White House officials have begun moving publicly to set the table for bipartisan negotiations that will determine the contents of the next major federal COVID-19 response bill. Larry Kudlow, the director of President Donald Trump’s National Economic Council (NEC), says the talks will formally begin after the US Congress’ Independence Day state/district work period. Senior … Continue Reading
A high-stakes summer is underway in America, where President Donald Trump and the nation’s governors are pushing forward with plans for reopening the nation’s economy even as many nervously eye health indicators that suggest the coronavirus may not be satisfactorily contained. In a vivid illustration of this tension, the Republican National Committee announced Thursday that … Continue Reading
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who has been the lead domestic policy negotiator for President Donald Trump and his administration during the COVID-19 crisis, made clear in testimony Wednesday to congressional lawmakers that the White House believes passage of another major coronavirus response package will be necessary soon, notwithstanding a generally positive national jobs report … Continue Reading
The United States has experienced a sharp increase in the number of new reported cases of coronavirus over the past week, but Beltway media coverage and the policy debate in Washington this week are largely centered on the potential for action in both chambers of the US Congress on police reform legislation. Republicans, emboldened by … Continue Reading
The US Congress is moving urgently to formulate new legislation that goes to the heart of the current policy debate in America, and it has nothing to do with coronavirus. Instead, the focus of Congress’ current short-term agenda is police reform, calls for which have surged across the nation in the wake of the universally … Continue Reading
Fueled by a stronger-than-expected monthly national employment report, President Donald Trump is vowing to press the US Congress to craft a bipartisan COVID-19 response package this summer that places a heavy emphasis on policies that would accelerate the return of the American economy as it emerges from the pandemic-driven shutdown. The White House drive comes … Continue Reading
President Donald Trump issued an executive order (EO) Thursday directing federal agencies to streamline their permitting processes to allow for expedited movement on infrastructure projects as a means of contributing to a swift recovery of the American economy as states and US territories emerge from their coronavirus-driven lockdowns. The president’s order came as policymakers prepared … Continue Reading
As public protests against police brutality and racial disparity continued to dominate the national policy debate, pushing coronavirus-related news from the front pages, the US Senate has given its approval to legislation passed last week by the US House of Representatives making changes to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) created by the March 27 Coronavirus … Continue Reading
Turmoil on America’s streets has become the primary focus of attention for the White House in recent days, marking a pivot away from the around-the-clock pandemic response posture that characterized the Trump Administration’s activity this spring. President Donald Trump and his top advisors are reportedly set to meet in the coming days to begin the … Continue Reading
For the first time since early 2020, the dominant topic in the American policy debate is not the COVID-19 pandemic. With national attention consumed by protests, riots and the state of race relations in the United States, efforts continue in Washington to stabilize and stimulate an American economy that was brought to a screeching halt … Continue Reading
The Federal Reserve is set to begin providing emergency loans to midsize businesses as soon as this week through the US$600 billion Main Street Lending Program (MSLP) established by the March 27 Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The US Senate is preparing to return to Washington, DC to resume legislative activity, including … Continue Reading
The stay-at-home order in the nation’s capital has been lifted, while the debate continues in the United States Congress about the scope, timing and focus of the next major bipartisan federal COVID-19 response legislation. Stymied in their efforts to force quick congressional approval of another massive package, Washington Democrats are keeping busy by passing targeted … Continue Reading
With the country having passed a grim milestone Wednesday with the 100,000th death from coronavirus, the US House of Representatives will vote today on bipartisan legislation to provide additional flexibility under the March 27 CARES Act’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for businesses reeling from the economic shutdown. For perhaps the first time since the pandemic … Continue Reading
A tacit consensus seems to be emerging in Washington DC that another major federal COVID-19 relief package will be enacted this summer, but not negotiated until some time in mid-to-late June, as deadlines for the expiration of key CARES Act relief programs begin to loom. Republicans are testing the viability of economic measures that could … Continue Reading
The US House of Representatives returns to Washington this week, but negotiations aimed at forging a bipartisan consensus on the next federal COVID-19 response package are still weeks away. The Memorial Day holiday weekend brought a surge of activity by Americans who have been in lockdown for months and are yearning for a return to … Continue Reading
Speaking at a pre-Memorial Day event hosted by The Hill, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said it will be “a few weeks” before the Trump Administration moves to negotiate with Congress on another large-scale coronavirus response bill, while conceding there is “a strong likelihood” such legislation will eventually be needed to support the struggling … Continue Reading
The legislative process in the US Congress is beginning to take on a more familiar look as policymakers work to shape the next steps in the federal response to COVID-19 and the resulting economic crisis. The US House of Representatives will be back in session again next week, albeit with temporary proxy voting measures in … Continue Reading
The timing and scope of the next steps in the federal legislative response to COVID-19 and the resulting economic crisis remain an open question, as the US’ top monetary policy official declined to take a side Tuesday in the escalating partisan debate over how swiftly the US Congress must deliver additional aid.… Continue Reading
The US Senate is in session this week, focusing on oversight of the US$2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act and what Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) calls America’s “pivot toward reopening.” Congressional Democrats will launch a national public relations campaign today in hopes of pressuring McConnell to consider the US$3 … Continue Reading
The US$3 trillion Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act passed the US House of Representatives on Friday. The next moves in shaping the future of the federal legislative response to COVID-19 will be up to the White House and congressional Republicans, who control the US Senate and have expressed a desire to … Continue Reading
On Thursday, July 13, Senate Republicans released their updated draft of the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017. A PDF of the updated text can be accessed here. We found the following documents and articles helpful: An updated Congressional Research Service Section-by-Section for Titles I and II of the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 … Continue Reading
On Thursday, June 22, Senate Republicans released the text of their health reform discussion draft. A PDF of the text can be accessed here. We found the following documents and articles to be particularly useful: The Congressional Research Service Section-by-Section Summary of the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 (link) The Washington Post’s Kim Soffen … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House to Vote on Additional Health Care Legislation This week Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) announced that the House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on two pieces of health care legislation. These bills are part of the third phase of Speaker Paul Ryan’s repeal and replace strategy. H.R. 2579, the Broader Options … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Secretary Price to Testify on HHS Budget Request This Thursday, June 8, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tom Price will appear before the Senate Committee on Finance and the House Committee on Ways and Means to defend the President’s FY 2018 Budget titled “A New Foundation for American Greatness.” The … Continue Reading
