Total U.S. coronavirus deaths reported each morning this week: Monday: 54,877, Tuesday, 56,253, Wednesday, 58,355

Legislating in the time of Corona

House Leaders Scrap Return Next Week: The House won’t be returning to the Capitol next week after all, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told reporters yesterday, citing the continued threats of the spread of the pandemic in the Washington area. “The House physician’s view was that there was a risk to members that he would not recommend taking,” Hoyer said. The physician said infection numbers in the Washington region were on the rise and that the area had “hot spots,” Hoyer said. Hoyer also said there’s no need to press for a quick return in part because the next phase of coronavirus relief legislation won’t be ready fo r action. Billy House has more.

Next Coronavirus Stimulus

McConnell Says No to Infrastructure in Virus Bill: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said yesterday on Fox News that infrastructure will not be part of the next coronavirus relief package, according to a transcript of the interview. “We have an equal interest in doing an infrastructure bill. We don’t have an equal interest in borrowing money from future generations to pay for it. In other words, it’s unrelated to the coronavirus pandemic,” McConnell said. “I’ll be clearer, that infrastructure is unrelated to the coronavirus pandemic that we’re all experiencing and trying to figure out how to go forward,” he said. “We need to make sure that whatever additional legislation we do is directly related to this pandemic.”

McConnell said the Senate will pass a “more modest” infrastructure bill “in the near future.”

Trump Ties Aid to ‘Sanctuary’ City Action: Trump indicated he wouldn’t allow federal aid for states facing budget deficits from the pandemic unless they take action against “sanctuary cities”—municipalities that prevent their police from cooperating with immigration authorities. “We would want certain things” as part of a deal with House Democrats to aid states, he said at the White House, “including sanctuary city adjustments, because we have so many people in sanctuary cities.” Read more from Jennifer Jacobs and Mario Parker.

U.S. to Reclaim Payments to the Dead: The Treasury Department is planning to instruct people whose deceased relatives received coronavirus stimulus payments to return the money to the federal government, according to a department spokesman. The Treasury is aware that some individuals who have recently died received the $1,200 economic impact payments and plans to issue guidance in the coming days, the spokesman said. Laura Davison has more.

Take 2: SBA Loan Programs

Small Business Loan Program Faces Bipartisan Scrutiny: The Small Business Administration’s rocky rollout of the Paycheck Protection Program is drawing the attention of lawmakers. Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) is calling for a congressional investigation and audit into how the program, which was launched to give aid to small businesses crippled by the pandemic, is being administered by banks and overseen by Treasury and SBA. He said in a release the program has been “been plagued by problems, mismanagement, and lack of sound guidance” — and that “favored companies are winning while small businesses are being shut out.”

Sen. Hawley also tweeted that “big banks give their richest customers concierge service and they go to front of line” and that the relief legislation “does NOT authorize this special treatment by big banks for their wealthiest clients.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on MSNBC that the Treasury Department and the SBA failed to give guidelines to the banks that would have pushed more of the financing toward smaller firms. And Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) called for more guidance on how applications should be processed to ensure independent contractors, self-employed individuals and other small firms get relief.

A coalition of trade groups representing the interests of thousands of U.S. banks and credit unions urged the SBA to fix its application system for companies seeking rescue financing, or to explain the problems directly to entrepreneurs. “Quite simply, it is taking too long to submit loans and get these funds where they need to go,” groups like the American Bankers Association and Financial Services Forum wrote in the letter. Read more from Hannah Levitt.

Wells Fargo submitted more than 100,000 applications to the SBA’s relief program Monday. The firm continues to prepare and submit packets “24 hours a day,” according to an internal memo from small-business head Steve Troutner reviewed by Bloomberg. The San Francisco-based bank said it is expecting an “uneven” pace of approvals from the SBA as a flood of applicants slows processing times for all lenders participating in the program. Read more from Hannah Levitt.

Trump’s Rural Base Fared Better in SBA Loans: The first round of coronavirus aid to small businesses was a boon to rural states that backed Trump but haven’t been hit as hard by the pandemic as Democratic strongholds on the coasts, contributing to rising political tensions over a multitrillion-dollar relief effort.

The skewed distribution doesn’t necessarily point to regional or political bias in the PPP’s administration or design, which is first-come, first-served. In many cases, smaller lenders who have close relationships with small-town business owners played a outsized role in issuing loans by moving quickly to tap the program. Yet the disparity adds to a litany of complaints about the SBA program. Read more from Mike Dorning, Steve Matthews and Catarina Saraiva.

