Congress’s top leaders on Saturday rejected the Trump administration’s offer to deploy rapid coronavirus testing to Capitol Hill ahead of the U.S. Senate’s planned return on Monday, saying key supplies should be reserved for frontline workers amid the pandemic.
In a rare joint statement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said they “respectfully” reject the administration’s “generous” offer to provide rapid testing capabilities to Congress.
“Our country’s testing capacities are continuing to scale up nationwide and Congress wants to keep directing resources to the front-line facilities where they can do the most good the most quickly,” said Mrs. Pelosi, California Democrat, and Mr. McConnell, Kentucky Republican.
The leaders said that consistent with federal guidance, Congress will use the testing protocols the Office of the Attending Physician has in place until quicker technology is more readily available.
Late Friday, Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar said the administration was sending three Abbott “point of care” testing machines and 1,000 tests to Capitol Hill as the Senate prepares to return to Washington, D.C. on Monday.
President Trump appeared to criticize the leaders’ decision.
“No reason to turn it down, except politics,” Mr. Trump said on Twitter. “We have plenty of testing. Maybe you need a new Doctor over there. Crazy Nancy will use it as an excuse not to show up to work!”
Earlier Saturday, Mr. Trump had said there was a sufficient supply.
“There is tremendous CoronaVirus testing capacity in Washington for the Senators returning to Capital Hill on Monday,” the president said on Twitter. “Likewise the House, which should return but isn’t because of Crazy Nancy P. The 5 minute Abbott Test will be used. Please inform Dr. Brian P. Monahan. @MarkMeadows.”
The White House last month mandated that anyone who wants to get close to Mr. Trump or Vice President Mike Pence has to take a quick coronavirus test.
Dr. Monahan, Congress’s in-House doctor, said this week he likely doesn’t have enough rapid tests for all 100 U.S. senators and that he would likely have to limit the testing to senators and staffers who are sick or displaying symptoms.
The Democrat-led House had also planned to be back in Washington, D.C., on Monday but scrapped those plans, citing advice from Dr. Monahan and a rising number of coronavirus cases in and around the nation’s capital.
Mr. McConnell has expressed confidence that the Senate can safely reconvene with the proper precautions in place.
Under new guidance from Dr. Monahan, employees returning to work on Capitol Hill have to take their temperatures at home every day before coming into the office and complete a self-assessment to determine whether they can come into work.
If employees report having had symptoms like a fever, frequent cough, or flu-like symptoms within the previous seven days they have to stay home.
They also have to stay home if someone in their household is sick with bronchitis-like or cold symptoms.
