Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) tested positive for the coronavirus, he announced Sunday. (Photo: Gage Skidmore/flickr/cc)
With at Least Three Members of US Congress Infected With Coronavirus, Calls for Remote Voting Grow
"Congress should be an example, not an exception, on public health."
With at least three members of Congress as well as the spouse of at least one senator testing positive for the coronavirus which has now spread to more than 41,000 Americans and killed more than 450, lawmakers are pushing their leadership to institute new rules allowing for remote voting.
More than 60 lawmakers from both sides of the aisle sent a letter to House leadership on Monday calling for emergency remote voting.
"Requiring members to vote in person may pose public health risks or even be physically impossible for persons under quarantine," the letter reads. "We need to provide a mechanism through which Congress can act during times of crisis without having to assemble in one place."
The call followed the positive coronavirus tests of at least three lawmakers. Rep. Ben McAdams (D-Utah) and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fl.) tested positive last week, while Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) announced Sunday he had tested positive. Sen. Amy Klobuchar's (D-Minn.) husband also revealed Monday he had contracted the coronavirus.
Paul did not self-isolate after getting tested, and crossed paths with other colleagues in the Senate swimming pool while awaiting his results as well as eating with other senators at several lunches.
The news of Paul's diagnosis led Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to self-quarantine. Other lawmakers have also spent weeks in isolation since the coronavirus outbreak reached Capitol Hill earlier this month.
On social media, Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) was among those calling on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other congressional leaders to allow remote voting to ensure members of Congress can negotiate and vote on an economic stimulus package and other legislation without risking contracting the coronavirus.
"Congress should be an example, not an exception, on public health," Porter wrote, as Americans across the country are working from home, staying home from school, and closing restaurants and other small businesses to help curb the outbreak.
According to CBS News, a swift rules change is unlikely. The last significant amendment to voting rules in Congress happened in 1973--after three years of debate--to allow electronic voting in the Senate and House chambers.
Some in Congress have suggested passing legislation via voice votes or unanimous consent so that all members don't need to be present and have argued remote voting is not feasible because it could open the door to court challenges to any bills passed remotely.
Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) slammed some of his colleagues for their reluctance to adapt to the current public health crisis, as millions of Americans have.
"There are a bunch of so-called institutionalists who are resisting remote voting but we could soon lack a quorum due to mandatory self quarantine," Schatz tweeted. "We MUST operate like plenty of American corporations and other organizations and enable voting electronically or by phone."
Other political observers called on members of Congress to view their current dilemma as a catalyst for rethinking how all voting works in the U.S. democratic process.
"If the GOP supports remote voting for members of Congress," ABC News political analyst Matthew Dowd tweeted, "then Democrats should insist the same privilege be given to voters in elections through vote at home, vote by mail, etc."
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just four days to go in our Spring Campaign, we are not even halfway to our goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
With at least three members of Congress as well as the spouse of at least one senator testing positive for the coronavirus which has now spread to more than 41,000 Americans and killed more than 450, lawmakers are pushing their leadership to institute new rules allowing for remote voting.
More than 60 lawmakers from both sides of the aisle sent a letter to House leadership on Monday calling for emergency remote voting.
"Requiring members to vote in person may pose public health risks or even be physically impossible for persons under quarantine," the letter reads. "We need to provide a mechanism through which Congress can act during times of crisis without having to assemble in one place."
The call followed the positive coronavirus tests of at least three lawmakers. Rep. Ben McAdams (D-Utah) and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fl.) tested positive last week, while Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) announced Sunday he had tested positive. Sen. Amy Klobuchar's (D-Minn.) husband also revealed Monday he had contracted the coronavirus.
Paul did not self-isolate after getting tested, and crossed paths with other colleagues in the Senate swimming pool while awaiting his results as well as eating with other senators at several lunches.
The news of Paul's diagnosis led Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to self-quarantine. Other lawmakers have also spent weeks in isolation since the coronavirus outbreak reached Capitol Hill earlier this month.
