Playbook PM: Republicans ask: How will Congress get back to normal?

Apr 21, 2020

By Jake Sherman, Anna Palmer, Garrett Ross and Eli Okun

Presented by

NEW ... HOUSE MINORITY LEADER KEVIN MCCARTHY sent Speaker NANCY PELOSI a letter "to request that we work to establish a clear, safe, and effective plan for reopening Congress." This is the highest profile REPUBLICAN -- the top GOP lawmaker in the House -- pressing a return back to some semblance of normalcy. This is something that's of intense interest at the White House, as well.

-- KEY EXCERPTS FROM MCCARTHY: "In my view, conducting the business of the People's House is the definition of 'essential work'-- just as many of our friends and neighbors continue working to hold up our communities on a daily basis. Unfortunately, members have yet to be given specific guidance as to how Congress will fulfill its core duties -- from deliberation to oversight to legislation -- over the coming days and weeks. ... I fully appreciate the unprecedented nature of this challenge before us. But now, more than ever, our constituents expect us to rise to the occasion and overcome these trying circumstances."

-- MCCARTHY wants a revised legislative calendar, plans to resume committee activity, a plan to "mark-up high priority legislative items" and details on the Democrats' plan to institute proxy voting. The letter

STILL WAITING ... SOMEWHERE BETWEEN Senate Minority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER'S proclamation on CNN this morning that there's a deal on a new PPP funding, and Senate Republicans' bucket of cold water that there is no deal yet, lies the truth: Hill Democrats, Republicans and the White House have something approaching an agreement in principle, but they need to make sure all the final issues are closed out before it is announced and released. HOUSE DEMOCRATS held a leadership call around 12, and they were told that the text is still being scrubbed. The latest from Burgess Everett and Heather Caygle

-- THE FRAMEWORK was the subject of late-night negotiations between SCHUMER, PELOSI, chief of staff MARK MEADOWS and Treasury Secretary STEVEN MNUCHIN. Senate Republicans were involved in writing the bill, and working out many of the policy intricacies.

-- IF THE SENATE DOES indeed vote today at 4 p.m. and pass this by unanimous consent, that means the HOUSE will likely vote Thursday.

-- REMEMBER: THE HOUSE will most likely need a quorum -- 215 lawmakers -- to get this bill through.

THE PRESIDENT LAYS OUT HIS NEXT PRIORITIES ...

-- @realDonaldTrump at 12:49 p.m.: "I urge the Senate and House to pass the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act with additional funding for PPP, Hospitals, and Testing. After I sign this Bill, we will begin discussions on the next Legislative Initiative with fiscal relief........to State/Local Governments for lost revenues from COVID 19, much needed Infrastructure Investments for Bridges, Tunnels, Broadband, Tax Incentives for Restaurants, Entertainment, Sports, and Payroll Tax Cuts to increase Economic Growth."

... at 9:33 a.m.: "We will never let the great U.S. Oil & Gas Industry down. I have instructed the Secretary of Energy and Secretary of the Treasury to formulate a plan which will make funds available so that these very important companies and jobs will be secured long into the future!"

IMAGINE IF PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP has to go to Congress with a plan to help the oil and gas business. That would be a massive legislative skirmish.

-- BLOOMBERG: "Oil firms can access funds from the $2.2 trillion pandemic rescue aid that Trump signed into law on March 27.

"Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin could also deem some of those companies as critical to national security, qualifying them for a share of $17 billion authorized by Congress. Or the companies could tap one of the Federal Reserve lending facilities, which are for 'distressed sectors' and companies with high credit ratings. The rescue bill authorized $454 billion to the Treasury Department to use as a backstop for lending through the Fed, which the central bank is leveraging into trillions of dollars."

TOP-ED ... SEN. TOM COTTON (R-Ark.) in the WSJ: "Coronavirus and the Laboratories in Wuhan: "The U.S. government is investigating whether the Covid-19 virus came from a government laboratory in Wuhan, China. The Chinese Communist Party denies the possibility. 'There is no way this virus came from us,' claimed Yuan Zhiming over the weekend. Mr. Yuan is a top researcher at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which studies some of the world's deadliest pathogens. He is also secretary of the lab's Communist Party committee. He accuses me of 'deliberately trying to mislead people' for suggesting his laboratory as a possible origin for the pandemic. ...

