Sen. Susan Collins and Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock both tested positive for COVID-19 late Thursday after casting their vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, making them the latest in a string of Washington D.C. power players to contract the virus.
Collins, R-Maine, and Warnock, D-Ga., are experiencing only mild symptoms.
But their presence on the floor of the Senate for the historic vote raises concerns that other lawmakers and perhaps even Vice President Kamala Harris could have been exposed and may test positive in coming days.
Michael LaRosa, the spokesman for first lady Jill Biden, also said he tested positive.
Earlier Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also tested positive for the COVID and would isolate herself at home to avoid spreading it.
Pelosi was at the White House with President Joe Biden on Tuesday, raising worries that he could also have been exposed.
The White House said Biden and Harris both tested negative for COVID-19 on Friday.
Protective masks and social distancing rules are no longer being enforced on Capitol Hill, meaning there is little to stop the virus from spreading widely.
Rep. Peter De Fazio, D-Ore., also announced late Thursday that he has tested positive.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Assistant House Speaker Katherine Clark, D-Mass., all tested positive for breakthrough cases of the virus on Wednesday.
In recent weeks, COVID-19 cases caused by the hugely infectious omicron subvariant BA.2 have surged across Europe, and American officials say they expect a U.S. spike soon.
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