Below, please find a summary of the federal government’s activities in response to COVID-19 since our last update. Please note we will only publish updates on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday this week.
Congress
During a press conference in Kentucky today, Senate Majority Leader McConnell (R-KY) said talks with the administration on another COVID relief package are ongoing and that he expects to continue discussions with his caucus when they return to Washington next week. Leader McConnell said bipartisan negotiations with Congressional Democrats would follow and “I think you can anticipate this coming to a head sometime within the next three weeks, beginning next week.”
One of many contentious issues will be the fate of the CARES Act’s enhanced unemployment insurance provisions, which are set to expire at the end of the month. Over the weekend, House Speaker Pelosi (D-CA) said that the next relief bill must include an extension. Republicans remain wary.
Also today, Senate Democrats released a white paper with proposals to ensure COVID-19 vaccines are “safe, effective, high quality, produced at scale, allocated in a manner that optimizes public health and reduces health disparities, free and accessible to everyone, and widely embraced by the public.” The plan includes $25 billion in related funding.
Recent Congressional Statements / Letters
- Senate HELP Committee Chairman Alexander Statement on Democratic White Paper on COVID-19 Vaccines, July 13, 2020
- Senator Gardner: At Gardner’s Request, HHS Provides $3 Billion to Safety Net Hospitals and $1 Billion to Rural Providers, July 13, 2020
- Senators Rosen, Sullivan Introduce Bipartisan FRONTIER Community Act, Legislation to Expand Access to Mental Health Telemedicine Services in Frontier States, July 13, 2020
- Senators Klobuchar, Cortez Masto Lead Colleagues in Call for Additional Funding for Tourism, Economic Development, July 13, 2020
- Senator Reed Helps Build Momentum for RESTART Act to Assist Main Street Businesses, July 13, 2020
- House E&C Leaders Request Update from FDA Commissioner on Agency’s Work to Ensure Accurate COVID-19 Tests, July 13, 2020
- House Oversight Subcommittee to Hold 7/14 Briefing on FDA’s Process for Approving Safe, Effective Coronavirus Vaccine, July 13, 2020
- Representative Ruiz Calls, 100+ House Members Call on President Trump to Extend Unemployment Benefits for Millions of Americans, July 13, 2020
- Representatives Pingree, Fortenberry Call on USDA to Expand CFAP to Small, Diversified Farmers, July 13, 2020
Other Stakeholder Statements / Letters
Agency Activity
Small Business Administration
Department of Labor
Food and Drug Administration
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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