Below, please find a summary of federal government activities in response to COVID-19 since our Friday update.
Congress
In
remarks on the Senate floor today, Majority Leader McConnell (R-KY) said Senate Republicans continue working to develop “strong legal protections for healthcare professionals, K-12 schools, colleges and universities, and employers so our recovery is not promptly swamped by a second epidemic of frivolous lawsuits.” He again expressed opposition to the House-passed
Heroes Act and highlighted his intention to follow the model of the bipartisan
CARES Act “in any future recovery legislation down the road.” Leader McConnell also stressed the importance of wearing masks to help combat the pandemic.
Earlier, House Speaker Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Democratic Leader Schumer (D-NY)
wrote to Senate Majority Leader McConnell (R-KY) urging “immediate bipartisan, bicameral negotiations” to address the public health and economic crises.
Also today, Speaker Pelosi
informed House Members that she was extending until August 18 the “covered period” allowing proxy voting due to the ongoing public health emergency. House Republican Leader McCarthy (R-CA) and GOP conference leaders responded with a
letter expressing their strong opposition to the decision, noting, “we have demonstrated that in-person voting—and the accountability that comes with it—can be done in the House of Representatives in a safe and responsible manner.”
Tomorrow, House Federal Reserve Chairman Powell and Treasury Secretary Mnuchin will testify before the House Financial Services Committee in a
hearing entitled, “Oversight of the Treasury Department's and Federal Reserve's Pandemic Response.” In his
prepared remarks, released today by the Fed, Chairman Powell will say, “The path forward for the economy is extraordinarily uncertain and will depend in large part on our success in containing the virus. A full recovery is unlikely until people are confident that it is safe to reengage in a broad range of activities.”
Recent Congressional Statements / Letters
- Senate Finance Chairman Grassley, House Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Walden Request Investigation into COVID-19 Nursing Home Deaths, June 29, 2020
- As DOL Calls Employees Back to Offices, Senator Murray Urges Scalia to Protect DOL Employees and Issue Enforceable Workplace Safety Standards for Workers Across the Country, June 29, 2020
- Senators Wyden, Blumenthal, Hirono and Schumer Introduce Bill To Ensure Americans Keep Broadband Access During the Pandemic, June 29, 2020
- Senator King Pushes Administration to Make Paycheck Protection Program Work Better for Seasonal Businesses, June 26, 2020
- Alaska Delegation Announces PPP Fix for Commercial Fishing Businesses, June 28, 2020
- Senators Blackburn, Blumenthal, Senators Seek Additional Funding for Children’s Hospitals Impacted by the COVID-19, June 29, 2020
- Senators Klobuchar, Smith Call For Ending Seizure of Tax Refunds from Americans With Federal Student Debt During Coronavirus Crisis, June 29, 2020
- Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Ranking Member Peters Releases New Report Condemning $1 Billion in Wrongful CARES Act Payments to Deceased Individuals, June 29, 2020
- Senator Warren, Reps. Chuy García and Lee Introduce Legislation to Extend Nation-wide Moratorium on Evictions, June 29, 2020
- Rep. Max Rose, Sen. Tina Smith Introduce Legislation to Deliver More Effective Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Services during Pandemic, June 29, 2020
- House Budget Committee Chairman Yarmuth’s Statement on Trump’s Attempt to Withhold Federal Support from State and Local Governments Amid Global Pandemic, June 29, 2020
- House Financial Services Committee Chair Waters on Emergency Housing Legislation: Urgent Action Needed to Prevent Eviction Crisis, June 29, 2020
- Representative Harder Demands Feds Provide Unspent Coronavirus Funding to Nursing Homes, June 29, 2020
- House Republicans Press State AGs to Probe Governors’ Deadly Nursing Home Orders, June 25, 2020
- Representative Bonamici Leads 66 Members of Congress to Protect Millions of Americans from Eviction, June 29, 2020
- Representatives Wagner and Clay Introduce the Calculate Loan Forgiveness Act, June 29, 2020
- House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture Chairman Costa Statement on Roundtable Discussion on USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service, June 26, 2020
Other Stakeholder Letters
- Consumer Brands Spearheads Contactless Delivery Task Force, June 29, 2020
- Business Roundtable CEO Economic Outlook Index Drops in Q2, Reflecting Impact of COVID-19, June 29, 2020
- American Clinical Laboratory Association (ACLA) Update on COVID-19 Testing Capacity, June 27, 2020
- Bakers, Food and Ag Groups, Request Next Highest Priority for Receiving COVID-19 Vaccine, June 26, 2020
White House/Agency Activity
White House
Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service
Department of Labor
Department of Health and Human Services
Food and Drug Administration
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Department of Commerce
Federal Housing Finance Agency
Federal Reserve
- Testimony by Chair Powell on the Coronavirus and CARES Act, June 30, 2020
- Federal Reserve Board Releases New Term Sheet For The Primary Market Corporate Credit Facility, Adding Pricing And Other Information, June 29, 2020
- Report to Congress Pursuant to Section 13(3) of the Federal Reserve Act: Secondary Market Corporate Credit Facility, June 28, 2020; SMCCF Transaction-specific Disclosures, June 28, 2020
- Report to Congress Pursuant to Section 13(3) of the Federal Reserve Act: Primary Market Corporate Credit Facility, June 28, 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