[Editor’s note: After this post was published, it was reported that two members of the North Carolina congressional delegation — Foxx and Rep. Ted Budd) did indeed text positive for COVID-19.]
It is, of course, not that unusual for North Carolina’s ultra-right-wing congresswoman, Virginia Foxx, to insert her foot in her mouth. From LGBTQ equality to higher education to the behavior of Donald Trump to unemployment, the list of issues on which Foxx has uttered inane comments is a long one.
Now, however, comes this remarkable pair of developments:
In mid-November, Foxx blasted the Democratic leadership of the U.S. House for adopting policies designed to limit the spread of COVID-19 on Capitol Hill. This is from a November 19 story in USA Today which highlighted directives from Speaker Nancy Pelosi to be vigilant in combating the virus by avoiding large gatherings and wearing masks and allowing members to vote remotely:
In contrast to the Republican-led Senate, the House has been emphasizing efforts to maintain social distance including the adoption of a proxy system that allows House members to designate colleagues to cast floor votes on their behalf, thereby limiting physical interaction in the chamber.
But some Republicans, including Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina have criticized the proxy system while Americans show up to on-site.
“We can’t ignore the fact that we’re in the middle of a global pandemic but that does not mean we get to abdicate our duties as members of Congress,” she said to a near-empty chamber Wednesday before Pelosi spoke. “Members of the United States Senate have shown up to conduct their business, so why isn’t the House doing the same?”
Now, over the weekend comes news that Foxx herself is missing from the Capitol because of a positive COVID test — presumably her own. This is from an entry last week in the Congressional Record:
Madam Speaker, due to a test indicating a positive result for a COVID-19 infection during the most recent district work period, I was unable to travel to the Capitol to vote on December 2, 2020. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 228.
As Jerry Williamson writes at Watauga Watch in a post entitled “Does Congresswoman Virginia Foxx have COVID?”:
That’s some strange phrasing right there, folks: “due to a test” of whom? “indicated a positive result” for whom? “during the most recent district work period” — while you were in Watauga County? So you’re quarantining, Madam? Because you’re infected with the virus?
Foxx missed a vote on December 3rd. There haven’t been any votes in the US House since then. Foxx’s official website doesn’t say a word about this. Neither does her Facebook page, which is where Congresswomen sometimes like to make these kinds of announcements.
Don’t the constituents in the 5th District deserve some explanation here?
If Foxx does have COVID, we should all hope she recovers quickly and that it serves to bring her some new insights about the importance of combating the virus as well.
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