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.

On the floor for today, the House will consider a Senate-passed “War Powers” resolution that seeks to restrict President Trump’s ability to engage in military action against Iran absent Congressional approval. The lower chamber will also take up a bill that would reauthorize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). In the upper chamber, Senators will vote on a resolution that would overturn the Department of Education’s rule on “Borrower Defense Institutional Accountability.”

Meanwhile, former Vice President Joe Biden has cemented his status as the frontrunner for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination after another strong performance at the ballot box. Vice President Biden won four out of the six states up for grabs yesterday, besting Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in the MI, MO, MS, and ID contests. The next batch of primary elections will occur next Tuesday in AZ, FL, IL, and OH.