How The Coronavirus Has Affected Individual Members Of Congress

The coronavirus pandemic continues to upend the daily work of Congress, which has seen a series of outbreaks.

Most recently, President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and several others tested positive following a White House Rose Garden ceremony to announce his nominee, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, as Supreme Court justice. At least nine Republican members of Congress attended, and several individuals tested positive for the coronavirus infection or were sidelined in quarantines in the days that followed.

Among them, Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who had attended Senate business the week after the ceremony, then tested positive. Soon after, Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, who wasn't at the Rose Garden event, also tested positive. Several more members tested negative, but entered quarantines after exposure at the event, including Sens. Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Ted Cruz of Texas and Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson.

The new outbreak forced the Senate to recess for two weeks, with plans to reconvene for a full chamber vote to allow Republicans to confirm Barrett. The House was already slated to be away.