Reopening of States

Trump Orders Meat Plants to Stay Open: Trump signed an executive order yesterday that compels slaughterhouses to remain open, setting up a showdown between the giant companies that produce America’s meat and the unions and activists who want to protect workers in a pandemic. Meat processing plants around the U.S. have shut down because of the coronavirus, but Trump said in the order that “such closures threaten the continued functioning of the national meat and poultry supply chain, undermining critical infrastructure during the national emergency.”

Using the Defense Production Act, Trump is ordering plants to stay open as part of the critical infrastructure needed to keep people fed amid growing supply disruptions from the coronavirus outbreak. The government will provide additional protective gear for employees as well as guidance. Read more from Jennifer Jacobs and Lydia Mulvany.

Ragtag Virus Tracer Army Takes Shape U.S. health experts say a force of as many as 300,000 contact tracers is crucial for coast-to-coast reopening in the wake of the new coronavirus. So far, though, the country has a far smaller ragtag army that’s many weeks, if not months, from full deployment.  West Virginia wants tracers to go unpaid. Texas, advertising jobs at $17 to $22 an hour, calls the gig a “simple” matter of telling people to stay home. New York City is seeking 1,000 hires with public-health backgrounds.

North Carolina, which is targeting unemployed people with high-school educations, received about 1,500 applications for 250 positions in just 24 hours.  “That shows you that there are a lot of people out of work,” said Paul Mahoney, a spokesperson for the program’s coordinator, Community Care of North Carolina. Five weeks into the pandemic, a record 26 million Americans had filed for unemployment benefits, more than 875,000 in North Carolina.  That wave of desperation explains why Texas, Georgia and other states are stirring to life this week. Gov. Gary Herbert (R) said yesterday that Utah will reopen in a limited capacity Friday, including gyms, salons and dine-in restaurants so long as they “exercise extreme precautions,” and Wyoming will do likewise. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is considering opening schools as early as July to make up for lost class time.

But experts say long-term stability won’t come without a way to quickly spot Covid-19 outbreaks and stop them. So the U.S. — with the world’s richest economy, but a flagging public-health system — is asking trainees to press total strangers: Where have you been, for how long, and who else was there? And their phone numbers, please?  In all, America could use 300,000 tracers and specialists, according to Tom Frieden, a former U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director and New York City health commissioner. By comparison, the New Deal’s Civilian Conservation Corps employed about 500,000 people at its peak.  “Early in the outbreak, many health departments began systematic contact tracing but rapidly became overwhelmed,” Frieden said in an email. “Now that cases are coming down in some areas, we have to trace contacts in a simple, more scalable way.” Read more from Elise Young, Keshia Clukey and Kurt Wagner.

FEMA, HHS Acknowledges Shortages to Panel: House Oversight and Reform Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) said yesterday in a statement that officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Health and Human Services had told lawmakers in briefings that states face shortages of testing supplies as well as personal protective equipment, such as masks and medical gowns.   The acknowledgment comes after weeks of President Donald Trump stating governors have sufficient testing and equipment.

Trump said in a Twitter post last night that “the only reason the U.S. has reported one million cases of CoronaVirus is that our Testing is sooo much better than any other country in the World.”

A Test for States of the Unions: The coronavirus crisis is thrusting governments on both sides of the Atlantic into a fiscal emergency along with the medical one, as the European Union and the U.S. grapple with how to assist their hardest-hit members without being dragged down by them. In Europe, indebted Italy is in need, and in the U.S., it’s big states like New York and Illinois. The geography and political systems may differ, but the problem is the same.  Both economies boast central powers that want to avoid getting on the hook for the debts of the under performers. Republicans in Washington grumble about taking on Illinois’ problems, while Berlin fears Rome’s. Read more from Craig Stirling, Steven T. Dennis and Catherine Bosley.

Healthcare

Broken Ventilators Vex Black Community: Broken ventilators are the latest problem facing black communities that have so far borne the brunt of coronavirus deaths.  States and large cities recently received damaged ventilators from the U.S. stockpile, rendering them unusable. With ventilators in short supply, minority advocates demand governments and manufacturers take steps to make it easier to fix broken equipment.  Ventilators are necessary not just for Covid-19 patients but also those with respiratory conditions like asthma, which is three times more likely to kill black people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Color of Change, a civil rights advocacy organization, in an April petition called on ventilator manufacturers including Medtronic and GE Healthcare and trade group AdvaMed to release design specifications to enable hospitals to fix the broken devices. But device manufacturers are struggling to balance the rising demand for usable ventilators with the need to protect their brands and reduce liability risks.

“We’re definitely preparing to ramp up our pressure because they feel like they don’t have to be accountable in these ways and they can be dismissive of the race disparities that we’re seeing play out right now,” Brandi Collins-Dexter, senior campaign director at Color of Change, said. “It’s on these companies to release the full design specifications of the ventilators to make them more useful for hospitals so they can be fixed. That will fill the gap and increase production.”  Medtronic in March announced it would make specifications available for one of its ventilators. Hospitals already have service manuals for basic troubleshooting, but making its material more widely available won’t increase the number of ventilators at hand, the company said. Read more from Ayanna Alexander.

