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Scrubbing In to Vote, the House Returns to Consider a $2 Trillion Stimulus Plan House Braces for Vote on the $2 Trillion Stimulus Plan
(about 3 hours later)
By Sheryl Gay Stolberg By Emily Cochrane and Sheryl Gay Stolberg
WASHINGTON — The microphones have been removed from the well of the House to guard against transmission of the coronavirus. Lawmakers who enter the chamber must clean their hands with sanitizer and enter through one door, then scrub again and leave through another, as if coming and going from an operating room. Once inside, they must keep their distance and take turns voting in small groups. WASHINGTON — Representative Lori Trahan, Democrat of Massachusetts, tucked her two young daughters into bed and began the seven-hour drive to Washington at 10 p.m. Thursday evening. Representative Dusty Johnson, a Republican and the lone lawmaker representing South Dakota, joined three colleagues from Minnesota who caught a virtually empty layover flight.
When members of the House return to Washington on Friday to approve a $2 trillion economic stimulus package and send it to President Trump, they will enter a Capitol where every facet of life has been altered by a pandemic. And multiple members of the New York delegation defied recommendations that anyone who has passed through New York City quarantine for 14 days and traveled to Washington with hopes of ensuring passage of the $2 trillion economic stabilization package intended to bolster families and businesses during the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
For starters, there will be fewer of them than usual. Many of the lawmakers are at home either because they are sick or in states mandating quarantine, or because it would be difficult to travel. To accommodate them, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and top Democratic leaders have planned for a voice vote — a plan that could fall through if there are procedural objections. House leaders in both parties had hoped to avoid such a rush to Washington with a plan to approve the largest aid package in American history on a voice vote. But at least one lawmaker, Representative Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky, has voiced his opposition and said Friday morning that he would try to slow its passage by calling for a recorded vote, prompting calls for rank-and-file lawmakers to return to Capitol Hill.
Those who do show up will operate under a different set of rules, laid out on Thursday by the sergeant-at-arms and the attending physician of the Capitol. “The Constitution requires that a quorum of members be present to conduct business in the House,” Mr. Massie said on Twitter, adding that “millions of essential, working-class Americans are still required to go to work during this pandemic.”
Only lawmakers and those who have an office in the building will be allowed to enter, meaning that staff members cannot accompany their bosses. If members want to speak on the House floor, they must notify their leaders first, and those who are not participating in debate must refrain from entering the chamber. “Is it too much to ask that the House do its job, just like the Senate did?" Mr. Massie asked.
This is legislating in the age of the novel coronavirus, which has already infected at least two members of the House and one senator, sending dozens more lawmakers who may have been exposed into self-quarantine out of an abundance of caution. The plan for a voice vote is highly unusual for a measure of such consequence. Leaders settled on it so that lawmakers who wanted to speak could make their views known and those who were not physically present would not be required to record a vote.
But technically, the House cannot legislate without the presence of a quorum, defined by the Constitution as a simple majority. (The House currently has 430 members; 216 are required for a quorum.) Because Mr. Massie plans to assert that the House lacks a quorum and call for a recorded vote, the House will have to cease its business until 216 lawmakers arrive. (Mr. Massie has displayed a penchant for thwarting procedural maneuvers.)
“Because of one member of Congress refusing to allow emergency action entire Congress must be called back to vote in House,” Representative Peter King, Republican of New York, fumed on Twitter. “Risk of infection and risk of legislation being delayed. Disgraceful. Irresponsible.”
Even President Trump registered his disapproval, saying Mr. Massie should be jettisoned from the Republican Party for his defiance.
“He just wants the publicity,” Mr. Trump said on Twitter, dismissing Mr. Massie as a “third rate Grandstander” for potentially delaying the passage of mammoth legislation he intends to sign. “He can’t stop it, only delay, which is both dangerous & costly. Workers & small businesses need money now in order to survive.”
Lawmakers scrambled to drive through the night or board deserted flights — many of them red-eyes — though many had expressed a unwillingness to travel during a pandemic as much of the country has sheltered in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus. A handful of lawmakers are infected and dozens more are in isolation, with others worried about potentially exposing their family members. It remained unclear Friday morning how many would be present for a possible vote, but both parties worked to ensure that 216 lawmakers were present before the conclusion of debate Friday morning in order to have a swift vote.
“Shameful,” Representative Dean Phillips, Democrat of Minnesota, wrote on Twitter on Friday. “Your 428 colleagues take their oaths to the Constitution just as seriously. But unlike you, they take the health of their colleagues, Capitol staff, families, and communities seriously. Even @realDonaldTrump and I agree on that.”
