Lawmakers don’t know when the vaccine will arrive at Capitol Hill
While essential workers across the country are beginning to receive the Covid-19 vaccine, lawmakers say they’re in the dark about when the vaccine will be available for workers on Capitol Hill.
Illinois Rep. Rodney Davis, the top Republican on the House Administration Committee, sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday asking for there to be a comprehensive vaccine program, especially for essential workers on the Hill.
He asked for the House’s “high-risk and frontline essential workers” to receive the vaccine.
“Offering immunity vaccinations to the House’s high-risk and frontline essential workers is not only fundamental to the institution’s continuity of operations but is its duty to care for the health and safety of its staff and Members,” he wrote in the letter, obtained by CNN. “Additionally, implementing a clear plan will signal to both the private and public sector that the House has confidence in the vaccine. I have every confidence in our ability to rollout a successful program by the end of January based off the House’s existing flu vaccination model — a tried and trusted program that many House Members and staff are familiar with and benefited from.”
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This letter comes a week after CNN asked House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer on a call with reporters when members of Congress would get vaccinated. He said there were ongoing discussions at the time but couldn’t provide details.
CNN has reached out to the speaker’s office for additional details on a possible vaccination program. Pelosi has not commented yet on when members would receive a vaccine but emphasized in a statement when it was approved for distribution that Americans should continue to wear face masks and social distance.
“Until the vaccine is widely available, it is essential that we continue to embrace the testing, tracing, treatment, mask wearing and social distancing that are essential to preventing thousands of Americans from dying every day from the pandemic,” she said.
Separately, a Capitol official told CNN that Congress has not been notified regarding how many doses of the vaccine will be available.
On the Senate side, House Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a floor speech he will wait to take the vaccine until it’s available to lawmakers and not “skip the line.”
“But make no mistake: we should all lead by example, commit to taking the vaccine, and tell our constituents to take it as well,” he added.
