Five GOP Senators are now in quarantine: here’s how it impacts control of the Senate

| 7:20 pm EDT March 22, 2020
Dear Palmer Report readers, we all understand the difficult era we're heading into. Major media outlets are caving to Trump already. Even the internet itself and publishing platforms may be at risk. But Palmer Report is nonetheless going to lead the fight. We're funding our 2025 operating expenses now, so we can keep publishing no matter what happens. I'm asking you to contribute if you can, because the stakes are just so high. You can donate here.

Although Rand Paul is the only one who is known for sure to have the coronavirus, he’s one of five Republican Senators who are now under quarantine. Considering how recklessly Paul behaved while he was awaiting his test results, hitting the Senate gym and swimming pool, don’t be shocked if this number climbs higher. So how does this impact voting?

As of right now, there is no legal mechanism in place to allow Senators to vote remotely. That means these five Republican Senators – Rand Paul, Mitt Romney, Rick Scott, Mike Lee, and Cory Gardner – will not be able to participate in any upcoming Senate votes. This comes even as Congress is trying to pass an emergency coronavirus stimulus package.

First, let’s be clear. This quarantine won’t magically hand official control of the Senate to the Democrats. With the five current quarantines, the Republicans have a slim 48-47 majority. But even if additional Republicans are quarantined and the Democrats end up with a majority of people who can show up and vote, this still won’t prevent Mitch McConnell and the GOP from being in control. Senators would need to resign, be expelled, or pass away for the official headcount to change.

But even though Mitch McConnell will remain in charge of the Senate, he still can’t pass any legislation unless he gets a majority of the votes. He can do that with the current 48-47 margin, if every Republican votes with him. McConnell can also pass legislation with a 47-47 vote, so long as Mike Pence is available to break the tie. But if two more GOP Senators go into quarantine before any of the current GOP Senators come out of quarantine, McConnell would be stuck at 46-47 and would not be able to pass anything without the help of the Democrats.

Under normal circumstances, the Senate would simply wait until the quarantines are over before holding any vote that wouldn’t be able to pass. But because there’s an urgency to immediately get the stimulus legislation out the door, this sets us up for some surreal circumstances.