The CDC issued new
guidance
urging organizers of large gatherings to require the use of cloth face coverings among staff and attendees. The new guidance coincides with President Trump’s indoor rally this Saturday in Tulsa, Oklahoma that will require attendees to sign a waiver before getting a ticket, and the Republican National Committee's plans to hold a full-scale convention in Jacksonville, Florida in late August.
The new CDC guidance also comes at a time when many areas of the country are experiencing
spikes
in confirmed coronavirus cases. This surge in cases prompted Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to
request
a briefing from the White House Coronavirus Task Force on the status of the pandemic and the federal government's response.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden released a
plan
to restart the economy and protect public health during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, including federally funded testing for every worker called back on the job, guaranteed paid sick leave for workers affected by COVID-19, and a federally coordinated contact tracing workforce. (Note: the link above accesses the Biden plan by way of a donation pop-up on the Biden campaign website).
The Chairmen of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Communications and Technology Subcommittee, Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Mike Doyle (D-PA), respectively, sent a
letter
to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai requesting that the FCC provide more information on the distribution of public funds through the COVID-19 Telehealth Program. As of June 10, the FCC awarded more than $104 million of the total $200 million in appropriated funds through the Program.
Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) along with 43 other bipartisan senators sent a
letter
to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza asking that the agencies reduce the paperwork requirements for small businesses seeking Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness.
Senate Minority Leader Schumer sent a
letter
, with the entire 47-member Senate Democratic Caucus, to Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and SBA Administrator Carranza urging the Trump Administration to streamline and simplify the PPP program to ensure the smallest and most underserved businesses are able to easily apply.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) wrote a
letter
to HHS Secretary Alex Azar regarding the need for increased transparency of funds distributed to health care providers during the COVID-19 emergency. The Senators specifically urged Secretary Azar “to expeditiously establish a single, comprehensive and publicly available data source that easily shows the amount of funding received by each provider.” The Senators wrote, “Congress has dedicated significant resources needed to help providers deal with the dire consequences of this unprecedented situation...The magnitude of these distributions alone —in the form of grants and advance payment loans—necessitates the utmost transparency to inform providers, the public, and Congress.
Hearings
There are numerous
hearings
this week, including:
Administration.
The FDA
announced
the withdrawl of emergency use authorizations for two coronavirus treatments: hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine.
In a
report
to Congress, the Federal Reserve warned that small businesses may need additional government relief. The report
notes
that a majority of small businesses are seeing revenue losses with half not expecting to return to usual operations within the next six months.
National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow
restated
this weekend the $600 additional weekly unemployment benefit put into place to aid those who lost their jobs due to the coronavirus will end in late July.
The EPA is working with FEMA to
transfer
an additional 22,000 pieces of excess PPE to emergency and health professionals on the COVID-19 frontlines.
The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service are providing
tax relief
for community development entities (CDEs) and qualified active low-income community businesses investing and conducting businesses in low-income communities. The Department, in consultation with the SBA, also issued new and revised
guidance
for the PPP that would expand eligibility for businesses with owners who have past felony convictions.
Treasury Secretary Mnuchin
told
the Wall Street Journal the Administration is considering another round of stimulus checks for individuals. The HEROES Act, passed by the House of Representatives on May 15, includes a second payment round but the Senate has not yet acted on the bill.
Secretary Mnuchin testified before the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee last Wednesday at a
hearing
on the implementation of Title I of the CARES Act. He
outlined
the Administration’s two broad concerns: where to send the stimulus funds, and how much should be spent. He noted the Administration would seek to change the approach to federal unemployment insurance, with the $600/week benefit set to expire on July 31. Mnuchin also
appeared
to endorse another proposal that some congressional Republicans have floated to resolve the issue by providing a $450/week back-to-work bonus incentive. The State of Idaho announced a
similar program
.
The Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate added a
new calculator
to estimate the natural decay of SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in the air under various environmental conditions.
The Office for Civil Rights at HHS issued
guidance
on how the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy Rule permits covered health care providers to contact their patients who have recovered from COVID-19 to inform them about how they can donate their blood and plasma containing antibodies to help other patients with COVID-19.
The Trump Administration announced that nearly
100 million cloth facial coverings
will be sent to the aviation, transit, and passenger rail transportation sector for passenger use by the Departments of Transportation, Health and Human Services, and Homeland Security. Approximately 86.8 million coverings will be distributed to airports, and 9.6 million coverings will be distributed to 458 transit agencies and Amtrak for passenger use.
|
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) published a 40-page
white paper
entitled “Preparing for the Next Pandemic.” The paper outlines five specific recommendations Congress should act on in 2020 to “address future pandemics based on lessons learned from COVID-19 and the past 20 years of pandemic planning.” Recommendations include: (1) Tests, Treatments, and Vaccines; (2) Disease Surveillance; (3) Stockpiles, Distributions, and Surges; (4) Public Health Capabilities; and (5) Improving Coordination of Federal Agencies. Chairman Alexander is also soliciting feedback from the public on the white paper’s recommendations—the feedback is due no later than
5pm ET, Friday, June 26
and can be submitted to
PandemicPreparedness@help.senate.gov
.
NLC hosted local and federal elected officials and Congressional staff in a virtual briefing on America’s economic recovery on June 12. NLC
outlined
key takeaways, including how much federal relief is needed at the local level and that support for federal aid to local governments seems to be bipartisan.
|
Webinars, Events and Resources
|
USCM Webinar:
City Fiscal Tracking and Federal Reimbursement COVID-19 (
Innovative Ways to Use CDBG Funding)
June 16, 1:00-2:00 PM EDT
NACo Webinar: Child Care and COVID-19
June 17, 2:00 – 3:00 PM EDT
NACo Webinar: Tips to Defend Against Cyberattacks Related to COVID-19
June 18, 2:00 – 3:00 PM EDT
NACo Webinar: FEMA Continuity of Operations Plans (COOP) during COVID-19
June 18, 3:30 – 5:00 PM EDT
|
|
|