After White House Lifts Mask Mandate, Fox News Asks Psaki ‘What Changed In The Science?’

On Tuesday, Fox News’ Bill Hemmer grilled White House press secretary Jen Psaki on the White House recently ending its mask mandate just in time for President Biden’s State of the Union address. 

Washington, D.C., the White House, and the U.S. Capitol all ended their mask mandates in the run up to Biden’s address.

The exchange took place during an interview on Hemmer’s program “America’s Newsroom.”

Hemmer to Psaki: ‘What changed in the science yesterday, Monday, as opposed to a week ago Monday?’

Hemmer informed Psaki of Washington, D.C.’s end to mask mandates Tuesday morning, and that the White House also has stopped mandating masks.

Hemmer asked the press secretary, “Jen, there are no masks in Washington, D.C. as of midnight last night. What changed in the science yesterday, Monday, as opposed to a week ago Monday?”

Psaki replied, “It wasn’t actually yesterday, Bill. What the CDC did is they put out guidance last Friday that identified recommendations depending on what the hospitalization rates are in your part of the country.”

“We’re currently in a part of the country in Washington, D.C., where it’s very low, the rates,” she continued. “So we’re not, the recommendation is not to wear masks. We aren’t wearing masks at the White House, the President’s not going to wear a mask tonight.”

WATCH:

Washington, DC, announced on February 14th that they would be ending both the mask and vaccine mandates. 

On Saturday, it was reported that the Capitol was dropping it’s mask mandate. The rules were so strict that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who refused to comply with them, had already been fined nearly $100,000. 

The White House announced they were dropping their mask mandate starting on the day of Biden’s address.

#SOTUTonight’s Washington DC indoor mask ban will end. They will then be available for optional use at the State of the Union tomorrow. Jen Psaki states that this timing is coincidental because the President has no power to make DC a “green area” for mask wear. pic.twitter.com/HarkDGxzcZ

— Forbes (@Forbes) February 28, 2022

RELATED: ABC’s George Stephanopoulos Breaks The News To Psaki That A Majority Of Americans ‘Question The President’s Mental Capacity’

Friday’s Change in Guidelines by the CDC

“I committed that I would follow the science,” Biden told NBC News, adding that the rollback of mask mandates in states and cities across the country was likely  “premature.”

“And the science as put forward by the CDC and the federal people and I think it’s probably premature but it’s a tough call,” the president said.

The CDC has been updated as of Friday Updated the guidelinesThe evidence now shows that indoor mask wearing is not recommended by the general public.