WASHINGTON - Committee on House Administration Ranking Member Rodney Davis (IL-13) joined Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA-23), Republican Whip Steve Scalise (LA-01), and Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney (WY-AL) at the GOP Leadership Press Conference to emphasize to the American public that the House is prepared to handle the continued spread of coronavirus across the U.S. through precautionary and preventative measures.

Read Ranking Member Davis' transcribed remarks below:

First off, I want to commend the House Officers and Committee Members on our House Administration Committee on both sides of the aisle along with the Leadership teams on both the majority and the minority. They've been working hard on a coronavirus task force that includes representatives from each of those areas and agencies I've mentioned. They're in constant contact to ensure that they're giving the most up to date guidance to not just staff but to the entire House campus and to each and every one of you.

Our conference, our House Administration Committee along with the assistance of Leadership and the others that I mentioned had a briefing with our Chiefs of Staff yesterday, so did the Democrats. Those are necessary to be able to spread the most up to date guidance.

Our Committee, the House Administration Committee, in a bipartisan way also decided to do what we could do to make sure Member Offices are prepared. We've allowed now for the use of unspent 2019 funds in the MRAs to be used to purchase equipment that could go towards a 'continuity of operations plan' and allow staff to telework if necessary.

We also have set up what we call a 'genius bar' in the Rayburn Cafeteria to allow the [Chief Administrative Officer] CAO and the Office of Technology to be able to access any equipment you may have in your offices or may purchase through the CAO and the Office Supply Store to be ready just in case anyone in your office has to telecommute.

Now, you've probably seen around the campus there have been extra efforts to sanitize the Capitol complex, sanitize our House office buildings. The Architect of the Capitol, Brett Blanton, who is brand new, is doing a great job getting his team to clean the elevators, handrails, doorknobs. They are being wiped down at least twice a day, whereas that wasn't the case before. Bathrooms are being cleaned twice as often as usual, and the Capitol Police and Architect of the Capitol are working together to ensure all security screening equipment is cleaned and sanitized. You'll notice new bowls at the security screening stations. You're going to also notice more hand sanitizing stations.

I'm going to give you the same advice I just gave to my fellow Members of Congress. You're going to see more signs in the bathroom about how to properly wash your hands. If you see those signs, and you see that there's no soap, please don't tweet about it. Please don't decide to use that as a social media moment. Call House Administration, call the Architect of the Capitol, and we will get soap in that dispenser as quickly as possible.

We are advising offices in a bipartisan way that every office needs to have a continuity of operations plan. That's why the equipment purchases are necessary right now. Be ready. Be prepared. We don't want anybody to shut down their ability to serve their constituents in their offices whether it be here in D.C. or in the district. Plan now and have that plan in place.

We want to make sure that everyone understands that we are cleaning the Capitol, but they also need to take proper hygiene measures themselves. We are working with the guidance of Dr. Monahan the attending physician on good hygiene practices. Wash your hands, try not to touch your face, things like that that we are reminding staff to do.

And we want to make sure that we have the ability to communicate with our constituents. We've issued guidance to ensure that Members know, even during the blackout period that they can communicate about the coronavirus to their constituents. We are working with each individual office to get messages out, but our advice to each and every Member is talk to those health professionals in your district too.

Understand that the federal government, state government, and local officials all need to be working together, and when you listen to them, we hear that the United States of America is doing everything we can to ensure we have a great response to this outbreak and one that is going to get us to the point where this outbreak will be in the past.

To view our continued coronavirus guidance for the House, visit our website by clicking here.

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