Republicans are forcing the Senate to call off work, but Majority Leader Mitch McConnell declared he would push hearings for President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee toward confirmation.

On Saturday, COVID-19 reached further into Republicans, forcing the Senate to call off work as the third GOP Senator tested positive for the coronavirus. However, McConnell said he would push the Supreme Court nominee to confirm in the shadow of the presidential election in November. 

Republicans Seek Rest from Senate Work But not Hearings for SC Nominee Amy Coney Barrett
(Photo : Jim Lo Scalzo - Pool)
Senators Meet With Supreme Court Nominee Amy Coney Barrett WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 01: Judge Amy Coney Barrett , President Donald Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court meets with U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) (not pictured) at the U.S. Capitol on October 1, 2020 in Washington, DC. Barrett is meeting with senators ahead of her confirmation hearing which is scheduled to begin on October 12, less than a month before Election Day.

President Trump and Senate Republicans hoped for the confirmation hearings of Amy Coney Barrett's final case to voters of the party's commitment to fill in the Supreme Court vacancy. But the diagnosis of Trump and the three GOP senators shattered the notion of changing the subject from the virus that killed more than 205,000 Americans. 

According to Business Insider, McConnell called off floor proceedings but not Judge Amy Coney Barrett's hearings which will start on October 12. McConnell wrote on Saturday, "The Senate's floor schedule will not interrupt the thorough, fair and historically supported confirmation process." 

Meanwhile, Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham of South Carolina added that senators could attend the hearings remotely. "Certainly, all Republican members of the committee will participate in the crucial hearings," Mcconnell said.

McConnell tweeted that he had "another great call" with the President, a day after Trump announced his diagnosis. 

McConnell wrote, "He sounds well and says he's feeling good. We talked about the people's business - fighting the pandemic, confirming Judge Barrett, and strengthening the economy for American families. Let's keep our President & First Lady in our prayers."

Meanwhile, members of the House and Senate demanded that Congress adopt uniform testing and tracing plans for everyone in the Capitol. Mcconnell who is advocating for mask-wearing often, bowed to the concerns through pushing Senate business on October 19. They clarified that the Barrett nomination, as planned, would open on October 12. 

Rose Garden Event 

On September 26, the White House Rose Garden event where President Trump announced Barrett's nomination was attended by numerous GOP lawmakers who are mostly unmasked. McConnell was without a full-working majority of fifty senators. Probably, he needs to rely on Vice President Mike Pence to break any tie.

With at least three Republican senators tested positive for the coronavirus, and others awaiting results, McConnell was without a fully working majority of 50 senators. Probably, McConnell would need to rely on Vice President Mike Pence to break any tie votes, as per Fox News.

On the other hand, Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., doubted at the idea that Barrett's confirmation hearings would go forward.

After a busy week of ceremonies and other events, COVID-19 sidelined President Trump. On Friday, Trump announced that he and the First Lady tested positive for COVID-19. The President was given supplemental oxygen and flown to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after a few hours of the announcement.

Several Republicans in the Senate began announcing that they too had tested positive, such as Utah Sen. Mike Lee and North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis. 

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