Members of Congress told not to travel to Milwaukee for DNC
There aren’t going to be a lot of politicians around at next month’s Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee.
In fact, there might not be a lot of people at all.
Democratic members of the U.S. House and Senate have been told not to travel to Milwaukee for the event, where Joe Biden will be nominated for president to take on President Donald Trump in the fall.
The New York Times also reported Friday that there could be as few as 300 people at the event.
The instruction to members of Congress came in an email from Chasseny Lewis, a senior adviser to the convention committee, to congressional aides, The Times reported.
“We have been working closely with state and local public health officials, as well epidemiologists, and have come to the hard decision that members of Congress should not plan to travel to Milwaukee,” the email said. “No delegates will travel to Milwaukee and Caucus and Council meetings will take place virtually.”
Democrats have pared back their convention and made it more virtual because of the coronavirus pandemic. The New York Times reported that much of the programming may be in pre-taped videos.
Organizers are still trying to figure out how many people can be inside the main convention hall.
In late June, delegates were told not to attend the event, which was shifted from Fiserv Forum to the Wisconsin Center.
Delegates will vote remotely Aug. 315.
The convention will be held in Milwaukee, Aug. 17-20.
Biden intends to be in Milwaukee, along with his vice presidential running mate.
Katie Peters, a convention spokesperson, said in an email: “Ensuring the safety and well-being of everyone involved with the 2020 Democratic National Convention drives every decision we make, and this communication reiterates our guidance from several weeks ago that all members of state delegations — including elected leaders — should plan to conduct their official business remotely. Last week, we sent delegates guidance on how they will vote and we look forward to sharing more details on other opportunities for delegates in the coming weeks.”