After Dems Scale Back Paid-Leave Provision, House Sends Multi-Billion Dollar Coronavirus Package To Senate

The measure would still provide two weeks of sick leave to a wide swath of workers affected by the pandemic, but for the next 10 weeks, paid leave would be limited only to workers caring for a child whose school or day care had been shut. The fate of the bill had been uncertain, but following the change Senate Republicans seem to warm to the legislation. Meanwhile, Congress is already working on a "Phase 3" relief bill for industries impacted by the outbreak. And some lawmakers call for a universal basic income for Americans during the outbreak.

Politico: Senate To Take Up Coronavirus Package After House Passes Revised Bill

The House passed by unanimous consent Monday evening the revised coronavirus emergency bill, sending it to the Senate to take up as the coronavirus continues to spread across the U.S. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin worked out the "technical corrections" bill Monday and were able to get it through the House without objection. The Senate could take up the House’s multi-billion package as early as Tuesday. Following meetings with senior administration officials Monday, some Senate Republicans initially reluctant to support the measure seemed to drop their opposition to the proposal. (Bresnahan and Levine, 3/16)

The Hill: House Passes Corrected Coronavirus Bill

The bill initially passed in a 363-40 vote in the early hours of Saturday morning, but due to a technicality that could not be fixed administratively, it had to be brought back to the floor. (Brufke, 3/16)

The Wall Street Journal: House Democrats Scale Back Paid-Leave Program In Coronavirus-Aid Bill

The Democratic-led House scaled back a paid-leave program that the chamber had tried to enact days earlier, following pressure from businesses worried about financial burdens from the sweeping bill in response to the coronavirus crisis. In revised legislation that Democratic leaders billed as a technical correction, but represented a significant rewrite, the House modified a program aimed at providing paid leave to people affected by the coronavirus. The new measure would still provide two weeks of sick leave to a wide swath of workers affected by the pandemic, including those who are in quarantine, caring for family members with Covid-19, and those who have children whose schools or day-care centers have closed. (Hughes, Andrews and Davidson, 3/17)

Los Angeles Times: Congress Begins Work On Third Economic Stimulus Bill For The Coronavirus Crisis

The snag over the House-passed bill reflected the rapidly changing response to the economic impact of the coronavirus. House Democrats and Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin agreed Monday night on six changes to the bill, which passed the House later in the evening without objections, but Senate Republicans refused to say whether they would supported the legislation until they see the final product. “We may go back and forth with the House a little bit,” President Trump said earlier Monday of last-minute negotiations on changes to the House-passed bill. (Haberkorn, 3/16)

The Wall Street Journal: Some Senators Question House Coronavirus Response Bill

Congress’s efforts to quickly enact into law a measure responding to the coronavirus crisis overcame a key hurdle Monday, while leaders also began discussing the contours of a large new stimulus package and took steps to protect lawmakers from contracting the illness. The legislation took on more urgency as the stock market tumbled again, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping 12.9% and schools, restaurants and other businesses closing in major cities nationwide. (Hughes, Restuccia and Lucey, 3/16)

The Hill: Gohmert, Citing Changes, Won't Block Coronavirus Bill

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) says he will no longer try to block House passage of an emergency coronavirus package, setting the stage for the lower chamber to send the bill to the Senate later Monday night. Gohmert, a conservative firebrand, had vowed earlier in the day to block the legislation single-handedly, citing what he considered its harmful effects on small businesses. (Lillis, 3/16)

The Washington Post: Congressional Leaders Work On Third Coronavirus Relief Bill With Major Economic Stimulus

Congressional leaders and White House officials began work Monday on a massive new coronavirus relief bill that could contain major economic stimulus for corporations and consumers, aiming to move the legislation through the Senate as soon as this week as President Trump warned a recession could be coming. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Congress’ third coronavirus relief bill should include further steps to assist individual Americans and families; actions to secure the economy and small businesses; and additional steps to shore up the health care system and support medical professionals who are expected to be overwhelmed in coming weeks. (Werner, Kane, Stein and Kim, 3/16)

Politico: Senate Could Push Through ‘Phase 3’ Coronavirus Rescue Plan This Week

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and other top Democrats will roll out their own $750 billion-plus package on Tuesday, and what Trump and Senate Republicans will propose may equal or top that. “I’m not going to comment on the specific numbers right now. I’ll be talking to the Republicans at lunch tomorrow. But it’s a big number,” Mnuchin said after huddling with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and other senior Republicans for more than an hour in the Capitol on Monday. “And we’ll be looking for support for small and medium-sized businesses, we’ll be looking for support for certain industries that we’ve talked about that are particularly hard hit. I’ve talked about airlines, hotels, others. And we will be looking at a general stimulus.” (Bresnahan and Gurciullo, 3/16)