Ragtag Army of Virus Tracers Shapes Up: U.S. health experts say a force of as many as 300,000 contact tracers is crucial for coast-to-coast reopening in the wake of the new coronavirus. So far, though, the country has a far smaller ragtag army that’s many weeks, if not months, from full deployment.  West Virginia wants tracers to go unpaid. Texas, advertising jobs at $17 to $22 an hour, calls the gig a “simple” matter of telling people to stay home. New York City is seeking 1,000 hires with public-health backgrounds. North Carolina, which is targeting unemployed people with high-school educations, received about 1,500 applications for 250 positions in just 24 hours. Five weeks into the pandemic, a record 26 million Americans had filed for unemployment benefits, more than 875,000 in North Ca rolina.

That wave of desperation explains why Texas, Georgia and other states are stirring to life this week. Gov. Gary Herbert (R) said yesterday that Utah will reopen in a limited capacity Friday, including gyms, salons and dine-in restaurants so long as they “exercise extreme precautions,” and Wyoming will do likewise. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is considering opening schools as early as July to make up for lost class time. But experts say long-term stability won’t come without a way to quickly spot Covid-19 outbreaks and stop them. Read more from Elise Young, Keshia Clukey and Kurt Wagner.

President Donald Trump said in a Twitter post last night that “the only reason the U.S. has reported one million cases of CoronaVirus is that our Testing is sooo much better than any other country in the World.”

N.Y.C. Sees Drop in Virus Admissions: New York City reported a decline in the number of people admitted to hospitals for the coronavirus, to 112 from 122 as of April 25. The number of people in New York City Health + Hospitals intensive-care units also fell to 745 from 766 as of April 25, according to figures presented by Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) at a briefing. In another sign of optimism, the mayor reported that the citywide percentage of those who tested positive for the virus is 27%, down from 29%. Read more.

White House Reverses Air Ambulance Funding: The White House reversed its decision to deny air ambulance companies access to coronavirus aid money over the weekend, a move the industry says is needed as it experiences a drop in air medical transports. The Health Resources & Services Administration in the Department of Health and Human Services updated sometime between last Friday and yesterday its website on Covid-19 claims reimbursement for testing and treatment to health-care providers and facilities serving the uninsured. As recently as April 24, a previous version had put air and water ambulances on a list services excluded from the $100 billion in relief funding for hospitals and health-care providers on the front lines of the Covid-19 response. But as of this week, they’re no longer on the exclusion list. Alex Ruoff and Jeannie Baumann have more.

Doctors Want Medicare Program Reinstated: The nation’s doctors want the Trump administration to restart a Medicare loan payment program that offers over $40 billion to help them weather losses in revenue during the coronavirus crisis. More than 24,000 loans had been approved for doctors, other caregivers, and suppliers of durable medical equipment since March 28 under Medicare’s Advance Payment Program. But the program, which was expanded to address cash flow problems early in the health emergency, was suspended on April 26 without advance notice by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Read more from Tony Pugh.

Fauci ‘Cautiously Optimistic’ on Vaccine: The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases head Anthony Fauci is “cautiously optimistic” scientists will develop a Covid-19 vaccine that can protect against future outbreaks of a virus he said is unlikely to disappear. Fauci, who’s overseen the scientific response to every outbreak since HIV, in the past has shied away from offering predictions about treatments. There has been concern that the expectations for a vaccine might be too high; despite decades and billions of dollars of research, there is still no HIV vaccine. Read more from Jeannie Baumann.

FDA Targets Coronavirus Remedy Scams: Two companies marketing essential and botanical oils as “treatments” for the coronavirus are drawing scrutiny from the Food and Drug Administration. The agency sent warning letters to Hopewell Essential Oils and Santiste Labs over claims on their websites that their products bolster the body’s immune system against the coronavirus or relieve symptoms of Covid-19. The FDA has been taking “urgent measures” during the outbreak to protect consumers from products that claim to prevent, treat or cure the illness, according to the letters. Read more from Christopher Brown.

Industry Groups Call for Insurance Extensions: Health industry and business groups are asking lawmakers to find ways to extend health insurance to people losing their coverage, pushing back on the Trump administration’s decision to use funds originally earmarked for hospitals and doctors to cover costs related to testing and treatment of Covid-19 for those without coverage. The American Hospital Association, America’s Health Insurance Plans, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other groups urged lawmakers to give employers temporary subsidies for giving their employees health-care benefits as well as expand the Affordable Care Act’s insurance subsidies. On a call with reporters yesterday, AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack said the White House’s current system of reimbursing providers at Medicare rates for treating the uninsured is “way less than adequate,” Alex Ruoff and Sara Hansard report.

