Democratic re-election committee gives out masks in exchange for donations
WASHINGTON (TND) — Though many mask mandates and recommendations have been scaled back recently, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is handing out masks in exchange for political donations.
A fundraising email from the DCCC said the organization would be “giving away” their “special edition facemasks” to supporters who donate $15 or more, according to Fox News.
“It continues to be mind-boggling that, in America, mask-wearing is so tied to political ideology. You can be fairly certain that anyone wearing a mask in August 2022 is a Democrat,” New York Post columnist Karol Markowicz tweeted.
The campaign message reportedly told supporters their donations would go towards an effort “to protect and expand” the current Democratic majority in Congress as the November midterms near.
The facemask giveaway coincides with new guidance from the Centers for Disease and Control (CDC) which eased up on some of the agency’s strictest COVID-19 mitigation recommendations.
“We’re in a stronger place today as a nation, with more tools—like vaccination, boosters, and treatments—to protect ourselves, and our communities, from severe illness from COVID-19,” the CDC’s Greta Massetti said in a statement last week announcing the changes.
Massetti acknowledged “high-quality masks” as one of those “tools,” but she is referring to specialized filtering masks such as N95s. Loosely woven cloth products, as the DCCC appears to be “giving away,” provide the least protection of all facemasks.
The DCCC similarly gave out loosely fitting cloth masks in 2020, but the contribution threshold back then – during the pandemic’s peak – was $35 instead of $15.
The National Desk (TND) reached out to the DCCC for comment, but did not immediately hear back.