On Friday, Mar. 27, TRP Co-founder Andy Rosenberg participated in an Alliance for Health Policy webinar on the legislative and regulatory efforts to address the COVID-19 outbreak. Rosenberg provided the audience with a high-level overview of the legislative activity in Congress to stem the impact of the outbreak. He also forecasted future actions that lawmakers could take to address existing and emerging COVID-19 issues.”If there’s one thing we’ve seen so far, it’s that this trajectory has just been faster and more dire than we’ve expected,” said Rosenberg. “So even though Congress expects to be out of town until April 20, we imagine that when they return at the end of April, there will probably be some urgent needs in industries and sectors that we can’t even predict right now that they’ll have to get to work on.”
Continue reading “TRP’s Rosenberg Participates in Alliance for Health Policy Webinar on COVID-19 Legislation”Month: March 2020
Health Policy Report
The Week in Review
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill scrambled to pass legislation aimed at stemming the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The latest effort — a massive $1.6 trillion stimulus package (Division A Summary; Division B Summary) — is currently stalled after Senators failed (47-47) to invoke cloture on a procedural motion that would have lined up a vote on final passage of the measure. Democrats have taken issue with several aspects of the GOP’s revised bill and are pushing for additional funding, suggesting that the package could ultimately top $2 trillion when the dust settles.
Continue reading “Health Policy Report”Health Policy Report (3/16)
The Week in Review
House lawmakers overwhelmingly passed legislation that seeks to bolster the response efforts to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. After days of negotiations between Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, an agreement was reached that would provide free diagnostic testing, boost funding for food assistance, and extend paid sick leave. Despite his pleas for a payroll tax cut and other tax credit relief, President Donald Trump announced that he will swiftly sign the measure into law once it hits his desk.
Continue reading “Health Policy Report (3/16)”Today on the Hill: House Queues Up Vote on Coronavirus Stimulus Proposal
Amid rising concerns about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, House Democrats have introduced an economic stimulus measure aimed at stemming the economic impacts of the virus. The package includes emergency provisions that would provide paid sick leave, extended unemployment insurance, expanded food aid to low-income families, and coverage to ensure free testing and treatment. The House is expected to pass the bill at some point today. However, immediate action in the Senate appears unlikely after Congressional Republican leadership — including House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) — announced their opposition to the effort this morning. If disagreements on the response bill continue to linger, lawmakers could work through the weekend to try and get the bill on President Donald Trump’s desk as quickly as possible.
Continue reading “Today on the Hill: House Queues Up Vote on Coronavirus Stimulus Proposal”Today on the Hill: House Democrats Ready Coronavirus Economic Response Package
House Democrats are preparing to introduce a package of emergency economic measures aimed at stemming the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The bill — which could be introduced as early as today — is likely to promote paid sick leave for certain workers, funding for children’s school lunches, increased spending on social safety-net programs, and expanded unemployment insurance. House lawmakers are aiming to vote on the package prior to leaving Washington for the next district work period, yet a timeline in the Senate is unclear as of now.
Continue reading “Today on the Hill: House Democrats Ready Coronavirus Economic Response Package”Today on the Hill: Washington Weighs Additional Coronavirus Response
The Trump administration, along with Congressional lawmakers, are weighing potential options to counteract an economic downturn as a result of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. During a press conference yesterday, President Donald Trump stated that he plans to propose payroll tax relief, as well as assistance for hourly-wage workers that are impacted by the effects of the outbreak. Meanwhile, lawmakers are mulling other options that currently enjoy bipartisan support — including an expanded paid leave benefit and food assistance for recipients of free and reduced-cost meals at school — and could formulate into a legislative response as soon as this week, according to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
Continue reading “Today on the Hill: Washington Weighs Additional Coronavirus Response”Health Policy Report (3/9)
The Week in Review
The race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination took a dramatic shift last week following the “Super Tuesday” contests. Former Vice President Joe Biden turned in a surprisingly strong showing in last Tuesday’s primary elections, winning ten out of the 14 states up for grabs: TX, NC, VA, MA, AR, AL, ME, TN, OK, and MN. The former Vice President’s performance propelled him over Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) — who won CA, VT, UT, and CO — on the delegate leaderboard, establishing himself as the clear Democratic frontrunner for the 2020 nomination.
Continue reading “Health Policy Report (3/9)”This Week on the Hill: Senate Eyes Passage of Bipartisan Energy Package
Both chambers of Congress will reconvene for legislative business this afternoon as Senators look to wrap up work on a bipartisan package of energy-related legislation. The measure compiles more than 50 bills out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee aimed at fostering innovation in clean energy technology. The Senate will vote on a motion to end debate on the bill later this evening, with a vote on final passage likely to occur in the middle of this week.
Continue reading “This Week on the Hill: Senate Eyes Passage of Bipartisan Energy Package”In ‘Finance 202,’ TRP’s Rosenstock Offers Commentary on Warren’s Departure from 2020 Presidential Primary
In today’s Washington Post “Finance 202” newsletter — a leading beat for financial services news in Washington, D.C. — TRP’s Jason Rosenstock offered commentary on what Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s departure from the 2020 presidential race means for financial regulations moving forward. While the piece notes that industry leaders don’t believe former Vice President Joe Biden would bring the type of regulatory change that Sen. Warren promised in her campaign, Rosenstock astutely pointed out that the leftward shift of the Democratic party could indicate that the some of the Massachusetts Senator’s ideas for financial regulation could come to fruition. “Warren may ultimately win the ideas primary,” said Rosenstock. “And a lot of the stuff she’s proposed may find its way into platform.”
Continue reading “In ‘Finance 202,’ TRP’s Rosenstock Offers Commentary on Warren’s Departure from 2020 Presidential Primary”Next Week on the Hill: Coronavirus Package Signed Into Law
Following Senate passage of a $8.3 billion coronavirus response spending bill late yesterday, President Donald Trump signed the bill into law this morning. The measure combines new funding for treatments for the virus, public health agencies, and community preparedness with a waiver of restrictions on Medicare telehealth coverage during the outbreak. It also stipulates that vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics developed using funds authorized by the package must be made available to government purchasers for a “fair and reasonable” price, but does not go as far on pricing in the commercial market.
Continue reading “Next Week on the Hill: Coronavirus Package Signed Into Law”