Congress to receive first batch of Covid-19 vaccines but uncertainty lingers – POLITICO

In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell obtained by POLITICO, Capitol Physician Brian Monahan wrote that Congress will receive "a specific number of COVID 19 vaccine doses to meet longstanding requirements for continuity of government operations."

"The small number of COVID 19 vaccines we will be provided reflects a fraction of the first tranche of vaccines as it is distributed throughout the country," Monahan added.

McConnell, a childhood polio survivor, said in a statement Thursday he planned to take the vaccine in the coming days, but offered no other details.

Because of government continuity requirements, I have been informed by the Office of the Attending Physician that I am eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine, which I will accept, he said.

Speculation had been rising in the Capitol this week as lawmakers many of whom are older and at higher risk await word of when they will receive vaccines as part of the nationwide effort. But even as lawmakers are poised to become the latest leg in a historic vaccination campaign, theres still little certainty about how and when the distribution process will work in a place as sprawling as the U.S. Congress.

Congressional leaders are only just beginning to tackle the complicated task of allocating doses among hundreds of lawmakers and essential building workers. The rollout is also fraught with political challenges amid the nationwide scramble to divvy up a limited supply of vaccines in a fair way, while also encouraging public figures to take the vaccine as a show of confidence.

The limited number of doses that will soon arrive on Capitol Hill is only the first round of potentially several. But the lack of a Hill distribution plan so far has frustrated some members, who say they have received zero guidance from leadership or the Capitol physician about when theyll receive the first round of doses let alone how many or who should get it first. Further complicating matters is that lawmakers, like anyone who receives the vaccine, will need two doses.

Some say they hope Congress doesnt drag its feet on a vaccination program like it did with implementing a widespread testing regime.

I hope we dont make the same mistake on vaccines that we made on testing, which is to wait until a number of people have needlessly had this before we decide whether or not were going to deal with this, said Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a member of GOP leadership who chairs the Rules Committee.

During a closed-door briefing on Operation Warp Speed Thursday, the topic of how and when lawmakers would be vaccinated didnt come up at all, according to one member who attended the session.

Meanwhile, federal officials are racing to distribute vaccines to top government officials. Vice President Mike Pence and President-elect Joe Biden will both be getting vaccines within days.

The arrival of the vaccine on Capitol Hill where cases continue to climb could force lawmakers into a tricky political and personal dilemma. Members will want to avoid any perception that high-ranking government officials are getting special treatment. Just 16 percent of the public thinks elected officials should be among the first in line for the vaccines, according to a recent ABC News/Ipsos poll.

But many lawmakers also recognize that they and their colleagues are at high-risk because of the nature of their jobs, which requires traveling back and forth to Washington each week. And top congressional officials say taking the vaccine would also send an important signal to the American people that its safe.

We do a lot, we see a lot of people, and we have to do business, said Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee. Its a difficult job. ... If the vaccine is there, I think we should take it.

I dont want to break the line, added Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the minority whip, while also noting that lawmakers travel more frequently than most Americans. And I think because of that vulnerability, it should be taken into consideration.

Its also an issue of the continuity of government: Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) are second and third in line to the presidency, behind the vice president. And Grassley, 87, was already briefly sidelined from the Senate after he contracted the virus last month, though he showed no symptoms.

Party leaders wrestled with concerns over optics earlier this year over implementing widespread coronavirus testing in the Capitol, which didnt arrive in the building until last month.

Rep. Rodney Davis of Illinois, the top Republican on the House Administration Committee, has been pressing Pelosi to unveil an action plan for vaccines before they arrive on Capitol Hill particularly for front-line workers, which include police officers and custodians. But so far, his calls have gone unanswered.

Why in the world cant [Pelosi] and her team begin to develop a vaccine plan for the essential workers that make the House operational? Davis said. It was a failure to not address testing when it became more available. And if they follow the exact same process in regards to vaccinations, then yes, it will be a failure again until theyre forced to do it.

Yet Republicans continue to disparage House Democrats for holding virtual meetings and using proxy voting, a system designed to reduce physical interactions in the building.

Lawmakers, however, dont exactly have full control over when theyll get the vaccine. Much of that guidance will come from the Capitol physicians office, which has drawn some criticism from members and staff. The complaints, which have been made privately, center on a lack of transparency and slow response to adopting the kinds of stringent health rules like not attending large gatherings or dinners that much of the country had already adopted.

Many members are making it clear, however, that they will take the vaccine as soon as its offered to them even if they dont know exactly when that will be.

If they told me it was available two minutes from now down this hall, Id go down and take it, said Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.)

Id take one right now. Ill take two right now, added Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) I hear a lot of Im not gonna take it, because I dont know whats in it. And you know what I tell them? Do you eat hot dogs? You dont know whats in hot dogs, but you eat them. Take the vaccine.

Daniel Lippman contributed to this report.

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Congress to receive first batch of Covid-19 vaccines but uncertainty lingers - POLITICO