has delayed the House’s return, citing recommendations from the Capitol physician.
Republicans hammered Pelosi for keeping lawmakers away from Washington in the middle of a crisis that requires congressional action. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) is seeking signatures for a letter calling on the GOP to come back to D.C. no matter what this week and blaming the high infection and death rates in New York on “poor leadership at the state level.”
“This is why we, as Republicans, must demonstrate leadership for the country by safely and responsibly coming back to work in Washington in order to minimize an impending economic calamity which could ultimately cost lives and dramatically increase misery across the United States,” the letter states, according to a draft copy obtained by POLITICO.
Some lawmakers have defiantly chosen not to wear masks in the Capitol. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), however, vigorously defended his decision not to wear a facial covering, maintaining that he is immune to the virus because he already contracted it in March while also denouncing the “Nanny State.”
“Modern medicine shows us that immunity is based on having antibodies,” Paul tweeted. “Why are fake news media and [petty] tyrants denying medical science? They so want to have everyone submit to busybody rules and regulations that they can’t stand it that someone might be immune and therefore immune to their people controls.”
Still, even Republicans who strongly oppose the stay-at-home restrictions said the public should keep in mind the dangers of the virus when resisting.
“We have to be careful as elected officials,” said Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.). “It’s an American thing to protest, while at the same time, we should encourage responsibility and health precautions as part of the protests.”
*story by Politico