Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., is losing a lot of money for continuing to defy a mask mandate in the House of Representatives — nearly $50,000 so far, to be exact.
The fines, which are automatically deducted from her Congressional paycheck, account for close to one-third of her total salary of $174,000.
A spokesperson for the controversial Georgia lawmaker, Nick Dyer, told the Washington Post last week that she has been fined at least 20 times for appearing in the House chamber without a mask on, costing her a total of $48,000 so far this year. Just last month, Greene tweeted that she had incurred more than $25,000 in fines.
She was first cited for the breach of House rules back in May, a charge which carried a $500 fine. Each subsequent offense cost her $2,500. A press release this week from the House Ethics Committee details four recent fines she incurred — including three subsequent days, from Sept. 27-29, that Greene was spotted not wearing a mask inside the House chamber. Of the 10 citations currently listed on the HEC website, it appears Greene has only filed an appeal in one of them.
Still, she has remained obstinate despite the mounting fines she continues to incur, releasing a fiery statement this week railing against "communist Democrats," who she at one point called "tyrannical dictators" for instituting public health measures amid an ongoing pandemic.
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"I will continue my stand on the House floor against authoritarian Democrat mandates, because I don't want the American people to stand alone," Greene said.
And she isn't the only Republican lawmaker to rack up fines for defying House's mask rule — fellow Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde also has lost $30,000 in his own stand against the chamber's COVID-19 prevention measures.
Greene's fines are just the latest hit she's taken in what is likely a rough few weeks, financially, for the Congresswoman. As Salon reported last month, the Georgia representative likely took a large hit on her investment in a company linked to former President Donald Trump's new media venture, according to financial disclosure documents.
She purchased shares in the SPAC, Digital World Acquisition Corp., after it had skyrocketed more than 800% — to a high of $118.80 — following Trump's announcement that he would be using the company to take his new venture public. But just after her purchase the stock's value plummeted, and it is now sitting at $58 a share.
As for Greene's mask-wearing, it appears the standoff will continue for the near future.
She filed a lawsuit back in July against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over her decision to institute a mask mandate, arguing that the rule violates the 27th Amendment — which concerns payment for Congresspeople — though the case is still ongoing.
More Salon reporting on Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene:
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