Coronavirus Casts New Shadow Over Capitol Dome
The recent surge in cases is slowing work on Capitol Hill and shattering a sense of calm. Adding to the jitters was news yesterday that a White House employee and a member of Speaker Nancy Pelosi's staff tested positive even though they were fully vaccinated.
Politico:
'It's A Nightmare': Covid Delta Variant Rocks A Recovering Capitol Complex
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s trip to Israel got postponed. Nearly half of House members are masked on the floor again. One Senate Democrat even floated a “proof of vaccination” card to enter the Capitol. As Covid infections have crept back onto the Hill, they've shattered the sense of calm that had just begun to settle across the complex after the deadly pandemic and insurrection. After a weekslong trudge toward normalcy, fears are now spiking over the highly contagious Delta variant, which the Capitol physician confirmed Tuesday has been reported in Capitol office buildings. (Ferris and Tully-McManus, 7/20)
Axios:
The Capitol Is A COVID Petri Dish As The Delta Variant Surges
Congress, staffers and reporters are wearing masks again as Capitol Hill faces a new wave of the coronavirus despite widespread vaccinations. Why it matters: The Delta variant is surging, and Congress is a potential petri dish for the new variant. House and Senate leaders are weighing whether to reintroduce coronavirus protocols to the Capitol. While most lawmakers have been vaccinated, they fit high-risk profiles and work in close quarters. (Treene, 7/20)
AP:
3 GOP House Members Lose Appeals Over $500 Mask Fines
Three Republican U.S. House members have lost appeals challenging fines for not wearing face coverings on the House floor earlier this year. On Tuesday, the U.S. House Ethics Committee released statements noting that U.S. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Ralph Norman of South Carolina had failed in their appeals of $500 fines issued in May. (Kinnard, 7/21)
In other news from Capitol Hill and the White House —
Politico:
Pelosi Aide, White House Official Test Positive For Covid-19 After Contact With Texas Democrats
A senior spokesperson for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a White House official tested positive for Covid-19 after coming into contact with Democrats from the Texas state legislature last week. The Pelosi spokesperson had helped show the Texas lawmakers, who came to Washington, D.C., to stop their majority-conservative state legislature from passing new voting restrictions, around the Capitol. (Sheehey, 7/20)
Axios:
Psaki Confirms Multiple Breakthrough COVID Cases In White House
Press secretary Jen Psaki on Tuesday confirmed that there have been multiple breakthrough coronavirus cases among White House staffers. What she's saying: Psaki said that the White House has committed to sharing when a commissioned officer — "the highest level ranking people in the White House," she explained — tests positive for the virus. She did not clarify if that meant that the White House would not announce when a non-commissioned official gets infected. (Gonzalez, 7/20)
CBS News:
White House Hasn't Disclosed Past Breakthrough COVID-19 Cases
The White House has not disclosed past breakthrough cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated staff members, although none of the cases have occurred among commissioned officers, White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed during Tuesday's press briefing. Psaki's comments came after a White House official confirmed Tuesday that a fully vaccinated White House official tested positive for the virus off campus, although the White House Medical Unit determined the individual had no close contacts among White House principals and staff. The breakthrough case comes as multiple members of a Texas delegation to Washington, D.C., tested positive, despite being fully vaccinated. After meeting with members of the Texas delegation, a fully vaccinated spokesperson for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tested positive as well, according to Pelosi's deputy chief of staff. (Watson, 7/20)
