Maloney Disagrees with House Shutdown
WASHINGTON – Rep. Christopher Shays (R-4th) says House leaders erred on the side of caution by deciding to shut down the House until Tuesday to clear the way for a complete sweep of the Capitol and the House office buildings for anthrax. The decision came Wednesday after more than 20 people in Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle’s office tested positive for exposure to a highly refined form of anthrax.
The Senate also decided to close its office buildings but to adhere to its regular schedule, adjourning for just four days.
Shays said he would have preferred that the House buildings be checked one at a time to allow the House to remain in session, but he added that he understood why the leaders made their decision.
“These are challenging times, and each of us is working to take necessary and prudent steps to provide a safe environment for our staff and colleagues,” Shays said. “The war against terrorism will require our consistent vigilance for the days, weeks and months ahead.” Shays said in a statement.
But Rep. James Maloney (D-5th) took exception in an interview: “I totally agree with the decision as it pertains to the safety of the staff. I respectfully disagree with the decision to adjourn the House. There is pressing business in the House like the aviation security bill. We should have kept the House in session.” .
Maloney’s comments and Shays’ statement came after House Speaker Dennis J. Hastert announced plans Wednesday morning to send lawmakers and staff home at day’s end to permit health officials to conduct tests through the Capitol complex, where more than 20,000 people work.
“To ensure safety we thought it best to do a complete sweep, an environmental sweep,” Hastert said, adding that House members and staff would be sent home until at least next Tuesday.
The last time the House was forced to close down similarly was during the War of 1812, said Betty Koed, assistant Senate historian.
As the House prepared to shut down, members rushed to find office space nearby. Katie Levinson, press secretary to Shays, said the Washington office would be closed but district offices in Connecticut would remain open. She said in a telephone interview that Shays would be spending the weekend in his district with his constituents.
“We will not let this stop the work of the Senate,” Daschle said at a news conference outside the Capitol. He said 31 people, including two Capitol Police officers, have had “positive nasal swabs,” indicating anthrax spores but not necessarily a full-blown infection.
Sen. Joseph Lieberman’s office, which is on the same floor as Daschle’s, was closed down Tuesday as a precautionary measure to allow law enforcement agencies to sweep the offices for any possible anthrax contamination. Lieberman did not test positive for anthrax exposure but said he had taken the antibiotic drug Cipro along with 200 others on Capitol Hill.
Kelly Moore, press secretary to Lieberman, said there was “no word” on whether the Senate offices would be shut down. She said almost all the aides in Lieberman’s office who had been tested have taken antibiotics.