IGs Say Coronavirus Probes Underway: The inspectors general for the Justice Department and Treasury Department submitted written briefs to members of the House Oversight and Reform Committee yesterday, saying they have begun audits relating to the coronavirus crisis and “will issue ‘flash reports’ to quickly address any problems,” according to a committee statement. The Department of Justice’s watchdog will specifically investigate coronavirus-related deaths of inmates under the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the statement says.

High Court Win Could Lead to Bigger ACA Refunds: Health insurers could see a surge of cash following a Supreme Court decision that the federal government must pay the $12 billion it’d promised them under Obamacare. But that money could come in and go right back out. Under the law, health insurers that cover individuals and small businesses must spend at least 80% of their revenue on health-care costs or write rebate checks to their enrollees. Big-market insurers with more enrollees must spend at least 85% of their revenue on health costs. Even without the $12 billion payout from the government, insurers are on track to issue about $2.7 billion in rebates to their enrollees for 2020, data from the Kaiser Family Foundation show. Read more from Lydia Wheeler.

Pandemic Hobbles Drugmakers in Recruiting: A study evaluating a Novartis cholesterol drug stopped enlisting patients due to Covid-19, the latest example of how the Covid-19 pandemic is hampering research industry-wide. The Swiss drugmaker has paused new enrollment in a large U.K. clinical trial called Orion-4 that is evaluating the experimental heart drug inclisiran, according to CEO Vas Narasimhan. The potential blockbuster medicine was central to Novartis’s $9.7 billion takeover of Medicines Co. last year. And Novartis is far from alone. Read more from James Paton.

Transportation

Push for Masks and Easier Cancelations: A bipartisan group of House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee members, including Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and ranking member Sam Graves (R-Mo.), are seeking stronger airline protections against infection from Covid-19 and more liberal cancellation policies.  The lawmakers wrote to trade group Airlines for America asking carriers to require passengers and flight attendants to wear face coverings or masks. They also urged companies to be more flexible in refunding canceled flights, reports Alan Levin. The U.S. is also looking “very closely” at virus tests for international travelers, Trump said yesterday in a White House meeting with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), Jennifer Jacobs reports.

Asked whether he meant temperature checks of arriving passengers or diagnostic tests, he said “both.” DeSantis said he’d like airlines to screen passengers arriving from coronavirus hotspots, but doesn’t endorse “necessarily cutting them off.”  Trump invited DeSantis to recommend countries that should be “cut off” from traveling to the U.S., specifically mentioning Brazil. “You’ll let us know,” he told the governor. Meanwhile, the Transportation Security Administration tweeted that airline passengers are allowed to wear cloth face coverings during the TSA screening process, but must adjust them to confirm their identities to officers.

Airlines Seek OK to Halt Flights to 25 Airports: Three airlines have again asked the Transportation Department for approval to suspend flights to more than two dozen airports in the country, Andres Guerra Luz reports, citing Reuters.

• JetBlue wants to halt flights to 16 U.S. airports — in Chicago, Atlanta and Houston — through Sept. 30.
• Delta wants to suspend flights to nine airports — located in Michigan, Massachusetts and South Carolina — saying no more than 14 passengers daily flew each way from those locations between April 1-22.
• Spirit Airlines asked to suspend flights to six airports in North Carolina, Washington state and Arizona.

In its filing, JetBlue said was seeking exemptions to that rule “so that it can continue to proactively respond to the near-zero demand for air travel caused by the coronavirus pandemic and resulting national economic crisis.” In its request, Delta said its goal was to minimize the number of employees who could be potentially exposed to the virus by suspending service at nine airports within an hour’s drive of another terminal where the carrier was still flying, reports Ryan Beene.

Americans Putting Off Vacation Plans: Americans may have a serious case of cabin fever, but they’re certainly not up for traveling over the next six months. A record-low 32% of consumers said in April they’re planning to take a vacation in or outside the U.S., the Conference Board’s consumer confidence report shows. While unsurprising, that’s bad news for a travel industry hoping virus-mitigation efforts will ease health concerns and get the economy on its feet a little quicker, Vince Golle reports.

Southwest’s Plans Following First Quarterly Loss in Years: Southwest raised about $4 billion by selling shares and convertible notes, stepping up a push to add liquidity as the coronavirus pandemic all but erases demand for flights. The carrier sold 70 million shares at $28.50 apiece and $2 billion of convertible notes due in 2025, according to a statement. Southwest increased both the stock and bond portion of the sale from what it had previously targeted. Southwest is following United in offering equity amid the biggest crisis in the industry’s history, as carriers rush to raise funds even after receiving billions of dollars in government aid. Southwest is also cutting the number of Boeing 737 Max jets it will take through December 2021 by more than half, and said the travel outlook demand remains bleak. Read more from Mary Schlangenstein.

