Today’s federal government activities in response to COVID-19, include:
Congress
The Senate will return to Washington next week, and is likely to vote on legislation to modify the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program. Senate Small Business Committee Chairman Rubio (R-FL), citing “inadvertent technical errors” in a
PPP reform bill passed by the House yesterday, has indicated the Senate is likely to pass a separate bill (thus requiring further House action prior to enactment).
According to SBA
data on the PPP, as of May 28, approximately 4.5 million loans have been approved, totaling $510.5 billion (with approximately $100 billion in remaining appropriations).
Earlier today, House Majority Leader Hoyer (D-MD)
wrote to House Members regarding the summer legislative schedule and released an
updated calendar (with more information on the fall schedule forthcoming). Notably, most of June will be dedicated to committee work preparing “must pass” legislation for floor consideration, with floor votes pushed until late June and July (although the House would come back earlier in June, when and if a subsequent COVID relief package has passed the Senate).
Also today, President Trump announced his intent to terminate the country’s relationship with the World Health Organization, due in part to its handling of the coronavirus.
COVID-Related Congressional Hearings Next Week
Senate
House
Recent Congressional Statements / Letters
- Senate Small Business Committee Chair Rubio, Ranking Member Cardin Welcome SBA and Treasury's PPP Set-Aside for CDFIs, May 28, 2020
- Senate Energy Committee Chair Murkowski Welcomes Relief for Renewable Energy Projects, May 29, 2020
- Senators Brown, Warren, Merkley, Colleagues Demand Education Department Hold Student Loan Servicer Great Lakes Accountable for CARES Act Blunder That Likely Lowered Credit Scores for Millions of Borrowers, May 29, 2020
- Reps. LaHood, Murphy Introduce Clean Start Legislation to Keep Workers and Customers Safe as Businesses Reopen, May 29, 2020
- House Homeland Security Committee Chair Thompson and Committee Democrats Write FEMA on its Ability to Respond to Multiple Disasters During the COVID-19 Pandemic, May 28, 2020
- Chairman Thompson Demands DHS and HHS Provide Requested Documents on Federal Response to Coronavirus, May 28, 2020
- House Ways and Means Leaders Neal, Lewis Request Weekly Reports from Treasury on Economic Impact Payments, May 28, 2020
- House Ways and Means Ranking Member Brady Discusses Return to Work Bonus Proposal on Squawk Box, May 29, 2020
- House Education and Labor Committee: Head of Federal Worker Safety Agency Refuses to Say Whether COVID-19 Is a Grave Danger to American Workers, May 29, 2020
- House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairs DeFazio, Maloney Statements from Hearing on the Status of the Maritime Supply Chain During COVID-19, May 29, 2020
- Ranking Member Gibbs Statement from Hearing on the Maritime Supply Chain During the COVID-19 Pandemic, May 29, 2020
- House Oversight Committee: Supporting America’s Cities: What Mayors Need To Safely Reopen, May 29, 2020
Other Stakeholder Statements / Letters
White House / Agency Activity
White House
Food and Drug Administration
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Department of Defense
Department of Transportation
Federal Communications Commission
Kelley Drye Resources
SBA Provides Additional Guidance on PPP Loan Forgiveness Process and Loan Reviews, May 29, 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.