众议院第二资深的肯塔基州共和党众议员哈尔·罗杰斯告诉美国广播公司新闻，他已经向俄亥俄州众议员乔伊斯·贝蒂道歉，此前她说，当她要求他戴上口罩时，他拒绝戴上口罩，而是戳了戳她，让她“亲我的屁股。”
“今天下午，我会见了国会女议员贝蒂，亲自向她道歉。我的话是不可接受的，我首先向她表达了我的遗憾，”罗杰斯在一份声明中说。
国会黑人核心小组主席贝蒂，发推周二下午，一条关于他们交换的帖子在发布后不到一小时内获得了1万多个赞和5000个转发。
“今天，当我前往众议院投票时，我恭敬地要求我的同事@RepHalRogers在登上火车时戴上口罩。然后他捅了捅我的后背，要求我上车。当我要求他不要碰我时，他回应说，‘亲我的屁股，’”这位俄亥俄州议员在推特上写道。
曼德尔·恩根/法新社，通过盖蒂图像，文件
在这张2022年1月17日的档案照片中，众议员乔伊斯·比蒂，国会大厦的女主席...
她写道:“这是我们多年来一直在斗争的那种不尊重，也表明了我们面临的更大问题，共和党议员炫耀旨在保护我们和我们员工安全的健康和安全授权。
在第三条也是最后一条推文中，贝蒂给罗杰斯的推特账号加了标签，并说:“当你准备好长大并为自己的行为道歉时，你就知道去哪里找我了。”
周二晚上，国会黑人核心小组成员在国会大厦台阶上举行了一次新闻发布会，要求罗杰斯为他们所说的对贝蒂的身体和语言“攻击”道歉，并描述了国会大厅的总体无礼行为。
正在竞选参议员的佛罗里达州众议员瓦尔·戴明斯说:“我不会让哈尔·罗杰斯通过。“听着，我们都在处理同样的事情，但他针对乔伊斯·贝蒂的种族主义、不恰当的行为是完全不可接受的。我们不会容忍这种情况。”
党团第一副主席史蒂文·霍斯福德(Steven Horsford)补充说，“我们在此团结一致，呼吁该成员向我们的主席正式道歉，并理解他行为的严重性以及他今天表现出的不礼貌。”
共和党人罗杰斯向民主党人贝蒂的道歉，在今天的超党派国会中是罕见的。
共和党人违背面具的要求自从去年在新冠肺炎疫情事件中随着国会领导层的更换而强制实施以来，尽管公共卫生专家推荐口罩，一些人还是公开质疑口罩的功效。
主治医师办公室的布莱恩·莫纳汉博士在上个月发布的一项指令中表示，在整个众议院，所有成员和工作人员都必须佩戴“医疗级”口罩，除非成员在众议院大厅发言或有人独处。参议院或国会大厅没有口罩要求。
尽管罗杰斯没有戴口罩并没有违反国会大厦的任何规则，但民主党人几个月来一直抨击共和党人无视新冠肺炎的预防措施，他们说共和党人对国会同事的健康和安全缺乏担忧，尤其是在许多人年龄较高的情况下。
包括佐治亚州众议员马乔里·泰勒·格林、科罗拉多州众议员劳伦·博伯特和肯塔基州众议员托马斯·马西在内的几名共和党议员因拒绝在众议院戴口罩而被罚款数十万美元，但他们将这些指责描述为荣誉徽章。
指导方针来自疾病控制和预防中心的建议所有美国人在拥挤的室内区域仍然戴口罩，比如在火车上。
House lawmaker apologizes for using vulgarity when asked to mask up
Republican Rep. Hal Rogers of Kentucky, the second-most senior lawmaker in the House, told ABC News he has apologized to Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, after she said he refused to put on his mask Tuesday when she asked him to and, instead, poked her and told her to "kiss my ass."
"This afternoon, I met with Congresswoman Beatty to personally apologize. My words were not acceptable and I expressed my regret to her, first and foremost," Rogers said in a statement.
Beatty, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus,tweeteda thread about their exchange Tuesday afternoon that got more than 10,000 likes and 5,000 retweets in less than an hour from its posting.
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"Today, while heading to the House floor for votes, I respectfully asked my colleague @RepHalRogers to put on a mask while boarding the train. He then poked my back, demanding I get on the train. When I asked him not to touch me, he responded, 'kiss my ass,'" the Ohio lawmaker tweeted.
"This is the kind of disrespect we have been fighting for years, and indicative of the larger issue we have with GOP Members flaunting health and safety mandates designed to keep us and our staff safe," she wrote.
In a third and final tweet, Beatty tagged Rogers' Twitter account and said, "when you are ready to grow up and apologize for your behavior, you know where to find me."
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus held a press conference on the Capitol steps Tuesday evening to demand Rogers apologize for what they suggested was a physical and verbal "assault" on Beatty and described overall incivility in the halls of Congress.
"I will not give Hal Rogers a pass," said Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., who is running for Senate. "Look, we're all dealing with the same thing, but his racist, inappropriate behavior against Joyce Beatty is totally unacceptable. And we will not tolerate it."
Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., first vice chair of the caucus, added, "We are here in solidarity to call on that member to formally apologize to our chair and to understand the seriousness of his actions and the lack of decorum that he exhibited today."
The apology from Rogers, a Republican, to Beatty, a Democrat, marks a rarity in today's hyper-partisan Congress.
Republicans haverebelled against mask requirementsat the Capitol since they were imposed last year with the change of congressional leadership amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with some publicly questioning the efficacy of masks despite public health experts recommending them.
In a directive issued last month amid looming fears of the omicron variant, the Office of the Attending Physician, Dr. Brian Monahan, said it was required that all members and staff wear "medical-grade" masks throughout the House, unless members are speaking in the halls of the House or someone is alone. There is no mask requirement for the Senate chamber or the halls of Congress.
While Rogers not wearing a mask did not break any Capitol rules, Democrats have for months blasted Republicans for flouting COVID-19 precautions and what they say is a lack of concern over the health and safety of their congressional colleagues, especially with many in a higher age bracket.
Several Republican lawmakers including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Thomas Massie of Kentucky have received hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines for refusing to wear masks on the House floor but have characterized the rebukes as badges of honor.
Guidelinesfrom the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend all Americans still wear masks in crowded indoor areas, such as on trains.
