Two more Texas Democrats have tested positive for coronavirus after they packed onto private jets without masks and fled to Washington, D.C. to avoid voting on an election reform bill.
The news comes just one day after three of their colleagues also reported that they had contracted the virus.
It brings the number of Texas state lawmakers vin Washington who have tested COVID-positive to five.
San Antonio Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer said on Sunday he was among the two new positive tests.
The news of the additional coronavirus cases among the lawmakers comes on the same day the Vice President Kamala Harris visited Walter Reed Medical Center for a ‘routine’ checkup.
Harris had met with two Texas Democratic lawmakers who tested positive for coronavirus.
On Monday evening, 58 Democratic lawmakers packed into two private jets, chartered at a whopping $100,000, to flee from Texas to Washington, D.C. in order to sabotage Republican’s two voting rights bills.
Other Texas lawmakers joined the group in D.C., but made their own travel arrangements.
During the exodus from the Lone Star State, the Democrats snapped selfies on buses and planes to taunt their Republicans rivals. The images, however, revealed none were adhering to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to wear face coverings on transportation modes like buses, planes and trains.
San Antonio Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer said Sunday he was among the two new positive tests
Austin Rep. Celia Israel said confirmed she was among the initial group of three to test positive
Rep. Israel revealed on Sunday that she had tested positive for COVID on Saturday
Rep. Fischer released a lengthy statement following him testing positive for COVID
‘Today, I received a positive COVID-19 rapid antigen test result. I am fully vaccinated, and had tested negative on Friday and Saturday. I am quarantining until I test negative, and I am grateful to be only experiencing extremely mild symptoms,’ Fischer said in a statement.
Earlier on Sunday, Austin Rep. Celia Israel said in a statement she was among the initial group of three to test positive.
‘After given notice Friday evening that a colleague tested positive for COVID-19, I and my colleagues immediately took rapid antigen tests. While I tested negative, a subsequent test Saturday morning revealed I was now COVID positive. Let this be a reminder that COVID-19 is still very much among us, with infection rates on the rise and more contagious variants spreading nationwide. While I am fully vaccinated, this will not 100% prevent infection,’ Israel said.
The House Democratic Caucus said it would not identify lawmakers who test positive out of respect for their privacy.
All five lawmakers are in self-isolation and will stay there for at least 10 days.
The mass testing began after one member tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday night and immediately alerted colleagues who proceeded to take rapid tests.
A further two Texas Democrats have tested positive for coronavirus during a trip they took to Washington, D.C. bringing the total number to five
On Saturday morning, two additional members tested positive.
The Democrats left the Lone Star State in order to prevent Republicans in the legislature reaching a quorum and denying them the opportunity to pass election integrity legislation that the Democrats were against.
The Democrats’ departure paralyzed the Texas state house as the legislature requires a quorum of two-thirds of lawmakers be present to conduct business.
The Vice President’s officer confirmed Harris would not be getting tested for COVID-19, despite the potential contact with the virus, and the she would not be quarantining.
A White House official said on Sunday that Harris’ visit is just a ‘routine doctor’s appointment’, and asserted it doesn’t have to do with her meeting with Texas Democrats. Harris met with the Texas lawmakers on Tuesday.
The doctor’s appointment comes the afternoon after Harris tweeted: ‘The Delta variant is no joke. Get vaccinated.’
Vice President Kamala Harris went to Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland (right) on Sunday for a ‘routine doctor’s appointment’
On Saturday evening, Harris’ spokesperson Symone Sanders said the vice president did not have direct contact with the individuals who tested positive, and therefore would not be getting tested for the virus or quarantining.
‘On Tuesday, July 13th, Vice President Harris met with members of the Texas state legislature who are temporarily in Washington, D.C. Earlier today, it was brought to our attention that two of the members at that meeting tested positive for COVID-19,’ Sanders said in a statement.
‘Based on the timeline of these positive tests,’ Sanders continued, ‘it was determined the Vice President and her staff present at the meeting were not at risk of exposure because they were not in close contact with those who tested positive and therefore do not need to be tested or quarantined.’
