Below, please find a summary of the federal government’s activities in response to COVID-19 since Friday’s update. Our next update will be published on Wednesday, July 29.
Congress
This evening, Senate Republicans unveiled a package of COVID relief bills that together comprise the HEALS Act, their opening offer in negotiations with Congressional Democrats on the next round of COVID relief. Democratic leaders were quick to say the package was insufficient, particularly a provision scaling back the current $600 per week in pandemic unemployment insurance to $200 per week (before transitioning to payments representing 70% of an individual’s previous pay).
The $1 trillion proposal largely tracks the priorities outlined by Senate Majority Leader McConnell (R-KY) last week and detailed in our Friday update. Below are the main elements of the plan as written by Senate committee leaders and Senators and endorsed by the White House:
Prior to the release of the Senate proposal, House Speaker Pelosi (D-CA) called upon Republican Congressional leaders and the White House to begin immediate bipartisan negotiations. She said the House will not go home for the August recess without an agreement (most expect negotiations to continue into next week, if not longer). This evening, Speaker Pelosi met with Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Meadows to continue negotiations.
Recent Congressional Statements / Letters
- Senators King, Murkowski Introduce Legislation to Enhance Testing, Tracing Protocols, July 27, 2020
- Senator Baldwin, Colleagues Call for Fixes to Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program to be Included in Relief Package, July 27, 2020
- Senator Peters Announces Support for Bipartisan RESTART Act to Support Hardest-Hit Small and Mid-Sized Businesses, July 27, 2020
- Senators Van Hollen, Brown Request Additional Supports for Community Schools in Next Covid-19 Relief Package, July 27, 2020
- Senator Durbin Presses EPA To Explain COVID-19 Facility Reopening Strategies, July 27, 2020
- Senator Gardner Urges FDA to Review if Decontamination System can Benefit Safety in Schools, July 27, 2020
- Senator Peters Calls On FEMA To Support Safe Reopening Of Schools, July 27, 2020
- Cardin-Duckworth Legislation to Invest in Underserved Small Businesses Gains Bipartisan Support, July 24, 2020
- Senator Tester, Colleagues Urge Trump To Increase PPE & Testing Capacity, July 24, 2020
- House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Neal Demands Answers About HHS’s Change to COVID-19 Data Reporting Process, July 27, 2020
- House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Neal and Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Wyden Raise Concerns Over Treasury & IRS’s Incomplete and Insufficient Disbursement of Economic Impact Payments, July 27, 2020
- Representatives Beyer, Kilmer Introduce Unemployment Legislation Amid Lapse In Benefits, July 27, 2020
- Representative Fudge, Nutrition Subcommittee Members Introduce Legislation to Extend SNAP Waiver Flexibility, July 27, 2020
- Representative Fudge Introduces Pandemic Community Reserve and Public Health Response Act, July 27, 2020
- Representative Lucas, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Paycheck Protection Small Business Forgiveness Act, July 27, 2020
- Representatives Houlahan, Upton Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Expedite PPP Loan Forgiveness for Small Businesses
- Representative Williams Introduces Bill to Provide Relief for Independent Music Venues, July 27, 2020
Other Stakeholder Statements / Letters
White House / Agency Activity
White House
Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service
Department of Labor
Department of Health and Human Services
Food and Drug Administration
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
State / Local Activity
Given the plethora of state and local actions, we recommend MultiState’s COVID-19 Policy Tracker as a comprehensive tool to monitor the response
