House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday morning she took a COVID-19 test “out of an abundance of caution” after President Trump’s diagnosis, but doesn’t have the results yet.
During an interview on MSNBC, Mrs. Pelosi said the country received the news about the president and first lady Melania Trump testing positive for the coronavirus “with great sadness” but hopes it will lead to a “saner” approach to fighting the pandemic.
The California Democrat sat down with Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin earlier this week to negotiate on coronavirus economic relief. A Treasury Department spokesperson said the secretary tested negative Friday morning.
The House is still in session Friday, with two votes still on the agenda. They’ve been conducting votes via a series of small groups and remote proxy voting.
Texas Democrat Rep. Joaquin Castro pleaded with his fellow lawmakers to stay away if they might have been exposed.
To any members of Congress who were in close quarters with the President recently — please don’t come to work today.
That’s why we put in place proxy voting during this pandemic.
Sincerely,
A Co-worker.
— Joaquin Castro (@JoaquinCastrotx) October 2, 2020
There is not a widespread, comprehensive testing program on Capitol Hill, though there is a mask mandate.
Mrs. Pelosi said that the Capitol physician has a follow-up contact-tracing plan for the building.
