Congress vote for Biden could be COVID superspreader event

When 535 members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives meet today as required by the Constitution to affirm the Electoral College vote for Joe Biden, the joint session has the potential to be a coronavirus superspreader event.

It shows why folks should stop whining that our elected leaders are cutting to the front of the vaccine line. Members of Congress should be among the first. We are dependent on them to keep our country functioning. They are essential workers.

And, unfortunately, they cannot control the childish, dangerous behavior of some of their colleagues. You would think that after 55 members had contracted COVID-19 and newly elected Rep. Luke Letlow, R-La., died from the disease before he could assume office, everyone would understand the risks.

But, no, too many members of Congress, especially Republicans, behave as if they are as oblivious to COVID-19 dangers. They exhibit the same denial as many of their constituents.

On Sunday, as the 117th United States Congress was sworn in, hundreds of members gathered closely in groups on the House floor in clear violation of pandemic health guidelines, according to The Hill.

Some members also failed to properly wear masks fully covering their noses and mouths while standing near their colleagues. New Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R- Ga., a supporter of pro-Trump QAnon conspiracy theories, simply refused to wear a mask.

And just like elsewhere, such infantile behavior endangers those around them. Think about the risk to U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who is 87 years old. Think about our Bay Area congressional delegation: Seven of the 10 members are at least 68.

Think about Rep. Mark DeSaulnier. The 68-year- old Bay Area congressman, who lives with treatable chronic lymphocytic leukemia, has a weakened immune system as a result. Indeed, he nearly died last year when broken ribs he suffered in a running accident led to pneumonia that left him unconscious and on a ventilator for four weeks.

Since May 26, after he was released from the hospital, DeSaulnier has spent most of his time in Concord and, like 122 other House members, has been voting by proxy. The Democratic- controlled House permits members to designate someone else to cast most votes for them; the Republican- controlled Senate does not.

But DeSaulnier had to return to Washington this week to be sworn in for a new term, vote on the House rules for the new session and vote to affirm the Electoral College presidential outcome.

“The challenge being here is that you have members who don’t think the rules apply,” DeSaulnier said. “I want to do my job, but I want to do my job with advice of science and doctors.”

DeSaulnier spoke with me Monday morning by phone as he was safely holed up in a reception room near the House floor waiting to vote on the rules that would include, like last term, requirements that members adhere to social distancing protocols.

It’s amazing that our elected representatives still must be told how to behave during a pandemic. But, following the scrum on Sunday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi had to send an email reminding House members to limit the number of members on the floor at one time, wear masks and socially distance.

“When staff urge you to leave the Floor, it is not a suggestion,” she wrote. “It is a direction, in the interest of keeping the Congress healthy and intact.”

Similarly, for today’s joint session, access to the floor will be limited to members who are scheduled to speak. Otherwise, they are being encouraged to remain in their offices unless called to vote. It remains to be seen whether they’ll follow the rules better than they did on Sunday.

It’s not surprising that, as of mid-December, congressional Republicans had three times as many coronavirus infections as Democrats. After all, the tenor for the political polarization over COVID-19 safety protocols began in Washington.

The Republican Party leader, President Donald Trump, has dismissed the dangers of the virus, which has killed more than 355,000 people in the United States, and has resisted even wearing a mask. Of course, COVID-19 is not the only thing he’s in denial about.

Which is why the joint session of Congress to affirm the Electoral College vote presents an even greater health threat. Normally, it would be a quick formality. But Trump and his sycophants in Congress still cling to the notion that the election outcome is in doubt.

It’s not. And neither is the danger of COVID-19.