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- May 03, 2020 at 09:29PM
Senate returns to work amid Coronavirus uncertainty
Click on this headline to read the full story at Jamie Dupree - Washington Insider
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The U.S. Senate comes back into session Monday for regular legislative business after most Senators stayed away from the U.S. Capitol for over a month because of the Coronavirus outbreak, but as lawmakers in both parties return to Capitol Hill, the Legislative Branch does not have the resources to test every member of Congress for the virus. “If some of my colleagues in the Senate are really concerned that they won’t survive the process of doing what they were hired to do, then perhaps they should consider another line of work,” said Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT). This weekend, Congressional leaders jointly rejected an offer of testing help from the White House. 'Congress is grateful for the Administration's generous offer to deploy rapid COVID-19 testing capabilities to Capitol Hill, but we respectfully decline the offer at this time,' wrote House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in a rare joint statement. 'Congress wants to keep directing resources to the front-line facilities where they can do the most good the most quickly,' the two leaders wrote. The decision came as the top doctor on Capitol Hill has told leaders that there are limited tests available to see if any lawmakers have the virus. But while Pelosi and McConnell were in agreement on their testing statement, the two leaders were taking their chambers in different directions - the House staying away from Capitol Hill, while the Senate will convene Monday afternoon. The GOP move has drawn fire from Democrats. 'He would bring 100 senators and many more staff members and reporters into close proximity while Washington itself remains under a stay-at-home order,' Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) said last week in a statement urging McConnell to cancel his plans. 'There is no way to do this without increased risk,' Feinstein added, calling it the 'wrong example for the country.' Unlike at the White House - where visitors coming to see President Donald Trump are given a quick test for the Coronavirus - those facilities are not in place for either the House or Senate. 'It's May 3rd, and President Trump still doesn’t have an adequate national testing strategy,' said Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY). Regardless of the testing situation, much of the actual Capitol is not exactly suited to social distancing, as Senators, staff, police, security personnel, and reporters will return to work in a Capitol building which features a labyrinth of narrow corridors, cramped elevators, and tiny offices. Up in the work space for Radio and Television reporters - some of it stuffed into the attic of the Senate side of the Capitol - journalists are supposed to maintain six feet of separation, even though they work in small booths which are barely three feet wide. Not only is there concern about what's happening in House and Senate office space, but lawmakers say the Trump Administration needs to do more to help regular businesses deal with the uncertain future ahead. The guidance for lawmakers from the Attending Physician of the Congress, Dr. Brian Monahan, has been basic. 'Minimize the number of staff,' starts a seven page batch of guidelines for dealing with social distancing and daily health screening in Congressional workplaces. 'Visitors should use hand sanitizer upon entry and prior to departure, and utilize a face covering for the duration of their visit,' the recommendations state. 'Use of a face cover is voluntary but highly recommended.' The guidelines will get an immediate test on Monday as the Senate holds its first roll call vote since March 25. The week will also bring a series of high profile hearings - like one on the President's nominee for Director of National Intelligence - where Senators will use a large committee room in order to sit far apart from each other.
(Feed generated with FetchRSS) - May 03, 2020 at 09:29PM Senate returns to work amid Coronavirus uncertainty Click on this headline to read the full story at Jamie Dupree - Washington Insider
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In his first substantive comments about a former staffer's allegations of sexual assault, Joe Biden used an interivew on MSNBC today deny the charges lodged by his former Senate staffer Tara Reade. 'This never happened,' the former Vice President said on the MSNBC program 'Morning Joe.' Speaking from the basement of his home in Wilmington, Delaware, where he has been sequestered during the Coronavirus outbreak, the presumptive Democratic nominee for President in 2020 denied any wrongdoing. 'I don't remember any complaint having been made,' said Biden. Here is the entire interview from MSNBC.
