Trump Diagnosis Prompts Calls for More Virus Testing in Congress

(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump's Covid-19 diagnosis is putting new pressure on U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to institute a testing regimen to keep the pandemic from overrunning the Capitol.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said House leaders are “looking at” instituting virus testing in the Capitol and expect to decide before Congress returns from a scheduled recess that started Friday.

In the Senate, Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called on Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to do the same, using the occasion to criticize the Trump administration's handling of the pandemic.

“This episode demonstrates that the Senate needs a testing and contact tracing program for senators, staff and all who work in the Capitol complex,” Schumer said. “We simply cannot allow the administration's cavalier attitude to adversely affect this branch of government.”

McConnell, however, showed no inclination to change the Senate's procedures when he was asked about Schumer's remarks.

“Were following the advice of the CDC in how we operate the Senate, and so far we've been able to do it quite successfully,” he said at a press conference in Georgetown, Kentucky.

He indicated he still plans to bring the Supreme Court nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Senate floor as soon as she makes it out of the Judiciary Committee.

McConnell, who declined to say whether he's been tested this week, also dismissed reports that he might send the Senate home next week to protect senators ahead of Barrett's confirmation hearings, which are set to start Oct. 12.

“So far the disease has not kept us from operating as we would normally and there is no reason to expect that to be the case in the foreseeable future,” he said.

The concern is heightened because members of Congress regularly interact with administration officials and staff. Pelosi has been negotiating a potential deal for additional economic stimulus with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, though the two mostly have have been talking by phone. A bipartisan group of lawmakers went to the White House on Wednesday to talk about China policy.

Trump's court pick, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, has been at both the White House and in the Capitol this week as she meets with Republican senators who are considering her nomination. Some Republicans have expressed concern that if the virus spreads and sickens senators, the rapid timeline McConnell has laid out for confirmation could be disrupted.

Schumer called for “thorough testing and isolation for those who were exposed to infection risk,” and following CDC and health guidelines, including Barrett “and anyone she was in contact with.”

Senator Mike Lee, a Utah Republican and member of the Judiciary Committee, said Friday in a tweet that he has tested positive for the virus. He met with Barrett on Tuesday and was at the White House this week.

McConnell and Pelosi said earlier this year they wouldn't implement testing for members and reiterated that stance following the positive diagnosis of Representative Louie Gohmert, a Texas Republican, in July. Pelosi said at the time that it was up to the Capitol physician to determine whether members should be tested regularly.

“The situation with the president makes it clearer that everybody has to keep their distance on both sides of the aisle,” Pelosi said Friday on MSNBC. “None of us is safe until we are sure everybody is safe.”

Pelosi made masks mandatory in the Capitol after Gohmert tested positive for the coronavirus. Gohmert was frequently seen roaming the halls without a mask, but pledged to be more vigilant after testing positive prior to a scheduled trip to Texas with Trump on Air Force One. He withdrew from the the trip following his diagnosis.

Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, a Florida Republican, was the first member of Congress to test positive. He announced his diagnosis on March 18 and self-quarantined after a vote on a coronavirus relief package.

An additional 15 members have tested positive for the virus, including two Republican senators: Rand Paul of Kentucky and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana.

“They basically, in most cases, mimic what the president says, about mask-wearing, distancing, etc.” Pelosi said of her Republican colleagues.

Representative Jahana Hayes, a Connecticut Democrat, was the most recent member of Congress to test positive. She announced on Sept. 20 that she had been tested and received a positive result.

During her MSNBC appearance Friday, Pelosi said that she had been tested “out of an abundance of caution.” As the speaker of the House, she is third in line for the presidency should something happen to Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. Pelosi also said that the Capitol physician has a “follow-up” plan for tracing at the Capitol.

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