Every GOP Senator Except Mitt Romney Invited to Join Task Force to Reopen Economy

By Madison Dibble

Sen. Mitt Romney was the only Republican senator left off the list of members of the White House coronavirus task force announced Thursday.

Romney, a Utah Republican, was the only senator in the party not asked to join President Trump's task force on reopening the U.S. economy as the coronavirus pandemic begins to subside. All other Republican senators and 12 Democratic senators were invited to join the team.

The task force also includes a bipartisan slate of 32 representatives from the House, including 22 Republicans and 10 Democrats. Trump has touted his bipartisan efforts throughout the pandemic, including his positive relationship with Democratic governors, such as Gavin Newsom of California and John Bel Edwards of Louisiana.

The feud between Trump and Romney has been simmering for years. Trump has routinely mocked Romney for losing the presidential election to President Barack Obama in 2012, and Romney called Trump a "con man" during the 2016 presidential primary. Romney was the only Republican to vote to convict Trump during his impeachment earlier this year.

Utah has had a relatively mild outbreak of the coronavirus compared with other states across the nation. As of Thursday, the state had more than 2,500 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 20 related deaths. Romney was one of several senators who had to quarantine after coming in contact with someone who had the virus. When Trump was asked about Romney's quarantine, he responded, "Gee, that’s too bad."

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