"This evidence is circumstantial, to be sure, but it all points toward the Wuhan labs. Thanks to the Chinese coverup, we may never have direct, conclusive evidence—intelligence rarely works that way—but Americans justifiably can use common sense to follow the inherent logic of events to their likely conclusion."

-- EARLIER, in the WSJ's news pages: "China Bat Expert Says Her Wuhan Lab Wasn't Source of New Coronavirus," by James Areddy: "For the past 15 years, Chinese scientist Shi Zhengli has warned the world—in English, Chinese and French—that bats harbor coronaviruses that pose serious risks to human health. ... For Dr. Shi's defenders, the pandemic is a tragic coincidence for a scientist who has devoted her life to tracking threats to human health. 'All the elements of the conspiracy are there if you want to believe it,' said Peter Daszak, president of EcoHealth Alliance, a New York-based environmental health nonprofit, who has collaborated with Dr. Shi for several years. But, he said: 'It's not true.'

"Jonna Mazet, a pandemic specialist at the University of California, Davis, who has worked with Dr. Shi for a decade, said the Chinese scientist is cataloging all the coronaviruses she has studied over the years, and told her that 'she didn't have this virus in the lab before people were sick with it.'" WSJ

Good Tuesday afternoon. NYT'S MAGGIE HABERMAN (@maggieNYT): "NEW - Dan Scavino has been promoted to dep chief of staff for [communications], per 3 people briefed. Alyssa Farah, Kayleigh McEnany and Nick Luna all promoted to assistants to the president." ... "John Fleming now also an assistant to the president, per two people briefed."

A message from PhRMA:

In these unprecedented times, America's biopharmaceutical companies are coming together to achieve one shared goal: beating COVID-19. We are dedicating our top scientists and using our investments in new technologies to speed the development of safe and effective vaccines. Explore our efforts.

GOOD REMINDER, via CNBC's KAYLA TAUSCHE: TRUMP'S immigration ban comes as the "Supreme Court is set to release its opinion on DACA as early as this week."

HOW THEY'RE RESUMING LIFE ... DENVER POST: "Colorado to shift from stay-at-home to 'safer at home' as some businesses can begin reopening next week," by Shelley Bradbury, Saja Hindi and Meg Wingerter: "Coloradans will need to shift from staying at home to being 'safer at home,' [Gov. Jared] Polis said, outlining how the state's order will morph into strong recommendations for residents with restrictions on the businesses that are able to slowly reopen in the coming weeks.

"Polis said he expects retailers will have the option to reopen with curbside pickup beginning April 27, and then will be able to reopen to limited numbers of in-store customers on May 1, as long as they have social-distancing policies in place.

"Companies likely can reopen offices with 50% of their workforces the following Monday, on May 4, the governor said, although he added that telecommuting should be maximized as much as possible, particularly with older employees. Personal service providers and elective medical providers, including hair salons, dental offices and tattoo shops, will be able to reopen with some precautions on April 27, such as hair stylists wearing masks.

"One-on-one real estate showings -- though not open houses -- and child care can restart then, too, Polis said. Restaurants and bars will stay closed initially but might be allowed to open in mid-May, Polis said. Schools will not reopen immediately. The state's guidance will be finalized this week and written details will be released before the stay-at-home order is lifted."

-- CUOMO SPEAKS, via Bill Mahoney and Shannon Young: "'We're going to make reopening decisions on a regional basis based on that region's facts and circumstances,' he said during his daily briefing. The briefing was held in Buffalo, his first time venturing west of Schenectady since the pandemic began.

"'Just like some states will reopen before other states because they have a different circumstance when it comes to Covid and their status with Covid, it's also true across the state,'Cuomo said. '[The] North Country has a totally different situation than New York City. Central New York has a different situation. We operate as one state but we also have to understand variations, and you do want to get this economy open as soon as possible.'"

