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In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell obtained by POLITICO, Capitol Hill physician Brian Monahan wrote that Congress would receive “a specific number of doses of the COVID 19 vaccine to meet the longstanding demands of the continuity of government operations “.
“The small number of COVID 19 vaccines that will be provided to us reflects a fraction of the first tranche of vaccine as it is distributed nationwide,” added Monahan.
McConnell, a childhood polio survivor, said in a statement Thursday that he planned to get the vaccine “in the next few days,” but gave no further details.
“Due to government continuity requirements, I have been advised by the Attending Physician’s Office that I am eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine, which I will accept,” he said.
Speculation was mounting on Capitol Hill this week as lawmakers – many of whom are older and at higher risk – wait to be notified when they will receive vaccines as part of the national effort. But even though lawmakers are set to become the last step in a landmark vaccination campaign, there is still little certainty about how and when the distribution process will work in a place as sprawling as the United States Congress. .
Congressional leaders are just beginning to tackle the complicated task of distributing doses among hundreds of lawmakers and essential construction workers. The rollout is also fraught with political pitfalls amid the nationwide rush to fairly divide a limited vaccine supply, while encouraging public figures to take the vaccine as a show of confidence.
The limited number of doses that will soon arrive on Capitol Hill is just the first set of several potentially. But the absence of a Hill distribution plan so far has frustrated some members, who say they have received no indication from management or the Capitol doctor on when they will receive the first set of doses – not to mention the number. or who should get it first. . What further complicates matters is that lawmakers, like anyone who receives the vaccine, will need two doses.
Some say they are hoping Congress doesn’t drag its feet on a vaccination program like it did with the implementation of a widespread screening regime.
“I hope that we will not make the same mistake on the vaccines that we made in the tests, that is to say to wait until a certain number of people have had this unnecessarily … before deciding whether or not we’re going to handle this, ”said Senator Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a GOP executive member who chairs the rules committee.
During a closed-door briefing on “Operation Warp Speed” Thursday, the topic of how and when lawmakers would be vaccinated was not addressed at all, according to a member who attended the session.
Meanwhile, federal officials are rushing to distribute vaccines to senior government officials. Vice President Mike Pence and President-elect Joe Biden will both receive vaccines within days.
The arrival of the vaccine on Capitol Hill – where cases continue to climb – could force lawmakers into a delicate political and personal dilemma. MPs will want to avoid any impression that senior government officials receive special treatment. According to a recent ABC News / Ipsos poll, only 16% of the public believe elected officials should be among the first to receive vaccines.
But many lawmakers also recognize that they and their colleagues are at high risk due to the nature of their work, which requires traveling back and forth to Washington every week. And senior congressional officials say taking the vaccine would also send an important signal to the American people that it is safe.
“We do a lot, we see a lot of people and we have to do business,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), Who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee. “This is a difficult work. … If the vaccine is there, I think we should take it.
“I don’t want to break the line,” added Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Minority Whip, while noting that lawmakers travel more frequently than most Americans. “And I think because of this vulnerability, you have to take that into account.”
It is also a question of continuity of government: President Nancy Pelosi and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) are second and third in line for the presidency, behind the vice president. And Grassley, 87, has already been briefly kicked out of the Senate after contracting the virus last month, despite showing no symptoms.
Party leaders grappled with optics concerns earlier this year over the implementation of widespread coronavirus testing in the Capitol, which only arrived in the building last month.
Republican Rodney Davis of Illinois, the top Republican on the House Administration Committee, lobbied Pelosi to unveil a plan of action for the vaccines before they arrive on Capitol Hill – especially for the vaccines. frontline workers, which include police officers and guards. But so far, his appeals have gone unanswered.
“Why in the world can not [Pelosi] and his team begin to develop a vaccination plan for the essential workers who make the House operational? Davis said. “It was a failure not to address testing when it became more available. … And if they go through the exact same process when it comes to vaccinations, then yes, it will still be a failure until they have to.
Yet Republicans continue to denigrate House Democrats for holding virtual meetings and using proxy voting, a system designed to reduce physical interactions in the building.
Lawmakers, however, do not have exact control over when they will receive the vaccine. Much of that advice will come from the Capitol Hill doctor’s office, which has drawn criticism from members and staff. The complaints, which were filed privately, relate to a lack of transparency and a slow response to the adoption of the kind of strict health rules – such as not attending large gatherings or dinners – that much of the country had. already adopted.
However, many members make it clear that they will take the vaccine as soon as it is offered to them, although they are not sure when it will be.
“If they told me he was available in two minutes in that hallway, I would go down and get him,” said Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.)
“I’ll take one now. I’m going to take two now, ”added Senator John Kennedy (R-La.).“ I hear a lot of ‘I’m not going to take it, because I don’t know what’s in it. And you know what I’m telling them? Do you eat hot dogs? You don’t know what’s in hot dogs, but you eat them. Take the vaccine. “
Daniel Lippman contributed to this report.
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