Air Ambulances Line Up for More Cash: The Trump administration reversed its decision to deny air ambulance companies access to coronavirus relief money over the weekend, a move the industry says is needed as it experiences a drop in air medical transports. As recently as April 24, a previous version had put air and water ambulances on a list of services excluded from the $100 billion in relief funds for hospitals and health-care providers on the front lines of the Covid-19 response. But as of this week, they’re no longer on the exclusion list. A spokesman with the Health Resources & Services Administration—which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services—didn’t clarify why HRSA reversed its decision or why the industries were excluded in the first place. “We actually increased our ask in regards to the next piece of legislation to $815 million,” said Christopher Eastlee, vice president of government relations for the air ambulance trade group. Without that funding, association President Cameron Curtis and Eastlee said the companies’ air bases could be forced to close, compounding an existing problem of lack of access to care in sparsely populated areas. Read more from Alex Ruoff and Jeannie Baumann.

Boeing Faces Probes of Max Quality Control: Investigators are probing missteps in Boeing’s factory that “raise red flags” about the company’s compliance with production regulations, Brendan Case reports, citing a Wall Street Journal report. Boeing found debris such as tools and rags that were left behind by workers in about half of the Max jets the company inspected starting in November.  The probe into factory missteps could bring additional legal liability for the planemaker, and the FAA is weighing whether to propose a multimillion-dollar fine against Boeing because of the debris issue, according to the Journal.   “While conducting maintenance we discovered foreign object debris in undelivered 737 Max airplanes currently in storage,” Boeing said in a statement after the Journal’s report. “That finding led to a robust internal investigation and immediate corrective actions in our production system, which we have also implemented across all of our commercial airplane programs.”

Driverless Cars May Be Spared from Some Safety Rules: Certain U.S. auto safety standards aimed at protecting humans in a crash could potentially be altered so they don’t apply to self-driving vehicles designed to only carry goods, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says in a research report released yesterday. For example, one crash standard intended to protect passengers may be re-written to specify that it only applies to vehicles with at least one seating position, Ryan Beene reports.

Charter Pilots Can Be Trained at Third-Party Center: Charter-flight operators will be able to send pilots and other employees for training to third-party centers under new guidance published yesterday by aviation regulators, Alan Levin reports. “By developing a model that works for operators of all sizes, we improve safety by enhancing consistency,” FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said in a press release.

Campaign Trail

Biden Woos Left Flank Along With Wall Street: Joe Biden is trying to win over progressives by courting the movement’s leaders and backing their calls for significant increases in pandemic relief, yet faces an uphill fight to convince skeptics on the left he won’t abandon working people in favor of Wall Street. Since the economic crisis began with the coronavirus pandemic, he has shifted some of his stances leftward, calling for trillions of dollars more in stimulus spending and complaining about big banks getting a federal bailout while some small businesses were unable to secure life-saving loans. He’s agreed to create several policy task forces that join his staff with Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-Vt.), and has adopted small pieces of Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-Mass.) agenda, and says he’s willing to hear more. To key progressive groups and leaders, the steps he’s taken are a good start. But they’re still worried that once in office, his economic recovery plan will mirror that of President Barack Obama, which they believed betrayed the values he campaigned on and favored banks and Wall Street at the expense of workers. Read more from Jennifer Epstein.

Biden Wins Ohio’s Mail-in Primary: Biden won Ohio’s Democratic presidential primary yesterday in a mail-in only contest that replaced regular voting due to the pandemic. The Associated Press declared the former vice president the winner with 74% of the vote with just a few precincts reporting. The primary had been scheduled for March 17, but was postponed due to concerns about safety and eventually conducted only by mail. The state has 153 delegates, roughly 4% of the pledged delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Read more from Magan Crane.

Amash Launches Presidential Bid: Rep. Justin Amash (I-Mich.) launched an exploratory committee on yesterday for a possible Libertarian presidential campaign. Amash, a conservative member of Congress and vocal opponent of Trump, left the Republican Party and became an independent in 2019. He launched a website yesterday and tweeted, “Let’s do this.” Read more from Magan Crane.

Mfume Wins Race for Former Rep. Cummings’ Seat: Former NAACP CEO Kweisi Mfume (D) won the special election against Kimberly Klacik (R) for Maryland’s 7th Congressional District, AP reports. Mfume, who previously held the seat from 1987 to 1996, beat out more than 20 other Democrats in the February primary for the overwhelmingly Democratic district formerly represented by the late Elijah Cummings.