On social media, Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) was among those calling on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other congressional leaders to allow remote voting to ensure members of Congress can negotiate and vote on an economic stimulus package and other legislation without risking contracting the coronavirus.
"Congress should be an example, not an exception, on public health," Porter wrote, as Americans across the country are working from home, staying home from school, and closing restaurants and other small businesses to help curb the outbreak.
According to CBS News, a swift rules change is unlikely. The last significant amendment to voting rules in Congress happened in 1973--after three years of debate--to allow electronic voting in the Senate and House chambers.
Some in Congress have suggested passing legislation via voice votes or unanimous consent so that all members don't need to be present and have argued remote voting is not feasible because it could open the door to court challenges to any bills passed remotely.
Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) slammed some of his colleagues for their reluctance to adapt to the current public health crisis, as millions of Americans have.
"There are a bunch of so-called institutionalists who are resisting remote voting but we could soon lack a quorum due to mandatory self quarantine," Schatz tweeted. "We MUST operate like plenty of American corporations and other organizations and enable voting electronically or by phone."
Other political observers called on members of Congress to view their current dilemma as a catalyst for rethinking how all voting works in the U.S. democratic process.
"If the GOP supports remote voting for members of Congress," ABC News political analyst Matthew Dowd tweeted, "then Democrats should insist the same privilege be given to voters in elections through vote at home, vote by mail, etc."
With at least three members of Congress as well as the spouse of at least one senator testing positive for the coronavirus which has now spread to more than 41,000 Americans and killed more than 450, lawmakers are pushing their leadership to institute new rules allowing for remote voting.
More than 60 lawmakers from both sides of the aisle sent a letter to House leadership on Monday calling for emergency remote voting.
"Requiring members to vote in person may pose public health risks or even be physically impossible for persons under quarantine," the letter reads. "We need to provide a mechanism through which Congress can act during times of crisis without having to assemble in one place."
The call followed the positive coronavirus tests of at least three lawmakers. Rep. Ben McAdams (D-Utah) and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fl.) tested positive last week, while Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) announced Sunday he had tested positive. Sen. Amy Klobuchar's (D-Minn.) husband also revealed Monday he had contracted the coronavirus.
Paul did not self-isolate after getting tested, and crossed paths with other colleagues in the Senate swimming pool while awaiting his results as well as eating with other senators at several lunches.
The news of Paul's diagnosis led Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to self-quarantine. Other lawmakers have also spent weeks in isolation since the coronavirus outbreak reached Capitol Hill earlier this month.
On social media, Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) was among those calling on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other congressional leaders to allow remote voting to ensure members of Congress can negotiate and vote on an economic stimulus package and other legislation without risking contracting the coronavirus.
"Congress should be an example, not an exception, on public health," Porter wrote, as Americans across the country are working from home, staying home from school, and closing restaurants and other small businesses to help curb the outbreak.
According to CBS News, a swift rules change is unlikely. The last significant amendment to voting rules in Congress happened in 1973--after three years of debate--to allow electronic voting in the Senate and House chambers.
Some in Congress have suggested passing legislation via voice votes or unanimous consent so that all members don't need to be present and have argued remote voting is not feasible because it could open the door to court challenges to any bills passed remotely.
Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) slammed some of his colleagues for their reluctance to adapt to the current public health crisis, as millions of Americans have.
"There are a bunch of so-called institutionalists who are resisting remote voting but we could soon lack a quorum due to mandatory self quarantine," Schatz tweeted. "We MUST operate like plenty of American corporations and other organizations and enable voting electronically or by phone."
Other political observers called on members of Congress to view their current dilemma as a catalyst for rethinking how all voting works in the U.S. democratic process.
"If the GOP supports remote voting for members of Congress," ABC News political analyst Matthew Dowd tweeted, "then Democrats should insist the same privilege be given to voters in elections through vote at home, vote by mail, etc."