17 things to know for today on coronavirus

Welcome to The Hill’s daily roundup of coronavirus news.

There are more than 816,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S., and nearly 44,000 deaths.

Congress and the White House passed legislation to expand emergency funding for small businesses hard hit by the coronavirus restrictions. The deal also directs more money to hospitals, as well as funding for coronavirus testing. The measure replenishes the popular Paycheck Protection Program that was depleted last week due to high demand.

Testing is essential to safely restarting the economy, and Democrats have pushed for dedicated money for more tests, as well as a separate fund for contact tracing. As a compromise, there’s dedicated testing money but it is also meant for contact tracing. The legislation now awaits passage in the House.

President Trump has made it clear that states will be mostly responsible for administering their own testing programs. States have to submit a plan for how they will use the money, but the federal government will need to spell out how it will provide assistance to states to expand testing capacity.

Here’s what you need to know for today.

In Congress

• The White House and Congress reached a bipartisan deal to extend funding for small business relief, as well as $25 billion for testing and contact tracing, which health experts say are crucial to reopening the economy. Read more here.
• The Senate passed the bill, but the House likely won’t vote until Thursday, as lawmakers are expected to return to Washington for a recorded vote. Jordain Carney has more details.
• House Republicans are pushing back against a Democratic proposal to allow lawmakers to vote by proxy. Juliegrace Brufke and Mike Lillis have the story.
• Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) wants a plan to safely reopen Congress and allow members to get back to work on Capitol Hill, despite the pandemic. Read the full story from Juliegrace here.
• On the Senate side, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) said it is “unacceptable” that Congress has not been in session amid the coronavirus crisis. Jordain Carney reports.

In states

• Georgia is facing pressure to reconsider its early move to reopen its economy, with criticism from GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, who said the state was moving “too fast, too soon.” Read more here.
• New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) went to the White House to meet with Trump about testing. Cuomo says the federal government should take on a larger role in trying to resolve supply chain issues that are proving a barrier to achieving widespread testing. Read more from Jessie Hellmann here.
• The GOP-led Wisconsin legislature is suing Gov. Tony Evers (D), and wants the state Supreme Court to temporarily block enforcement of his stay-at-home order just days after he extended the directive through May 26. Justin Wise has more.
• Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) isn’t taking kindly to Trump’s apparent endorsement of public protests against social distancing measures, saying the president is “fomenting some violence.” Zack Budryk has the story.
• New York City will create its own stockpile of medical supplies purchased from outside vendors, after Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) said the city “can’t depend on the federal government.” Justine Coleman reports here.
• Health officials in Milwaukee have identified seven people who contracted COVID-19 after Wisconsin’s in-person primary election earlier this month. Marty Johnson has the story.

Nationwide

• A new analysis found that hydroxychloroquine, a drug touted by Trump, had no benefit in coronavirus patients. The study has not yet been peer-reviewed or officially published. Nathaniel Weixel reports.
• The Food and Drug Administration authorized the first coronavirus test that can be collected at home, helping to ease the burden on protective equipment for health workers. Peter Sullivan reports.
• Reid Wilson spoke with 10 health care workers on the front lines of the coronavirus fight about what the struggle is like. Read more here.
• Sixty-five percent of Americans said they don’t think gatherings of 10 or more people will be safe until the end of June or later. Rebecca Klar reports.
• Interesting timing: The director of the agency working on vaccine development is leaving his post, moving to a similar, but smaller role. Nathaniel Weixel reports.
• In not encouraging news: The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that the second wave of the coronavirus, in the winter, could be even worse because it will coincide with flu season. Zack Budryk reports.