(Feed generated with FetchRSS) - May 01, 2020 at 08:54PM VIDEO: Biden denies sexual assault allegation by former staffer Click on this headline to read the full story at Jamie Dupree - Washington Insider
The White House offered new hope on Wednesday in the search for medical treatments dealing with the Coronavirus, as government researchers said a worldwide study conducted in hospitals showed the drug remdesivir had reduced the recovery time for patients hit by the virus. 'This is really quite important,' said Dr. Anthony Fauci, as he detailed the high points of the study while sitting across from President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. 'What it is proven is that a drug can block this virus,' Fauci added, as he said the feds would work with the drug maker Gilead to see about getting supplies to hospitals. 'The mortality rate trended towards being better in the sense of less deaths in the remdesivir group,' Fauci added. Asked about a separate study from China released a few hours earlier - which showed little help for those dealing with the Coronavirus - Fauci brushed off the findings as insignificant. 'I don't like to poo-poo other studies, but that's not an adequate study,' Fauci declared. 'And everybody in the field feels that.' But while the Gilead study evaluated by the feds found remdesivir helped, the Chinese study came to a much different conclusion. 'In this study of adult patients admitted to hospital for severe COVID-19, remdesivir was not associated with statistically significant clinical benefits,' read the findings as printed by the Lancet, a major health journal. Fauci said the new study reminded him of similar points in the 1980's when he was involved in the search for AIDS treatments, which gave rise to other ideas and developments. 'We think it's opening the door,' Fauci told reporters. Fauci was clearly much more enthusiastic about the remdesivir study than work surrounding hydroxychloroquine, which had been boosted by President Trump and conservative media stars.
(Feed generated with FetchRSS) - April 29, 2020 at 07:38PM Fauci: Remdesivir trial shows hope for Coronavirus treatment Click on this headline to read the full story at Jamie Dupree - Washington Insider
The Trump Administration reported Wednesday that U.S. economic output shrank by 4.8 percent in the first quarter of this year, the first official estimate of the serious negative impact from the outbreak of the Coronavirus. It was the largest step for the U.S. economy since the end of 2008, as job losses mounted in the aftermath of the Wall Street Collapse. How much worse the figures get will depend on how long the nation is held back by the virus, which has resulted in shuttered businesses all over the nation, along with massive job losses. “We're going to see economic data for the second quarter that's worse than any data we've seen for the economy,” said Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. “It's going to be a time of sharp contraction of economic activity,” Powell added. Since states began ordering residents to stay at home and limit their social activities, more than 22 million Americans have filed first time claims for unemployment benefits. 'This number is just the tip of the iceberg,' said Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA). 'March’s drop is offset here by earlier months, and April was so much worse.' Before the arrival of the Coronavirus, economic activity had been plugging along in the U.S., with growth at 2.1 percent in both the third and fourth quarters of 2019. And the first quarter in the U.S. was expected to be much the same. But starting in mid-March, almost everything went off the rails. “It's an extraordinary, extraordinary shock,” the Federal Reserve Chairman told a video news conference on Wednesday. Asked how long the economic downturn would last, Powell said the answer is simply about the success of stopping the Coronavirus. “How long will it take to get under control? Will there be additional outbreaks?” Powell asked, not knowing the answers to those questions.
