To stop coronavirus' spread, House members change rules to allow members to cast floor votes from home for first time

Many of them anyway.The Democratic-led House passed an unprecedented – and controversial – measure Friday that  temporarily allows members unable to come to Capitol Hill due to the coronanvirus pandemic to designate another member as their "proxy" to cast floor votes on their behalf.The heated debate on the resolution, which passed 217-189, fell along the partisan lines that have defined the nation's divided response to the COVID-19 crisis.Democrats said the change enables the chamber to respond nimbly to evolving issues, including the unfolding pandemic, without putting lawmakers, their staffs and hundreds of Capitol Hill workers at risk by requiring them to meet together."The status quo has become dangerous and unacceptable," House Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern, D-Mass., said on the House floor, speaking through a protective mask.But Republicans, fearful that the move will fundamentally alter the nature of the chamber, said the House instead should emulate the Senate and bring back the House to Capitol Hill on a permanent basis.“Today is a dark day in the history of our country," countered GOP Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, who spoke with no face covering.