There is broad bipartisan consensus on the legislation, which passed the Senate unanimously on Wednesday, although Republicans and Democrats also agree it is by no means perfect. In his tweet on Friday, Mr. Trump said Republicans “had to give up some stupid things in order to get the ‘big picture’ done.”
Democrats have vowed to push for priorities that were left unaddressed in the mammoth package, including stronger labor protections for workers. Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the majority leader, said they would work to correct language that treats the District of Columbia as a territory instead of a state, slashing by more than half the funds it would otherwise have received.
“The option that we have is to either let them suffer with nothing, or to allow this greed and billions of dollars, which will be leveraged into trillions of dollars, to contribute to the largest income inequality gap in our future,” said Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York. “There should be shame about what was fought for in this bill, and the choices that we have to make.”
But as sense of urgency in the face of a national crisis prevailed, prompting most lawmakers to offer their support. The three hours of debate, split evenly between Republicans and Democrats and set to end about 12:30 p.m., grew fiery at moments as lawmakers sought to maintain a brisk pace of statements.
Representative Haley Stevens, a freshman Democrat from Michigan who drove through the night to reach the Capitol on Friday morning, wore pink latex gloves in a nod to the risks faced by medical professionals. Ms. Stevens, whose district on the outskirts of Detroit has been rocked by both the spread of the virus and a series of layoffs stemming from the economic slowdown, was repeatedly ruled out of order after an emotional outburst in which she pleaded with colleagues to “take this disease seriously.”
“I rise for every American who is scared right now!” Ms. Stevens shouted, as the presiding officer, Representative Anthony Brown, Democrat of Maryland, banged his gavel in a futile attempt to silence her. As other members shouted from the floor, the congresswoman pressed on, delivering an impassioned message to doctors and nurses: “You will see darkness! You will be pushed! And our society needs you to stand together at this time!”
To help broadcast the voices of the lawmakers unable to join the debate in person, C-Span, the public cable television network that broadcasts from Capitol Hill, is working with leaders in both parties to “dedicate airtime to House members’ brief video statements explaining their position” on the legislation, likely in the coming days, the organization said in a statement.
“We have members on both sides of the aisle who have the virus,” Representative Kevin McCarthy, Republican of California and the minority leader, told reporters on Thursday. “We have members who are quarantined. We have members who have challenges with their flights canceled. The floor will look different.”“We have members on both sides of the aisle who have the virus,” Representative Kevin McCarthy, Republican of California and the minority leader, told reporters on Thursday. “We have members who are quarantined. We have members who have challenges with their flights canceled. The floor will look different.”
The precautions in the House build upon steps taken by the Senate in recent days, as lawmakers remained in Washington — against the advice of public health officials to avoid congregating in large groups — to hammer out the details of the legislation. But many still returned to Washington, making calculated decisions on how to minimize their risk. Representative Joe Courtney, Democrat of Connecticut, decided to drive on the advice of his wife Audrey, a nurse practitioner.
Votes typically scheduled for 15-minute intervals were lengthened to 30, and gloved staff served food in both the Senate lunches and in the cafeterias, so that aides and reporters in Capitol Hill eateries did not have to touch even the pre-wrapped sandwiches or bottles of soda.
Senator Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah, was spotted using his suit jacket to open doors, while other senators used elbows or tissues to push elevator buttons and turn handles. (Mr. Romney later joined the ranks of the quarantined, after having contact with Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, the first senator to test positive for the disease caused by the coronavirus, Covid-19.) Senator Bill Cassidy, Republican of Louisiana and a doctor, was among the most vigilant, wiping down the Senate rostrum with disinfecting wipes and chastising colleagues to “social distance” on the floor of the chamber.
In the House, where lawmakers have been back home in their districts for more than a week, Ms. Pelosi’s plan for a voice vote is highly unusual for a measure of such consequence. But leaders settled on it so that lawmakers who wanted to speak could make their views known and those who were not physically present would not be required to record a vote.
But there is a risk: Technically, the House cannot legislate without the presence of a quorum, defined by the Constitution as a simple majority. (The House currently has 430 members; 216 are required for a quorum.) If even one member asserted that the House lacked a quorum and called for a recorded vote, the House would have to cease its business until 216 lawmakers arrived.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a liberal freshman Democrat from New York, warned on Wednesday that she might do so. Representative Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky, who plans to vote no on the bill, has also hinted that he might try to slow down its passage, provoking anger among Democrats.
