Behind the scenes: Some ask "Why are we here?" after the Senate accomplished little in its first week back as coronavirus cases continue to rise in DC.
WASHINGTON — The Senate’s first week back in Washington, where the number of coronavirus cases is expected to peak later in the month, included confirming two nominees who had virtually no opposition, and a hearing on Justin Walker, President Donald Trump’s controversial nominee for the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., at 81 one of the oldest members of the Senate, missed both nominee votes and stayed home in D.C. with his wife, coming in only for the failed vote to override Trump’s veto on the War Powers Resolution. Nearly all of the 100 senators hurried out of the Capitol on Thursday. Even those typically chatty brushed past reporters, with many rushing to catch flights home — which now take multiple connections through several airports due to flight cancellations across the country.
And before they rushed out, we had to ask Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., a crucial question: Why does he love Arby’s so much? Manchin forgot to mute his phone as he stopped at a fast-food restaurant during a caucus call with Senate Democrats in April, since unlike Republicans, their lunch meetings are held by teleconference.
Though they took the trip to D.C., senators are holding “hybrid hearings” — which sometimes resulted in a bipartisan Zoom party in the middle of crucial testimony, like during the Senate HELP Committee hearing on coronavirus testing on Thursday. Unfortunately technology did not always cooperate. Pelosi opened the question portion by attempting to take a question from a reporter via videoconference, but the audio failed. She joked about being able to read lips before ultimately turning to take questions from the room.
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