Yang Sues N.Y. for Canceling Democratic Primary: Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang and a group of candidates seeking to represent him at the party’s national convention sued New York for canceling its presidential primary, saying the move tramples on the voting rights of millions of the state’s residents. New York said on Monday it wouldn’t hold the June 23 Democratic presidential primary because none of the races on the ballot are contested, having earlier postponed the election from April. Yang and the others asked a feder al judge yesterday to block the state from canceling the election and to reinstate the vote. Read more Chris Dolmetsch.

Other stories

Senate Panel Planning to Approve Stalled Fed Nominee: The Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee is preparing to approve the stalled nomination of Judy Shelton to be a member of the Federal Reserve Board next week, according to two Republicans familiar with the planning. A formal announcement of a committee vote hasn’t been made, and a committee spokeswoman declined to comment yesterday. Committee action would send the nomination to the floor for a confirmation vote by the GOP-controlled Senate.

Trump’s nomination of Shelton for the Fed had been held up by reservations among some senators over her views on monetary policy. In the past she has advocated returning the dollar to the gold standard and expressed skepticism about the relevance of the Fed’s congressional mandate to pursue maximum employment and stable prices. Read more from Erik Wasson and Josh Wingrove.

• The committee did announce a hearing for May 5 on the nomination of White House lawyer Brian Miller to be the Treasury’s special inspector general for pandemic recovery. The panel also will consider the nomination of Dana Wade to be assistant secretary of housing and urban development.

Democrats Blast Plans for D.C. Circuit Pick Hearing: Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats lashed out at a planned hearing next week for Trump’s latest nominee to what’s often regarded as the second-most powerful court in the nation. In a letter to Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) that was obtained by Bloomberg Law, the 10 Democrats asked that plans for the hearing they said was scheduled for May 6 be delayed until the panel can address issues related to the coronavirus pandemic. “Now is not the time to process routine judicial nominations,” the lawmakers wrote. Read more from Madison Alder.

Esper Taps Funds From Russia Programs for Wall: Defense Secretary Mark Esper is directing Pentagon budget planners to defer $545 million worth of construction projects—many in Europe meant to counter Russian aggression—to pay for Trump’s border wall with Mexico. In a memo sent yesterday to the Pentagon’s comptroller and other officials, Esper lists several projects in Norway, Germany, Spain and elsewhere totaling more than $200 million from which he says funds can be redirected. The projects are all part of the European Deterrence Initiative designed to bolster allies and undermine Russia’s growing influence on the continent. Similar moves by Esper and his predecessors in the Trump administration have enraged members of Congress from both parties, who are particularly wary of seeing funding cut for construction projects in their districts or states. And Esper’s initiative would appear to conflict with the National Defense Strategy, which prioritizes “great power competition” with Russia and China.  House Armed Services Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) slammed what he called the “Trump administration’s continued theft of DOD funding.” “Our partners and allies rely on the support of EDI funds to prevent Russian aggression in the region and these cuts will have real, lasting effects on our national security,” he said in a statement. Read more from Roxana Tiron.

Senators Ask FTC to Probe Meat-Industry Consolidation: Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) are asking the Federal Trade Commission to investigate consolidation in American meatpacking and processing for any anticompetitive behavior resulting from concentration. The senators said that four companies process 85% of all beef in the U.S. and three companies control 63% of pork processing. That has “undermined the stability of America’s meat supply and become an issue of national security,” according to a copy of the letter sent to the FTC today and seen by Bloomberg. Read more from Michael Hirtzer.

Romney Urges Action on Chinese ’Propaganda’: Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) says he and other senators are urging the Trump administration to undertake a “very aggressive” effort to combat what he says is Chinese propaganda intended to portray the U.S. as incompetent in handling the coronavirus crisis. Romney said in an online discussion sponsored by the Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service that there is growing concern that China is trying to take advantage of the current crisis to expand its influence. Read more.

Democrats Call for Court Help With Trump Subpoenas: Judges peppered a lawyer for the Trump administration with tough questions yesterday in a case that will help determine how much power the president and his successors can wield. The questioning came as House Democrats urged a federal appeals court to rule that Congress can sue the executive branch over its defiance of a subpoena for the testimony of former White House counsel Donald McGahn. The case was triggered last year when Trump said his aides were “absolutely immune” from congressional subpoenas, hobbling the House’s efforts to get testimony during the Russia probe. The dispute could shape fights ranging from the quest for Trump’s tax returns to the conflict over his border wall with Mexico. Read more from Erik Larson.

