House GOP leader says State of the Union attendance could be capped: report

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told Republican leadership members that he had been informed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) that they were instituting a 25-House member cap for the State of the Union address, Axios reported, citing two sources.

McCarthy said on Tuesday that he was informed of the 25-House member cap by Pelosi, which reportedly upset Republican leaders, including the House GOP leader himself, Axios reported.

A spokesperson for Pelosi said that McCarthy’s figures were incorrect and that no final decisions have been made. The spokesperson added that her office “will work closely with the Office of the Attending Physician to accommodate as many Member requests as safely as possible.”

The report comes one month before President Biden will deliver his first State of the Union address. 

The United States is still reporting at least 100,000 new daily infections, often well over that figure. Over 676,000 cases were reported on Monday while over 120,000 were reported on Sunday, per data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

It has also meant that a handful of lawmakers have tested positive for COVID-19 in recent weeks, including Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) on Friday and Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) on Monday. 

Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Tom Frieden said in an op-ed published on Tuesday by CNN that while other serious COVID-19 variants could emerge, he felt “cautiously optimistic” about the rest of the pandemic.

“Although it’s possible that deadly new coronavirus variants could emerge, I’m more optimistic today than at any point since the Covid-19 pandemic began,” he wrote.

“Despite growing pandemic fatigue and rough weeks ahead as the Omicron tsunami recedes, we’re better defended against Covid than ever. Vaccines and prior infection have steadily strengthened our collective immune defenses. We have now built up a wall of immunity — although we have lost far, far too many people along the way to get here,” Frieden added. 

The Hill has reached out to McCarthy’s office for comment.