Several swing-district House Democrats, however, say it’s time to move on. On Wednesday, DCCC Chair SEAN PATRICK MALONEY (D-N.Y.) led the charge by tweeting that he agreed with his home-state Democratic Gov. KATHY HOCHUL’s decision to ditch mask mandates. “Give people their lives back,” he wrote.

Within a few minutes, we got a text from a Republican aide asking if Maloney’s appeal would extend to lifting the mask mandate for the House floor. Turns out, some House Democrats are ready to say yes.

“We follow the science and our medical advisers, but I think the time will come sooner rather than later” to end the House mask requirement, Rep. DAN KILDEE (D-Mich.) told Playbook. “I wish more of my colleagues were vaccinated, but … I think we will have to modify our approach to the pandemic as it changes. … Hopefully sometime this spring.”

Democratic Rep. SUSAN WILD, a frontliner from Pennsylvania, agreed. As a member of the House Ethics Committee that’s been tasked with enforcing Democrats’ mask fining policy, she’s been frustrated that so much of the panel’s work has been focused on this issue.