(Feed generated with FetchRSS) - April 29, 2020 at 07:38PM New figures show Coronavirus dealing body blow to U.S. economy Click on this headline to read the full story at Jamie Dupree - Washington Insider ![]()
After concerns were voiced by rank and file Democrats, House leaders announced on Tuesday that a plan to return to normal legislative business next week will be delayed, meaning a split decision in the Congress, as the Senate will resume work on May 4. 'We will not be meeting next week,' House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) told reporters, citing rising Coronavirus case numbers in the Washington, D.C. metro area, and concerns voiced by the House Physician. 'The numbers in the District of Columbia are still going up,' Hoyer said. 'So, there's not a flattening of the curve.' Hoyer also cited growing cases in two immediate suburban counties in Maryland, and said the next major piece of Coronavirus legislation is not ready for votes on the House floor. 'We made a judgment that we will not come back next week, but that we hope to come back very soon,' Hoyer added. In the meantime, talks will continue between the two parties on possible changes to House rules to make it easier to conduct business during the pandemic. The decision by House Democrats means there will be a split in the Capitol, as the House will continue to hold off on legislative work, while the Senate is slated to return on Monday. In announcing plans to return, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell did not outline any of the plans to safeguard the health of Senators, Senate staff, police, security, and other Capitol Hill personnel. Among the many questions to be considered - how many staffers would each lawmaker bring back to work on Capitol Hill? What kind of precautions would be needed at entrances to the Capitol and other Congressional buildings? How would social distancing impact the work of reporters - or even the work of police and security personnel? 'The House Physician's view was that there was a risk to members that was one he would not recommend taking,' Hoyer said of the House decision to delay a return to the Capitol for regular business. Washington, D.C. remains under a stay-at-home order until May 15. Hoyer said another reason lawmakers would not be rushed back to Capitol Hill next week in the House was that work to shape a new Coronavirus relief bill is still ongoing. While GOP Senators say they want action to limit Coronavirus liability for businesses, Hoyer made clear that would not be part of the immediate agenda for Democrats in the House.
(Feed generated with FetchRSS) - April 28, 2020 at 06:38PM House leaders reverse course, delay return to legislative work Click on this headline to read the full story at Jamie Dupree - Washington Insider ![]()
Lenders across the U.S. reported a second straight day of computer glitches as they tried to secure small business loans under the government's Paycheck Protection Program, as small business owners around the nation were left hoping they would be able to access some of the over $300 billion in aid approved last week by Congress and the President. 'I applied on the first round and nothing,' said Eric Parkhill, who runs a medical firm in North Carolina. 'Hoping for the best,' said Kimberly Gaddis, who owns a legal firm in Atlanta, Georgia, with six employees. But with many interested businesses and lenders, the computer system for the Small Business Administration was swamped on Monday - and again on Tuesday morning. 'I heard there was a glitch,' President Trump said on Monday. And even if lenders and business owners are successful in getting through the system, lawmakers say the extra $320 billion in funds made available by the Congress last week are unlikely to last very long. 'The demand for PPP loans far exceeds the supply of dollars,' Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said Tuesday on Fox Business. 'I just want to be frank and honest about it.' There was also more controversy over who was getting the federal relief aid, as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin joined a chorus of voices in blasting the idea that the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA would get money meant for small businesses. “Any loan for over $2 million will have a full review,” Mnuchin vowed at the White House on Tuesday, as he acknowledged criticism about small business aid going to the NBA and other larger firms like Ruth's Chris Steak House, Shake Shack, and other big restaurant chains - even though some of those companies ultimately returned the aid.. 'It sure would be nice to get some assistance even if I am not a multi million dollar corporation,' said Kevin Cheek, who runs a cabinet refinishing business in Atlanta. 'We are hoping that we will hear something positive now that the funds have been replenished,' said Betsy Goldsberry Ball, who runs a European travel group. 'If I don’t get help soon, I will have to shut my business down within the next few weeks,' said Bruce McGehee, who runs a national lodging business that caters to airline pilots and flight attendants. Others were resigned to the fact that they just weren't going to get help from the feds. 'My situation should be the definition of a 'small business' yet we fall through the cracks and get NO help at all,' said Eddie Bruce, who runs the RocknShop music store in Cartersville, Georgia. Maybe the only silver lining for Bruce - is that he's re-opening his store for limited hours this week.
