Because the Delta Variant of COVID-19 is spreading rabidly and even vaccinated people can get and spread the infection, Speaker Nancy Pelosi has reinstituted an indoor mask rule for the House of Representatives.

The House of Representatives will once again require all lawmakers and staff members to wear masks inside, a sharp reversal of policy as growing fears about the Delta variant reach the doorstep of Congress. Senators will be encouraged to mask up, too, but are not required to do so.

In a memo late Tuesday night, Dr. Brian P. Monahan, Congress’s top doctor, said he was recommending the change based on new C.D.C. guidance and the nature of the Capitol, where thousands of people traveling from across the country mix each week.

As you can see, her decision was based on the recommendation on Congress’s chief medical official, who in turn was following the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Yet, on Tuesday night, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy ignored this and accused Pelosi of having other motives.

“Make no mistake — The threat of bringing masks back is not a decision based on science, but a decision conjured up by liberal government officials who want to continue to live in a perpetual pandemic state,” McCarthy tweeted Tuesday night.

Pelosi was then asked what she thought about McCarthy’s remarks:

“That’s the purview of the Capitol Physician … the mandate from him. I have nothing to say about that except we honor it,” Pelosi told reporters outside the Capitol.

“He’s such a moron,” she said.

Pelosi then ducked into her vehicle and was whisked away from a climate event outside the Capitol.

Part of me wishes our politics were more civil, but this is also why I love Nancy Pelosi and forgive her for many things.