By Monday afternoon, President Trump told Americans to avoid social gatherings of more than 10 people for two weeks in the effort to slow the spread of the disease.
“The half-measures taken so far are not enough because too many government workers are still working in full or nearly full offices. Closing buildings halts the large gatherings, just as CDC recommends, allows telework to continue and provides weather and safety leave — as opposed to personal leave — for those who have jobs that are not eligible for telework,” Tony Reardon, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, said Monday.
That followed the call Sunday from Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), the minority whip, to not reconvene the Senate this week and instead pass an economic stimulus measure by a unanimous voice vote, urging the Senate leader not to call the chamber back into session.
“Your decision to call us back to Washington this week is unnecessary and puts many innocent people at risk,” Durbin said in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), released Sunday. He described “unnecessary flights” that would expose senators — their average age being 63, with dozens of them in the at-risk age for coronavirus — and their staffs and families.
“Set an example for America, Senator McConnell. Think about our staff, their families, and our constituents, as well as your Senate colleagues,” Durbin said.
Forty-six members of the Senate are 65 or older; Durbin is 75 and McConnell is 78.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), who is 68, tweeted on Monday: “My flight to DC has 35 passengers on a plane that holds 170+.”
Yet McConnell gave no indication that the Senate is about to close down.
“The Senate is committed to meeting thse uncertain times with bold and bipartisan solutions,” McConnell said Monday in remarks on the Senate floor, ahead of a planned 5:30 p.m. vote on a procedural motion on an intelligence surveillance law.
The House, which approved the stimulus proposal early Saturday morning, has gone on a planned week-long break and it was unclear when it would return.
In a notice Monday, leadership said no votes are expected March 23 and members would receive 24 hours notice if they had to return. Most notably, leadership said, “members are further advised that plans are being developed to coordinate votes in order to limit the number of members voting on the floor at any one time.”
In a note sent to her Democratic colleagues Sunday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) addressed early discussions on the next round of economic stimulus and advised lawmakers to get their staffs to work remotely.
“I am writing to encourage you to take steps to promote social distancing within your Washington, D.C. office as we engage in the District Work Period. This may entail more than half of your Washington staff teleworking from home,” Pelosi said.
The Senate was also scheduled to be on break this week, but McConnell decided that rather than staying in session all weekend, senators would instead come in this week to handle both the intelligence bill and the stimulus package.
Those issues could be handled quickly, but so far some conservatives are objecting to a speedy debate, possibly prolonging the session. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said Monday he opposes the bill endorsed by President Trump, tweeting that it “doesn’t go far enough & fast enough.”
Some key decisions might not be made until the regularly planned Tuesday caucus lunches — gatherings that are held in small rooms with all 53 Republicans and a few staff in one room.
The 47 members of the Democratic caucus, who typically meet in another room, will instead conduct their session by conference call, according to a Senate Democratic aide who spoke on the condition of anonymity to freely describe logistics.
Senior congressional aides pointed to guidance from the Office of Attending Physician, the top health official in the Capitol, and the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms, which outlined all the steps taken to mitigate the congressional buildings as possible transmission sites for the deadly virus.
In a memo sent to all Senate staff Friday, those offices outlined how cleaning of offices and “high touch areas” such as elevator buttons had dramatically increased. Crews are using “disinfectant products that meet Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards to kill” the virus, according to that memo.
Still, some lawmakers are taking matters into their own hands.
On Monday Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) announced that all of his offices in Washington and Kansas would shutter, following the CDC guidelines as he stayed in the Capitol to deal with legislation.
“I have asked my staff to follow all procedures to ensure everyone’s safety, but our plans will still allow us to respond to constituent casework needs and legislative questions. We will do everything we can to help flatten the curve,” Roberts, 83, said. “I am remaining in Washington to vote on legislation that is important to the country, and I will be here to do my job which is my obligation to Kansans.”
Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.
