Below is a synopsis of the federal government actions in response to COVID-19 today and over the weekend – including a
pending bipartisan agreement on a $500 billion interim emergency funding bill.
Congress
Congress and the administration are close to a deal on an “interim emergency” relief package, although negotiations are ongoing; as it stands now, the package is expected to include:
- $250 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program, plus an additional $50-60 billion for small lenders specifically
- $65 billion for the SBA’s disaster fund, which covers the EIDL / emergency advance program
- $75 billion for hospitals and $25 billion for testing
The Senate could vote on the agreement as soon as Tuesday, with a House vote possible as soon as Wednesday (House leaders have pledged to give Members 24-hours’ notice to travel to Washington for a vote)
While Democrats are still pushing for additional funding for state and local governments and for food assistance, that funding is likely to be put off until the next relief package
- A new plan unveiled by Senators Cassidy (R-LA) and Menendez (D-NJ) would establish a $500 billion stabilization fund “to help states and local governments respond to the current public health and economic crisis, while maintaining essential services”; see their April 19 press release here
Meanwhile, Members continue to press SBA and Treasury on implementation of the PPP:
Recent Congressional Statements / Letters
- Senate Banking Committee Ranking Member Brown, Senate Dems Push Trump Administration To Prioritize Workers In CARES Act Funding Allocations, April 20, 2020
- Senate Banking Committee Ranking Member Brown, Van Hollen, Warren, Schumer Urge Fed to Fix Rules That Block City, County Governments from Receiving DIRECT COVID-19 Relief, April 18, 2020
- Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Wicker Seeks Stakeholder Input on REAL ID Implementation Challenges, April 20, 2020
- Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Wyden: Labor Department Makes Clear Workers Congress Intended To Cover Will Receive Unemployment Benefits, April 20, 2020
- House E&C Committee Leaders Demand Answers from Trump Administration on Efforts to Acquire and Distribute COVID-19 Medical Supplies, April 20, 2020
- House E&C Committee Chairman Pallone Calls on White House Task Force to Develop National Coronavirus Testing Strategy, April 20, 2020
White House / Agency Activity
White House
- Executive Order on National Emergency Authority to Temporarily Extend Deadlines for Certain Estimated Payments, April 19, 2020
Related: Treasury and CBP Announce Deferment of Duties and Fees for Certain Importers during COVID-19 Response, April 19, 2020; see Temporary Final Rule (prepublication) here
- Aligning Federal Agency Operations with the National Guidelines for Opening Up America Again, OMB Memorandum, April 20, 2020
- Preserving the Resilience of the Federal Contracting Base in the Fight Against the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), OMB Memorandum, April 20, 2020
Department of the Treasury
Department of Labor
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Department of Homeland Security
Department of Health and Human Services
Food and Drug Administration
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Environmental Protection Agency
National Credit Union Administration
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