(Feed generated with FetchRSS) - April 28, 2020 at 06:38PM New round of small business relief hits web troubles Click on this headline to read the full story at Jamie Dupree - Washington Insider
Prodding states to move forward with plans to re-open shuttered businesses, President Donald Trump on Monday said he believed states would move to bring kids back to schools - even if just for a few weeks in this school year - as part of an effort to get the country to loosen restrictions from the Coronavirus. 'I think you will see a lot of schools open up, even if it is for a very short period of time,' the President told reporters in the White House Rose Garden, as he said the Coronavirus tends not to target those of school age. “Young people seem to do very well,” Mr. Trump said, as made the case for opening up schools around the nation. 'I know that there are some Governors that are not necessarily ready to open up their states, but they may be ready to open up their schools,' Mr. Trump said. 'I think it would be a good thing,' the President added. Some states have already either canceled school for the rest of the year, or moved to online learning only. Many others though, could still face a return to school, if conditions are deemed okay by state and local authorities. 'But the question should not be whether we open schools, but how we do it safely,' said Randi Weingarten, the President of the American Federation of Teachers. 'COVID-19 is a terrible virus that has already taken too many lives, and, in the absence of a vaccine, there is no magic wand or magic elixir as the President would have us believe,' Weingarten said. But in a statement, Weingarten did not rule out the possibility of kids going back to school, though her teacher's union would still like more resources for Coronavirus testing. Even in GOP-led states which are more receptive to the President's plans - like Texas - school remains a question mark. “Not a long to way to go in the school system right now for this season, for this year,” the President said Monday, “but I think you'll see a lot of schools open up.”
(Feed generated with FetchRSS) - April 28, 2020 at 06:38PM Trump suggests states re-open schools in coming weeks Click on this headline to read the full story at Jamie Dupree - Washington Insider
With the nation still feeling its way forward on the Coronavirus as some states move to re-open businesses shuttered since March, the GOP leader of the U.S. Senate said Monday that Senators will return for work next week in spite of the health worries about the outbreak which has killed over 55,000 Americans in less than two months. 'We will modify routines in ways that are smart and safe, but we will honor our constitutional duty to the American people and conduct critical business in person,' Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a written statement issued by his office. Echoing a point often made by Republicans in the Congress, McConnell said the gravity of the moment demanded that Senators return. 'If it is essential for doctors, nurses, healthcare workers, truck drivers, grocery-store workers, and many other brave Americans to keep carefully manning their own duty stations, then it is essential for Senators to carefully man ours and support them,' McConnell added. In terms of the agenda on the Coronavirus, McConnell in his statement made clear that he wants to explore legislation which could shield business owners from lawsuits over virus exposure, once businesses re-open. 'We cannot let that happen,' McConnell said. 'Our nation is facing the worst pandemic in over a century and potentially the worst economic shock since the Great Depression. Our response must not be slowed, weakened, or exploited to set up the biggest trial lawyer bonanza in history.' President Trump has indicated his support for the idea, worried that possible lawsuits could endanger an economic rebound. 'We just don't want that because we want the companies to open and to open strong,' Mr. Trump said earlier this month. As for what changes would be made in the Capitol for Senators, staff, police, security, and reporters, McConnell offered no details. 'We will modify routines in ways that are smart and safe,' the Kentucky Republican said. Last week, the House used staggered voting procedures to prevent large gatherings of lawmakers, having members arrive in groups arranged alphabetically on the floor. In one committee hearing, lawmakers were separated by six feet, many seats were left empty, and staff quickly cleaned tables as lawmakers cycled in and out of the room. While the House has also set May 4 for a return, that date was clearly up in the air as of last week, when lawmakers were back for one day to vote on a $484 billion Coronavirus aid package. 'Do you still plan on having the House come back on May 4th?' Speaker Nancy Pelosi was asked by a reporter last Friday. 'Any decision that we have about when we come back rests with the Sergeant-at-Arms and the Capitol Physician,' Pelosi said. 'Hopefully, things will get better.' 'We'll see,' the Speaker said, without indicating a decision. But for now, at least the Senate will return to work next Monday.
