Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa announced Tuesday evening that he tested positive for COVID-19.
Grassley, 87, announced earlier in the day that he was quarantining after finding out that he had been exposed to the coronavirus. The Iowa Republican’s self-quarantine shortly follows an announcement by his colleague, Sen. Rick Scott, who is also staying at home after learning he was exposed to someone who tested positive for the virus.
“I’ve tested positive for coronavirus,” Grassley tweeted. “I’ll b following my doctors’ orders/CDC guidelines & continue to quarantine.”
I’ve tested positive for coronavirus. I’ll b following my doctors’ orders/CDC guidelines & continue to quarantine. I’m feeling good + will keep up on my work for the ppl of Iowa from home. I appreciate everyone’s well wishes + prayers &look fwd to resuming my normal schedule soon
— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) November 17, 2020
“I’m feeling good + will keep up on my work for the ppl of Iowa from home,” Grassley added. “I appreciated everyone’s well wishes + prayers &look fwd to resuming my normal schedule soon.”
As president pro tempore, Grassley is the most senior Republican in the Senate. He’s also the longest-serving Republican in the upper chamber, second overall only to Democrat Patrick Leahy. Grassley has represented Iowa for nearly 40 years. Because of his quarantine, Grassley missed his first vote since 1993, according to CNN, citing his office.
Grassley’s diagnosis came on the heels of a heated exchange on the Senate floor between Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, and Dan Sullivan, a Republican. Sullivan rebuffed a request by Brown to wear a mask while he was addressing the chamber, prompting an angry response from Brown.
“There clearly isn’t much interest in this body in public health,” Brown said. “We have a majority leader that calls us back here to vote on an unqualified nominee, and at the same time to vote for judge after judge after judge, exposing all the people who can’t say anything, I understand, the people in front of you, and the presiding officer, and expose all the staff here, and the majority leader just doesn’t seem to care.”
Across the United States, more than 11 million people have tested positive for COVID-19, and more than 248,000 people have died from the disease, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The latest surge has led many states to reintroduce coronavirus restrictions and strengthen mask mandates. In Chicago, health officials told residents to “cancel traditional Thanksgiving” plans.
