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Dear Friend,
Any day now, members of Congress could be forced into quarantine, leaving Donald Trump in power with NO congressional oversight.1
This is not a drill: As the coronavirus pandemic sweeps the country, we’ve never needed Congressional oversight more. Our legislators are the only ones looking out for the working people and passing bills to provide health care and economic support, while Trump pumps money into Wall Street and the oil industry.
Congress needs to pass emergency legislation NOW to allow lawmakers to vote and deliberate by teleconference. Without it, we will be left in the middle of a pandemic with a full-blown crisis of democracy.
Although the technology to telecommute and conference remotely has existed for decades, Congress and most state legislatures are behind the times. Congressional rules dictate that legislators must convene in person to pass any legislation, whether during an emergency or not.2
This is a system designed for failure during the coronavirus pandemic.
We’re already seeing the worst-case scenario overseas. 10% of the Iranian Parliament has tested positive for the coronavirus, and two members have died. The European Parliament was forced to shut down in Strasbourg. And at home, two New York lawmakers have already contracted the virus. Many members of Congress have been exposed.3
Half of the Senate and one-quarter of the House is over age 65, a risk factor for serious complications or death from coronavirus, and the CDC has recommended gatherings of less than ten people.4 A quarantine is imminent.
We have the technology to allow Congress to conduct its business remotely and publicly, through services like Zoom. But if Congress doesn’t act now, the consequences will be dire.
The national budget will be up for debate in the summer, and the government will shut down without a new one. Congress needs to pass emergency coronavirus bills and ensure that people are getting the supplies and care they need. And we have an election approaching that we could need to adjust the rules for, like implementing vote-by-mail, if participation is affected by the pandemic.
The Supreme Court has already shut down due to the coronavirus outbreak.5 Without new procedures in place, the country will be left with no legislative branch, either—just Donald Trump and his out-of-control executive orders.
Demand Progress has mobilized a high-alert campaign to pressure Congress to pass an emergency bill allowing lawmakers to legislate through teleconference for the duration of the pandemic. We are testifying in Congress, publishing an alert in news outlets, and rallying grassroots pressure to get this done immediately.
Thanks for standing with us.
Robert Cruickshank,
Demand Progress
Sources:
1. Common Dreams, "As Lawmakers Fall Ill, Congress and State Legislatures Must Enact Continuity Plans," March 16, 2020
2. Ibid
3. Ibid
4. Quorum, "How Old is Congress?," accessed March 17, 2020
5. CNBC, "Supreme Court postpones arguments because of coronavirus, citing Spanish flu precedent," March 16, 2020
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