Howard was one of 60 Texas Democrats who boarded a jet to Washington, D.C., to skip out on a vote on Texas' election reform bill. A photo of the plane cabin shows Howard and several other passengers not wearing masks.

Following the trip, where they met with U.S. officials, Howard along with 5 of her colleagues tested positive for COVID-19.

She subsequently tried to deflect criticism by remarking, "TSA exempts private, non-commercial flights from the mask requirement."

"Unfortunately, the spike in infections from the delta variant became apparent immediately after our flight," Howard continued.

"Had we known at the time, we would have worn masks."

Now Howard is facing more mockery after she vehemently called for schoolchildren to be forced to wear masks in class.