CONGRESS (MEETING!) IN THE TIME OF CORONAVIRUS
Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews
Correspondent

Congress, ever divided, is also now a contradiction in how to handle the pandemic.  

On Monday, the full Senate came back into session, stressing plans for social distancing and the need for government to function. The House of Representatives, however, is staying home, pointing to advice from the Capitol’s attending physician, which focused on the rising number of coronavirus cases in Washington, D.C., as well as proximity to two hot-spot counties in suburban Maryland.  

All of this has led to near-daily announcements of new coronavirus policies as lawmakers also wrestle with shifting debates over emergency funding and priorities. 

Here’s a look at what’s going on at the Capitol, including how the coronavirus is affecting operations and what exactly lawmakers are doing at this point while in town.

New restrictions

The attending physician set out seven pages of guidance last week, including:

• Hand contact, like shaking hands, is discouraged.
• Face coverings are optional, but recommended.  
• Each worker is asked to check their temperature every morning before work and to report health data to their office.  
• No doctor’s report is necessary for individuals to return to work after contracting the coronavirus once their symptoms have resolved.
• Much of the responsibility for enforcement is on each individual office. The attending physician has recommended each senator come up with plans for new office configurations, smaller maximum capacity levels and ways to minimize staff levels at the Capitol.

Senate committee meetings

• Senators are asked to use hand sanitizer before entering the committee room.
• They are being directed to go immediately to their seats and not chat with one another in small clusters.  
• Staff is discouraged from attending.
• All members should sit at least 6 feet apart.

What business are lawmakers conducting, exactly?

• The Senate is primarily voting on a series of nominations.
• Among the hearings this week: A committee confirmation hearing for Rep. John Ratcliffe, the nominee for director of national intelligence. And there’s at least one other that could become heated. The Senate Judiciary Committee meets Wednesday to consider and hear testimony from Appellate Court nominee Justin Walker of Kentucky, whose nomination has become embroiled in ethics concerns. At least one judge has called for an investigation into the situation, which will likely become a point of tension in the hearing.
• Also Wednesday, the Senate Commerce Committee looks at the state of America’s airline industry amid the pandemic.

Are they doing anything else?

• Yes. Lawmakers are voicing a growing number of ideas around what they believe should be in the next coronavirus bill. Ideas range broadly, from more infrastructure funding and state aid to a national service program and economic opportunity zones.
• When would another bill pass? That is unclear. Even the outline of a rough deal seems impossible this week. But watch the next two weeks to see if Congress starts getting closer to a new aid bill. This will be a major conversation.

FIVE OVERLOOKED POLITICAL STORIES FROM THE PAST WEEK
By Alex D’Elia, @AlexDEliaNews
Politics production assistant

Native American tribes sue treasury over stimulus aid as they feud over funding -- May 1. The delay in receiving aid stems in part from disputes stuck in the courts over whether for-profit Alaska Native corporations should be allowed to receive federal aid. Why it matters: The outcome will determine how federal aid is distributed among the 574 federally recognized tribes in the future. -- The New York Times

Companies skip convention donations amid coronavirus, partisan tensions -- May 3. More than a dozen companies that wrote large checks for the 2016 Republican and Democratic conventions are not planning to donate this year. Why it matters: Fundraising challenges may place financial strain on the committees and organizations attempting to put on the conventions as planned. -- The Wall Street Journal 

Feds, Northam spar over Virginia stay-at-home order’s impact on churches -- May 3. The Justice Department is endorsing the position that Virginia’s stay-at-home order has interfered with the church’s free exercise of religion. Why it matters: Attorney General William Barr’s scrutinizing of state and local restrictions that his department claims intrude on individual rights could discourage or undo measures being taken to slow the spread of the coronavirus. -- POLITICO

Unexpected outcome in Wisconsin: Tens of thousands of ballots that arrived after Election Day were counted, thanks to court decisions -- May 3. In the state’s two largest cities alone, more than 10 percent of all ballots counted were received after the April 7 election day. Why it matters: The results underscore the power of narrow court decisions to affect what votes are counted. -- The Washington Post

Judge calls for investigation into whether McConnell pressured judge to retire -- May 5. The chief judge for D.C.’s Court of Appeals asked Chief Justice John Roberts to assign another court to look into the circumstances surrounding a judge’s retirement in early March. Why it matters: The judge’s timely retirement created a vacancy for which the president has nominated a conservative judge with a personal connection to McConnell, raising ethics questions about the Senate majority leader’s involvement. -- The Hill


#POLITICSTRIVIA
By Kate Grumke, @KGrumke
Politics producer

On this day in 1987, televised congressional hearings began regarding a major political scandal.

Our question: What was that scandal?

Send your answers to [email protected] or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shout-out next week.

Last week, we asked: Which state was the first to ratify the Constitution? 

The answer is Delaware. (One of its nicknames is “The First State” for this reason.) Delaware often appears first in any display of state flags. 

Congratulations to our winners: Caleb Grummert and Mike Coveyou!

Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your Inbox next week.