Inside Democrats’ $3T Relief Package: Billions For Providers, Nursing Home Strike Teams, Testing Boost, Hazard Pay

The Associated Press: GOP Senators Give Democrats' $3T Relief Bill A Cold Shoulder
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveiled a more than $3 trillion coronavirus aid package, a sweeping effort with $1 trillion for states and cities, “hazard pay” for essential workers and a new round of cash payments to individuals. The House is expected to vote on the package as soon as Friday. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said there is no “urgency.” The Senate will wait until after Memorial Day to consider options. (Mascaro and Taylor, 5/13)

The Wall Street Journal: House Democrats Release $3 Trillion Bill To Respond To Coronavirus
“We must approach this tragedy with the deepest humanity as we go into the future,” Mrs. Pelosi said, adding the bill had three main components: “opening our economy safely and soon, honoring our heroes and then putting much-needed money into the pockets of the American people” Top Senate Republicans were quick to dismiss the legislation’s prospects in the chamber they control, denouncing the bill as an empty and unrealistic publicity stunt. “This is nothing more than a messaging exercise by House Democrats, they didn’t have any input from Republicans,” said Sen. John Thune (R., S.D.), the No. 2 Senate Republican. “It’s not going anywhere.” (Andrews and Duehren, 5/12)

The Hill: McConnell, Senate GOP Declare House Democrats' $3T Coronavirus Bill 'Dead On Arrival' 
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and members of the Senate GOP caucus panned the roughly $3 trillion House coronavirus bill unveiled on Tuesday, declaring it "dead on arrival" in the Senate. McConnell, speaking to reporters after a closed-door caucus meeting, said Republicans would "insist on narrowly targeted legislation." "What you've seen in the House [from] Nancy is not something designed to deal with reality, but designed to deal with aspirations. This is not a time for aspirational legislation, this is a time for practical response to the coronavirus pandemic," McConnell said, referring to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). (Carney, 5/12)

The New York Times: House Democrats Unveil $3 Trillion Pandemic Relief Proposal
The proposal, which spanned 1,815 pages, would add a fifth installment to an already sweeping assistance effort from the federal government, although its cost totaled more than the four previous measures combined. And unlike those packages, which were the product of intense bipartisan negotiations among lawmakers and administration officials who agreed generally on the need for rapid and robust action, the House bill represents an opening gambit in what is likely to be a bracing fight over what is needed to counter the public health and economic tolls of the pandemic. It included nearly $1 trillion for state, local and tribal governments and territories, an extension of unemployment benefits and another round of $1,200 direct payments to American families. The measure would also provide a $25 billion bailout for the Postal Service — which the beleaguered agency has called a critical lifeline, but President Trump has opposed — and $3.6 billion to bolster election security. (Cochrane and Fandos, 5/12)

Reuters: U.S. House Democrats Float $3 Trillion Coronavirus Bill, Republicans Reject It
It also includes $75 billion for testing people for the novel coronavirus, direct payments of up to $6,000 per U.S. household, $10 billion in emergency grants for small business and $25 billion for the U.S. Postal Service. The bill would also extend enhanced federal unemployment payments through next January. (Morgan, 5/13)

The Associated Press: Highlights Of Democrats' $3 Trillion-Plus Virus Relief Bill
[The legislation] creates a $200 billion “heroes fund” that would provide a “hazard pay” supplement for essential workers such as first responders, health care workers, sanitation workers, and those at businesses required to stay open. (5/13)

Modern Healthcare: House Democrats Propose $100 Billion For Providers With New Strings Attached
House Democrats on Tuesday unveiled their opening bid for Congress' fifth round of COVID-19 relief legislation, including $100 billion for healthcare providers with new strings attached. Unlike prior COVID-19 relief bills, House Democrats did not pre-negotiate terms with the GOP-Senate or the White House, so it is unlikely that the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act will be signed in its current form. However, it's a window into Democrats' priorities for future COVID-19 relief. (Cohrs, 5/12)