High Court Win Could Lead to Bigger ACA Refunds: Health insurers could see a surge of cash following a Supreme Court decision that the federal government must pay the $12 billion it’d promised them under Obamacare. But that money could come in and go right back out. Under the law, health insurers that cover individuals and small businesses must spend at least 80% of their revenue on health-care costs or write rebate checks to their enrollees. Big-market insurers with more enrollees must spend at least 85% of their revenue on health costs. Even without the $12 billion payout from the government, insurers are on track to issue about $2.7 billion in rebates to their enrollees for 2020, data from the Kaiser Family Foundation show. Read more from Lydia Wheeler.

Trump Signs Second GI Bill Fix: Trump yesterday signed a bill that would allow additional student veterans who can’t complete their courses due to Covid-19 to maintain their educational benefits. The House passed the measure on March 31, and the Senate cleared it on April 21. The bill would authorize the Veterans Affairs Department to make payments or extend eligibility periods for students who participate in work-study or vocational rehabilitation programs, are affected by school closures, or can’t take courses online. For more, read the BGOV Bill Summary by Michael Smallberg.

Today on the Hill

White House

• 10:00 am – Trump participates in a Phone Call with Food and Agriculture Industry Leaders
• 11:00 am – Trump meets with the Governor of Louisiana
• 12:30 pm – Trump has lunch with the Secretary of State
• 4:00 pm – Trump participates in a roundtable with industry executives on the plan for Opening Up America Again

Senate

• Senate to return next week

House

• Lawmakers aren’t scheduled to return to D.C. next week as planned, but negotiations and drafting of next stimulus bill can take place without most lawmakers in town

Legislation Updates from Yesterday

1. 1. H.R.6628 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)To amend the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to strengthen congressional control and review, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep. Yarmuth, John A. [D-KY-3] (Introduced 04/28/2020) Cosponsors: (2)Committees: House – Budget; Oversight and Reform; Transportation and Infrastructure; Rules; Foreign Affairs; Ways and Means; Judiciary Latest Action: House – 04/28/2020 Referred to the Committee on the Budget, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight and Reform, Transportation and Infrastructure, Rules, Foreign Affairs, Ways and Means, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case…

