Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Pelosi Creates Special Committee To Oversee Stimulus Trillions: 'Where There’s Money There’s Also Frequently Mischief'
The New York Times: From Afar, Congress Moves To Oversee Trump Coronavirus Response
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, moving aggressively to scrutinize the Trump administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, said Thursday that she would seek to create a special bipartisan committee to oversee all aspects of the government’s response, including how it distributes more than $2 trillion in emergency aid. The announcement, which drew immediate objections from President Trump and the top House Republican, came as leaders were struggling to determine how Congress could perform its most basic functions — both legislating and acting as a check on a president who has consistently stonewalled attempts at oversight — when lawmakers were scattered around the country with the Capitol shuttered. (Stolberg and Fandos, 4/2)
The Wall Street Journal: Pelosi To Form Committee To Track Coronavirus Response, $2 Trillion Stimulus
Mrs. Pelosi on Thursday said Democratic Whip Jim Clyburn of South Carolina would lead the panel, which will have subpoena power. The committee, which Mrs. Pelosi hopes will include Republicans, will also press the government to use the latest science in its continued response. The speaker didn’t name all of the lawmakers who will be on the committee. “This is not an investigation of the administration,” the California Democrat told reporters in a conference call. “We want to be sure that there are not exploiters out there…where there’s money, there is also frequently mischief.” (Andrews, 4/2)
Politico: Pelosi Forms New Select Committee To Oversee $2 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Package
“Congress has taken an important step in meeting this crisis by passing three bills with over $2 trillion in emergency relief. We need to ensure those dollars are spent carefully and effectively,” Pelosi told reporters in a press call Thursday. Pelosi said the committee would not only oversee the three bills Congress has passed so far to address the pandemic but also any future legislation related to the virus. Pelosi has been pushing to move ahead quickly with a fourth coronavirus response package, an idea she again pitched Thursday, noting the record high 6.6 million-plus unemployment claims reported earlier in the day. (Caygle, Cheney and Zanona, 4/2)
The Associated Press: In Time Of Crisis, Trump-Pelosi Relationship Remains Broken
Two of the most powerful people in Washington have not spoken in five months at a time when the nation is battling its worst health crisis in a century, one that has already killed more than 5,000 Americans and put 10 million others out of work. President Donald Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi last talked on Oct. 16, when Pelosi pointed her finger at the seated president during a heated exchange in a White House meeting that was captured in a widely shared photograph. (Lemire and Kellman, 4/3)
The Hill: Trump Warns Against 'Partisan Investigations' After Pelosi Establishes Select Committee On Virus Response
President Trump on Thursday railed against "partisan investigations" and "witch hunts" amid the coronavirus pandemic after Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) established a special House committee to examine the federal response to the pandemic. "I want to remind everyone here in our nation’s capital, especially in Congress, that this is not the time for politics," Trump said, reading from prepared remarks. "Endless partisan investigations have already done extraordinary damage to our country in recent years." (Samuels, 4/2)
The Hill: Coronavirus Bill Allows DeVos To Waive Parts Of Federal Special Education Law: NYT
The coronavirus stimulus bill signed by President Trump last week permits Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to waive parts of the federal special education law, The New York Times reported Thursday. The $2.2 trillion bill allows the secretary to waive some special education rules as schools across the country struggle to continue education remotely for more than 55 million children during the coronavirus pandemic. The secretary has 30 days to ask Congress for the authority to waive the law. (Coleman, 4/2)
The Associated Press: Some In U.S. May Not Get Stimulus Checks Until August, Memo Says
The federal government expects to begin making payments to millions of Americans under the new stimulus law in mid-April, but some people without direct deposit information may not get checks until mid-August or later, according to a memo obtained by the Associated Press. The document from the House Ways and Means Committee says the IRS will make about 60 million payments to Americans through direct deposit in mid-April, likely the week of April 13. The IRS has direct deposit information for these individuals from their 2018 or 2019 tax returns. (4/2)
Politico: White House Sets Up Coronavirus Hotline For Lawmakers
The White House is setting up a hotline for members of Congress to expedite action on emergency coronavirus issues as they sprout up across the country, according to several sources familiar with the plan. The hotline was set up by new White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and will be run by John Fleming, the deputy chief of staff. (Caygle and Sherman, 4/2)
Kaiser Health News: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: All Coronavirus All The Time
The medical and economic needs laid bare by the coronavirus pandemic are forcing some immediate changes to the U.S. health system. Congress, in its latest relief bill, provided $100 billion in funding for the hospital industry alone. Meanwhile, the federal government has quickly removed previous barriers to telehealth and other sometimes controversial practices. But big fights are still brewing, including whether the federal government will reopen the Affordable Care Act marketplaces it runs and whether states can use emergency powers to ban abortions as “elective medical procedures.” (4/2)
