Today’s federal government activities in response to COVID-19 include:
Congress
Following yesterday’s release of House Democrats’ $3 trillion Heroes Act (more in our Tuesday update), Speaker Pelosi today highlighted Fed Chairman Powell’s comments regarding the need for additional economic relief.
- In a speech today, Powell said: “Additional fiscal support could be costly, but worth it if it helps avoid long-term economic damage and leaves us with a stronger recovery. This tradeoff is one for our elected representatives, who wield powers of taxation and spending.”
- Powell also said the Fed would continue to use its lending tools “to their fullest until the crisis has passed and the economic recovery is well under way.”
Also today, House Democrats released additional details on their proposal to temporarily allow for remote voting and virtual committee proceedings during the pandemic.
The House is expected to vote on the temporary rule change on Friday, in addition to voting on the Heroes Act.
Recent Congressional Statements / Letters
- Senate HELP Chairman Alexander: We Will Go Back To Work and Back To School State By State, May 13, 2020
- Senators Brown, Menendez, and Smith Call on Trump Administration to Ensure that Lenders are not Shorting Small Businesses on PPP Loans, May 13, 2020
- Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Cantwell Stresses Need for Widespread, High-Speed Broadband, Especially During Coronavirus Crisis, May 13, 2020
- Senators Klobuchar, Hirono, Peters, Rosen, Eshoo, Colleagues Introduce Bicameral Legislation to Help Ensure College Students in Need Have Access to High-Speed Internet, May 13, 2020
- Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Graham Release Re: May 12 Hearing on Liability During COVID-19 Pandemic, May 12, 2020
- Senators Markey, Warren, Blumenthal, Murphy, and Harris to Introduce Legislation Requiring Airlines Return Billions to Consumers During Coronavirus Pandemic, May 13, 2020
- House Financial Services Committee Chair Waters and Rep. San Nicolas Call on Treasury and the Fed to Stop Excluding Territories from Receiving COVID-19 Relief, May 13, 2020
- House Judiciary Committee Chairman Nadler Remarks for Virtual Roundtable on ICE's Response to COVID-19, May 13, 2020
- House Judiciary Committee Democrats' Letter to Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader McCarthy on Protecting Creative Community During COVID-19 Pandemic, May 12, 2020
- E&C Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Burgess Calls on Eshoo to Hold Hearing on Distribution of Provider Relief, May 13, 2020
- E&C Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Burgess Calls on Eshoo to Hold Hearing on COVID-19 Testing, Contact Tracing & PPE, May 13, 2020
- House Republican Study Committee Budget & Spending Task Force Urges Against Federal Bailout for State and Local Governments, May 12, 2020
- Rep. Collins Introduces Legislation to Hold China Accountable for Global Pandemic, May 13, 2020
Other Stakeholder Letters
- Governors Call On Congress To Act On State Fiscal Relief, May 13, 2020
- Coalition of Nation’s Largest Transit Agencies and Labor Leaders Call on Congress to Deliver Robust Federal Aid for Transportation in Next Coronavirus Relief Package, May 12, 2020
- American Hotel & Lodging Association Statement on HEROES Act, May 13, 2020
- SEIU: House Proposal a Step Forward for Working People; Even More Will be Needed to Address Crisis, May 12, 2020
- AFL-CIO: Working People Support HEROES Act That Embraces America's Economic Essentials, May 12, 2020
White House / Agency Activity
White House
Department of the Treasury
Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Security Agency
Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Department of Defense
Export-Import Bank
Federal Housing Finance Administration
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Federal Communications Commission
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
[View source.]
