McCarthy calls for plan to reopen Congress

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is calling for a plan to safely reopen Congress amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

In a letter sent to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Tuesday, the California Republican said he believes lawmakers should be treated as essential workers.  

“With the House now in its fourth week of regular session being suspended, I am writing to request that we work to establish a clear, safe, and effective plan for reopening Congress,” he wrote. 

“In my view, conducting the business of the People’s House is the definition of ‘essential work’—just as many of our friends and neighbors continue working to hold up our communities on a daily basis.”  

As top lawmakers grapple with how to best move forward on legislating without imposing health risks on members and staff, McCarthy argued that the current operations “cannot and should not become the norm.”

Most members of the House and Senate have been working in their home districts to comply with social distancing guidelines. Both chambers have held only pro forma sessions for the past several weeks.

“Unfortunately, members have yet to be given specific guidance as to how Congress will fulfill its core duties—from deliberation to oversight to legislation—over the coming days and weeks,” he continued.  

“Since the onset of this pandemic, Congress has worked expeditiously to undertake the largest relief effort in our country’s history. Nevertheless, I think we can agree that our institution’s current posture cannot and should not become the norm.” 

McCarthy said House members should work toward finding a bipartisan solution, listing a number of areas to be taken into consideration, including “how committees and subcommittees draft and mark-up high priority legislative items and conduct oversight,” “what schedule can be instituted to resume committee and subcommittee activity that comports with CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] Guidelines and recommendations from the Office of the Attending Physician,” what the revised legislative calendar should look like in the wake of the session weeks that have been lost and how much notice lawmakers will be given in advance of recorded votes.  

The California Republican also called for information on Democrats’ push for voting by proxy.  

“It has been reported that Chairman [Jim] McGovern [D-Mass.] is recommending a House rules change to allow for ‘voting by proxy’ during this period. What are the details of this proposal, how will it avoid potential abuses of power, and when do you expect this proposal to be made public for the necessary scrutiny and member input that changing 200 years of House precedent would merit?” the letter says. 

“What consideration, if any, has been given to utilizing the provisional quorum authorities outlined in House Rule XX, Clause 5(c), which specifically contemplates use in a pandemic?”

McCarthy noted Congress has faced a new set of challenges since the coronavirus hit the United States, but said he believes it’s critical lawmakers get back to work. 

“I fully appreciate the unprecedented nature of this challenge before us. But now, more than ever, our constituents expect us to rise to the occasion and overcome these trying circumstances,” he wrote.  

“It is imperative we outline a pathway forward that ensures transparency and regular order for all members—not centralized decision-making by a select group of leadership and staff that reduces the role of representative to merely voting ‘yea’ or ‘nay’ on pre-drafted proposals.”