World News: The great re-opening debate takes Capitol Hill

Monday, May 4

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., bump elbows as they attend a lunch with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 12.

The great re-opening debate takes Capitol Hill

Some states are opening back up, but Congress is still split.

Hi. It's Monday, and that's reason enough to make this quick.

As parts of the country begin to test the waters of reopening their economies, the question has made its way to Capitol Hill. The Senate is expected to return to session this week but the House of Representatives will stay in recess.

"If it is essential for doctors, nurses, health care workers, truck drivers, grocery store workers and other brave Americans to keep carefully manning their duty stations, then it is essential for senators to carefully man ours and support them," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said last week.

Members of the House were expected back this week as well, but Speaker Nancy Pelosi nixed that idea last week after a talking with the House physician's office and other staff "about exposure to not only lawmakers but their staffs, police officers and other workers whose presence would be required," according to USA TODAY reporter Ledyard King.

"We're 430 members. The decision was made on the strength of our numbers and people coming together," Pelosi said Thursday during a Capitol Hill news conference. "Everybody wants to open up the Congress. Republicans want to open up the Congress. We do, too. But we want to do it in a way" that minimizes risk.

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