House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said he has been given a heads-up about the tentative plans and that he didn’t wave the group off. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
A group of House Republicans is contemplating returning to Washington next week regardless of whether they’re called back for a vote — a direct protest of Democratic leadership’s plans to keep lawmakers away from the Capitol amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Sick of being sidelined while the health crisis rages and the economy crumbles, Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) began reaching out to his GOP colleagues this week through texts and emails to vent his frustrations and pitch the idea of coming back to D.C. on Monday when the chamber was originally scheduled to reconvene. Another Republican lawmaker involved in the talks said there were roughly 20 lawmakers participating in one of the text chains.
Mast — who has also pushed the idea with GOP leadership — said he has received a positive response from his colleagues, lamenting that frustrations are at a “fever pitch” in the Republican conference as aid for small businesses has been stalled in the Senate all week.
“I don’t deny there are risks as members of Congress in going there. But that’s what doing your duty is: There are risks, but you get the job done anyway,” said Mast, a combat veteran who lost both his legs serving in Afghanistan. “If you can’t say Congress is working at the urgency that our people need right now, then we need to return immediately.”
The thinking among this group of Republicans is that if hospital staff, first responders and grocery store employees are working, so should lawmakers — and they worry about the optics if they are away from the Capitol for an extended period of time.
“Members want to come back and make it clear they’re at work,” said one GOP lawmaker involved in the discussions. “Why are we sitting here at home and reading about what’s going on?”
The effort involves rank-and-file Republicans, including both moderates and conservative hard-liners. GOP leadership has also been approached about the idea, according to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who didn’t dismiss it in an interview.
“I already know about it. I talked to somebody yesterday. We were on a call with a group of people who want to be called back,” McCarthy said. “The challenge is, the speaker has some power over the Capitol, on what’s open and what’s not. So I want to make sure it’s safe, whatever we do. But I think House Republicans are ready to come back to work.”
McCarthy also pointed out that if there is a deal on extending small business aid — which he said negotiators are making progress on — many lawmakers would come back anyway.
“I don’t think it will be a problem, because I think people are going to get called back for a vote on this and I think you’ll see a lot of House Republicans come back,” he said.
Leaders in both the House and the Senate decided to delay their return to the Capitol until at least May 4 — a decision made in consultation with health experts in an effort to avoid spreading the coronavirus among lawmakers. Multiple members and aides have already contracted the virus, and D.C. has issued a stay-at-home order until May 15.
Coming back to Washington early could put more members, staffers and Capitol workers at risk, though some House Republicans argue they could still maintain social distancing protocols. Mast, for example, said members could wear masks or use larger spaces around the Capitol to conduct their work.
“We can work in our offices. We can work in our hearing rooms and sit far apart. We can work in larger rooms,” said another GOP lawmaker. “There are a variety of things we can do.”
The desire to return comes amid growing calls in the GOP to more quickly reopen the economy and return the country to normal. President Donald Trump is also eager to get moving and has tapped a congressional task force to explore the idea further.
Republicans anxious to come back may also be channeling Trump.
Democrats should “immediately come back to Washington and approve legislation to help families in America,” Trump tweeted Friday. “End your ENDLESS VACATION!”
GOP lawmakers eye return to Capitol in protest of pandemic shutdown
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