“They’ve done everything possible to ensure that we can’t get past it,” Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) said of the Republicans. “They’ve fought mask requirements, vaccine requirements. They’ve spread misinformation. They have amplified dangerous conspiracy theories.

“There is one group to blame in this country for the continued spread of COVID,” she added, “and that’s those actors who have done each and every one of those things.”…

“It’s definitely hypocrisy,” said Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.). “The Republicans — the party that’s supposed to be for individual responsibility — is not taking the responsibility of telling the people that are within their communities, within their districts and states, to take the step that’s in line with that philosophy, which is to become vaccinated to control the pandemic.”

Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), former head of the Progressive Caucus, predicted the GOP’s “blame Biden” campaign will backfire, citing the unprecedented nature of the global pandemic and the limited audience the message is targeting.