‘The Vice President and her staff are fully vaccinated,’ she added.
At least three of the Texas lawmakers who tested positive for the virus were also vaccinated.
No masks were worn during the meeting with the lawmakers and vice president.
The visit comes after Harris’s office said she will not be quarantining or getting tested after she met on Tuesday with two of the three Texas Democratic lawmakers who tested positive for coronavirus
Harris hosted the group of runaway Democrats from Texas in a closed-door meeting on Tuesday. On Friday one Texas lawmaker tested positive for coroanvirus and on Saturday two more followed suit. All three were vaccinated
As of Sunday night, five of the runaways tested positive for coronavirus – four days after meeting with Harris.
Questions immediately emerged over whether the vice president would quarantine, but her staff assured Saturday that she was not in close contact with the three lawmakers in question, even though two were present at the meeting Tuesday.
Since coming to the district, the group of 60-plus has been staying at a plush hotel in the nation’s capital and schmoozing with many high-powered politicians. They even met with Vice President Kamala Harris during a closed-door meeting on Tuesday.
Several of the Texas Democrats have publicly endorsed wearing face masks, but it seems they are not so enthused about using the coverings in private. The Austin American Statesman claims that the group has only used masks ‘sparingly’ at meetings in DC.
Senator Elizabeth Warren met with a group on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.
The Massachusetts senator’s office did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com when asked if Warren would get tested or quarantine.
Texas State Representative Briscoe Cain told Fox News he thought the news of the COVID positive tests was an ‘excuse to avoid coming back’ and face a vote on the elections overhaul bill.
‘I say prove it,’ Cain said of the positive results. ‘They want a reason to do a 14-day quarantine; they don’t want to come back and do their jobs. If they really have it, prove it.’
At least 60 Texas Democrats fled from the state on Monday to break quorum and block the passage of two voting rights bills. They taunted Republicans by posting selfies from coach buses and private jets were none were pictured wearing masks
The Democrats left Austin to avoid the vote on two election bills, touching down in Washington D.C. on Monday evening in two private jets, which were chartered at $100,000
According to the Austin American Statesman, ‘there was a notable increase in the use of face coverings among lawmakers and Democratic staffers at their hotel on Saturday morning’.
In a statement on Saturday, Rep. Chris Turner, the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, said: ‘The House Democratic Caucus is following all CDC guidance and protocols.
‘This is a sober reminder that COVID is still with us, and though vaccinations offer tremendous protection, we still must take necessary precautions. We are in touch with public health experts in Texas to provide additional guidance. Our caucus will follow all recommendations from public health experts as we continue our work.’
The Texas Democrats fled the Lone Star State in order to break a quorum and block the Republican-controlled Texas State House from passing new voting rights legislation.
Republicans are seeking to pass two new ‘election integrity’ bills, whereby voting would be allowed on election days from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and mail voters would also be asked to verify their identities with a state ID number or the last four digits of their Social Security number.
But Democrats have called the bills ‘restrictive’ and say they are designed to turn citizens off voting and restrict access to the polls in minority communities.
The group fled from Texas before the bills could be voted on, and they plan to wait out the full 30-day legislative session in Washington D.C.
The group are staying at the Washington Plaza Hotel, where rooms start at $199 a night.
Their decision to flee infuriated their Republican rivals, who have voted to arrest them when they return to the state.
Massachusetts progressive Senator Elizabeth Warren met with the group of runaway Texas lawmakers at the Capitol on Wednesday
Since arriving Monday, the group has been staying at a plush hotel in Northwest Washington, D.C. The cost of rooms at the Washington Plaza Hotel night starts at $199
Texas Democrats exit the Washington Plaza on Tuesday morning to board coach buses en route to the Capitol
‘Members, a sergeant-at-arms and any officer appointed by him are directed to send for all absentees whose attendance is not excused for the purpose of securing and maintaining their attendance under warrant of arrest if necessary,’ Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan announced from the State House floor after the vote on Tuesday.
