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
Congressional leaders and the administration continue to suggest that bipartisan negotiations on the next round of COVID relief legislation will pick up when Members return to Washington on July 20 – with the goal of enactment before the August recess. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he hopes to unveil a proposal by the time Members return, while Democrats continue to push for Senate action on the House-passed Heroes Act.
In her weekly press conference yesterday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi responded to Senate Republican and White House estimates that the next COVID relief package would total approximately $1 trillion. She said $1 trillion was a “starting point” that “doesn’t come anywhere near” the need, suggesting $1 trillion is needed for state and local governments, another $1 trillion is needed for unemployment insurance and direct payments, and additional funding will be necessary for “testing, tracing, treatment, etc.”
Speaker Pelosi also addressed Senate Republicans’ calls for liability protections: “We think there is a path to talk about protecting businesses and workers and customers who come in, and that is our OSHA provision.”
On a related note, yesterday, Representatives Garret Graves (R-LA) and Henry Cuellar (D-TX) introduced the Get America Back to Work Act of 2020, which would create a legal safe harbor for entities acting in good faith to prevent the spread of COVID-19. According to a statement, “The bipartisan bill protects businesses and their employees from being sued provided they took reasonable steps to comply with the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) or appropriate health authorities.”
Also Thursday, during a pro forma session, the House passed by unanimous consent the Protecting Nonprofits from Catastrophic Cash Flow Strain Act, which modifies the CARES Act to ensure nonprofits receive federal assistance for unemployment payments upfront instead of being reimbursed after the fact. The bill was passed by the Senate on July 2 and is awaiting the President’s signature.
Despite the ongoing recess, the House has more than a dozen COVID-related hearings scheduled for next week:
- A July 13 House Homeland Security Committee (Border Security, Facilitation, and Operations Subcommittee) hearing entitled, “Oversight of ICE Detention Facilities: Examining ICE Contractors Response to COVID-19”
- A July 14 House Homeland Security Committee (Oversight, Management, and Accountability Subcommittee) hearing entitled, “Reviewing Federal and State Pandemic Supply Preparedness and Response”
- A July 14 House Financial Services Committee (Investor Protection, Entrepreneurship and Capital Markets Subcommittee) hearing entitled, “Promoting Economic Recovery: Examining Capital Markets and Worker Protections in the COVID-19 Era”
- A July 14 House Energy and Commerce Committee (Energy Subcommittee) hearing entitled, “Oversight of DOE During the COVID-19 Pandemic”
- A July 14 House Foreign Affairs Committee (Europe, Eurasia, Energy and the Environment Subcommittee) hearing entitled, “The Importance of Transatlantic Cooperation During the COVID-19 Pandemic”
- A July 14 House Science, Space, and Technology Committee hearing entitled, “Sweltering in Place: COVID-19 Extreme Heat and Environmental Justice”
- A July 15 House Budget Committee hearing entitled, “Software Update Required: COVID-19 Exposes Need for Federal Investments in Technology”
- A July 16 House Financial Services Committee (Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee) hearing entitled, “Protecting Homeowners During the Pandemic: Oversight of Mortgage Servicers’ Implementation of the CARES Act”
- A July 16 House Small Business Committee (Innovation and Workforce Development Subcommittee) hearing entitled, “Putting America Back to Work: The Role of Workforce Development and Small Business Rehiring”
- A July 17 House Small Business Committee hearing entitled, “Oversight of the Small Business Administration and Department of Treasury Pandemic Programs”
- A July 17 House Ways and Means Committee (Social Security Subcommittee) hearing entitled, “The Impact of COVID-19 on Social Security and its Beneficiaries”
- A July 17 House Administration Committee hearing entitled, “Exploring the Feasibility and Security of Technology to Conduct Remote Voting in the House”
- A July 17 House Science, Space, and Technology Committee (Energy Subcommittee) hearing entitled, “From Lab to Market: Accelerating our Progress toward Economic Recovery and a Clean Energy Future”
Recent Congressional Statements / Letters
