House and Senate plan to stay open, at least for now - Washington Examiner

Legislative business in the House and Senate will continue this week and beyond in spite of a coronavirus outbreak that has exposed lawmakers in both chambers and left some of them wondering whether the building should close.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters Tuesday morning she won’t adjourn the House and will hold votes this week as well as later this month, when Congress is scheduled to return from a weeklong recess that begins on Friday.

Pelosi told reporters who asked if the coronavirus would force her to extend the upcoming recess: “That’s not the plan.”

In private, Pelosi and Democrats huddled in the Capitol basement to discuss contingency measures in case the Capitol is at some point forced to close.

Lawmakers met with the House sergeant-at-arms, the Capitol's attending physician, and the chief administrative officer, for what Pelosi described as “an update on the continuity of operations protocols for the Capitol and to prepare our offices.”

Lawmakers in the House and Senate do not have a way to vote remotely, but staff and lawmakers could end up doing other work while remaining in their districts rather than traveling back to the Capitol.

But there are no immediate plans to abandon the Capitol, Democrats said after leaving the meeting.

“I think the consensus is that it’s important for Congress to remain at work and continue to meet our responsibility to the American people,” Rep. David Cicilline, a Rhode Island Democrat, told the Washington Examiner. “I don’t expect there will be any suggestion we extend the district work people and that we’ll stick to the regular schedule.”

Instead, the House physician urged lawmakers to engage in social distancing, frequent hand-washing, and other measures recommended to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

In the Senate, business continued as usual without discussions about adjourning. President Trump visited with GOP lawmakers in a closed session and urged them to remain calm and consider passing an economic stimulus package to address economic damage caused by the virus.

Many senators are over the age of 60, including McConnell, age 78, who would not comment on the possibility of adjourning.

"If we have anything to add on that, I'll let you know," McConnell told a reporter on Tuesday.

Some Democrats said the House should consider more drastic measures.

Statistics indicate the virus is most deadly for those over the age of 65. Many lawmakers in the House and Senate are in their 70s and 80s. Pelosi turns 80 this month.

A handful of lawmakers in the House and Senate are in self-quarantine after learning they were exposed to infected individuals, and their exposure has forced Congress to grapple with the likelihood that the virus would eventually spread to the Capitol, especially since most lawmakers fly home every weekend and are out in their districts meeting constituents.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Washington state Democrat who represents the Seattle-area district where the coronavirus outbreak has been significant, suggested leaders should be considering ways to work remotely.

“I think it’s time for us to take some steps to figure out other ways for us to get our work done in the Capitol,” Jayapal said, adding that there is uncertainty about what to do. “I think they are trying to figure it out.”

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House and Senate plan to stay open, at least for now - Washington Examiner
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