Coronavirus has hit Capitol Hill, as the first members of Congress have tested positive for the virus.
Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) and Ben McAdams (D-Utah) announced diagnoses late Wednesday. Diaz-Balart’s office said he had developed symptoms Saturday evening and was notified Wednesday of a positive test. Both had voted on the House floor as recently as Saturday morning, to pass the coronavirus relief bill.
Rep. Ben McAdams, D-Utah (Left), Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla. (Right)
At least five other members of Congress are quarantining because they had contact with the lawmakers, including Rep. Steve Scalise, the second-highest ranking Republican in the House.
Some lawmakers had been pushing for ways to vote remotely, particularly since congressional members are disproportionately in higher-risk categories for coronavirus complications. Forty-eight senators are over the age of 65, the age at which some states have recommended individuals to stay inside their homes.
Senator Dick Durban (D-Ill.) has said “it’s time for the Senate to wake up to the 21st century and make sure we’re using technology that allows us to communicate with each other without any danger or risk to public health.”
Anger over Texas' power grid failing in the face of a record winter freeze is mounting. Nearly 3 million customers in the energy capital of the U.S. woke up Wednesday still without power.
The Senate has acquitted Donald Trump in his impeachment trial. The rare Saturday session comes barely one month since the deadly Jan. 6 siege at the U.S. Capitol.
While Congress negotiates another stimulus package with a price tag of up to $1.9 trillion, some economists are raising concerns that inflationary pressures will return to the economy.
Heather Boushey, a member of the Biden administration's Council of Economic Advisers, spoke with Cheddar about the need to mitigate COVID-19 in order to return Americans to full employment.
The new organization, U.S. Cannabis Council (USCC), will lobby and organize on the state and federal levels to push lawmakers toward ending cannabis prohibition through industry-friendly reforms that promote equity and inclusion.
