Are you as confused about what Congress has done since the novel coronavirus hit our shores to mitigate the damage—or in the case of the Republicans, exploit the crisis—as I am? If so, maybe this will help. Consider this your one-stop shop for keeping up with Congress. I'll do my best to keep it updated through the coming weeks.
Wednesday, Apr 29, 2020 · 4:04:46 PM +00:00
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Joan McCarter
On April 23, Congress passed the Phase 3.5, or interim bill that boosted the small business loan program and provided $75 billion to hospitals for covering coronavirus patients and to make up some of the lost revenue from canceled elective procedures, and another $25 billion for expanded testing, $11 billion of which goes to state, local, territorial, and tribal governments. Trump signed it on April 24.
The first bill was H.R. 6074, Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020, which has become commonly known as Phase 1. At the time the Trump administration was asking for just $1.25 billion, Democrats came up with this $8.3 billion plan, including: $3 billion for research and development on diagnostic tests, treatments, and vaccines; more than $2 billion for federal, state, and local government preparation and response; $1.3 billion for overseas spending to combat the virus; $350 million to help states to procure medical supplies and prepare; $500 million for drugs, masks, syringes and other supplies to state and local governments and hospitals plus $100 million to community health centers; and $500 million to Medicare for patients to have remote "telehealth" consultations and treatment. This $8.3 billion bill was signed into law on March 6, 2020.
Phase 2, H.R.6201 the Families First Coronavirus Response Act was the House Democrats response to Trump's original push for a payroll tax cut, included $104 billion in new spending. The House included paid sick leave, emergency unemployment benefits, and free coronavirus testing. It also $500 million in special Women Infants and Children program funding for women with babies or young children who've lost their jobs due to the pandemic, $400 million to help food banks meet increased demand, $250 million in food assistance for seniors, and $100 million for food assistance grants to the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Marianas Islands, as well as extra funding to states to cover school-age children eligible for free and reduced-price school meals. The Senate fought against paid sick leave, and McConnell took of for his infamous long weekend in Kentucky, allowing time for the sick leave provisions to be ratcheted down before the Senate finally passed the bill on March 18, and Trump signed it the same day.
Phase 3 is S.3548, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act or the CARES Act, passed and was signed into law on March 27. That was McConnell's first effort at pretending like he felt this crisis was urgent, and his attempt to create a $500 billion corporate slush fund. Senate Democrats rejected McConnell's original bill, twice, before Schumer and Pelosi pushed McConnell aside and took over to negotiate with Mnuchin what was ultimately a more than $2 trillion deal that provided direct cash payment of $1,200 to most people, expanded and extended unemployment insurance benefits, and created the small business emergency loan program that the Trump administration has screwed up.
Phase 3, or CARES is also where Republicans managed to get in his corporate slush fund and a way for the Federal Reserve to cover up how that slush fund is being used. It also included a big big tax break for real estate moguls like Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner, slipped in by Republican senators somewhere along the way.
Seriously, Democrats—designate your smartest members and staff to read everything you get from Mitch McConnell to stop letting this happen.
On April 9, McConnell took another "urgent" stab at helping out the banks, by trying to push through an additional $250 billion in small business loan funds to the $350 billion that was included in the CARES Act. Democrats shut that down without too much noise. Consider that a feint toward Phase 3.5 of coronavirus stimulus.
Though Congress is still officially out until April 20, Pelosi and Schumer have begun negotiations with Mnuchin on CARES 2, which will be Phase 4, once again cutting McConnell out of the process. There's also a possibility of a bipartisan "interim" or Phase 3.5 bipartisan compromise in the offing, Pelosi said Friday, April 10.