Even with a massive economic stimulus bill on the horizon, House members had recently returned home to wait out the new coronavirus outbreak upon reassurance the bill would pass unanimously.But on Thursday, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) disrupted that plan by suggesting he might oppose a unanimous voice vote. His waffling now has much of the House rushing back to
Washington, scrambling to find uncancelled flights and worried about spreading COVID-19 even further, Politico reports.Beyond just allowing congressmembers to get home, the voice vote would've prevented all House members from having to come together in the Capitol in a clear violation of the CDC'S social distancing guidelines. The House only needs 216 members for a quorum, but others are worried about the optics of not showing up if it comes down to a roll call vote. So even Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), who represents the swamped Elmhurst hospital in Queens,
New York, boarded a near-empty flight back to D.C.House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said the House will have a roll call if there's a quorum on Friday, but Massie's disruption could push it to Saturday. House members on both sides of the aisle are reasonably "furious" about the plans, with some blaming Pelosi and others blaming Massie, Politico reports. Trump agreed with the latter in a Friday tweet and called for Massie to be thrown out of the
Republican party.