Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced the Senate will reconvene next week despite calls from Democrats to postpone it over coronavirus safety concerns.
“McConnell rejects calls from Dems to reverse course and not reconvene Senate next week because of safety concerns,” CNN’s Manu Raju tweeted. “‘I think we can conduct our business safely,’ he said on Fox, adding there are ‘many confirmations’ that have been held up and need to be completed.”
McConnell joined Brian Kilmeade on his show on Wednesday and said, “We’ll practice proper safeguards in the wake of this and work safely in the Senate but get back to business. We’re not going to sit on the sidelines during this period.”
“We feel like if people on the front lines are willing to work during the pandemic, we should be as well. And so, the Senate will come back. We’ll be in session next week,” he said.
“Look, here’s what we’re going to do, Brian. We’re going to modify routines in ways that are smart and safe, but we’re going to honor our constitutional duty to the American people and conduct critical business, and we’re going to do it in person,” he said.
“If it’s essential for doctors, nurses, healthcare workers, truck drivers, grocery store workers, and many other brave Americans to keep carefully manning their own duty stations, then my view and the view of my colleagues is it’s essential for senators to carefully man ours and support those folks who are out there on the front lines,” he said.
McConnell’s decision to reconvene comes as the coronavirus death toll in the United States is approaching 62,000 people with over a million total cases, which has increased the demand for Congress to pass additional coronavirus relief funds.
House Democrats are preparing legislation but pushed back their plan to reconvene on May 4 due to negotiations with Republicans not moving quickly.
McConnell, who recently said that his motto for 2020 is “leave no vacancy” behind, has helped push through more than 100 federal judges and will specifically be focused on two circuit court judges, one of them a former protege of his, when the Senate reconvenes.
“Well, the current plan is to go back in session on May the 4. I haven’t seen anything that would discourage me from doing that,” McConnell said last week. “And, as soon as we get back in session, we’ll start confirming judges again. We need to have hearings, and we need to confirm judges.”
McConnell’s move to reconvene has been criticized by his Democratic colleagues.
“I ask the majority leader to reconsider his plan to reconvene the Senate. He would bring 100 senators and many more staff members and reporters into close proximity while Washington itself remains under a stay-at-home order. There is no way to do this without increased risk. This is the wrong example for the country,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein said in a statement.
