WASHINGTON – It all started with the grandchildren. As House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer saw it, if he could Face Time with the grandkids, why not have Congress legislate by video chat and avoid the health risks of convening at the Capitol during the coronavirus pandemic?
And so the silver-haired, 80-year-old congressman from Maryland helped steer the House into one of the more substantial rules changes of its 230 year history. “This is no revolutionary, radical change,” Hoyer told The Associated Press in an interview. "This is exactly what the Founders wanted to happen.” The House approved the new rules Friday, during what could likely be the chamber's last fully in-person votes for the foreseeable future.