The Hill: Mnuchin To Pitch Senate GOP On Third Coronavirus Package Tuesday

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will outline a third coronavirus financial aid package to Senate Republicans on Tuesday as lawmakers begin to home in on what additional legislation will look like. "We'll be looking for support for small- and medium-sized businesses. We'll be looking for support for certain industries that we've talked about that are particularly hard hit. I've talked about airlines, hotels, others. And we will be looking at a general stimulus," Mnuchin told reporters after a meeting with some GOP senators on Monday night. (Carney, 3/16)

Bloomberg: Trump Says Virus Relief Bill May Be Amended, Delaying Passage

President Donald Trump said a House-passed virus relief bill should be altered in the Senate to allow expanded sick leave for workers at large corporations, a move that would threaten to delay final action on the measure. Trump said the Senate may act to make the legislation passed overwhelmingly by the House “even better,” although a change would require both chambers to act before Congress can send the bill to his desk. While the Senate is in Washington this week, the House is on a scheduled week-long break. (Litvan and Dennis, 3/17)

Politico: Trump Team Prepares Rescue Package Of At Least $800 Billion

The White House aims to deploy at least $800 billion in aid in the coming weeks to prop up the U.S. economy, as retailers, restaurants, sporting events and other businesses shut down and Americans slow their spending while staying home to guard against the coronavirus pandemic. Among the administration’s targets this week: providing relief in the form of tax deferments, loans or even direct payments to airlines, the hospitality industry and small-to-medium businesses crippled by plunging demand. (Cook and White, 3/16)

The Associated Press: Officials Seek $750 Billion In Economic Aid To Thwart Virus

With an urgency unseen since the Great Recession, Congress is rushing to develop a sweeping economic lifeline for American households and businesses suddenly capsized by the coronavirus outbreak. Democrats said at least $750 billion would be needed. And top White House officials briefing Senate Republicans at the Capitol said a similar-sized package needs to pass, some suggesting in a matter of days. (3/17)

The Wall Street Journal: Airlines Seek $50 Billion Coronavirus Aid Package

Reeling from the coronavirus crisis, U.S. airlines are seeking over $50 billion in financial assistance from the government, more than three times the size of the industry’s bailout after the Sept. 11 attacks. The exact form of the aid—and the amount—is under discussion with Trump administration officials and congressional leaders. A potential aid package could include government-backed loans, cash grants and other measures including relief from taxes and fees, according to an airline trade group and others familiar with the discussions. (Sider and Mann, 3/16)

Politico: U.S. Airlines Seek Nearly $60B Bailout

In addition, A4A asked for $29 billion in loans or loan guarantees, a rebate for some federal excise taxes collected from the beginning of the year through the end of March and a repeal of certain excise taxes through the end of 2021. A source with knowledge of negotiations said airports, themselves facing billions of dollars in losses, are expected to request $10 billion in federal assistance. (Gurciullo, 3/16)

Reuters: Amtrak, U.S. State Rail Agencies Need $1 Billion After Coronavirus Outbreak

U.S. railroad Amtrak said the passenger rail service and its state partners need $1 billion in government assistance after a dramatic decline in travel because of the coronavirus pandemic. Last week, Amtrak said bookings had plunged 50% since the outbreak and forecast losses of hundreds of millions of dollars. (3/16)

Vox: Mitt Romney’s Coronavirus Economic Plan: $1,000 To Each US Adult

A few months ago, the idea of giving every American adult $1,000 cash was a relatively fringe idea in US politics, the pet proposal of long-shot presidential candidate Andrew Yang and almost no one else in elected office. The coronavirus crisis and fears of a resulting recession have changed that situation basically overnight. While Americans received checks as part of the response to recessions in 2001 and 2008, those were sent out as rebates or refunds to taxpayers. Never before have all Americans, regardless of income, gotten checks. On Monday, Sen. Mitt Romney, the Utah Republican and former GOP presidential nominee, called for $1,000 cash payments to every American adult as coronavirus measures to keep people in their homes threaten to put millions out of work. (Matthews, 3/16)

The Hill: GOP Sen. Cotton Calls For Monthly Cash Payments To Americans During Coronavirus Pandemic

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said Monday he wants to give monthly checks to low-income and middle-class Americans so they can afford necessities during the coronavirus outbreak. "Let’s cut out employers as the middle men and get relief to people not in weeks but in days," Cotton wrote in a Medium post outlining his proposals for a Senate bill. "We should send relief directly to American families most likely to be in need — those in the bottom and middle tax brackets — to pay for rent, groceries, childcare, and other necessary expenses, as well as to spend at local businesses that are hurting during this crisis." (Seipel, 3/16)

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