Today’s federal government actions in response to COVID-19.

Congress
Today, negotiations intensified between the Administration – led by Treasury Secretary Mnuchin – and Congressional Democrats working toward an “interim emergency” relief package

Congressional Republicans and the Administration are pushing to infuse another $250 billion into the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program, which is set to run out of funds as soon as today

Democrats are urging programmatic changes to ensure underserved borrowers can access the loans – in addition to more funding for hospitals and state and local governments; see Speaker Pelosi’s afternoon statement here

Recent Congressional Statements / Letters

• Senate Democratic Leaders Offer Roadmap to Dramatically Expand Testing Capacity Nationwide, April 15, 2020

• Senators Warren and Smith Unveil Their Plan for a $50 Billion Child Care Bailout, April 15, 2020

• Chairwoman Waters, Ranking Member Brown Call on Administration to Stabilize the Housing Market During the Coronavirus Pandemic, April 15, 2020

• Congressional Hispanic Caucus Members Call on Congressional Leadership to Help Protect Farmworkers During COVID-19 Crisis, April 15, 2020

White House / Agency Activity

White House

• Late Tuesday, President Trump announced his Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups and today held a series of phone calls with the groups

• It is rumored that the White House will release guidance tomorrow on a “staged” reopening of the country

• White House Fact Sheet regarding withholding of World Health Organization funds, April 15, 2020

Department of the Treasury

• Supplemental Security Income Recipients Will Receive Automatic COVID-19 Economic Impact Payments, April 15, 2020

• “Get My Payment” Web App Launched for Americans to Submit Direct Deposit Information and Track Payments, April 15, 2020

Department of Labor

• U.S. Department of Labor Announces Funding Availability For State Apprenticeship Expansion Grants, April 15, 2020

Department of Homeland Security

• DHS and USDA Move to Protect American Farmers and Ensure Continued Flow of America’s Food Supply, Temporary Final Rule for H-2A Requirements, April 15, 2020

Department of Health and Human Services

• NIH study validates decontamination methods for re-use of N95 respirators, April 15, 2020

• The Administration for Children and Families to Release Funding to Support the Child Care and Development Block Grant, April 15, 2020

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

• CMS Increases Medicare Payment for High-Production Coronavirus Lab Tests, April 15, 2020

Federal Communications Commission

• Wireline Bureau Chief Statement on Frontier's Chapter 11 Filing, April 15, 2020

Federal Trade Commission

• FTC Announces Latest Round of Letters Warning Companies to Cease Unsupported Claims that Their Products Can Treat or Prevent Coronavirus, April 14, 2020

Election Assistance Commission

• Notice re: April 22 Public Hearing: Election Response to COVID-19 Administering Elections During the Coronavirus Crisis, April 15, 2020

Federal Reserve

• Federal banking agencies to defer appraisals and evaluations for real estate transactions affected by COVID-19, April 14, 2020

• Kelley Drye Client Advisory: The Federal Reserve Launches $600 Billion Main Street Loan Programs: Loans to Small- and Medium-Sized Businesses

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