Axios| House GOP freshmen boycott White House event over COVID protocols
Several House Republicans are declining invitations to attend a White House reception for freshman House members on Tuesday evening in protest of the event's COVID-19 rules.
Why it matters: It's an example of the broad Republican effort to have the administration's policies reflect President Biden's statement in September that the pandemic is "over."
It also denies the White House an opportunity to make potentially crucial inroads with Republican lawmakers, including at least one from a district Biden won in 2020.
Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) "has moved on from the pandemic and doesn’t plan on attending anything that still requires testing," his spokesperson DJ Griffin told Axios.
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