Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act

On Thursday, April 23 the House passed the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, two days after the Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent on Tuesday, April 21. The bill provided $25 billion to support coronavirus testing including developing, purchasing, and administering the tests. The $25 billion to support testing must be allocated in the following ways:

• No less than $11 billion must be provided to states, localities, territories, and tribes to expand testing including supporting workforces, scaling up community-based testing sites such a health centers, and conducting surveillance and contact tracing.
• No less than $1 billion to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for surveillance, epidemiology, laboratory capacity expansion, surveillance, and contact tracing to expand and improve COVID testing.
• No less than $600 million to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for health center grants.
• No less than $1.8 billion to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop serological testing, and to develop and implement point-of-care and other rapid testing.

The bill also includes $321 billion for an infusion into the Paycheck Protection Program, $60 billion in in economic relief loans for small businesses, and $75 billion for hospitals.

COVID Stimulus Package Number Four

The House continues to push for a fourth coronavirus stimulus package, looking to increase funding for states and local governments that are financially struggling. Democrats have been collecting information on what will be needed for the fourth coronavirus package, called CARES 2. Pelosi stated the bill is nearly done and is expected to include $150 billion in aid for state and local governments. However, House democrats are hitting a roadblock from Senate Republicans, with Senate Majority Leader McConnell pushing back against any increase in funding, even recently suggesting he would prefer states declare bankruptcy than receive additional government funding.

House Select Committee on COVID-19:

On Thursday, April 23, the House voted to create a committee to monitor the administration’s implementation of the $3 trillion in coronavirus supplemental funding. The creation of the committee passed through the House along party lines, with Republicans saying the effort was an attempt to slam President Trump politically. The committee will operate under the umbrella of the House Oversight Committee and will ensure that funds are distributed transparently, effectively, and efficiently.

HHS distribution of CARES Act Funding:

On Thursday, April 23 the Department of Health and Human Services announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is awarding $631 million to 64 jurisdictions through the existing Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases (ELC) cooperative agreement. The funding will use existing networks at state and local jurisdictions to implement contact tracing, surveillance, and testing to control COVID-19.