FILE PHOTO: House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) walks inside the U.S. Capitol prior to the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, U.S., December 18, 2019. REUTERS/Tom Brenner
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. House of Representatives will not return to Washington next week as planned, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said on Tuesday, citing health concerns amid a still-rising number of coronavirus cases in the nation’s capital.
Hoyer, a Democrat, said the decision was made after he talked to Congress’ physician on Monday. “The House’s physician’s view was that there was a risk to members,” Hoyer told reporters.
“We hope to come back very soon to consider the CARES2 legislation,” Hoyer said, referring to the next massive coronavirus relief package.
Hoyer said the bipartisan group studying remote work would meet on Tuesday.
“My objective would be that we agree upon a process so that committees can “do all the work they would do if they were sitting in the same room … through technological connections,” he said.
Reporting by Susan Cornwell, writing by Doina Chiacu, Editing by Franklin Paul and Tom Brown