Senators went back to work at the Capitol on Monday, but it was hardly business as usual.
A number of extra precautions were put in place in an effort to keep senators, staff and visitors safe amid the coronavirus pandemic that's claimed the lives of almost 70,000 Americans.
The first change in how the Senate conducts business is visible before visitors enter the building. A line of yellow circles have been painted on the concrete outside, each the size of a basketball, showing visitors where to stand six feet apart while they wait to be screened by security.
Inside the complex, Capitol police officers wore masks, as did some of the limited employees and staff who returned to campus ahead of the Senate's first vote on Monday evening. Senators have been encouraged to have only minimal staff present.
To keep hearing rooms from getting too crowded, some business was being moved to larger rooms. The Kennedy Caucus Room in the Russell Senate Office building has a newly-constructed ring of tables, turned into a makeshift dais, with microphone positions for senators six feet apart. Outside its doors, the rotunda is populated with just three camera positions, instead of the usual dozen-plus.
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The Senate lunches, a weekly tradition at which quite a lot of business gets conducted, are being moved too. Republicans won't meet in the Capitol, but rather in the Hart Senate Office building room 216 — the famous hearing room where former FBI director James Comey testified about his firing by the president, among other notable made-for-TV moments.
For staffers, media and visitors, most food service options inside the complex remain closed. The Senate carry-out in the basement is open, with plexiglass protecting the cashier, the soda machine taped off, and signs reminding patrons that only three people are allowed inside at a time.
The larger House of Representatives was originally slated to return on Monday as well, but reversed course after consulting with the House physician, who was concerned about the rising number of cases in the Washington, D.C., area.
The concerns were also heightened by the lack of available coronavirus testing at the Capitol. The Trump administration offered to send more rapid tests to Congress to address the issue, but in a rare joint statement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., turned the offer down.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said Monday he thought that was a mistake.
"As we open up we cannot assume there will not be a flare up somewhere. I want to be prepared for that," McCarthy said in an interview with Politico Playbook.
He suggested that certain committees return to work first, and the full House should then return when it's time for a vote.
"My big challenge here is how can you do another bill and not have the committees work? Are you just going to have a few people craft this? Think about how much we passed already -$3 trillion," he said. "We want to make sure that’s implemented correctly."
He also suggested members have fewer staffers come in to work. "I think you would probably have to change the aspect of the number of staff that could come in. You are going to have to deal with much fewer staff," he said.
President Donald Trump, meanwhile, mocked Congress for refusing the quick tests.
"Interesting? By Congress not wanting the special 5 minute testing apparatus, they are saying that they are not 'essential'," Trump tweeted Monday morning.
Alex Moe and Haley Talbot contributed.
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