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.”
Employers weigh the pros and cons of potentially mandating workers get the COVID vaccine or incentivizing them to get the shots, a conundrum complicated by legal considerations.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell confirmed interest rates remaining near zero and continuation of asset purchases but declined to speak to the ongoing GameStop drama.
Stuck in the grip of a viral pandemic, the U.S. economy grew at a 4% annual rate in the final three months of 2020 and shrank last year by the largest amount in 74 years.
President Joe Biden is undertaking what would be the most ambitious effort to cut America’s oil, gas and coal emissions and stave off the worst effects of climate change.
The Federal Reserve pledged on Wednesday to keep its low interest rate policies in place even well after the economy has sustained a recovery from the viral pandemic.
Rallies, celebrations, and marches all over Brooklyn on Friday to celebrate the actual end of slavery 155 years ago, took on added significance in the wake of high profile police killings of Black Americans.
