Below, please find a summary of today’s federal government efforts in response to COVID-19.

Congress

Today, top administration health officials – including NIAID Director Fauci, FDA Commissioner Hahn, CDC Director Redfield, and HHS Assistant Secretary Giroir – testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee during an oversight hearing on the Trump administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Fauci said the United States is experiencing a “disturbing surge” of the virus in certain states, and said the next few weeks would be critical to controlling the spread. The officials generally expressed concern about the dual threat of COVID-19 and the flu this fall.

Also today, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin met with Senate Republicans to discuss the economic recovery and possible relief measures. In comments to the press after the meeting, he said, “Whatever we do will be much more targeted and much more focused on jobs and bringing back jobs.”

Recent Congressional Statements / Letters

• Senators Capito, Wicker, Blackburn Introduce Bill to Accelerate Deployment of Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, June 23, 2020
• Senator Tina Smith Leads Push on USDA to More Quickly Allocate COVID-19 Relief Funds to Bolster Rural Broadband Access, June 23, 2020
• Senate HELP Committee Chairman Alexander: Congress Should Act This Year to Prepare for Next Pandemic, June 23, 2020
• Senate HELP Committee Ranking Member Murray Warns Republicans Against Moving On From COVID-19 As Pandemic Continues to Rage, June 23, 2020
• Senator Murray, Representative DeLauro Concerned Trump Administration’s Leadership Changes to COVID-19 Vaccine Project Could Delay Progress, June 23, 2020
• Senator King Urges Congress to Prioritize Affordable Healthcare in Future Coronavirus Relief Bills, June 23, 2020
• Senator Baldwin Calls on President Trump to Take Action to Protect Workers & Produce Supplies for More Testing as COVID-19 Pandemic Continues, June 23, 2020
• Senators Van Hollen, Duckworth, King Introduce Bill to Significantly Enhance Domestic Production of Life-Saving Medical Supplies, June 23, 2020
• Senators Merkley, Colleagues Introduce Urgently-Needed Legislation to Help Hard-Hit Agricultural Worker Amid Pandemic, June 23, 2020
• Senator Shaheen & Bipartisan Group Introduce Bill Expanding Federal Tax Deduction for Charitable Giving, June 23, 2020
• Senator McSally Introduces Bill to Incentivize Domestic Travel, June 23, 2020
• Representative Van Taylor Calls on Fed, Treasury to Prevent Commercial Real Estate Foreclosures and Protect Jobs, June 23, 2020
• Representatives Bonamici, Young Call for Investment in Ocean, Coastal Recovery, June 23, 2020
• Representative Pingree to House Leadership: Prioritize Clean Energy Workforce & Mitigate Climate Crisis in Next Recovery Package, June 23, 2020
• Representatives Nadler & Lofgren Denounce Trump Executive Order Expanding Suspension on Immigration, June 23, 2020
• Representatives Brindisi, Stefanik, Newhouse Lead Bipartisan Call To Include Apple Farmers in Pandemic Relief Efforts, June 23, 2020
• Representative Lee, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Provide Student Borrower Relief for Perkins Loan Holders, June 23, 2020
• 70 House Members Urge Inclusion of the Mental Health Services for Students Act in Next COVID-19 Relief Legislation, June 23, 2020
• Representatives Harder, Taylor Ask Ed Dept for Clearer Guidance on School Reopening, June 23, 2020
• Representatives Neguse, DeGette, Perlmutter and Crow Call For COVID-19 Relief Funding for Local Museums and Historic Preservation, June 23, 2020

Other Stakeholder Statements / Letters

• National League of Cities: Cities Are Essential Resources, June 23, 2020
• NFIB: Small Business Sales Volume Up as States Ease Business Restrictions and Stay at Home Orders, June 23, 2020
• Commercial Construction Index Drops Amid Coronavirus Pandemic, But Contractors Poised for Near-Term Recovery, June 23, 2020
• U.S. Chamber’s Donohue on Immigration Proclamation: ‘A Severe and Sweeping Attempt to Restrict Legal Immigration’, June 23, 2020
• Business Roundtable Statement on Immigration Policy Changes, June 22, 2020
• NAM Strongly Opposes Administration’s Immigration Executive Order, June 22, 2020

White House / Agency Activity

White House

• Readout from the Vice President’s Governors Briefing on COVID-19 Response & Recovery, June 22, 2020

Department of the Treasury

• What the Federal Government is Doing in Response to COVID-19, June 23, 2020
• Your Money and Coronavirus: Federal Resources for Quicker Financial Relief, June 23, 2020
• Guidance on Refinance of EIDL Loans with PPP Loan Proceeds and Lender Remittance of EIDL Refinance Proceeds to SBA, June 22, 2020
• Interim Final Rule on Revisions to Loan Forgiveness Interim Final Rule and SBA Loan Review Procedures Interim Final Rule, June 22, 2020

Internal Revenue Service

• IRS Announces Rollover Relief For Required Minimum Distributions From Retirement Accounts That Were Waived Under the CARES Act, June 23, 2020

Department of Labor

• U.S. Department of Labor Offers Webinar on Coronavirus-Related Paid Sick Leave Requirements for Business Owners, Employers and Other Stakeholders, June 23, 2020
• U.S. Department Of Labor Announces Online Tool to Help Workers Determine Eligibility for Paid Sick Leave Due to Coronavirus
• Statement by U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia On President Trump’s Proclamation, June 22, 2020

Department of Health and Human Services

• HHS Announces Partnership with Morehouse School of Medicine to Fight COVID-19 in Racial and Ethnic Minority and Vulnerable Communities, June 23, 2020

Food and Drug Administration

• Effects of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency on Formal Meetings and User Fee Applications for Medical Devices - Questions and Answers: Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff, June 23, 2020

National Institutes of Health

• NIH Investigators Hope CD47 Study Leads To Broad-Spectrum Infectious Diseases Immunotherapy, June 23, 2020

Department of Homeland Security

• Trump Administration, DHS Prioritizes American Citizens for American Jobs, June 22, 2020
• Weekly Update: DHS Response to COVID-19, June 22, 2020

Federal Housing Finance Agency

• FHFA Releases 1st Quarter Foreclosure Prevention and Refinance Report, June 23, 2020

Department of Agriculture

• USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program Reaches 20 Million Boxes Distributed, June 23, 2020

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

• CFPB Issues Interim Final Rule on Loss Mitigation Options for Homeowners Recovering from Pandemic-Related Financial Hardships, June 23, 2020

Federal Reserve

Federal and State Regulatory Agencies Issue Examiner Guidance For Assessing Safety and Soundness Considering The Effect Of The COVID-19 Pandemic On Financial Institutions, June 23, 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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