About one in four of the members of the US House of Representatives have not received the coronavirus vaccine, even though it was made available to them three months ago, as Republicans push for the House to resume normal operations.

According to the Washington Post, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said in a letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi that 75% of the members have received their inoculations, claiming that was sufficient to return to normal operation, which was suspended last March as the pandemic swept across the United States.  McCarthy claims to have gotten the information from the House physician’s office.

An informal poll of House members reflect that the Republican caucus who is balking at getting vaccinated.  The Post contacted 42 offices of House members; 24 answered the question whether the member had been vaccinated.  All eleven Democrats who responded had been vaccinated; only four Republicans had.  Eleven Republicans admitted they had not. 

Florida Republicans Gus M. Bilirakis and Michael Waltz said they wanted all seniors in their districts to get vaccinated before they did.  House Minority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana said he did not want to “jump in line” before others.

“Congressman Cawthorn believes that each individual must make their own personal risk assessment in deciding whether or not to receive a vaccination,” North Carolina’s Madison Cawthorn’s office said in a statement.