House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., rejected a call for lawmakers to leave the Capitol and return to their home districts amid fears of the coronavirus.
The Hill reported Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said during a closed-door caucus meeting Tuesday, colleagues should leave Washington and go back home.
But Pelosi turned down the idea.
"We are the captains of the ship; we are the last to leave," she told her caucus, using words uttered earlier by Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., a Navy veteran.
The Hill noted two-thirds of senators are older than 60 and the average House member is 57.6 years old. It pointed out the advance age of many lawmakers is of concern because older adults with existing medical conditions, appear to be the most vulnerable to the virus.
"We're keeping our schedule," Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I. "We think it's very important to stay here and do our work."
Several members of Congress, including Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., have put themselves under a 14-day self-quarantine after coming in contact with someone who has tested positive for the virus.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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