with an assist from Heather Caygle
CORONAVIRUS COLLISION COURSE -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi is ready to hit the gas pedal on a fourth package to address the impacts of the coronavirus crisis. Democrats are already in the early stages of drafting legislation, which could be ready in a few weeks. They want the next bill to shore up health systems, protect frontline health care workers and boost infrastructure, among other things. “Our first bills were about addressing the emergency. The third bill was about mitigation. The fourth bill would be about recovery. Emergency, mitigation, recovery,” Pelosi said on a conference call yesterday.
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But Senate Republicans want to pump the breaks. The GOP points out that the ink is barely dry on the $2 trillion relief measure that President Donald Trump signed into law on Friday. And Republicans worry Democrats are just trying to jam their ideological wish list through Congress. The competing dynamics could put the two parties on a collision course in the weeks ahead. “It just seems to be a fundamental difference in how we’re approaching this and how the House is approaching it,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). Much more from Sarah, Andrew and Marianne: https://politi.co/2JppV14.
Related reads: “More Coronavirus Stimulus? Pelosi’s Case for Adding On,” by WSJ’s Gerald F. Seib: https://on.wsj.com/2QXIfTv; and “Pelosi Floats New Stimulus Plan: Rolling Back SALT Cap,” from NYT’s Jim Tankersley and Emily Cochrane: https://nyti.ms/2wSb10T.
WHO’S GONNA RUN THIS TOWN TONIGHT? -- Congress is officially supposed to return to Washington on April 20. But with the public health crisis ballooning — and an increasing number of members testing positive for coronavirus — it could be even longer until they physically come back into session, report Burgess, Heather and Bres. “That's sort of an aspirational goal," said Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.). "April 20 is what, three weeks away? That seems a little early." And Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) acknowledged: “This could go on for a little while longer until things settle down.”
D.C., Virginia and Maryland have issued stay-at-home orders, while the Capitol has extended its restrictions on public access until May 1. "We are taking this temporary action out of concern for the health and safety of congressional employees as well as the public,” the House and Senate sergeants-at-arms said in a joint statement. Yet Pelosi continues to dismiss the idea of remote voting, though she did say hearings should continue virtually — something the House Administration Committee is looking into. The dispatch: https://politi.co/3dKH9Eq.
Meanwhile … virtual press conferences are now a thing and being held via Zoom. Here’s what they look like, h/t Nicholas Wu of USA TODAY: https://bit.ly/2w1kliD.
Related reads: “House Armed Services delays NDAA markup amid coronavirus pandemic,” per Roll Call’s David Jordan: https://bit.ly/3avZwdZ; and “Pelosi throws cold water on remote voting during coronavirus pandemic,” via Susan Ferrechio of the Washington Examiner: https://washex.am/39z8aXL.
COVID CONTINUES TO HIT CAPITOL -- Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.) announced that she has been diagnosed with a “presumed coronavirus infection,” though the 67-year-old said her symptoms are “mild.” But her likely infection has sparked another wave of anxiety in the Capitol: Velazquez — who hails from one of the coronavirus hot spots in the country — was forced to travel back to D.C. last week for a vote on the coronavirus bill.
And Velazquez not only gave a floor speech, but also interacted with Pelosi during a signing ceremony. The speaker, however, told her leadership team during a conference call last night that the attending physician deemed her interaction with Velazquez “low risk” and no further action was needed, per Heather.
Related: “Second Capitol Police officer tests positive for coronavirus,” by The Hill’s Scott Wong: https://bit.ly/39yBca6; and “Arlington congressman had fever, flu-like symptoms. His coronavirus test was negative,” per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Anna M. Tinsley: https://bit.ly/3bzVxxh.
GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Tuesday, March 31, where the country might be on lockdown, but at least Backstreet's back (alright!).
MONDAY’S MOST CLICKED: The Hill’s report on a Capitol police officer testing positive for coronavirus was the big winner.
