6-foot rule no problem in House
Representatives took measures to prevent the spread of the virus for their vote Friday.
WASHINGTON — They sprayed. They wiped. At least two donned gloves.
Politicians love to promise to clean house in Washington. For a change Friday, they followed through when the actual House of Representatives confronted the coronavirus outbreak with the biggest stimulus bill in history.
The vigilance fit the perilous moment for humanity, as well as the specific threat to people over 60 who control the nation’s legislature.
But it also produced some discomfort as avowed partisan warriors worked together. The 6-foot rule seemed fine with them, for several reasons.
For one, social distancing helps prevent the spread of the deadly virus. It also lowers the risk of appearing too close to a politically toxic opponent and a $2.2 trillion spending bill.
It’s still an election year, after all.
“I can’t go that far,” House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy demurred with a grin after Speaker Nancy Pelosi invited him to pose next to her and the legislation. The leaders, surrounded by others, posed 6 feet apart for photos. Pelosi held the legislation.
Off-camera, the House’s deliberations produced some extraordinary visuals.
Before the debate began, Pelosi glanced at the gathering Republicans and gestured with her hands for them to stand farther apart to chat.
Later, roughly 90 House members of both parties did more than cross the aisle to ensure the bill passed. They sat above it, in every other seat or so throughout the drafty visitors gallery that has sat empty since tours were canceled March 12.
Otherwise united, House members spent the day together, yet apart, in the 162-year-old chamber. No one sat shoulder-to-shoulder, though a few members occasionally stood elbow-to-elbow to chat in the back.