U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced on Tuesday the return to work scheduled for May 4 was canceled. Both Congressman Kevin Hern and Congresswoman Kendra Horn called for the House to return to work to deal with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Hern and Horn say this is when Congress needs to step up for the American people.
“The nation is looking to us for leadership. They need Congress to do what we were elected to do – show up and represent the needs of our constituents. As many states across the country are beginning the process of returning to ‘normal,’ Congress should be doing the same. The Speaker has taken advantage of our mandated absence by drafting legislation in secret, only allowing Republican input at the last possible moment, which has delayed nearly every coronavirus relief bill we’ve considered,” said Hern.
“Congress was not elected to sit at home; we were elected to be the voice of the people. We have a lot of work left to do, and we can’t do it from our couches. We need to ensure that local medical facilities are getting the PPE they need. We need to hold China accountable for their role in the spread of the virus and the disinformation campaign they launched against America in the aftermath of it. President Trump has not taken a single day off since this pandemic began. His task force is showing up to the White House every day. They are doing their job as the executive branch. It’s our turn to do our job as the legislative branch.”
Horn contends House members can work remotely as long as the process remains transparent.
“In this time of great challenge, uncertainty, and upheaval, we must have the ability to conduct the business of the House of Representatives in a public and transparent way by holding committee hearings, debating, marking-up and voting on legislation,” said Horn. “It is critical that we take action now to allow House lawmakers to safely carry out these essential functions during the COVID-19 crisis. It is easy to reject change in a historic institution such as Congress, but the tradition most important to our democracy, the one we must preserve, is our work to ensure transparency and accountability in a government by and for the people. I am deeply disappointed in the decision to delay legislative business until later this month rather than working to set up either remote legislative systems or safe in-person procedures. It is time to get back to business for the people.”
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Senate planned to reconvene next week.