TESTING LATEST -- "FDA authorizes first at-home coronavirus sample collection kit," by David Lim: "The FDA has given emergency authorization to the first coronavirus test that allows people to collect their own samples at home, using a nasal swab, before mailing them off to a lab for analysis. The test, made by LabCorp, could help cut down on the amount of personal protective equipment health providers are using while collecting patient samples for testing.

"The company said its at-home collection kits will initially be used for health care workers and first responders who may have been exposed to the virus or have symptoms. LabCorp plans to make the kits, which require the patient fill out a questionnaire and obtain a recommendation from a health care provider, more broadly available in the coming weeks. It is unclear how many kits LabCorp is immediately distributing or can manufacture moving forward." POLITICO

CLIP AND SAVE FOR THE PRESIDENT ... AP: "More deaths, no benefit from malaria drug in VA virus study": "A malaria drug widely touted by President Donald Trump for treating the new coronavirus showed no benefit in a large analysis of its use in U.S. veterans hospitals. There were more deaths among those given hydroxychloroquine versus standard care, researchers reported.

"The nationwide study was not a rigorous experiment. But with 368 patients, it's the largest look so far of hydroxychloroquine with or without the antibiotic azithromycin for COVID-19, which has killed more than 171,000 people as of Tuesday."

DON'T MISS TOMORROW'S VIRTUAL PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW WITH JOHN KERRY: Join Playbook co-authors Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman tomorrow at 4 p.m. EDT for a virtual discussion with former Secretary of State John Kerry . Kerry weighs in on the global action needed to overcome the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic and his latest message and thinking as a surrogate for the Biden campaign. Join the discussion. Have a question? Tweet it to @POLITICOLive using #AskPOLITICO. REGISTER HERE TO PARTICIPATE.

WSJ: "Fannie, Freddie Regulator Moves to Ease Cash Crunch at Mortgage Servicers," by Andrew Ackerman: "The Federal Housing Finance Agency said Tuesday it would cap at four months the period of time mortgage companies are on the hook to make monthly payments on behalf of borrowers who are in arrears.

"The move provides some relief to the mortgage companies, known as servicers, which collect payments from homeowners and pass them on to investors in securities backed by the loans. The servicers must pay investors even if borrowers stop making payments." WSJ

THE LATEST NUMBERS -- "28,000 Missing Deaths: Tracking the True Toll of the Coronavirus Crisis," by NYT's Jin Wu and Allison McCann: "At least 28,000 more people have died during the coronavirus pandemic over the last month than the official Covid-19 death counts report, a review of mortality data in 11 countries shows — providing a clearer, if still incomplete, picture of the toll of the crisis.

"In the last month, far more people died in these countries than in previous years, The New York Times found. The totals include deaths from Covid-19 as well as those from other causes, likely including people who could not be treated as hospitals became overwhelmed. These numbers undermine the notion that many people who have died from the virus may soon have died anyway." NYT

LARA SELIGMAN: "Navy extends isolation for USS Theodore Roosevelt sailors, may delay ship departure": "The Navy is delaying plans to begin moving sailors back onboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt after a number of crew members continued to test positive for coronavirus after isolation, according to Navy officials. Navy leadership is temporarily halting post-quarantine testing and extending sailors' isolation more than three weeks after the Roosevelt was forced to dock in Guam on March 27, according to a memo viewed by POLITICO.

"The move potentially delays the ship's departure amid new questions about the spread of Covid-19. Navy leadership took the steps after a number of sailors continued to test positive for coronavirus even after their 14-day isolation period, three crew members told POLITICO. Some of the sailors who recently tested positive had previously tested negative, one Navy official said." POLITICO

ON WISCONSIN ... NYT'S REID EPSTEIN: "Vote by Mail in Wisconsin Helped a Liberal Candidate, Upending Old Theories": "The liberal candidate in Wisconsin's hard-fought State Supreme Court race this month prevailed in voting by mail by a significant margin, upending years of study showing little advantage to either party when a state transitions from in-person to mail voting.

