House Democratic conference postponed due to COVID-19

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, announced in a “Dear Colleague” letter on Tuesday that the annual House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference scheduled for next month would be postponed due to COVID-19. 

Jeffries said that the decision to postpone the conference scheduled for Feb. 9 to 11 in Philadelphia was based on guidance from the Office of the Attending Physician. 

“While Vice Chair Pete Aguilar and I are disappointed not to be proceeding with next month’s event, the health and safety of the Members, their families and staff is our top priority,” the letter said. 

“Our intention is to reschedule the Issues Conference shortly after President Joe Biden’s first State of the Union Address in March, to the extent the public health landscape would permit such a gathering,” it added.

Jeffries also said that on Feb. 10 Democrats “will convene a family conversation and full-day virtual messaging summit.” 

The cancellation comes as the highly contagious omicron variant has swept through the country and as a growing number of lawmakers have tested positive for the virus in recent days. 

Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.) announced that he had tested positive for the virus on Tuesday, and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) tested positive on Monday, marking the second time she has had the virus. 

Additionally, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Sean Casten (D-Ill.) and Young Kim (R-Calif.) announced they tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend. 

While the omicron variant has contributed to an uptick in infections around the world, early studies have indicated it is typically more mild and less likely to cause hospitalizations than the delta variant.

Government health officials have continuously encouraged Americans to get fully vaccinated and, if they are eligible, get a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.