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    As More Lawmakers Test Positive, Congress Gets A Tough Reminder Of Coronavirus Risk

    Congress still doesn't have a widespread testing program for the coronavirus illness. And they were reminded of that risk when three members tested positive in one week.
    by Claudia Grisales Aug 06, 2020 4 minutes
    Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., left, speaks before the start of a House Natural Resources Committee in June. Grijalva recently tested positive for the coronavirus.

    Arizona Democratic Rep. Raúl Grijalva is nervous.

    Last week, the chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee tested positive for COVID-19 in the latest outbreak on Capitol Hill.

    And although Grijalva is asymptomatic, he's worried because he's 72 years old and an admitted on-and-off smoker.

    "You get scared, your family gets scared," he said from his D.C. home, where he is now quarantining. "If you're not afraid of this disease, there's something fundamentally wrong."

    In a matter of one week, three members of Congress have tested positive for the coronavirus illness: Grijalva, Texas Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert and Illinois Republican Rep. Rodney Davis. Gohmert and Davis also said they are asymptomatic.

    The latest outbreak is a reminder of the risks for. Unlike regular, widespread testing programs at workplaces from the White House to the NBA, Congress is going without.

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