Voting by proxy

House Democrats continue to discuss how to alter House rules to allow Representatives to vote by proxy as social distancing recommendations remain in place. The change was first suggested by House Rules Chairman, Jim McGovern. Voting by proxy would allow another member, who is physically present on the House floor, to cast a vote for a Representative who is absent, for a limited period of time. Both Republicans and Democrats are open to discussing the idea, but only while social distancing is in place and emergency measures. Questions remain about how to do address the technological and legal hurdles that would come with this change.

COVID-19 Stimulus Package

Republicans and Democrats continue to discuss what the next stimulus package would look like. Republicans want to focus the next bill on providing an additional $250 billion to replenish the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) which was depleted this week. However, Democrats do not want to move a bill without also providing an additional $250 billion in resources for states, local governments, and hospitals. Republicans and Democrats continue to be in deadlock over what the proposal should look like.

Plan to reopen the economy

The Trump administration continues to look towards how to quickly reopen the American economy. On Thursday, the White House asked House and Senate Republicans and Democrats to join a taskforce on reopening the economy. On Thursday night, following the announcement of the taskforce, President Trump released guidelines for “Opening Up American Again”. The plan proposes lifting the restrictions when states see a downward trajectory of new COVID-19 cases and have robust testing in place for healthcare workers.