As a speaker Nancy Pelosi
Nancy PelosiRelief bill being sent to Trump in Florida Meghan McCain says Merry Christmas to everyone except ‘healthy people under 65’ who get vaccine before frontline workers. (D-Calif.) Seeking support to keep the hammer for another term, his allies are eyeing a potential wildcard that could complicate his path next month: COVID-19.
Pelosi already faces a much smaller majority in the next Congress, after Democrats were defeated at the polls in November, which means she can pay far less Democratic defections than the 15 who opposed her two years ago. And lawmakers must be present at the House floor to vote for president, preventing members from voting remotely, as many did during the pandemic.
The combination of factors creates the chance that Democrats will face a dilemma on January 3, in which Pelosi blocks Democratic support to remain President of the House, but concerns about the coronavirus – diseases, quarantines or others – prevent a number enough of them are on Capitol Hill to register their votes.
Pelosi’s failure to secure the support of half the voting members would, at the very least, throw the process into chaos. In the Democrats’ nightmare scenario, mathematics could bend so much in favor of Republicans that it yields a Republican president.
“Let’s just say, theoretically, that we had six or eight people with Covid and no Republicans. They could probably elect [Kevin] McCarthy, ”said the representative. John Yarmuth
The choice of John Allen YarmuthBiden’s Pentagon puts Democrats in trouble Jason Smith is expected to serve as the top Republican on the House Budget Committee. The Republican Party debt boogieman is hurting families and hampering our recovery MORE (D-Ky.), Referring to the leader of Casa GOP.
Lawmakers were reminded of their vulnerability this week when five more House members tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of infected lawmakers to at least 35 since the pandemic hit the United States about a year ago.
With that in mind, Pelosi’s supporters say it is an outbreak during the holiday – not Democratic detractors – that poses the biggest threat to Pelosi’s otherwise expected presidential victory next month.
“We are in a health crisis, right? Nobody can get sick. That’s the X factor here, ”said a House Democrat, an ally of Pelosi, who spoke anonymously to discuss a sensitive issue. “We need everyone to be healthy. … That is the great fear. “
Some of these fears are being allayed by the launch of the COVID-19 vaccine. To protect the continuity of the government, House and Senate legislators now have the opportunity to receive a vaccination at the Capitol from the doctor in charge. Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellGOP seeks to avoid Trump’s messy fight over the Bipartisan Electoral College, bicameral group urges Trump to sign the COVID-19 relief package Meghan McCain says Merry Christmas to everyone except ‘healthy people under 65 ‘who get vaccinated before frontline workers MORE (R-Ky.) They were among the first to get vaccines on Friday.
“As the vaccine is being distributed, we must all continue to use masks, social distance and other science-based measures to save lives and destroy the virus,” Pelosi tweeted next to a picture of her being vaccinated.
But many House legislators have told The Hill that they have managed to stay healthy all year long by taking shelter there and avoiding Capitol altogether. The emergency rules, passed by Democrats in May, allowed lawmakers to vote remotely or by proxy. This means that elderly members, those battling cancer and other illnesses or caring for young children do not have to fly back to Washington every week to vote. On December 18, for example, almost 90 Democrats voted by proxy.
But the proxy voting rule expires with the new Congress, requiring lawmakers to be on Capitol Hill personally if they want to participate in the January 3 vote for Mayor. The Chamber will adopt a new set of rules to govern the 117th Congress shortly after the president’s vote.
This makes physical presence equivalent to Pelosi’s success, as Democrats are on track to have a minimum majority of 222 seats, and at least three moderate members of the bench have already declared that they do not intend to vote for Pelosi in January. 3: Representatives Conor Lamb (Pa.), Jared Golden (Maine) and Elissa Slotkin
Elissa SlotkinHouse Democrats press the Biden Pentagon over civilian control of the military. Choosing Biden’s Pentagon puts Democrats in trouble In defense of Lloyd Austin MORE (Mich.).
