Washington, D.C. used to be a popular destination for tourists, school groups, and others who want to visit our nation’s capital.
If you visited the city now, you could be able to tour many of its most popular attractions and see the sights. But one prominent American institution remains closed off to the general public: the U.S. Capitol building.
For nearly two years, the symbol of our great republic has been off limits to the people of that republic. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has kept the Capitol locked down while much of the country moves on.
The Capitol Visitor Center remains closed, and visits to House of Representatives offices have been limited to official business visitors who must register beforehand. Some of these visitors have even been allegedly subject to extensive background searches by the Capitol Police.
The Senate has restarted small guided tours, but otherwise tour groups have not been able to behold the majesty of the Rotunda or look for the representatives of their home states in Statuary Hall. The House Gallery remains closed, meaning visitors cannot see debate or voting taking place live on the House floor. Restrictions in the House Office Buildings mean no constituents can come by offices to see if their Member of Congress is in.
The public is not allowed to show up to the Capitol. Meanwhile, many Members of Congress do not bother to show up thanks to proxy voting rules that allow them to give their vote to someone else. I believe proxy voting is unconstitutional, and at the very least inappropriate. Furthermore, the opportunity for abuse over time is unacceptably high.
It strains credulity to believe that proxy voting is merely a matter of public health. After all, when the vote for Speaker happened in 2021 before the rules for proxy voting were instituted in this Congress, Members of Congress who had recently tested positive for COVID were on the floor casting their votes for Speaker Pelosi.
Now, with the House narrowly divided between 222 Democrats and 211 Republicans (two seats are currently vacant), proxy voting allows Democrats to prevail in close votes wherever their Members might be. I suspect proxy voting has more to do with power than with protection from the coronavirus.
Coronavirus case counts in the District of Columbia have dropped sharply since the beginning of the year, and the seven-day average of deaths as of February 15 was zero. Even the District’s liberal city government plans to end most of its vaccine and mask mandates. They made that announcement on February 14, just a few days after Speaker Pelosi extended proxy voting to at least March 30.
Many Americans have been at work throughout the pandemic. Others have returned as vaccines, natural immunity, and other factors decreased the risk of COVID compared to the toll of remaining isolated. The House of Representatives should be no different.
Before the pandemic, I enjoyed greeting school groups visiting the Capitol or meeting with constituents in my office. That is part of my job. So, too, are the interactions with other Members of Congress that happen on the House floor, in committee rooms, or in the hallways that lend themselves to problem solving on legislation or other issues facing the nation. But these conversations are happening less or not at all as long as Speaker Pelosi keeps the Capitol closed.
I’ve signed a letter to Speaker Pelosi led by Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ) calling on her to reopen the Capitol and to end its mask mandate immediately in light of the District of Columbia lifting its COVID restrictions.
The Capitol is not a medieval castle retracting its drawbridge across the moat. It is a symbol of our representative government and should be as open to the people as possible. It should not be the last institution of the land to reopen its doors.
It is, after all, the People’s House.
It is past time for Speaker Pelosi to end proxy voting, return committees to in-person hearings, and open the doors to visitors again. When that day comes, my team and I look forward to welcoming you to the Capitol when you are in Washington, D.C.
If you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to contact my office. You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405, my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671, or my Washington office at 202-225-3861. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov. Also, on my website is the latest material from my office, including information on votes recently taken on the floor of the House of Representatives.
Morgan Griffith represents the Ninth District of Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives.
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