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

Fox News’ Bill Hemmer pushed White House press secretary Jen Psaki Tuesday on the decision to lift the White House’s mask mandate.

While discussing on “America’s Newsroom” how Washington, D.C., ended mask mandates as of midnight and the White House is no longer requiring masks, Hemmer asked “what changed in the science yesterday, Monday, as opposed to a week ago Monday?”

“They [the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] put out guidance last Friday that identified recommendations depending on what the hospitalization rates are in your part of the country,” Psaki said. “We’re currently in a part of the country in Washington, D.C., where it’s very low, the rates. So we’re not, the recommendation is not to wear masks. We aren’t wearing masks at the White House. The president won’t wear a mask tonight. It is different depending on the part of the country.”

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The nation’s capitol announced Feb. 14 that the city would drop both the vaccine mandate and mask mandate. The vaccine mandate ended Feb. 15, while the mask mandate for indoor public venues was dropped Tuesday.

Democratic leaders across the nation continue to roll back COVID-19 restrictions such as mask mandates. As blue states loosened their masking requirements, President Joe Biden said earlier in February that he would stick to CDC guidance and that “science [says] now that masks work, masks make a difference.”

“I committed that I would follow the science,” Biden said during an NBC interview, noting the rollbacks were probably “premature.” (RELATED: This Family’s Decades-Long Military Service Ended Due To The COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate)

“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 CDC updated its guidance Friday to no longer recommend mask-wearing in most indoor settings. Under the new guidance, individuals living in what the CDC defines as high-risk areas are recommended to still mask up indoors, while those in medium- or low-risk areas are advised to get vaccinated or get tested if sick.