Offices Closed, Capitol Work Continues

W A S H I N G T O N, Oct. 23 -- Their offices still closed Wednesday while hazardous materials teams scoured for anthrax, members of Congress and their staffers nevertheless made due with whatever space they could find and returned to work.

The Capitol itself was the only congressional building open for business. All six main office buildings on Capitol Hill were closed for testing since last week, when Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle's office was contaminated with anthrax spores that burst out of a letter mailed from New Jersey.

Some lawmakers set up shop in vacant spaces under the Capitol dome, others used office buildings blocks away. With little room for staff to work, most kept in touch by cell phone from remote locations. Some were dispatched to temporary space in other federal buildings. Some showed up to the makeshift offices, only to leave frustrated because phones and computers were not set up for them.

The Russell Senate Office Building opened this morning. The Dirksen building, which houses the Senate mailroom where anthrax spores were discovered, will remain closed pending further environmental testing results. Daschle's building — the Hart Senate Office Building — will remain closed for at least a week while traces of anthrax are cleared from the building. The corridor where the poison letter was opened could be off-limits for several weeks.

Legislative Wheels Keep Turning

Open or not, the work of Congress continues. The House has already begun making contingency plans to work out of Fort McNair, an Army post just a few miles from Capitol Hill, in the event of another emergency that shuts down congressional offices.

One lawmaker is making arrangements to help the House keep functioning after a deadly attack.

Rep. Brian Baird, D-Wash., is pushing a constitutional amendment that would let governors fill House seats if 25 percent of the House were killed or disabled. The replacements would remain in office for 90 days, until a special election could be arranged.