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A26 U.S. NEWS
Saturday 16 May 2020
Work from home Congress? House set to OK proxy votes

By LISA MASCARO She tapped a task force
AP Congressional to try to reach a bipartisan
Correspondent compromise.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nei- House Minority Leader Kev-
ther Civil War nor Great in McCarthy proposed a
Depression or any other na- “hybrid” plan that would
tional crisis has convinced allow the committees to
the House to allow lawmak- conduct work remotely
ers to vote by proxy — with- but stopped short of allow-
out being “present” as the ing the proxy voting on the
Constitution requires. That’s floor.
about to change during A key Trump ally, McCar-
the coronavirus pandemic. thy argues if other Ameri-
The House is poised Friday cans are at work, Congress
to approve a package should be, too. “It’s a very
of historic rules changes sad day inside this House,”
so Congress can keep the California Republican
functioning even while it’s said.
partly closed. The shift will The changes are expect-
dramatically change the ed to be temporary, only
look, if not the operation, through the remainder of
of the legislative branch this session of Congress, at
— launching a 21st cen- the end of the year. Dem-
tury WFH House, like others, ocrats insist the changes
“working from home.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., arrives for a news conference on Capitol Hill, Thursday, May should be used only under
“This House must continue 14, 2020, in Washington. times of crisis.
legislating,” said Rep. Jim Associated Press But Republicans warn there
McGovern, the chairman Republicans objected to provision allows for direct people’s House — and the will be legal challenges to
of the House Rules Com- what they see as a power remote voting, once the people’s representatives legislation passed during
mittee during a lengthy grab during the crisis. technology is approved. in committees — to work,” this period, questioning the
session ahead of the vote. Rep. Tom Cole of Oklaho- Just as important, the Majority Leader Steny Hoy- constitutional legitimacy of
“And we have to do so in a ma, the top Republican on House committees — the er, D-Md., who has helped proxy votes. The House has
way that is safe for all those the rules panel, warned the bread and butter of legis- lead the effort, testified be- never allowed proxy floor
around us.” changes will fundamentally lative work — will be able fore the Rules Committee. votes, even during some
Debate over the changes alter the nature of the insti- to fully function remotely. With the Capitol physician of the most challenging
has been fierce. As Presi- tution, “and not for the bet- Committee hearings are warning it could be years eras in the nation’s history.
dent Donald Trump en- ter.” prime-time for lawmakers before Congress resumes Lawmakers convened dur-
courages Americans back Under the new rules, House — the chance to grill offi- full operations, lawmakers ing the 1918 Spanish Flu
to work, the 435-member lawmakers will no longer cials, spar with colleagues are anxious to chart a new epidemic and only stayed
House has stayed away be required to travel to and have much of it cap- normal and not be side- away a short time after the
due to health risks while the Washington to participate tured on C-SPAN. House lined. 2001 terror attacks. Proxy
smaller Senate resumed in floor votes. They will be lawmakers will be able to An earlier proposal was votes had been allowed in
operations. allowed to vote by proxy draft bills, conduct over- shelved two weeks ago committees, but that end-
Democrats argue the — assigning their vote to sight and even issue sub- as House Speaker Nancy ed decades ago. Under
House can rely on technol- another lawmaker who will poenas from the comfort Pelosi insisted she wanted the new rules, one lawmak-
ogy for remote work as the be at the Capitol to cast of their homes. any change of this signifi- er can carry up to 10 votes
pandemic drags on. But it for them. Eventually, a “This is about allowing the cance to be bipartisan. by proxy to the Capitol.q

Sailors on sidelined carrier get virus for second time

By LOLITA C. BALDOR the military, particularly on lation. Earlier this month
Associated Press ships. All five sailors had hundreds of sailors began
WASHINGTON (AP) — Five previously tested positive returning to the ship, in co-
sailors on the U.S. aircraft and had gone through ordinated waves, to get
carrier sidelined in Guam at least two weeks of iso- ready to set sail again.
due to a COVID-19 out- lation. As part of the pro- In a statement Friday, the
break have tested positive cess, they all had to test Navy said that, while on-
for the virus for the second negative twice in a row, board, the five sailors self-
time and have been tak- with the tests separated monitored and adhered
en off the ship, according by at least a day or two to strict social distancing
to the Navy. before they were allowed protocols.
The resurgence of the virus to go back to the ship. "These five Sailors devel-
in the five sailors on the USS The Roosevelt has been oped influenza-like illness
Theodore Roosevelt un- at port in Guam since late symptoms and did the
derscores the befuddling March after the outbreak right thing reporting to
In this Nov. 19, 2019, photo provided by the U.S. Navy, Capt.
Brett Crozier, left, then the new commanding officer of the behavior of the highly of the virus was discov- medical for evaluation,"
aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), and outgoing contagious virus and rais- ered. More than 4,000 of the Navy said, adding that
Capt. Carlos Sardiello cut a cake in the ship's hangar bay es questions about how the 4,800 crew members they were immediately re-
during a change of command ceremony reception. troops that test positive have gone ashore since moved from the ship and
Associated Press can be reintegrated into then for quarantine or iso- put back in isolation. q