"The gap suggests that Democrats were more organized and proactive in their vote-by-mail efforts in an election conducted under extraordinary circumstances, with voters forced to weigh the health risks of voting in person against the sometimes unreliable option of requesting and mailing in their ballots. ... The liberal jurist, Jill Karofsky, performed 10 percentage points better than her conservative opponent in votes cast by mail than she did in votes cast at Election Day polling places, a gap that powered a surprising 11-point victory over all in a state both parties view as crucial to winning November's presidential election." NYT

HOW DOES THE ECONOMY BEGIN TO RECOVER? A VIRTUAL INTERVIEW WITH AUSTAN GOOLSBEE TOMORROW: The coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc on the American economy, leaving a range of unanswered questions. Should we wait to restart the economy until people feel safe and there is enough testing? Or is it more important to start opening back up? Is it possible to thread the needle? Join POLITICO's chief economic correspondent and author of the Morning Money newsletter Ben White tomorrow at 9 a.m. EDT for a virtual conversation with Austan Goolsbee, former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers in the Obama administration. Tweet it to @POLITICOLive using #AskPOLITICO. REGISTER HERE TO PARTICIPATE.

KYLE CHENEY: "Grenell rebuffs Schiff demand to halt intel community overhaul": "President Donald Trump's acting intelligence chief, Richard Grenell, has rebuffed a request from House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff for details about his efforts to reorganize the leadership of the office he is temporarily running. In a Monday letter to Schiff, obtained by POLITICO, Grenell chides Schiff for asking about the leadership changes without acknowledging the appointment of two women as acting leaders of the National Counterterrorism Center." POLITICO ... The letter

FOR THOSE KEEPING TRACK -- "Senate Intel report confirms Russia aimed to help Trump in 2016," by Martin Matishak and Andrew Desiderio

KATE ANDERSON BROWER interviewed TRUMP for her book, "Team of Five: The Presidents Club in the Age of Trump" ($28.99, out May 15) ... Vanity Fair excerpt: "[H]ave the years he's spent in that awe-inspiring office given him empathy for what his predecessors went through? 'No,' he replies flatly. Unlike most of the men who came before him, who aged prematurely and struggled with insomnia while in office, often pacing the halls of the White House in the dead of the night, overwhelmed by the gravity of the position, Trump said he has no trouble sleeping.

"When I ask him whether he would go to Obama's presidential-library opening, the question sounds preposterous. Presidents have always attended one another's library openings as a sign of respect. But: 'I don't know,' he answers. 'He probably wouldn't invite me.' Trump mulls it over for a moment and says, as though he had never thought of the far-reaching ramifications of his ostracism from the club, 'Why should he?' It is an astonishing reminder of just how much has changed.

"On the subject of the location of his own presidential library, he uses our interview to distinguish himself from his predecessors -- and to take a swipe at them. 'That's a very interesting question. I have thought about it very little. I'm more thinking about all of the things that we're doing, which are a lot,' he says, jutting his chin out proudly. 'I was left a lot, I was left a lot of problems that could have been solved a long time ago. I'm much more focused on that.'

"He pauses. 'I have given it a little thought, and New York seems to be the most natural place, but Florida is another one. I know location, I guess, like nobody,' says the former real estate developer. 'We'll pick somewhere very appropriate.' He knows he will never be accepted into the club, and he wants to make it clear that he doesn't mind. When our interview comes to an end and I'm on my way out, he shouts, in a voice laden with sarcasm, 'Say hi to President Bush for me!'"

-- NYT'S SOPAN DEB'S book is out today. "Missed Translations: Meeting the Immigrant Parents Who Raised Me": $25.19 on Amazon

-- THE PAPERBACK FOR "THE HILL TO DIE ON" -- Jake and Anna's book -- is out today. $14 on Amazon

BONUS BIRTHDAY: Larry Jefferson (h/t Ryder and Josie)

A message from PhRMA:

In these unprecedented times, America's biopharmaceutical companies are coming together to achieve one shared goal: beating COVID-19. Explore our efforts.