Penn on the World after COVID-19 Congress after COVID-19

Penn on the World after COVID-19 is a joint project of Penn Global and Perry World House. We've asked some of Penn's leading faculty, fellows, and scholars to imagine what the global pandemic will leave in its wake.

For seven terms, Charlie Dent represented the 15th District of Pennsylvania in the U.S. Congress. He is currently a Visiting Fellow at Perry World House, senior policy advisor at DLA Piper, and a contributor on CNN.

We live in a disruptive age. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, companies like Amazon, Uber, Airbnb, Netflix and many others have led the way in giving consumers choices and conveniences that did not exist previously while upending existing industries. The coronavirus has proven to be not only a deadly disease but also a hugely disruptive one. Business as usual, even for disruptive companies, and life as we know it have dramatically changed.

Some of these changes will continue in the world after COVID-19. How will Congress respond?  Government, which is typically less responsive to market forces, often moves at a glacial pace, and Congress in particular resists change to its rules and procedures. When the House of Representatives deliberates during votes, it’s a sight to behold as members interact with one another in crowded, close quarters. The glad-handing, backslapping, fraternal and, at times, confrontational moments on the House floor demonstrate the benefits and drawbacks of democratic institutions.

In lighter moments during hectic votes, I compared the House to a Middle Eastern bazaar or an American prison yard where groups of members tend to congregate on the floor — or in the yard — during every vote series. While there are no assigned seats on the House floor, I knew where individual members “hung out” or hid, especially when those whipping votes were in hot pursuit and needed affirmative answers.

The whole experience is so exciting and energizing; but it’s also everything one should never do during a pandemic where an airborne illness demands social distancing and isolation.

Congress will likely need to fully embrace, in short order, virtual or online hearings to conduct business with members and witnesses all separated from each other. Proxy voting, a practice ended in 1995 and long detested by the minority party, will need to replace in-person voting and likely empower Committee Chairs and leadership. Electronic voting on the House floor will need to be more structured and managed to prevent social interaction. In fact, the most recent vote on the latest relief measure was conducted in such a way as to minimize member and staff presence and interaction on the House floor — a very sterile and painfully slow exercise.

With more than 10,000 House employees and the obvious challenges of convening so many people in one place during a pandemic, House leadership will probably need to consider meeting remotely, with most members participating in proceedings and perhaps voting remotely from their respective districts. This will carry some significant downsides: offering amendments and making procedural arguments will become more complicated and cumbersome.

If you thought Congress moved at a glacial pace before COVID-19, just imagine how grindingly slow it will crawl if such changes were adopted. Complaining about the pace of the process or its outcomes will be hard and slower still. How will constituents and concerned citizens petition their representatives in person?  Phone calls, email and Zoom meetings — as opposed to in person, physically present meetings — may become the new norm and only ways to connect with your representatives. None of these changes are desirable, but they may be necessary until a Covid-19 vaccine is widely available.

Another change and of immediate concern to many House members is where they will sleep in Washington. The House Physician and Architect of the Capitol may command members to permanently check out of their bargain-priced hotel rooms, er, offices in those stately House office buildings, better known to many as Cannon Suites, Longworth Gardens, and Rayburn Estates. And then there is the House gym. If closed, well, I'm not sure where negotiations will take place!

These and other changes, though difficult, will probably allow the House to continue to function for the duration of the pandemic. Though Congress is often a target of criticism, its work is essential. Finding a way to work and legislate in the world after COVID-19 is imperative.

The views expressed in Penn on the World after COVID-19 posts are solely the author’s and not those of Penn, Penn Global or Perry World House.