WASHINGTON (AP) — A husband coughing up blood. A sister close to death. Another friend felled by the coronavirus.

The beat against Congress has always been that its members are out of touch with average Americans. But that's not true when it comes to the brutality of COVID-19 and its march across boundaries of wealth, education and power. Despite their privilege, at least one senator and seven House members have reported testing positive for the disease.

Like so much of the world, lawmakers are experiencing a humbling dose of fear, sorrow, anger and isolation. The result is a wide and deep imp...