Texas House rules allow the sergeant-at-arms to arrest members who are not present at the Capitol for a vote.
Meanwhile, the Democrats have been in D.C. portraying themselves as heroes in the fight against voter suppression.
VP Harris praised the group, as did Senator Warren, who met with them on Wednesday.
President Biden has not met with the lawmakers but, in a statement, ‘praised their courage’.
The Texas State House adjourned on Tuesday morning. The remaining lawmakers – mostly Republican – voted 76-4 to arrest Democrat members who broke the quorum by fleeing to Washington D.C.
Several of the Democratic Reps have also been active on social media, including Rep. Donna Howard who posted a picture of her wet laundry after she was forced to clean it in the sink at her hotel.
‘You bet we’re recognizing & honoring our country’s heritage’, she wrote on Twitter. ‘As most Texans, tho, this is what we’re doing tonight – using whatever is accessible, washing our clothes in the sink’.
She included a picture of her leopard print t-shirt and panties, three plain pairs of underpants, and a bra drying over the shower rail in her hotel room.
Howard was widely mocked for sharing the picture from her hotel bedroom, with many pointing out she had plenty of time to pack before leaving Texas.
‘You had plenty of time to pack a bag tho’, one user wrote.
Another pointed out she could easily have had her clothes washed at a nearby laundromat, and suggested the tweet was a joke.
‘I can walk two blocks to a laundromat and have them wash, dry, and fold my clothes in like 3 hours for $.75/lb. How is this not a bit?’
Others responded sarcastically to the runaway Texan Democrat, saying: ‘We are in awe of your sacrifice. I cannot even fathom how you are staying strong through these difficult times. A true hero’, one user wrote.
Democratic State Representative Donna Howard was mocked on Thursday after posting a picture of her clothes, saying she washed them in her sink
The tweet comes after fellow runaway Democrat Gene Wu trolled Fox News after it picked up a picture of his ‘first meal as a fugitive’ – a caesar salad – after he posted an image on Twitter.
He followed up with a series of food related tweets and joked he was now working as a Fox News reporter.
‘BREAKING NEWS Fox News!’ Gene Wu wrote on Twitter Wednesday morning. ‘Democrat’s breakfast only includes fruit, yogurt, and coffee!’
He included an image of his breakfast, likely a continental offering at the $199 per night Washington Plaza Hotel.
‘No steak? No whiskey? What a wuss!’ the Democratic Texas lawmaker sarcastically continued in his tweet. ‘(You should pay me… being a Fox News reporter is easy as falling off the back of a pickup truck.)’
He posted an image of a caesar salad Tuesday, saying it was his ‘first meal as a fugitive’
Democratic Texas Representative Gene Wu continued on Wednesday to troll Fox News by posting images of his food as Twitter users excoriate him for making light of him and 60 other state lawmakers fleeing Texas to block passage of Republican voting laws
He told Fox in a tweet Wednesday ‘I made this for you’ along with a picture of his breakfast fruit arranged on his plate in a smiley face
During a press conference in front of the Capitol on Tuesday morning, the large group broke out into song with a Civil Rights-era gospel, and getting the words wrong in claiming ‘we will overcome’ after arriving in D.C. on a pair of jets that cost them $100,000 to charter.
‘I’m not worried about the threat of being arrested,’ Texas State Representative Jasmine Crockett told CNN the morning after arriving in D.C.
‘I don’t worry probably because I know the law,’ she continued. ‘I’ve not committed a crime, so I can’t get arrested.’
Trey Martinez Fischer, a fellow Democratic member of the Texas State House, said Tuesday that the group of around 60 lawmakers plan to wait out the full 30-day legislative session in Washington D.C.
‘This is the risk that we take to stand up for democracy,’ Martinez Fisher told CNN.
The large group of Texas Democratic lawmakers who fled their state on Monday to avoid voting on Republicans’ election legislation held a press conference outside the Capitol on Tuesday morning. The lawmakers broke out in gospel song ‘We Shall Overcome’