Hoyer: Congress might cast votes using Apple's FaceTime during COVID-19 pandemic

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Tuesday that Congress is considering conducting hearings remotely with Zoom or Microsoft Teams software and voting remotely with Apple's FaceTime technology.

Hoyer told reporters that allowing lawmakers to cast votes remotely is under consideration for emergencies only, stressing that it would not become a "regular practice" for Congress.

"The rules will have to be modified. There will have to be agreement between the parties," Hoyer told reporters on a conference call. "I'm hopeful that Republicans and Democrats will agree on processes that are appropriate and are acceptable in trying to respond to a crisis where people aren't supposed to travel and not supposed to aggregate."

Hoyer said he has personally "suggested" using Apple's FaceTime software for voting remotely.

"I don't know that FaceTime is a perfect way to do it but I had suggested you have a number of clerks so that it could be done relatively quickly. The member gets on FaceTime and says I vote aye or nay but it would be hard to have debate in that process," Hoyer said. "It is certainly a technology on which you could vote."

Hoyer added that Zoom is "perceived to not be as secure" as FaceTime but millions of businesses are using it in addition to Microsoft Teams software.

"We're looking at those," he said. "We are not going to be able to do that immediately because we need to change the rules and we need to create agreement. We are working at that and we are exploring technologies that are available."

The Maryland Democrat also said that the House plans to come back in session on May 4 depending on the conditions on the ground with the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Hoyer explained that congressional leaders are currently debating the contents of a forth economic relief package referred to as CARES II.

Lawmakers are also discussing an interim package that would increase the funding for small businesses provided in the original CARES Act which President Trump signed into law at the end of March.