Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Little Progress On A COVID Stimulus Bill
The Hill: Progress, But No Breakthrough, On Coronavirus Relief
After months of slow-moving talks on another round of coronavirus relief, the top negotiators on Tuesday appeared to be where they’ve been for weeks: making some progress but without a major breakthrough to report. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) had indicated over the weekend that Tuesday would be a make-or-break moment for the fate of the legislation, the day to decide if the sides were close enough to a stimulus deal to enact it before Election Day. (Lillis and Wong, 10/20)
The Washington Post: McConnell Warns White House Against Making Stimulus Deal As Pelosi And Mnuchin Inch Closer
Prospects for an economic relief package in the next two weeks dimmed markedly on Tuesday after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) revealed that he has warned the White House not to strike an agreement with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi before the Nov. 3 election. In remarks at a closed-door Senate GOP lunch, McConnell told his colleagues that Pelosi (D-Calif.) is not negotiating in good faith with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and that any deal they reach could disrupt the Senate’s plans to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court next week. Republicans have voiced concerns that a stimulus deal could splinter the party and exacerbate divisions at a time when they are trying to rally behind the Supreme Court nominee. The comments were confirmed by three people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss them. (Stein and Werner, 10/20)
The New York Times: McConnell Moves To Head Off Stimulus Deal As Pelosi Reports Progress
Mr. McConnell’s remarks, confirmed by four Republicans familiar with them, threw cold water on Mr. Trump’s increasingly urgent push to enact a new round of pandemic aid before Election Day. They came just as Ms. Pelosi offered an upbeat assessment of her negotiations with Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, telling Democrats that their latest conversation had yielded “common ground as we move closer to an agreement.” (Cochrane and Fandos, 10/20)
USA Today: McConnell Urges White House Against Stimulus Deal
The Kentucky Republican, who has blasted Democrats in negotiations, voiced concerns there would not be enough GOP votes to back a package and worries that voting on such legislation could negatively affect the timing on Judge Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation vote to the Supreme Court, the source said. Republicans disagree about the size and details of an aid bill. Some Republicans rejected Democratic offers they said are too costly and will add to the federal deficit, though President Donald Trump has pushed for Republicans to offer even more than Democrats. (Wu and Hayes, 10/20)
Politico: Pelosi And Mnuchin Brush Past Stimulus Deadline Amid Hopes For A Deal
Pelosi and Mnuchin plan to speak again Wednesday after a productive, 45-minute call on Tuesday afternoon. Though a deal was not reached by her self-imposed Tuesday night deadline, enough progress was made that both sides felt like talks should continue, with Washington still waiting to see whether months of negotiations between the two will culminate in a multitrillion-dollar stimulus plan just two weeks before the presidential election. (Caygle and Ferris, 10/20)
More from Capitol Hill —
Politico: Lawmakers Press HHS For Documents On Trump’s Drug-Card Plan
Senior Democratic lawmakers are demanding that the health department turn over internal documents on President Donald Trump's plan to give seniors $200 discount cards to buy prescription drugs, following a POLITICO report that the department's top lawyer warned the plan could violate election law. The media reports "appear to confirm our concerns that the Trump Administration is relying on dubious legal authority to justify a blatant political gambit by the President that would be paid for using taxpayer dollars," Reps. Frank Pallone and Richard Neal and Sen. Ron Wyden wrote to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, demanding the documents by Monday. (Diamond, 10/20)
Stat: Lawmakers Ask Justice Department To Consider Criminal Charges Against Purdue And The Sacklers
More than three dozen Democratic lawmakers asked the Department of Justice to consider filing criminal charges against Purdue Pharma executives and members of the wealthy Sackler family, which controls the drug maker, for their role in fomenting the opioid crisis. In a letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr, the lawmakers objected that federal authorities are reportedly nearing a plea agreement that would not require anyone from the company or the family to serve a “single day in prison,” despite having run a “criminal scheme” that caused “millions of unsuspecting people” to become addicted to the OxyContin painkiller. (Silverman, 10/20)
The Hill: Democrats Unveil Bill To Reduce Police Violence Against People With Mental Illness
A group of House Democrats introduced legislation on Tuesday that provides grants to cities to allow trained mental health professionals to respond to 911 calls for a person in a mental health crisis. The proposal is an effort to reduce the number of people killed by police in such situations. (Marcos, 10/20)
The Washington Post: Senators Urge Pentagon To Suspend Implementation Of Army’s New Fitness Test
Democratic senators appealed Tuesday for support of a legislative proposal that would suspend implementation of the Army’s new fitness test, arguing that the high-profile initiative to improve physical readiness is based on faulty data and could undermine the goal of creating a diverse force. In an Oct. 20 letter to the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate Armed Services committees, Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) called the rollout of the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) “premature” and said the exam could damage some soldiers’ professional prospects. (Ryan, 10/20)
The Wall Street Journal: Several Lawmakers Denied Access To Postal Facilities
Efforts by some members of Congress to observe firsthand how mail is being processed at large facilities in the final weeks of the election have been blocked—a policy departure by the U.S. Postal Service for visits that were once routinely approved, the lawmakers said. It’s unclear how many lawmakers have sought access to postal plants, but at least five, all Democrats, said they’d received inconsistent explanations for the denials. (Smith, 10/20)
