Majority Leader McConnell Says US Senate to Reconvene Next Week in ‘Smart, Safe' Way

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US Senate will reconvene a week from now in a "smart and safe" way in order to fulfill its duty to the American people, similar to the responsibility placed on other frontline workers amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement on Monday.

"Senators will return to Washington, DC one week from today", McConnell said. "We will modify routines in ways that are smart and safe, but we will honor our constitutional duty to the American people and conduct critical business in person. If it is essential for doctors, nurses, healthcare workers, truck drivers, grocery-store workers, and many other brave Americans to keep carefully manning their own duty stations, then it is essential for Senators to carefully man ours and support them".

McConnell said the Senate also had to reconvene on 4 May to avoid a rash of lawsuits that could arise from the non-processing of bills.

"While our nation is asking everyone from front-line healthcare professionals to essential small-business owners to major employers to adapt in new ways and keep serving, a massive tangle of federal and state laws could easily mean their heroic efforts are met with endless lawsuits", McConnell said.

Meanwhile, US House Majority leader Steny Hoyer announced that he will be bringing lawmakers back to Washington next week after a coronavirus-induced extended recess.

"Mr. Hoyer just announced on today's Caucus conference call that the House will be in session next week, beginning Monday, May 4th, and that votes are possible", Hoyer's press office said in a tweet on Monday.

Mr. Hoyer just announced on today's Caucus conference call that the House will be in session next week, beginning Monday, May 4th, and that votes are possible.

— Hoyer Press Shop (@HoyerPress) April 27, 2020

Last week, Hoyer stated that he favored rapid reform to allow the House to meet, with members participating from home or other remote locations via teleconferencing technology because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic crisis, which has forced social distancing even for those attending in person.

The United States is the world’s worst-hit country by the COVID-19, with nearly a million people infected and around 54,000 dead from complications related to the COVID-19 infection, US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention data shows.