To complicate the math, several Democrats have ongoing health problems unrelated to the coronavirus that kept them away from the Capitol for much of the year. A handful of COVID-19 cases furthermore, some fear, could sink Pelosi’s prospects.
“COVID is a wildcard,” said the representative. Hank Johnson
Henry (Hank) C. JohnsonDemocratic senators unveil bill to ban discrimination in the financial services industry Five points as panel of technology CEOs Lawmakers, John Lewis farewell offer MORE (D-Ga.). “If we have sick members who cannot come back, and we only have a majority of four votes, that will jeopardize the entire advent of the 117th Congress – a peaceful one.”
Johnson warned that a chaotic vote by the President of Parliament on January 3 would highlight the party’s internal divisions at just the wrong time – just two days before two special Senate elections in his home state, which will decide who controls the upper house in the coming years. two years .
“The implications that this could have on the race[s] in Georgia, it’s disturbing, ”he said.
To avoid such a scenario, several Pelosi allies are informally whipping the mayor’s critics in the hope that they will support Pelosi in favor of the party’s unity – or at least vote “present”, which would not count against the majority. As part of that argument, some lawmakers are warning detractors that they are threatening the health of sick colleagues, forcing them to return to the Capitol to neutralize “no” votes.
“This must be considered by those members who are exercising a political prerogative – that in doing so they are putting someone who is fighting a really difficult disease in a position of having to risk compensating for their political prerogatives,” said a second Democratic legislator.
“It is frustrating because it has become something bigger than it should be,” added the legislator. “It was like a curious anecdote in which people could say that they voted Colin Powell
Colin Luther PowellOvernight Defense: Biden defends the choice of retired general to head the Pentagon | House approves provisional one-week spending bill | Senate rejects attempt to block Trump’s arms sales in UAE Colin Powell praises Biden’s choice for Pentagon chief: ‘Excellent choice’ No, unfaithful voters will not give Donald Trump a second term MORE or John Lewis
John LewisWorst avoided electoral fears, but Americans still failed in real ways. Obama appears in three campaign ads for Warnock in Georgia Cure and payment with national service MORE.
“This is no longer a chance to express your views; this is a consequent vote. “
Some of Pelosi’s allies, however, see a silver lining in the pandemic regarding his success in holding the hammer on January 3. In short: they say it could provide its critics – those who promised voters that they would oppose it – with a convenient excuse for not being on the ground that day.
“COVID can be a useful way to address some strategic absences,” said a third Democrat in the House, also speaking anonymously to discuss the strategy. “If you have a member, say, who has cornered like that, and he has a sick or elderly relative in the house, or a new baby, or something else, being strategically absent is a way of keeping his promise while reducing the denominator to help Pelosi. “
Of course, it is not clear how many lawmakers will be forced into quarantine during the first week of next year. But health experts are warning of an increase in cases during the long December holidays, when the cold is forcing more and more people to stay at home. And some Democrats are admitting that it is inevitable that members of Congress will be affected like everyone else.
“Obviously, the concern is that with 435 people going across the country, it’s hard to imagine that none of us will have the virus on January 3,” said a fourth House Democrat.
Pelosi, the country’s first female spokesperson, is no stranger to defending himself from challenges to his leadership over the years. Most recently, she defeated a sizeable uprising in 2018, when she squeaked to victory with 220 votes. And despite the narrow margins, there is an overwhelming feeling among Democrats that she will find a way to do this again next month – with coronavirus or none.
“There are the usual suspects who are part of your brand to vote against it. But I think there is an awareness – and there is certainly a message from within the caucus – that this may not be a year for the usual brand, ”said the representative. Jim Himes
James (Jim) Andres HimesDemocrats debate the fate of Trump’s polls if Biden wins the House. Democrats present bill to invest $ 0 billion in research and education STEM Night defense: Pentagon IG will audit the use of COVID-19 funds in Dems contractors optimistic about blocking Trump’s withdrawal from Germany | Obama criticizes Trump in foreign policy MORE (D-Conn.). “We are a rebel group, but Pelosi is very, very good at what he does. Then she will earn her money. “