Below, please find a summary of today’s federal government activities in response to COVID-19.
Congress
Today, House Majority Leader Hoyer announced a change to the House schedule, alerting Members that votes will now be held on June 25-26 as well as on June 29. Previously, votes were only scheduled for June 30 and July 1-2 prior to the July 4th break. While the schedule change was made to accommodate consideration of the Justice in Policing Act of 2020, additional floor votes on COVID-related legislation could occur.
In a hearing before the Senate Finance Committee today, Secretary of Labor Scalia expressed support for allowing the CARES Act’s $600 per week “plus-up” to unemployment benefits to expire as scheduled at the end of July (Congressional Democrats have proposed extending the enhanced benefit through next January). Committee Republicans agreed with Secretary Scalia, citing disincentives to returning to work; as an alternative, Senator Portman (R-OH) discussed his 6-week “return-to-work bonus” proposal.
Also today, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Alexander (R-TN) released a white paper entitled, “Preparing for the Next Pandemic.”
Recent Congressional Statements / Letters
- Senate Finance Committee Chair Grassley, Ranking Member Wyden Want IG Help in Stopping Nursing Homes from Taking Medicaid Recipients’ COVID-19 Economic Impact Payments, June 9, 2020
- Senate Energy Committee Chair Murkowski: Testing, PPE Critical During 2020 Wildfire Season, June 9, 2020
- Senators Thune, Baldwin Introduce Bill to Improve Paycheck Protection Program for Agricultural Producers, June 9, 2020
- Senators Menendez, Capito Urge Top Health Officials to Swiftly Distribute Emergency COVID-19 Funds to Hospitals Serving Low-Income, Vulnerable Populations, June 8, 2020
- Senator Collins Fights to Preserve Critical Access Hospitals in Rural Communities, June 9, 2020
- Senator Loeffler Introduces Bills to Expand Training for Workers, Protect Small Businesses and Health Care Providers from Civil Suits, June 9, 2020
- House Energy & Commerce Chair Pallone Opening Remarks at Hearing on COVID-19’s Disproportionate Impact on Environmental Justice Communities, June 9, 2020
- House T&I Chair DeFazio Statement from Hearing on Impacts to Transportation Workers Amid COVID-19 Crisis, June 9, 2020
- House T&I Ranking Member Graves Statement from Hearing on the Impacts of COVID-19 on Transportation Workers, June 9, 2020
- House Science Committee Ranking Member Lucas: Restarting American Research, June 9, 2020
- House Coronavirus Panel to Hold 6/11 Member Briefing on Impact of Coronavirus Crisis on Nursing Homes, June 9, 2020
- House Congressional Progressive Caucus to Hold Remote Hearing on Oversight of Coronavirus Relief Funds on Wednesday, June 10th, June 9, 2020
- Representatives Reed and Peters Lead 28 House Members in Calling on HHS to Allocate Additional Federal Support to Clinical Laboratories for COVID-Testing, June 8, 2020
- Bipartisan House Letter to Fed Chairman Powell and Treasury Secretary Mnuchin Urging Expanded Eligibility for the Municipal Liquidity Facility, June 8, 2020
- Representatives Cárdenas, Blunt Rochester, Kennedy, Katko, Fitzpatrick Lead Bipartisan Letter to Leadership Requesting Underserved Communities be Prioritized in Next Coronavirus Bill, June 8, 2020
- House Members Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Protect Human Rights During the Coronavirus Pandemic, June 8, 2020
- Congressional Budget Office: Monthly Budget Review for May 2020, June 8, 2020
Other Stakeholder Statements / Letters
- American Bankers Association Statement on Main Street Lending Program Changes, June 8, 2020
- American Health Care Association Letter to HHS & FEMA: Request for $5 Billion to Help Assisted Living Communities in Response to COVID-19, June 8, 2020
- Outdoor Recreation Roundtable Member Survey Shows COVID-19 Continues to Impact the Outdoor Economy; Outdoor Legislative Package Will Help, June 9, 2020
- Center for Biological Diversity: Unprecedented Lawsuit Launched Against President Trump for Order ‘Expediting’ Fossil Fuel Project Approvals, June 9, 2020
- Statement of Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), Vice President, Evan Armstin in Advance of the Senate Finance Committee Hearing on Unemployment Insurance During COVID-19, June 9, 2020
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Chase for Business Launch Virtual Small Business Event Series to Help Owners Reopen and Rebuild, June 9, 2020
- National Survey Shows Government, Employers Are Failing to Protect Nursing Home Workers and Residents, June 9, 2020
Agency Activity
Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service
Department of Labor
Department of Health and Human Services
Food and Drug Administration
Department of Homeland Security
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Federal Housing Finance Agency
Export-Import Bank
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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