"I believe Congress is essential, and just like essential workers it's time that we get back to work," GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy said at his Thursday press conference on Capitol Hill.
"If you go to the other side of the House, the Senate is working," McCarthy continued, imploring his colleagues that they need to follow suit.
He did observe, however, that his colleagues can still order their mocha lattes.
"If you go two blocks away, you can get a tea or a latter, but the Democrats on this side of the House will not let us legislate," he said, while holding up his Starbucks coffee cup.
.@GOPLeader McCarthy blasts House Democrats for the fact that Starbucks is open but they won’t let Congress get back to work. pic.twitter.com/VpTlw0QbwR
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) May 7, 2020
"I think it's time the House gets to work in a very critical manner of this country," he said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) and Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (MD) announced two weeks ago that the House would not be returning as scheduled after having a supposedly concerning conversation with the House physician. McCarthy insisted on Thursday that there is a reasonably safe procedure that will allow lawmakers to do their jobs without having to fear for their health. He's presented a plan that would enforce social distancing guidelines for committees, for instance, allowing them to work in bigger rooms, and installing plexiglass shields into areas of congestion, etc.
Even the very presser he was holding, he reasoned, proved that they can get to work now.
McCarthy isn't waiting for Democrats to come to their senses. He's just announced the launch of a China Task Force that will help counter current threats from China. Because, he explained, "the stakes are too high to sit idle."