Partisan War Over Shutdowns Reflected In Congress As Senate Is Called Back And House Stays Home

Politico: Mitch McConnell's Public Health Gamble
Coronavirus cases are still rising in the District of Columbia, where more than 200 people have died of the disease. The House decided it was too dangerous to return to the Capitol. But Mitch McConnell’s Senate is coming back anyway. The Senate majority leader is gambling that 100 senators can safely meet on the Senate floor and throughout the Capitol complex. Many of them will travel across the country for the Senate’s reopening, risking exposure on airplanes and in airports. And 49 senators are aged 65 or older and at greater risk of the deadly disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Plus, the senators’ return will bring back hundreds of staffers and Capitol employees. (Everett and Levine, 4/30)

The Hill: Feinstein To McConnell: Cancel Plan To Bring Senate Back Amid Coronavirus Pandemic | TheHill
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is urging Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to cancel his plan to bring the Senate back to Washington, D.C., on Monday, saying the House did the "right thing" by deciding not to return next week... Feinstein — who at 86 is the oldest senator — sent a letter to McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday that said the GOP leader should change his plans "in the interest of public health and sending the right message to the nation." (Carney, 4/29)

Politico: Pelosi Taps 7 Lawmakers To Select Coronavirus Committee
Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday appointed seven Democratic members to a newly created House panel meant to police the Trump administration’s coronavirus response efforts. The appointments are expected to ignite a wave of congressional action to spotlight President Donald Trump’s handling of the multitrillion-dollar pandemic relief packages meant to confront the illness’ devastating toll on American life. (Cheney and Ferris, 4/29)

The Hill: Pelosi Fills Out Democratic Roster On Coronavirus Oversight Panel
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday filled out the Democratic roster on a special committee overseeing coronavirus relief spending, naming six new members to the newly created panel, including some of President Trump's harshest congressional critics. The announcement is a clear signal that Democratic leaders intend to conduct aggressive oversight of the Trump administration's coronavirus spending — a process occurring in the midst of an election year — as trillions of dollars go out the door. (Lillis, 4/29)

And in other news from Capitol Hill —

Politico: Lawmakers Made Hundreds Of Stock Transactions During Pandemic, Watchdog Finds
Republican and Democratic lawmakers have bought and sold stocks hundreds of times throughout the coronavirus pandemic — some of them lucrative moves to invest in industries buoyed by the crisis and divest from sectors like restaurants and hotels that have tanked, according to a new analysis by the Campaign Legal Center. From Feb. 2 to April 8 of this year, the nonpartisan watchdog group found, 12 senators made a combined 127 purchases or sales, while 37 House representatives made at least 1,358 transactions. (Ollstein, 4/29)

The Hill: Black Caucus Moves To Front And Center In COVID Fight 
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) are taking leading positions in the House Democratic response to the coronavirus as data shows African Americans are dying in disproportionate numbers across the country from the pandemic... CBC members have staged numerous media and member conference calls in recent weeks to highlight the glaring racial disparity. And they’ve held tele-town halls to connect their constituents with health and government officials who’ve offered advice on how to navigate the crisis. (Wong, 4/29)