Michigan Republican isolating after positive coronavirus test

Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.) said Wednesday that he is self-isolating after taking a rapid coronavirus test that came back positive ahead of a planned appearance with Vice President Pence, saying he is awaiting confirmation that he does have the virus.

“Earlier today, I was expected to appear with the Vice President. While taking part in offsite testing protocols, I took a rapid test that came back positive for COVID-19. I am awaiting the results of a PCR test and I am self isolating until I have confirmed results,” Huizenga tweeted.

Pence spoke at a campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Mich., earlier Wednesday.

While Huizenga’s diagnosis is not yet confirmed, he would join more than a dozen other House members to test positive for COVID-19 or have a presumed case.

House members who have also had COVID-19 include Reps. Mike Bost (R-Ill.), Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.), Dan Meuser (R-Pa.), Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), Tom Rice (R-S.C.), Neal Dunn (R-Fla.), Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.), Joe Cunningham (D-S.C.), Ben McAdams (D-Utah), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) and Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.).

Five Republican senators have also tested positive for the virus: Sens. Mike Lee (Utah), Ron Johnson (Wis.), Thom Tillis (N.C.), Bill Cassidy (La.) and Rand Paul (Ky.).

The House is currently out of session and isn’t scheduled to return until after the November elections. House Democratic leaders have said that lawmakers could be called back to Washington with 24 hours’ notice if a deal is reached on a coronavirus relief package, but a compromise between Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and the Trump administration has remained elusive for months.

While the White House has implemented a rapid COVID-19 testing system for anyone who comes into contact with President Trump, Capitol Hill does not have a similar mandatory testing regime.

Pelosi began requiring masks on the House floor in July after Gohmert, who at times did not wear a mask while on Capitol Hill, tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of a planned event with Trump.