- Senate HELP Chair Murray Releases New Report On Trump Administration’s Testing Failures, Warns Against Repeat Performance With Vaccines, Continued Testing Needs, July 9, 2020
- Senate HELP Chairman Alexander Statement on Democratic Staff Report on COVID-19 Testing, July 9, 2020
- Senator Brown Introduces Bill to Support State Medicaid Programs during Economic Crisis, July 9, 2020
- Senators Cramer, Sinema Introduce Bill to Help Small Businesses, Nonprofits Implement COVID-19 Safety Measures, July 9, 2020
- Senator Cortez Masto Introduces New Bill to Help More Small Businesses Access SBA Loans, July 9, 2020
- Senators Udall, Heinrich, Representative Haaland Applaud FCC Telehealth Grant to Improve Remote Medicine Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, July 10, 2020
- Senators Cardin, Van Hollen Urge Administration to Halt Haphazard Plans to Bring Thousands of Federal Employees into Offices as Nationwide COVID-19 Cases Spike, July 9, 2020
- Senators Peters & Stabenow Press For Clarification On Northern Border Travel Restrictions As Local Coronavirus Guidance Evolves, July 9, 2020
- Representative Engel Leads 80 Members Calling on NIH to Study the Impact of COVID-19 on Children, July 10, 2020
- House Ways and Means Chairman Neal Calls on CMS to Ramp Up Oversight of Nursing Homes as Pandemic Continues to Devastate Long-Term Care Facilities, July 10, 2020
- House E&C Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee to Hold Hearing with COVID-19 Vaccine Manufacturers on July 21, July 9, 2020
- House E&C Republicans Comment on Release of States’ COVID-19 Testing Plans, July 10, 2020
- Representative Scott Urges Legislative Action to Strengthen SNAP & Fight Hunger During the COVID-19 Pandemic, July 9, 2020
- Representative Adams Sends Letter to President Trump Asking for Answers About COVID-19's Impacts on Food Production, July 9, 2020
- Representatives Fudge, DeLauro, Thompson Introduce Safe Line Speeds in COVID-19 Act, July 9, 2020
- Representative Raskin: 100+ Lawmakers Urge House & Senate Leadership to Reject Corporate Tax Breaks in Future Relief Legislation, July 9, 2020
- Representative Larson Introduces Bill to Prevent Social Security Benefit Cuts Due to COVID-19, Expand Benefits, July 9, 2020
- Representatives Kildee, Davis Lead 110 Members of Congress Urging Trump Administration to Extend Unemployment Benefits, July 9, 2020
- Representative Steube Urges President Trump to Cap Unemployment Benefits and Incentivize Americans to Return to Workforce, July 10, 2020
- Representative Kelly Introduces Essential Workforce Parity Act to Support Health Care Heroes During Coronavirus Pandemic, July 10, 2020
- Representative Lieu Leaders 27 Member Letter Urging SBA to Allow COVID Expenses Through EIDL Program, July 10, 2020
- House Oversight Committee Chairs Maloney and Clyburn Request GAO Study and American Manufacturing Opportunities for PPE Supply Chain, July 10, 2020
- House Homeland Security Chairman Thompson Writes DHS on Sharp Increase of COVID-19 Cases at the Department, July 10, 2020
- Representative Luján Announces Plans to Introduce Bill Combating Threat of COVID-19 Scams, July 9, 2020
- Representative DeLauro Secures Critical Protections from Dangerous Products Marketed During the COVID-19 Pandemic, July 9, 2020
- House Chairs DeFazio, Maloney Introduce Legislation to Provide Relief to Maritime Sector Amid Ongoing COVID-19, July 9, 2020
Other Stakeholder Statements / Letters
- Retailers Say Credit Insurance Plan Could Increase Liquidity During Pandemic Downturn, July 10, 2020
- America’s Largest Food & Retail Union, 100 Health Experts Call For Mask Mandates in All 50 States to Combat COVID-19, July 10, 2020
- Apparel and Footwear Industry Calls for Consistent, National Face Mask Guidelines, July 10, 2020
- PPP Loans Largely Effective for Small Businesses, Many Still Need More Financial Assistance, July 10, 2020
- U.S. Chamber's Donohue on ICE's International Student Policy: It ‘Will Inflict Significant Harm Upon American Colleges and Universities, their Students, the Business Community, and Our Economy’, July 10, 2020
Agency Activity
Department of Labor
Department of Health and Human Services
Food and Drug Administration
Department of Defense
Department of Veterans’ Affairs
Department of Agriculture
Federal House Finance Administration
Federal Trade Commission
International Trade Commission
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Federal Reserve
Periodic Report: Update on Outstanding Lending Facilities Authorized by the Board under Section 13(3) of the Federal Reserve Act, July 10, 2020
Fed Boston: How far will state tax revenues fall during the pandemic?, July 9, 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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