COVID-19 Washington Update: July 2020 #7

Below, please find a summary of the federal government’s activities in response to COVID-19 since Friday’s update. Our next update will be published Wednesday, July 22.

Congress

With Congress back in Washington, talks on the next round of COVID-19 relief legislation are accelerating. Today, Republican Congressional leaders met with President Trump and Treasury Secretary Mnuchin to discuss Senate Republicans’ forthcoming bill.

Among other priorities (see more in Friday’s update), Secretary Mnuchin said the Republican proposal would include tax credits to help companies rehire / reopen, in addition to a “technical fix” to the enhanced unemployment insurance provision included in the CARES Act (which is set expire at the end of the month). Congressional Republicans have expressed concerns that the enhanced UI creates a disincentive to work. Republicans are also planning to include in the proposal funding to help schools reopen in the fall. Separately, House Republican Leader McCarthy (R-CA) said today the Republican proposal will include a payroll tax cut – a priority for the President – and an additional round of economic impact payments for families and individuals.

In a floor statement today, Senate Republican Leader McConnell (R-KY) said he hopes to unveil the proposal yet this week. “We need to continue supporting our healthcare system, and harbor no delusion that the virus is behind us, because it isn’t... while also taking strategic steps to help laid-off American workers get rehired and American families get their kids back in school in the fall,” he said. Also today, Senate Democratic Leader Schumer (D-NY) took to the floor to urge a Senate vote on the House-passed Heroes Act.

Tomorrow, Secretary Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows will meet with Senate Republicans and, separately, with House Speaker Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Democratic Leader Schumer. Also tomorrow, President Trump is expected to resume his daily COVID-19 briefings.

Earlier today, the House approved S. 3607, the Safeguarding America's First Responders Act of 2020, to improve timely access to financial assistance for families of public safety officers lost to COVID-19. The bill passed the Senate in May and will now be sent to the President’s desk.

Also today, the members of the bipartisan Congressional Oversight Commission published their third report. The Commission was created under the CARES Act.

See Friday’s update for a rundown of this week’s COVID-related Congressional hearings.

Recent Congressional Statements / Letters

• Senator Portman Introduces Healthy Workplaces Tax Credit to Ensure Businesses Continue to Safely Reopen & Acquire Necessary Safety Measures, July 20, 2020
• Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Wyden Proposes Major Expansion of Telehealth in Medicare, July 20, 2020
• Senator Feinstein Calls on Senate Leadership to Condition Coronavirus Aid on Mask Mandates, July 20, 2020
• Senator Murray Stresses Need for Additional Child Care and Education Funding in Next Coronavirus Relief, July 20, 2020
• Senators Tester, Jones, Colleagues Urge Administration to Enforce Housing Eviction Bans During Coronavirus Pandemic, July 20, 2020
• Senators Sherrod Brown and Elizabeth Warren Call on Top 15 Grocery CEOs to Extend COVID-19 Hazard Pay for All, July 20, 2020
• Senators Tillis and Blumenthal Push for Cyber-Security Funding to Protect COVID-19 Research in Next Relief Package, July 20, 2020
• Senators Tillis, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Allow Americans to Sue China Over COVID-19 Pandemic, July 20, 2020
• House Energy and Commerce Committee Democratic Leaders Pallone and DeGette to Azar: Either Stand Up to Protect Public Health or Step Aside, July 20, 2020
• Representatives Vela and Gooden Unveil Legislation to Create Recovery Fund for America’s Small Businesses, July 20, 2020
• Representatives Axne and Bacon Seek Assurances from HHS to Preserve CARES Act Allocations for Hospitals, Health Clinics, July 20, 2020
• Representatives Titus and Katko Lead House Colleagues in Bipartisan Effort to Provide $1.7 Billion for Head Start, July 20, 2020
• Representative Titus Introduces Bill to Provide K-12 Schools and Colleges $90 Billion in Pandemic Relief, July 20, 2020
• House Oversight Committee Republicans Launch Sweeping Examination of Business Regs to Aid in Economic Recovery, July 17, 2020

Other Stakeholder Statements / Letters

• Hotels Sue San Francisco to Protect Workers, Guests From Unsafe Cleaning Ordinance, July 20, 2020
• AICPA and CPA.com Team Up with Biz2Credit to Launch PPP Loan Forgiveness Tool, July 20, 2020
• America's Recovery Fund: Bipartisan Recovery Fund Legislation Will Help Save American Businesses, Jobs, and Communities, July 20, 2020
• Travel Industry Outlines Relief Needs as Reopenings Falter, July 17, 2020
• National Pupil Transportation Associations Release School Reopening Resource Report, July 17, 2020

White House / Agency Activity

White House

• Readout from the Vice President’s Governors Briefing on COVID-19 Response & Best Practices, July 20, 2020

Department of Labor

• U.S. Department of Labor Offers Webinars in Tagalog for Employers And Employees about Families First Coronavirus Response Act, July 20, 2020
• U.S. Department Of Labor Publishes Additional Guidance on Wage And Hour Rules, Family and Medical Leave As Workplaces Reopen, July 20, 2020
• ICYMI: U.S. Department Of Labor Acts To Help American Workers And Employers During The Coronavirus Pandemic, July 19, 2020

Department of Health and Human Services

• OCR Issues Guidance on Civil Rights Protections Prohibiting Race, Color, and National Origin Discrimination During COVID-19, July 20, 2020

Food and Drug Administration

• Enforcement Policy for Viral Transport Media During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Public Health Emergency: Guidance for Commercial Manufacturers, Clinical Laboratories, and Food and Drug Administration Staff, July 20, 2020
• Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Issues First Emergency Authorization for Sample Pooling in Diagnostic Testing, July 18, 2020
• Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Daily Roundup, July 17, 2020

Customs and Border Protection

• CBP Extends Closure of Trusted Traveler Programs Enrollment Centers to September 8, July 20, 2020

Department of State

• U.S. Support for Democracy, Good Governance, and Human Rights in the Global Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, July 20, 2020

Department of Defense

• DOD Awards $3.5 Million Contract to Crosstex International, Inc. to Increase Domestic Production of Surgical Masks, July 19, 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.

[View source.]