Dear Friends,

Negotiations over the next phase of COVID-19 relief legislation are continuing in Washington, D.C. Indeed, they have disrupted the House and Senate’s traditional month-long August district and state work periods. The House of Representatives was supposed to begin its August recess this week, but members were told last week to be prepared to return to Washington, D.C. for a potential vote with 24-hours’ notice. The Senate, which is scheduled to begin its recess next week, is already expecting to be in session at least into next week, and some members are calling for recess to be cancelled entirely to provide Congress time to finish the bill. See below for a recap of the discussions and other issues on tap in Washington, D.C. the rest of this month.