The Washington Post: House Democrats Unveil Coronavirus Rescue Bill That Would Direct More Than $3 Trillion To States, Individuals, Health Systems
The Democrats’ legislation also includes provisions to ensure that all voters can vote by mail in the November election and all subsequent federal elections, an idea that Trump and many Republicans have rejected because they say it invites fraud. It would be Congress’ fifth coronavirus relief bill, building on the $2 trillion Cares Act passed in late March. But while the first four bills were the result of urgent bipartisan compromise in the early days of the pandemic, now the two sides aren’t even talking and are moving in radically different directions. (Werner, 5/12)

The Hill: Eight Surprises In House Democrats' $3T Coronavirus Relief Bill
In a shot at the White House, the Democrats’ legislation would neuter President Trump’s power to fire inspectors general without a specific cause. The proposal comes just weeks after Trump dismissed Glenn Fine, the acting Pentagon inspector general who was slated to lead oversight of Congress' coronavirus response, as well as Michael Atkinson, the top watchdog for the intelligence community. Atkinson’s decision to inform Congress of a whistleblower complaint related to Trump’s dealings with Ukraine led to the president’s impeachment in December — and prompted accusations that Trump had fired him as retribution for the humiliating episode. (Lillis and Wong, 5/12)

NPR: House Democrats' Bill Would Delay Census Data Due To COVID-19
As the U.S. Census Bureau resumes some 2020 census field operations put on hold by the pandemic, House Democrats are moving forward with proposals for major changes to the national head count as requested by the bureau. The coronavirus relief bill released Tuesday includes provisions that would push back by four months the legal deadlines for the bureau to deliver 2020 census results — including the latest state population counts used to redistribute congressional seats and Electoral College votes among the states, and the data used to redraw voting districts. (Wang, 5/12)

ABC News: House Democrats Unveil New $3T Relief Bill With Aid To States, Direct Payments To Americans 
Pelosi defended the cost on Capitol Hill Tuesday. "The chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank has told us to 'think big' because interest rates are so low," Pelosi said. "We intend to use those low interest rates to bolster the American people. We must think big for the people now, because if we don't, it will cost more in lives and livelihood later. Not acting is the most expensive course." (Khan, 5/12)

Politico: Pelosi Unveils $3 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Plan Amid Squeeze From Left And Right
Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, are seeking to postpone any vote until next week so that members can fully digest the bill and potentially push for changes. CPC members have been advised to say they're "undecided" when party leaders conduct a whip check, according to a notice sent out to progressives. Jayapal and Pocan sent a letter to Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) on Tuesday seeking the delay, asking to have a full caucus discussion on "the bill and any amendments that might be needed." (Caygle, Ferris and Bresnahan, 5/12)

CNN: Democrats Unveil $3 Trillion Covid Relief Package And Plan To Vote This Week 
Senate Republicans are grappling with divisions of their own, however, including on whether to support additional aid for state and local governments. Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana privately met Tuesday afternoon with Trump and a small group of GOP senators and pitched Trump on his bill to give states and cities more flexibility on how they spend $150 billion in aid already approved through the March stimulus law. The GOP is divided over the issue, with some not eager to give states and local governments more leeway to spend money unrelated to the virus, while others are calling for up to $500 billion in additional aid, which Republican leaders are so far resisting. (Foran, Raju and Byrd, 5/12)

Reuters: New York Governor Warns Against Paying 'Greedy Corporations' In Stimulus Bill
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday called on Congress to pass a stimulus package in response to the coronavirus pandemic that funds police officers, teachers and other local and state employees and warned against repeating the corporate-focused bailouts following the 2008 financial crisis. (Layne and Singh, 5/12)

NPR: Dozens Of Members Of Congress Sleep In Their Capitol Offices
For some members of Congress, an office on Capitol Hill is just, well, an office. But for others, it doubles as their apartment while they live and work in Washington, D.C. It's a practice Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., would like to see permanently banned. "You know, they sleep on their couches, they then get up in the morning, sneak downstairs [to] the members' gym, shower, change their clothes, and come back up for work," she describes. (Sprunt, 5/13)