The GOP base is still resentful over the covid response

House Republicans aren’t ready to forgive and forget on pandemic mandates and closures.

On Capitol Hill, House Republicans are focused this week on delivering a political message to their base: The pandemic has long been over and the Biden administration doesn’t realize it.

For many Americans, the relentless focus on covid seems largely a thing of the past. Far fewer people are wearing masks, businesses and schools are mostly open, and many people are living with the threat of contracting the virus.

But among activist Republicans, immense resentment persists at government policies aimed at curbing the pandemic, such as vaccine mandates, school closures and mask requirements. And that’s shaping up to be a significant part of the GOP’s messaging as anger bubbles up among potential Republican presidential contenders and newly empowered House Republicans, Yasmeen Abutaleb, Isaac Arnsdorf and I report.

For Democrats, the push is an extension of conservatives’ insistence on embracing false conspiracy theories, like saying vaccines are harmful and the virus isn’t real.

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