WASHINGTON—As the Senate returns to session following the White House superspreader event and subsequent COVID-19 outbreak in the Capitol, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) led 13 Senate Democrats on Monday in calling on House and Senate leadership to implement a comprehensive testing plan for everyone who works in and around the Capitol complex. In a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, the senators called for this testing regime to include restaurant, postal, and cleaning service employees, staff in personal offices and committees, U.S. Capitol Police, Congressional Research Service staff, Architect of the Capitol employees, and Members of the Senate and House of Representatives. Murphy and the senators also called on the Senate to join the House in issuing a mandatory mask policy and for a notification system for staff who have potentially been exposed.

 “As Congress has continued its work throughout the pandemic, this environment has created vulnerabilities for those coming into the Capitol buildings every day. With 123 positive cases amongst Legislative Branch employees or contractors, it is critical that everyone has access to and the assurance of strong testing protocols to prevent the unidentified spread that has occurred in several instances over the past few months. Failing to provide this testing puts everybody within the Capitol complex at risk,” the senators wrote.

The senators concluded: “Throughout this pandemic, the staff who keep operations going in the Capitol have faced numerous challenges and are showing up to work even as many congressional offices have their staff working remotely. They work long, often irregular hours and are committed to ensuring that the Capitol and its facilities and patrons are treated with the utmost respect and dignity. We should thank them for these indispensable services by doing our utmost to keep them safe and healthy each and every day by adopting a widespread testing plan and other public health practices.”

Murphy was joined by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

A full text of the letter can be found here and below:

Dear Majority Leader McConnell and Speaker Pelosi:

Events over the past weeks have made clear that it is time to implement a regular testing system available for everyone who works in and around the U.S. Capitol. As Congress has continued its work throughout the pandemic, this environment has created vulnerabilities for those coming into the Capitol buildings every day. With the limited tracking currently publicly available indicating more than 100 known positive cases amongst non-legislative employees or contractors alone, it is critical that everyone has access to and the assurance of strong testing protocols to prevent the unidentified spread that has occurred in several instances over the past few months. Failing to provide this testing puts everybody within the Capitol complex at risk.

This month, the President, First Lady, numerous senators, and administration staff tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. Given that these senators were present in Senate office buildings, attended hearings, and went to the Capitol to vote, there is a risk they could have spread the virus to others. While we are pleased that testing is now being offered to some Senate staff for the first time, these actions do not go far enough. They do not provide access to testing for all workers throughout the Capitol buildings, despite their risk of exposure. We ask you, in coordination with the Office of the Attending Physician, to expand access to free testing for all workers around the Capitol, including but not limited to restaurant, postal, and cleaning services, staff in personal offices and on committees, U.S. Capitol Police, Congressional Research Service staff, Architect of the Capitol employees, and Members of the Senate and House of Representatives.

In addition to providing testing to all those performing jobs in and around the Capitol, Congress should strengthen the use of other public health interventions. Since July, the House of Representatives has set a mandatory mask requirement; the Senate should join and extend this requirement to all common spaces of the Capitol complex, including Senate buildings. We also seek a notification system for staff potentially exposed when a positive case is identified. This is essential so that staff who were potentially exposed can follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to quarantine for 14 days after their last exposure to that person and self-monitor for symptoms. In some cases, staff have not been made aware of a potential exposure until media reporting, possibly putting them at risk in the intervening time.

Throughout this pandemic, the staff who keep operations going in the Capitol have faced numerous challenges and are showing up to work even as many congressional offices have their staff working remotely. They work long, often irregular hours and are committed to ensuring that the Capitol and its facilities and patrons are treated with the utmost respect and dignity. We should thank them for these indispensable services by doing our utmost to keep them safe and healthy each and every day by adopting a widespread testing plan and other public health practices.

Sincerely,

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