(Feed generated with FetchRSS) - April 27, 2020 at 06:08PM U.S. Senate to resume legislative business on May 4 Click on this headline to read the full story at Jamie Dupree - Washington Insider
The White House went back and forth Monday on how to get out its Coronavirus response message, as a scheduled briefing by President Donald Trump and medical experts was canceled, only to be replaced by a news conference with the President at the exact same time. The schedule changes came in the wake of the President's weekend complaints about taking questions from the press on the virus outbreak, which he said was a waste. “Not worth the time & effort,” Mr. Trump tweeted over the weekend, as he blasted the news media on Twitter again on Monday morning. So, it was no surprise that the White House then canceled a scheduled 5 pm ET task force briefing. But a few hours later, that was replaced by a 5 pm news conference by the White House - in what may look to viewers like exactly the event which the President had been complaining about. The back-and-forth came four days after the President stirred controversy by seemingly suggesting that the Coronavirus could be treated 'by injection inside' the body of household disinfectants, a move that prompted warnings and public rebukes by health officials nationwide. President Trump blamed the press. 'There has never been, in the history of our Country, a more vicious or hostile Lamestream Media than there is right now, even in the midst of a National Emergency,' the President wrote on Twitter Monday morning. 'FAKE NEWS, THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE,' Mr. Trump declared a few minutes later. It wasn't immediately clear whether this was just a cancellation for Monday - or if it would become standard procedure to not have a briefing from the White House. In the past during a health emergency - like the H1N1 Swine Flu in 2009 - briefings were handled by officials at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, and not by the White House. On Friday, the President left the briefing room without taking any questions, the first time that had happened since the virus outbreak became the policy focus at the White House. Mr. Trump has often used extensive question-and-answer sessions with reporters to vent his frustration about a lack of press stories praising his administration's response, and to jab relentlessly at a variety of reporters. 'I'm the President, and you're fake news,' he said last Thursday to one reporter. But while President Trump seems to enjoy the back-and-forth with reporters, polling does not indicate the President is enjoying a bump with voters related to his handling of the virus outbreak. For example, in a new poll out in Ohio, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine enjoys very high approval ratings, with a favorable rating of 75 percent, to just a 12 percent unfavorable. In the same poll, the same respondents in Ohio gave President Trump a 43 percent favorable rating, and a 48 percent unfavorable.
(Feed generated with FetchRSS) - April 27, 2020 at 06:08PM After Trump complaints, White House cancels Coronavirus briefing Click on this headline to read the full story at Jamie Dupree - Washington Insider
Threatening to end his daily briefings from the White House on the Coronavirus situation, and issuing no updates through the weekend as the U.S. death toll soared over 50,000 people, President Donald Trump instead spent Saturday and Sunday blasting reporters on social media, defending his work to deal with the virus outbreak. 'I work from early in the morning until late at night,' the President wrote in one series of a tweets on Sunday. 'The Fake News hates it!' Mr. Trump added. After a Thursday news conference where the President later said he had been sarcastically suggesting that chemical disinfectants be considered as possible injection treatments for Coronavirus patients, the President took no questions on Friday, and then raised the specter of scrapping the daily events entirely. 'Not worth the time & effort!' the President wrote on Twitter. While Mr. Trump raised the chance that he would stop participating in the daily virus outbreak briefings at the White House, doing so would also deprive the President of a constant outlet, now that the virus has basically grounded him since he returned from his Mar-a-Lago retreat in Florida on March 9. As the President eschewed the weekend updates, the death toll from the Coronavirus is poised to cross 55,000 on Monday, and could go over 60,000 by the end of the week. That would be more deaths than all of the U.S. military losses in the Vietnam War, which totaled 58,220. But Mr. Trump's attention wasn't on those details, as instead he lashed out at media outlets on both sides. 'Fox News just doesn't get what's happening!' the President tweeted on Sunday evening, as he said he had 'No respect' for those in charge of the network with opinion hosts who have often been his political ally. 'The people who are watching Fox News,' the President wrote, 'are angry. They want an alternative now. So do I.' Meanwhile, various states were pressing ahead with plans to slowly re-open certain businesses, moves which will certainly take center stage in the days and weeks ahead. 'America is ready to reopen,' said Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ).
(Feed generated with FetchRSS) - April 27, 2020 at 06:08PM With no virus briefings, Trump spends weekend hitting media on Twitter Click on this headline to read the full story at Jamie Dupree - Washington Insider |
Jamie DupreeJamie Dupree is the Washington Bureau Chief for Cox Communications. He writes and produces radio reports with the aid of digital reconstructions of the voice he lost in 2012.. Archives
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