THE COUNTRY’S OTHER CRISIS -- Senior House Democrats held a conference call Monday to speak out against the rash of violence against Asian Americans in recent weeks. House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries and other top Democrats said the change needs to start at the top, calling on Trump and other officials to stop describing the coronavirus as “the Chinese virus.” “His consistent strategy has been when he’s under attack he attacks a group. So him coming after Asians right now I think is very consistent,” Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said of Trump.
Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) has introduced a resolution denouncing the anti-Asian rhetoric but it’s unclear when the House will meet to vote on the legislation given that both chambers are scheduled to be out until at least April 20. That prolonged recess could extend given new federal guidelines that are urging people to stay at home until April 30.
CORONAVIRUS OVERSIGHT -- Congress passed an economic relief bill — but now it has to be implemented. Kyle explains: “The nation's top government watchdogs on Monday appointed Glenn Fine, the acting inspector general for the Pentagon, to lead the newly created committee that oversees implementation of the $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill signed by President Donald Trump last week.
“Fine will lead a panel of fellow inspectors general, dubbed the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, and command an $80 million budget meant to 'promote transparency and support oversight' of the massive disaster response legislation. His appointment was made by a fellow committee of inspectors general, assigned by the new law to pick a chairman of the committee.
“Fine, who served as Justice Department inspector general from 2000 to 2011 … will join nine other inspectors general on the new committee. They include the IGs of the Departments of Defense, Education, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Justice, Labor, and the Treasury; the inspector general of the Small Business Administration; and the Treasury inspector general for Tax Administration.” The latest: https://politi.co/2UznsrD.
BATTLE FOR THE SENATE -- The 2020 presidential race might be frozen, but that hasn’t stopped super PACs from making moves in the fight for the Senate. WaPo with the story: “The largest Democratic super PAC focused on the U.S. Senate is reserving nearly $70 million in fall advertising time, offering an early clue as to how the party’s top strategists view the emerging Senate battlefield.
“The group, Senate Majority PAC, is making outsize investments in North Carolina and Iowa — two races featuring first-term Republican incumbents who have looked increasingly vulnerable in recent months. It is also making relatively modest investments in Colorado and Maine, two states that sit higher on the Democratic target list, indicating confidence in the party’s advantage in those races as well as the fundraising capacity of the candidates themselves.
“And while the group is making a major reservation in Arizona, where Democrats are keen to beat Republican Sen. Martha McSally a second time in two years, they are placing no early reservation in Alabama — where Sen. Doug Jones is widely viewed as the nation’s most vulnerable Democratic senator.” More from Mike DeBonis: https://wapo.st/2WXcjlG.
MAD OVER MASSIE -- It looks like Rep. Thomas Massie’s (R-Ky.) quest to force a recorded vote last week — and drag lawmakers back to D.C. in the midst of pandemic — could come back to bite him in a primary race. The latest from The Hill: “Republican Todd McMurtry is seizing on Rep. Thomas Massie’s (R-Ky.) attempt to hold up a more than $2 trillion coronavirus relief package to lend momentum to his primary bid against the four-term congressman.
“House leaders from both parties shut down Massie’s efforts, and the legislation ultimately passed by a voice vote. Nevertheless, the maneuver prompted outrage among Republicans, including Trump, who dubbed Massie a ‘disaster for America’ and called for the GOP to ‘throw Massie out’ of the party. McMurtry’s candidacy has now picked up steam in recent days, and he has ramped up attacks against Massie and won the endorsement of the Republican Jewish Coalition PAC, an influential group that rarely weighs in on primary races.” More from Max Greenwood: https://bit.ly/2xyqJ1g.
TRANSITIONS
Jed Dearborn has left the Hill for Cassidy & Associates, where he'll be a senior vice president. He was previously a senior counsel for the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and before that worked for Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wy.). He plans to register as a lobbyist.
TODAY IN CONGRESS
The House and Senate are OUT.
AROUND THE HILL
Virtual coffees.
TRIVIA
MONDAY’S WINNER: Heather Chapman was the first person to guess that the House Cannon Office Building added a fifth floor in 1913 because they ran out of office space.
TODAY’S QUESTION: From Heather: When debating the tenets of the Constitution with other Framers, Alexander Hamilton argued that senators should serve for how long? And why? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your best guess to [email protected].
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