House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is considering limiting attendance at President Biden’s first State of the Union address to 25 House members because of COVID-19, according to a report Wednesday.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told colleagues that Mrs. Pelosi, California Democrat, is looking to restrict the number of lawmakers in the chamber for the March 1 address, according to Axios.
Republicans were frustrated by the news, though a Pelosi aid told the news outlet that a final decision had not been made.
Mrs. Pelosi’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Biden last year delivered an address to a joint session of Congress, which was attended by 200 lawmakers, including 55 House Democrats and 25 House Republicans. A handful of senators, Pentagon officials and Supreme Court justices also attended.
The surge of the omicron variant has resulted in 24 lawmakers getting COVID in the past month. House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, Maryland Democrat, on Tuesday, became the latest member of Congress to test positive for the virus.
For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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