While there are just two members of Congress who have announced they have coronavirus, those two members have created a ripple effect of lawmakers having to self-quarantine because they were in close contact with either or both of the two—GOP Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida and Democratic Rep. Ben McAdams of Utah. As of now, leadership is resisting calls to change business as usual and allow Congress to work, and vote, from home.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi keeps saying things like, "We are the captains of the ship. […] We are the last to leave." How's that for a helpful metaphor right now: going down with the ship? What the hell?!? We don't need Pelosi to be willing to step on a mine for the nation, not when she's carrying a grenade back and forth with her across the country. Especially Pelosi! She knows that McConnell and Trump aren't going to be looking out for what's best for the actual people of this nation—we need her! We need her safe and out of the petri dish of Capitol Hill.
Dozens of members of Congress agree, from both sides of the aisle. Rep. Katie Porter, a fellow California Democrat alongside Pelosi, sent one letter to leadership this week with the signatures of 52 members and has another she's sending Friday—with far more signatures. She argues there is no legal and no constitutional barrier to a House rule change allowing remote voting. The good news is Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern, who is the House Rules chair, is studying how to do remote voting, a crack in the leadership team that will help.
Likewise, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, the top Democrat on the Senate Rules Committee, is on it, working with Sens. Dick Durbin and Rob Portman on a plan for remote voting. "The Senate must do its job to protect the American people from the health and economic impacts of this pandemic. That means we need updated emergency plans including remote Senate voting to ensure that we can pass legislation during any crisis," she said. Rules Chairman Roy Blunt, however, nixes that. "Not gonna happen," Blunt said. "The speaker doesn't want to do it, the leader doesn't want it to do it. It's not going to happen."
There's going to have be a revolt among the rank-and-file to MAKE IT HAPPEN. It's too dangerous, too reckless, too absolutely banana pants for Congress to flirt with disaster this way. Congress has to function: it has to stay healthy and working.