McConnell and Pelosi ‘respectfully decline’ rapid COVID-19 tests for Congress – By Katherine Tully-McManus (Roll Call) / May 2 2020
Senate set to return Monday with special procedures in place
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker Nancy Pelosi agreed Saturday to reject an offer from the Trump administration to provide Congress with rapid-results testing for COVID-19, saying those tests should go where there is a greater need.
“Congress is grateful for the Administration’s generous offer to deploy rapid COVID-19 testing capabilities to Capitol Hill, but we respectfully decline the offer at this time,” the two leaders said in a joint statement. “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.”
McConnell and Pelosi said Congress will rely on the Office of the Attending Physician’s testing procedures until “these speedier technologies become more widely available.”
The Senate is scheduled to return to Capitol Hill on Monday, despite the continued stay-at-home order in place for Washington, D.C. While lawmakers and staff will not have access to the rapid-response tests offered by the White House, the Office of the Attending Physician released additional safety guidelines Friday.
Continue to article: https://www.rollcall.com/2020/05/02/mcconnell-and-pelosi-respectfully-decline-rapid-covid-19-tests-for-congress/
