GOP Sen. Grassley tests positive for coronavirus
Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Iowa Republican who is third in line for the presidency, said Tuesday he has tested positive for the coronavirus after saying earlier in the day that he went into quarantine after exposure.
In a tweet, Grassley said he will follow his doctors’ orders and “CDC guidelines & continue to quarantine. I’m feeling good + will keep up on my work” from home.
Grassley, who is 87, said Tuesday morning he was not experiencing any symptoms while he was awaiting the results of a test.
His spokesperson, Michael Zona, said Grassley can participate remotely in nearly all Senate business aside from voting.
Grassley chairs the Senate Finance Committee and is the chamber’s president pro tempore, putting him in line for the presidency behind the vice president and the speaker of the House of Representatives. He was first elected to the Senate in 1980.
Grassley often brags that he hasn’t missed a Senate vote since July 20, 1993, when severe flooding damaged Iowa. That streak will end this week since the Senate has not allowed members to vote remotely during the pandemic as the House has.
Zona said staff have been limiting contact with Grassley since the beginning of the pandemic and have been following the guidelines of the Senate physician regarding social distancing and mask wearing.
“Those who have been in contact with Sen. Grassley have been appropriately notified and are instructed to follow the advice of their physicians as well as all CDC and local health guidelines,” Zona said in an email.
In October, Grassley said he would not seek a test after attending a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting with a fellow senator who later tested positive. At the time, Zona said Grassley’s doctors did not recommend he get tested since he was not within 6 feet of Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.