“Dear @RepThomasMassie,” Representative Dean Phillips, Democrat of Minnesota, wrote on Twitter on Thursday evening. “If you intend to delay passage of the #coronavirus relief bill tomorrow morning, please advise your 428 colleagues RIGHT NOW so we can book flights and expend ~$200,000 in taxpayer money to counter your principled but terribly misguided stunt.”
Representative Steny H. Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland and the majority leader, has alerted Democrats that a Republican may object. If that happened, House leaders would reschedule the vote for Saturday, and lawmakers would have to return.
“There could be one vote, one grandstander, you could have one grandstander, for that we will take a little time,” President Trump said at the White House on Thursday. “It will pass. We will take a little longer. Let’s see whether or not we have a grandstander.”
It was unclear how many members would show up on Friday. On a private conference call on Thursday, many House Democrats expressed an unwillingness to travel, participants said. Mr. Hoyer told the rank and file that they should try to come to Washington if they felt comfortable doing so. But in a memo to House members, the sergeant-at-arms and the Capitol physician urged caution.
“Members should use extreme care and deliberation when making the determination to travel to Washington, D.C.,” they wrote, adding that the physician’s office continued to recommend teleworking for all congressional offices.
“In all cases, members and staff must maintain six-foot social distance spacing as much as practicable when in the offices or the Capitol.”
Still, some decided to heed Mr. Hoyer’s call. Representative Joe Courtney, Democrat of Connecticut, said he knew of several colleagues who had decided to return to Washington for the vote, including one who found a flight that was to arrive at 3 a.m. Mr. Courtney and his wife, Audrey, decided to drive.
“The one thing she was insistent about was that she didn’t want me flying in a plane,” Mr. Courtney said.“The one thing she was insistent about was that she didn’t want me flying in a plane,” Mr. Courtney said.
So at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, the couple left their home in Connecticut and got into their Ford Taurus with the congressman in the passenger seat, conducting business — including a conference call with one of the governors of the Federal Reserve — while his wife drove. The roads were empty, he said. They arrived in Washington six hours later.So at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, the couple left their home in Connecticut and got into their Ford Taurus with the congressman in the passenger seat, conducting business — including a conference call with one of the governors of the Federal Reserve — while his wife drove. The roads were empty, he said. They arrived in Washington six hours later.
“There’s definitely some nervousness about whether or not there’s going to be a quorum call,” Mr. Courtney said, “and if I was home and missed that, I would never forgive myself.”“There’s definitely some nervousness about whether or not there’s going to be a quorum call,” Mr. Courtney said, “and if I was home and missed that, I would never forgive myself.”
Nicholas Fandos and Emily Cochrane contributed reporting. Those who do return will find a chamber in many ways transformed by the pandemic.
In preparation for the arrival of lawmakers, the microphones have been removed from the well of the House to guard against transmission of the coronavirus. Lawmakers who enter the chamber must clean their hands with sanitizer and enter through one door, then scrub again and leave through another, as if coming and going from an operating room. Once inside, they kept their distance — leaving several seats between each other — and will take turns voting in small groups.
Each row, Jennifer González-Colón, Puerto Rico’s representative in Congress, said, has a container of wipes for lawmakers to use.
In a memo to House members, the sergeant-at-arms and the Capitol physician urged caution.
“Members should use extreme care and deliberation when making the determination to travel to Washington, D.C.,” they wrote, adding that the physician’s office continued to recommend teleworking for all congressional offices.
“In all cases, members and staff must maintain six-foot social distance spacing as much as practicable when in the offices or the Capitol.”
The precautions in the House build upon steps taken by the Senate in recent days, as lawmakers remained in Washington — against the advice of public health officials to avoid congregating in large groups — to hammer out the details of the legislation.
Votes typically scheduled for 15-minute intervals were lengthened to 30, and gloved staff served food in both the Senate lunches and in the cafeterias, so that aides and reporters in Capitol Hill eateries did not have to touch even the pre-wrapped sandwiches or bottles of soda.
Senator Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah, was spotted using his suit jacket to open doors, while other senators used elbows or tissues to push elevator buttons and turn handles. (Mr. Romney later joined the ranks of the quarantined, after having contact with Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, the first senator to test positive for the disease caused by the coronavirus, Covid-19.) Senator Bill Cassidy, Republican of Louisiana and a doctor, was among the most vigilant, wiping down the Senate rostrum with disinfecting wipes and chastising colleagues to “social distance” on the floor of the chamber.
Nicholas Fandos contributed reporting.