According to media reports Senior House staff were directed by Republican leader McCarthy and Democrat leader Hoyer to count and list every member in the chamber. The presiding officer had the total count when he declared a quorum present. Pelosi had stalled for time during her final speech on the bill until she was assured that 216 members were present.
Here’s how politico.com covered it: “After it became clear Massie wouldn’t relent, leadership started taking steps to block his move. In a plan devised by Hoyer the night before, lawmakers were brought into the chamber, including in the public galleries above the floor to allow them to distance themselves for safety. By having a quorum of members in the chamber — at least 216 lawmakers, including in the public galleries — they could block Massie’s request for a recorded vote and pass the proposal by voice vote.
At 1 p.m. Pelosi took the floor to essentially stall for time as both parties’ whip teams could corral enough members on the floor. At one point, Pelosi urged her members to move even more quickly: “Come on, my colleagues, to the gallery!”
The plan worked — Massie was quickly overruled and the bill passed without members having to take a recorded vote. But lawmakers in both parties were still irate that they had to be present at all, endangering themselves and the dozens of congressional and Capitol support staff on hand, all because of Massie’s singular objection.
President Donald Trump lambasted Massie in a series of tweets Friday, calling him a ‘third rate grandstander’ and suggesting Republican leaders boot him out of the party.
‘He just wants the publicity. He can’t stop it, only delay, which is both dangerous & costly,’ Trump tweeted.
The package ultimately won support from the majority of members from both parties. In a sign of the gravity of the situation, Pelosi and McCarthy delivered a rare joint bill signing after the vote, thanking each other for the bipartisan work — just days after bickering between the parties nearly tanked a deal in the Senate.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/27/house-vote-2-trillion-coronavirus-package-deal-150869