Below, please find a summary of the federal government’s activities in response to COVID-19 since our last update. Please note that in light of the Congressional recess, we will only publish updates on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays this week and next.
Congress
In a Tuesday interview, Vice President Pence’s Chief of Staff Marc Short said the White House would like to see Congress pass another COVID-relief package before the August recess – lining up with Senate Majority Leader McConnell’s timeline. In addition to various economic stimulus measures, Short said liability reform was “essential” to fully reopening the economy. Short also reiterated that the administration would like to keep the package under $1 trillion.
Today, Senate Democratic Leader Schumer visited small businesses in New York where he called for passage of the Prioritized Paycheck Protection Program Act, or ‘P4’ Act, to extend the PPP program to 2021 and offer a new second round of forgivable PPP assistance to the “hardest-hit small businesses and nonprofits.”
While Congress is not in session, the House Appropriations Committee continues work on individual Fiscal Year 2021 government spending bills, many of which have incorporated funding to address the ongoing public health and economic crises.
Recent Congressional Statements / Letters
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Democratic Health Leaders Demand Trump Administration Immediately Revisit Guidance Limiting COVID-19 Testing, July 7, 2020
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Senator Brown Leads Legislation to Help Young People, Families, Child Welfare Agencies during Covid-19 Pandemic, July 8, 2020
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Senators Manchin, Collins Bill To Increase Funding For Library Broadband Hotspots In Rural America, July 8, 2020
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Senator Boozman Calls on Nation’s Top Health Agencies to Make Expanded Telehealth Services Permanent, July 8, 2020
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Senator Tester Leads Call for Hazard Pay for VA Employees on the Front Lines of the Coronavirus Pandemic, July 8, 2020
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Senator Menendez Leads Call for $32B in Transit Funding in Next COVID-19 Stimulus Package, July 8, 2020
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Senator Klobuchar: Following Request from Klobuchar, Murray, and Colleagues, CDC Issues Updated Voting Guidance to Protect Voters, July 7, 2020
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House Majority Leader Hoyer Statement on the United States Surpassing 3 Million Confirmed Coronavirus Cases, July 8, 2020
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Leader McCarthy’s USA Today Op-Ed: Schools and Child Care Must Reopen for Kids, Parents and the Economy, July 7, 2020
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House Backs State Suit to Reverse Trump Attempts at SNAP Work Rule Crackdown Amid Pandemic, July 8, 2020
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House E&C Democrats Request Monthly Reports from Facebook, Google and Twitter on COVID-19 Disinformation, July 8, 2020
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House E&C Republicans Walden, Burgess, and Guthrie Commend Announcements on Vaccine and Therapeutics Demonstrations, July 7, 2020
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House Small Business Subcommittee Looks to Strengthen Small Business Supply Chains, July 7, 2020
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House Homeland Security Committee Democratic Leaders Thompson and Correa Call on TSA to Make Masks Mandatory, July 6, 2020
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Representative Carolyn Maloney Unveils New Legislation Requiring Domestic Production of PPE, Encourages US Manufacturing in in Preparation for Future Crises, July 8, 2020
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Representative Williams Urges Relief for Federally Impacted School Districts During COVID-19, July 8, 2020
Other Stakeholder Statements / Letters
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BloombergQuint: Coke, Delta, Hyatt and Others Back a U.S. Restaurant Relief Bill, July 8, 2020
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Retail Imports Improving Slightly, But Still Far Below Last Year, July 8, 2020
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BD Partners with U.S. Government on $70 Million Manufacturing Infrastructure Project for Mass Vaccination Campaigns, July 8, 2020
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CARES Act Causes Unexpected Valuation Considerations for Divorces, Estate Plans and Equity Partnerships, July 8, 2020
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Global Coalition Issues Guidance on How Businesses Can Adopt a Long-Term Value Creation Agenda, July 7, 2020
White House / Agency Activity
White House
Treasury Department
Department of Labor/OSHA
Department of Health and Human Services
Food and Drug Administration
National Institute of Health
Department of Homeland Security
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Environmental Protection Agency
Commodities Future Trading Commission
Federal Communications Commission
Federal Reserve
Speech: Comments of the Chair of the Financial Stability Board, Randal K. Quarles, “Global in Life and Orderly in Death: Post-Crisis Reforms and the Too-Big-to-Fail Question,” July 8, 2020
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.
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