2. H.R.6629— 116th Congress (2019-2020)To provide a payroll tax credit to employers for employee bonuses. Sponsor: Rep. Huizenga, Bill [R-MI-2] (Introduced 04/28/2020) Cosponsors: (0)Committees: House – Ways and Means Latest Action: House – 04/28/2020 Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
3. H.R.6630— 116th Congress (2019-2020)To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide an additional deduction for the cost of certain materials purchased directly from a domestic smelter or processor. Sponsor: Rep. Stauber, Pete [R-MN-8] (Introduced 04/28/2020) Cosponsors: (2)Committees: House – Ways and Means Latest Action: House – 04/28/2020 Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
4. H.R.6631— 116th Congress (2019-2020)To direct the Secretary of Labor to establish an interagency task force on worker protection from COVID-19, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep. Stevens, Haley M. [D-MI-11] (Introduced 04/28/2020) Cosponsors: (1)Committees: House – Education and Labor Latest Action: House – 04/28/2020 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
5. H.R.6632— 116th Congress (2019-2020)To amend the CARES Act to provide for repayment terms for mortgages in forbearance, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep. Soto, Darren [D-FL-9] (Introduced 04/28/2020) Cosponsors: (9)Committees: House – Financial Services Latest Action: House – 04/28/2020 Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
6. H.R.6633— 116th Congress (2019-2020)To require the Attorney General to issue guidance to law enforcement agencies as they respond to increased levels of domestic violence during the COVID-19 public health emergency, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep. Wexton, Jennifer [D-VA-10] (Introduced 04/28/2020) Cosponsors: (26)Committees: House – Judiciary Latest Action: House – 04/28/2020 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
7. H.R.6634— 116th Congress (2019-2020)To amend title XI of the Social Security Act to ensure the extension of the telehealth waiver authority of the Secretary of Health and Human Services to physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech language-pathologists, and certain other providers. Sponsor: Rep. Axne, Cynthia [D-IA-3] (Introduced 04/28/2020) Cosponsors: (0)Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means Latest Action: House – 04/28/2020 Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee…
8. H.R.6635— 116th Congress (2019-2020)To require that each bill enacted by Congress be limited to only one subject and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep. Biggs, Andy [R-AZ-5] (Introduced 04/28/2020) Cosponsors: (1)Committees: House – Judiciary Latest Action: House – 04/28/2020 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
9. H.R.6636— 116th Congress (2019-2020)To amend the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 to address sexual harassment involving National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration personnel, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1] (Introduced 04/28/2020) Cosponsors: (7)Committees: House – Natural Resources Latest Action: House – 04/28/2020 Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
10. H.R.6637— 116th Congress (2019-2020)To improve the health of minority individuals, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep. Garcia, Jesus G. “Chuy” [D-IL-4] (Introduced 04/28/2020) Cosponsors: (79)Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Agriculture; Oversight and Reform; Ways and Means; Education and Labor; Judiciary; Budget; Veterans’ Affairs; Natural Resources; Armed Services; Homeland Security Latest Action: House – 04/28/2020 Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Oversight and Reform, Ways and Means, Education and Labor, the Judiciary, the Budget, Veterans’ Affairs, Natural Resources, Armed Services, and Homeland Security…
11. H.R.6638— 116th Congress (2019-2020)To increase the annual funding for the Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Fund, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, and the Offices of Minority Health within the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Food and Drug Administration, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to enable the United States and State departments of public health to better combat disparities that have emerged during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5] (Introduced 04/28/2020) Cosponsors: (0)Committees: House – Energy and Commerce Latest Action: House – 04/28/2020 Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
12. H.R.6639— 116th Congress (2019-2020)To prevent an unconstitutional war against North Korea. Sponsor: Rep. Khanna, Ro [D-CA-17] (Introduced 04/28/2020) Cosponsors: (0)Committees: House – Foreign Affairs; Armed Services Latest Action: House – 04/28/2020 Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
13. H.R.6640— 116th Congress (2019-2020)To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide coverage for COVID-19 at no cost sharing under the medicare advantage program, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep. Mucarsel-Powell, Debbie [D-FL-26] (Introduced 04/28/2020) Cosponsors: (1)Committees: House – Ways and Means; Energy and Commerce Latest Action: House – 04/28/2020 Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee…
14. H.R.6641— 116th Congress (2019-2020)To establish the Commission on the Strategic National Stockpile, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2] (Introduced 04/28/2020) Cosponsors: (1)Committees: House – Energy and Commerce Latest Action: House – 04/28/2020 Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
15. H.R.6642— 116th Congress (2019-2020)To authorize video teleconferencing and telephone conferencing of proceedings during the COVID-19 emergency period, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep. Quigley, Mike [D-IL-5] (Introduced 04/28/2020) Cosponsors: (2)Committees: House – Judiciary Latest Action: House – 04/28/2020 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
16. H.R.6643— 116th Congress (2019-2020)To allow tax credits to Federal, State, and local governments for required paid sick leave and required paid family and medical leave. Sponsor: Rep. Schneider, Bradley Scott [D-IL-10] (Introduced 04/28/2020) Cosponsors: (108)Committees: House – Ways and Means Latest Action: House – 04/28/2020 Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
17. H.R.6644— 116th Congress (2019-2020)To require group health plans and health insurance issuers offering group or individual health insurance coverage to provide coverage for services furnished via telehealth if such services would be covered if furnished in-person during the COVID-19 emergency. Sponsor: Rep. Schrier, Kim [D-WA-8] (Introduced 04/28/2020) Cosponsors: (3)Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means; Education and Labor Latest Action: House – 04/28/2020 Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the…
18. H.R.6645— 116th Congress (2019-2020)To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, to conduct or support research on the mental health consequences of SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep. Tonko, Paul [D-NY-20] (Introduced 04/28/2020) Cosponsors: (0)Committees: House – Energy and Commerce Latest Action: House – 04/28/2020 Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
19. H.Res.941— 116th Congress (2019-2020)Recognizing the historical significance and the heroic struggles and sacrifices of the Vietnamese people who fled their war-torn country by boat and other means in search of freedom and democracy. Sponsor: Rep. Correa, J. Luis [D-CA-46] (Introduced 04/28/2020) Cosponsors: (3)Committees: House – Judiciary Latest Action: House – 04/28/2020 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
20. H.Res.942— 116th Congress (2019-2020)Expressing support for designation of the third Friday of every March, as “National FIRST Robotics Day”. Sponsor: Rep. Foster, Bill [D-IL-11] (Introduced 04/28/2020) Cosponsors: (0)Committees: House – Science, Space, and Technology; Education and Labor Latest Action: House – 04/28/2020 Referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the…
21. H.Res.943— 116th Congress (2019-2020)Recognizing the 45th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975.Sponsor: Rep. Lowenthal, Alan S. [D-CA-47] (Introduced 04/28/2020) Cosponsors: (12)Committees: House – Foreign Affairs; Armed Services Latest Action: House – 04/28/2020 Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
22. H.Res.944— 116th Congress (2019-2020)Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the People’s Republic of China should be held accountable for its handling of COVID-19.Sponsor: Rep. Mast, Brian J. [R-FL-18] (Introduced 04/28/2020) Cosponsors: (0)Committees: House – Foreign Affairs Latest Action: House – 04/28/2020 Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.