Below, please find a summary of the federal government’s activities in response to COVID-19 since our last update. Please note we will only publish updates on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday this week.

Congress

During a press conference in Kentucky today, Senate Majority Leader McConnell (R-KY) said talks with the administration on another COVID relief package are ongoing and that he expects to continue discussions with his caucus when they return to Washington next week. Leader McConnell said bipartisan negotiations with Congressional Democrats would follow and “I think you can anticipate this coming to a head sometime within the next three weeks, beginning next week.”

One of many contentious issues will be the fate of the CARES Act’s enhanced unemployment insurance provisions, which are set to expire at the end of the month. Over the weekend, House Speaker Pelosi (D-CA) said that the next relief bill must include an extension. Republicans remain wary.

Also today, Senate Democrats released a white paper with proposals to ensure COVID-19 vaccines are “safe, effective, high quality, produced at scale, allocated in a manner that optimizes public health and reduces health disparities, free and accessible to everyone, and widely embraced by the public.” The plan includes $25 billion in related funding.

Recent Congressional Statements / Letters

• Senate HELP Committee Chairman Alexander Statement on Democratic White Paper on COVID-19 Vaccines, July 13, 2020
• Senator Gardner: At Gardner’s Request, HHS Provides $3 Billion to Safety Net Hospitals and $1 Billion to Rural Providers, July 13, 2020
• Senators Rosen, Sullivan Introduce Bipartisan FRONTIER Community Act, Legislation to Expand Access to Mental Health Telemedicine Services in Frontier States, July 13, 2020
• Senators Klobuchar, Cortez Masto Lead Colleagues in Call for Additional Funding for Tourism, Economic Development, July 13, 2020
• Senator Reed Helps Build Momentum for RESTART Act to Assist Main Street Businesses, July 13, 2020
• House E&C Leaders Request Update from FDA Commissioner on Agency’s Work to Ensure Accurate COVID-19 Tests, July 13, 2020
• House Oversight Subcommittee to Hold 7/14 Briefing on FDA’s Process for Approving Safe, Effective Coronavirus Vaccine, July 13, 2020
• Representative Ruiz Calls, 100+ House Members Call on President Trump to Extend Unemployment Benefits for Millions of Americans, July 13, 2020
• Representatives Pingree, Fortenberry Call on USDA to Expand CFAP to Small, Diversified Farmers, July 13, 2020

Other Stakeholder Statements / Letters

• Urgent Nonprofit Policy Priorities in Reforms to CARES Act, July 13, 2020
• THE HILL: Millionaires call on governments to tax the rich to pay for virus relief, July 13, 2020
• State, Local Governments Urge Enhanced Federal Health Care Match During COVID-19 Pandemic, July 10, 2020

Agency Activity

Small Business Administration

• SBA Provided $20 Billion to Small Businesses and Non-Profits Through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Advance Program, July 11, 2020

Department of Labor

• U.S. Department of Labor Launches Public Service Campaign to Promote Workers’ Rights to Paid Sick Leave, Safe Workplaces and Lawful Pay, July 13, 2020
• ICYMI: U.S. Department of Labor Acts to Help American Workers and Employers During the Coronavirus Pandemic, July 12, 2020

Food and Drug Administration

• COVID-19 Update Daily Roundup, July 10, 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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