Senate Gavels In Monday, But Lawmakers Are Nowhere Close To Agreement On Another Relief Bill

The Associated Press: Senate Set To Re-Open As Virus Risk Divides Congress
The Senate will gavel in Monday as the coronavirus rages, returning to an uncertain agenda and deepening national debate over how best to confront the deadly pandemic and its economic devastation. With the House staying away due to the health risks, and the 100 senators convening for the first time since March, the conflicted Congress reflects an uneasy nation. The Washington area remains a virus hot-spot under stay-home rules. (Mascaro, 5/4)

ABC News: Senate's Return Sets Stage For Showdown Over Coronavirus Relief Package 
Senators have not been in the Capitol in full force since March 26, but when they make their return Monday evening, lawmakers will be facing a full slate of coronavirus-related priorities. Unlike previous legislative pushes during the pandemic -- remarkable for the rare shows of bipartisanship and speed -- the battle over the next phase of coronavirus aid is already marked by political acrimony, which is sure to slow legislative action. (Pecorin and Turner, 5/4)

The Washington Post: White House And Congress Clash Over Liability Protections For Businesses As Firms Cautiously Weigh Virus Reopening Plans
Congressional leaders are girding for a huge fight over the reentry of millions of Americans to the workplace, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) insisting that employers be shielded from liability if their workers contract the coronavirus. He appears to have the backing of top White House officials. Democratic leaders have declared they will oppose such blanket protections, putting Washington’s power brokers on opposite sides of a major issue that could have sweeping implications for health care and the economy in the coming months. (Werner and Hamburger, 5/3)

The Hill: Obstacles Mount For Deal On Next Coronavirus Bill 
Lawmakers are set to start returning to Washington on Monday nowhere near an agreement on the next coronavirus relief bill. Instead, they are facing a quick pile up of potential obstacles to a deal as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) offer “red lines” and competing priorities for the next piece of legislation. GOP senators are signaling that they don’t expect a quick agreement as they work to fine tune the implementation of the $2.2 trillion coronavirus package passed in late March. (Carney, 5/3)

The Wall Street Journal: McConnell, Pelosi Decline Rapid Coronavirus Testing For Congress
The two top leaders in Congress declined a Trump administration offer to send rapid-result coronavirus tests to Capitol Hill, which lacks the equipment to test lawmakers when they return to work next week. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D. Calif.) in a joint statement said the tests are needed at medical facilities that are treating people who have contracted Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. (Hughes, 5/2)

The New York Times: How Bailout Backlash And Moral Hazard Outrage Could Endanger The Economy
The United States economy is in free fall, with tens of millions of people unemployed and countless businesses at risk of collapse. Congress has already allocated nearly $3 trillion to contain the crisis, and it is widely understood that it will need to do more. Yet with stunning speed, the political conversation has pivoted from whatever-it-takes determination toward a different feeling: outrage. Increasingly, lawmakers, media coverage and ordinary voters are focused not on preventing a potential depression, but on litigating which recipients of federal rescue are morally worthy and which are not. (Irwin, 5/4)

The Wall Street Journal: Lawmakers In Congress Press For Changes In Small-Business Aid Program
The federal government’s $670 billion program to aid small businesses will come under a spotlight when Congress rolls back into action, with many lawmakers planning to target what they say are shortcomings in the program. Proposals include extending the number of weeks that small businesses can spend money from the government’s forgivable loans under the Paycheck Protection Program, and allowing businesses to use more of the funds for overhead costs. (Omeokwe, 5/3)

Modern Healthcare: Hospitals Ask Congress For Another $100 Billion COVID-19 Bailout
Hospital groups are asking Congress to forgive more than $100 billion in loans the Trump administration has handed out to help providers maintain cash flow during the COVID-19 pandemic. Provider lobbyists successfully secured $175 billion in grant funds over the last two COVID-19 relief packages, but they are arguing that isn't enough. As Congress gears up for another major legislative push, providers are asking lawmakers to forgive or relax terms on another $100 billion in Medicare accelerated and advance payments that the Trump administration has already sent out. (Cohrs, 5/1)

The New York Times: J. Crew Files For Bankruptcy In Virus’s First Big Retail Casualty
J. Crew, the mass-market clothing company whose preppy-with-a-twist products were worn by Michelle Obama and appeared at New York Fashion Week, filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday. It is the first major retailer to fall during the coronavirus pandemic, though other big industry names including Neiman Marcus and J.C. Penney are also struggling with the toll of mass shutdowns. J. Crew announced that its parent company, Chinos Holdings, had filed for Chapter 11 protection in federal bankruptcy court for the Eastern District of Virginia. (Friedman, Maheshwari and de la Merced, 5/3)

Meanwhile —

Reuters: White House Blocks Fauci From Testifying To Congress On Coronavirus Response
The White House issued an emailed statement after a spokesman for the House of Representatives committee holding the hearing said the panel had been informed by Trump administration officials that Fauci had been blocked from testifying. “While the Trump administration continues its whole-of-government response to COVID-19, including safely opening up America again and expediting vaccine development, it is counter-productive to have the very individuals involved in those efforts appearing at congressional hearings,” White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement. “We are committed to working with Congress to offer testimony at the appropriate time.” (Mason and Cowan, 5/1)

ABC News: Fauci To Testify Before Senate After White House Blocked Him From Appearing Before Congress 
After the White House blocked Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a member of the government's coronavirus task force, from testifying before House lawmakers next week, he will appear before the GOP-led Senate Committee on Health, Education Labor and Pensions on May 12, a spokesperson for for Sen. Lamar Alexander said in a statement. "Chairman Alexander looks forward to hearing from Dr. Fauci and other administration officials at the Senate health committee’s second hearing back, which will be on Tuesday, May 12," the statement read. (Siegel, 5/2)

The Hill: House Committees Move Toward Virtual Hearings For COVID-19 Era 
House committees are taking steps to make virtual hearings a reality as Congress seeks to work through a coronavirus pandemic that has kept lawmakers from returning to the Capitol. Multiple House committees have begun holding virtual forums and roundtables in the last week, including Homeland Security, Education and Labor, Natural Resources, and Veterans’ Affairs. While none of the events were official hearings, they served as a test run for how committees could start conducting business remotely. (Marcos, 5/3)