Senate Lockdown to Hammer out Mammoth Trillion Dollar Stimulus Package
Tax, healthcare, small business, and impacted industries are the focus of negotiations for a trillion dollar stimulus deal. Senators haggled over Trump’s one time $1200 check to individuals earning $75,000 or less. Scaling would occur $99,000 and below and nothing would be sent to anyone over that income. Democrats demanded unemployment insurance expansion.
Stabilization funds for states to use if their economies decline due to the virus are a debate point with Democrats asking for $750 billion . Small business would get $350 billion.
“We’ve got a deadline,” the delay has come to expand the stimulus package according to Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) as the Senate went past 5pm Saturday. The President assured that the bill would be passed Monday.
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) sent a midnight Friday night deadline to reach an ‘in-principle’ bipartisan deal on major legislation after a 12 hour session..
Confirmed Covid-19 case in the US have reached 24,000, with 285 deaths. The Dow has dropped 9000 points in march.
Coronavirus Task Force Press
“Part of the American dream is having a home.”president has authorized the immediate cessation of foreclosure and eviction. FHFA has done the same for 60 days. Asked various services of mortgage loans to exercise forbearance. Asked people to contact the loan provider. HUD does not have authority to mandate that eviction does not occur, petitioning congress to enforce, utmost of the PHAs are run by people who care about actual people. People are stepping up. Section 8 April vouchers will go out next week, May vouchers are being worked on. In contact with stakeholders in low income housing. We have extended deadlines for healthcare and multi family requirements until April 30.
It’s a lot easier for us to take these measures so we don’t destroy a very excellent system. if you don’t spend the money and deal with this now it will cost a whole lot more to build this up again.
Pete: FEMA HHS, together assisting local, tribal under the nationwide emergency 100 million allocated. Supplies, critical supply requests must go through channels. order supplies from regular vendors and open market and we will reimburse you, buy abroad and we will reimburse, go to FEMA for tests, hospital capacity tests, masks, ventilators, from local county state to DC FEMA.
Whole of government locally state managed and supported works best.
When you talk about the kinds of mitigation issues, there are two dynamic forces that go on at the same time.. You have the infection outbreak. You have mitigation strategies to dampen that. We can’t quantitate the rate now. we come back to you every day. Baseline for everyone throughout the country, but the mitigation gets ratcheted up in impact areas. Testing, we are getting to the solution that everyone in the country is looking for. not every single person needs to be tested. an unintended consequence of the desire to test is you are consuming personal protective equipment which are high priority for those who have to offer services to infected. We will increase these, but we don’t want personnel endangered because the
please put off, cancel elective procedures, these consume personal protective equipment and possibly ventilators we need.
FEMA Pete Gaynor, ”
Tests plus results dramatic curve.
We are transitioning into large scale testing into mainstream of American testing. Currently 91 public health laboratories are up and running. This only accounts for CDS, state and public health laboratories and American clinical laboratories. This does not account for the hospital based labs who are testing.
There are priorities for testing. Those hospitalized or in ICU, health care workers, symptomatic people in long term care facilities, symptomatic individuals over 65, symptomatic individuals with underlying health issues, testing is ramping up but we still have priorities.
CBT sites are popping up these are state managed and locally executed. These are weak up , drive throng, or geared to healthcare workers, but these are not federal but state and local.
Mike Pence,
6 days into 15 days, we have an opportunity to ‘slow the spread.’ ‘We are all in this together.’ For most Americans the risk is low, but we don’t want to expose people who are vulnerable.
Procuring more supplies and allocating through FEMA. Continue to ask for conservation.
Hundreds of millions of N-95 masks coming. Asked to postpone elective medical procedures to make medical care available.
Progress is being made on a bi-partisan bill look to pass Monday in house and senate.
Member of my staff has tested positive, he’s well and had a day 1/2 of mild symptoms and no direct contact. did contact tracing. no reason to believe Pence exposed. He and his wife will be tested later this afternoon.
We are working hour by hour through FEMA to work through with states.
195,000 + Americans with symptoms have been tested, not including health care labs and community hospitals. 19,343 are positive.
“If you don’t have symptoms, don’t test.”
“not a whole of government approach, but a whole of America responsibility.” Americans are acting with “commonsense, compassion, generosity”
10s of millions are putting into practice 15 days to slow the spread.
“We are currently at 6 of 15 days.”
For every American this is what you can do over the next week and a few day…slow the spread.”
Almost overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from small businesses
Millions of surgical masks.
Thanks faith for suspending services and continuing to support food banks
Trump:
Calls with representatives of hospitals, doctors, nurses.
Calls with business roundtable-CEOs US and global companies. Doug MacMillan Walmart, business is more than a clip of Christmas, extra staff, no empty shelves, restaurants fast food, grocery stores, groups of retailers, G7 meeting, almost all governors on conference cals, religious leaders. Signed legislation for paid sick leave and family leave, free testing,
relief to small business, disbursements to workers and families being negotiated on Hill.
Moved Tax day April 15 to July 15 no penalties, no interest.
HUD with FHA insured mortgages 60 days of relief from eviction
Standardized testing: Dep of Ed drop waived standardized testing for the current school year.
Student Loans: Interest and ‘other things being discussed’ to suspend student loan payments for at least 60 days.
Defense Production Act: Federal government can push needed supplies: Executive Order Defense Production Act for supplies.
Call to private sector. produce and supply masks swabs ventilators etc. Haines retrofitting manufacturing to produce masks.
FDA authorized therapeutics: FDA taking steps to make available to use. and possibly get a number of potential therapeutics out.
Alcohol repurpose to make hand sanitizer Pernod-Ricard.
Level One Response center
FEMA involved nationwide
Tele-health expanded so can see a doctor without leaving home
“I think we are going to change the way our country behaves medically.”
“Every American has a role to play in defending our nation from this invisible horrible enemy”
“Stay at home and save lives.”
“…a time of shared national sacrifice”
‘We are going to be celebrating a great victory in the not too distant future.”