The Hill’s Morning Report – At long last, Congress reaches COVID-19 relief deal

 

 

 

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Total U.S. coronavirus deaths reported this morning: 317,684. 

Finally, a deal. 

 

Congressional leaders on Sunday struck an agreement on a mammoth package to provide coronavirus relief funding and fund the government until October, marking the months-long culmination of up-and-down negotiations that plagued lawmakers to the end.

 

The overall package includes $900 billion in virus relief funds, which were out of reach for lawmakers dating back to July, when talks on a fifth coronavirus-related bill started in earnest. The stimulus spending will be attached to a $1.4 trillion omnibus bill to fund the government for fiscal 2021, bringing the overall price tag of the package to $2.3 trillion. 

 

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced the deal on Sunday evening, lauding it as “another major rescue package for the American people.” 

 

“For the information of all senators and more importantly for the American people, we can finally report what our nation has needed to hear for a very long time: More help is on the way,” McConnell said on the Senate floor. “At long last, we have the bipartisan breakthrough the country has needed.”

 

The deal was also confirmed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who said in a joint statement that the bill will help the U.S. “crush the virus” despite its recent acceleration. 

 

Both chambers of Congress are set to vote on the monstrous package today. In order to stave off a temporary government shutdown before the Christmas holiday, Congress passed a one-day continuing resolution (CR) late Sunday (The Hill). 

 

The Washington Post: Lawmakers reach deal on nearly $900 billion virus relief package.

 

The Associated Press: Congress seals agreement on $900 billion COVID relief bill.

 

 

 

 

As The Hill’s Jordain Carney details, the agreement includes funding for a number of bipartisan issues, headlined by another round of small-business aid through the Paycheck Protection Program, $600-per-person direct checks — down from $1,200 in the CARES Act in March — and monies for schools, coronavirus testing and vaccine distribution (The Hill). 

 

The bill did not include two of the big-ticket items each party had clamored for: Funding for state and local governments, a Democratic priority, and a liability shield, which McConnell had described as a must until recent weeks. 

 

The agreement came together after Schumer and Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) struck a deal late Saturday night on federal emergency lending facilities, which was the last major snag in talks (The Hill). 

 

The bicameral, bipartisan deal also received the support of President Trump on Sunday night. Ben Williamson, a White House spokesman, told The Morning Report that they “look forward to Congress sending a bill to his desk imminently for signature.”

 

Not all lawmakers or entities were overjoyed by the bill that emerged on Sunday. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who pushed for $1,200 checks alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), called inclusion of the $600 direct payments “hardly adequate” but also a “step in the right direction.” The Independent Restaurant Coalition added in a statement that the legislation falls “woefully short” in delivering aid to an industry that has been hammered by the pandemic 

 

The Hill: What is in the $900 billion coronavirus relief bill.

 

The New York Times: Surprise medical bills cost Americans millions. Congress is finally set to ban most of them.

 

The Washington Post: White House secures “three martini lunch” tax deduction in draft of coronavirus relief package.

 

CNBC: Dow futures drop as lawmakers reach last-minute stimulus deal.

 

The new round of stimulus funding is the first COVID-19-related legislation that will pass Congress dating back to March. In May, the House passed the $3.4 trillion HEROES Act it had hoped would become the baseline of talks to come, but McConnell was unmoved, having instituted a “pause” in talks early that month. Subsequently, both chambers passed messaging bills. The House passed a $2.2 trillion version of the HEROES Act, with the Senate passing multiple “targeted” packages with a price tag of roughly $500 billion.

 

Talks picked up in earnest when a bipartisan group of lawmakers proposed a $908 billion bill after Thanksgiving, serving as the basis in talks in recent weeks. Negotiations on the legislation set to pass came together after McConnell, Pelosi, Schumer and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) convened for hours of talks on Tuesday, setting the tone for Sunday’s announcement.

 

The Hill: Congress to approve $1.375 billion for border wall in 2021.

 

 

 

 

More in Congress … Congress is preparing for an end-of-year clash with the president over the National Defense Authorization Act as Trump vows to veto the bill and leaders in both the House and Senate make it clear they would vote to override. The fight is poised to set up a rare post-Christmas vote if Trump drags out the veto until Dec. 23 and lawmakers have to vote before noon on Jan. 3 (The Hill).

LEADING THE DAY

CORONAVIRUS: The next phase of the fight against the novel coronavirus takes shape this week as Moderna’s vaccine will start being used today to inoculate Americans and help move the country past the pandemic that continues to worsen ahead of Christmas.

 

On Sunday, Moderna’s vaccine departed on trucks from Olive Branch, Miss., with the initial shipments going out to hospitals across the U.S. The first shots will go out only three days after it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization (The Associated Press).

 

The developments surrounding the Moderna shot gives the U.S. a major boost exactly a week after Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine was initially dispersed and given to health care workers and nursing home residents. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, initial shots of Pfizer’s two-dose vaccine went out to 556,000 Americans, with 7.9 million additional doses (5.9 million of Moderna’s vaccine, 2 million of Pfizer’s) being distributed over the coming week, according to Moncef Slaoui, the chief science adviser to Operation Warp Speed (The Wall Street Journal).

 

“We are increasing the level of communication with the governors in order to make sure that there are no mistakes that happen or miscommunication,” Slaoui told CNN’s “State of the Union,” addressing reports from some states that they have not received the promised shipments of the vaccine yet. 

 

“We all made the error or mistake of assuming that vaccine that’s actually produced and being released is already available for shipment, when, in fact, there is a two-days lag between the time at which we generate a lot of data that shows this vaccine vial is actually safe and right and the time we can ship it,” Slaoui said (The Hill). 

 

 

 

 

The line for individuals to receive the vaccine became increasingly clear on Sunday as a federal advisory panel recommended that people 75 and older and essential workers — such as firefighters, teachers and grocery store workers — become the next to do so. By a 13-1 vote, the panel decided that those 75 and up (about 20 million total ) — and essential workers (30 million total) should receive the vaccine.

 

Officials remain hopeful that 20 million doses will go out by the end of the year despite the distribution issues that plagued the first week. However, that’s not the only issue facing the mass vaccination effort as public health officials and social media giants scramble to combat COVID-19 misinformation.

 

As The Hill’s Nathanial Weixel and Chris Mills Rodrigo write, health experts say at least 70 percent of the country needs to be vaccinated in order for the country to achieve herd immunity. However, authorities face an uphill climb. Namely, they need to convince the public to get vaccinated after the swift production and approval of the various shots and shoot down misinformation from anti-vaxxers and conspiracy theorists. 

 

The Associated Press: President-elect Joe Biden to receive COVID-19 vaccine, Trump remains on sidelines.

 

The Hill: Surgeon general: Immigration status should not be barrier to receiving COVID-19 vaccine.

 

The Hill: Surgeon general nominee says more contagious viral strain in United Kingdom does not appear to be deadlier. 

 

CNBC: Belgium, Austria, Italy, Netherlands halt UK flights, fearing new coronavirus variant.

 

Despite the presence of the vaccine, travel is expected to be as intense this week as anytime during the pandemic. However, as Alex Gangitano writes, it will also hopefully serve as the final blow to the travel industry, which has seen Americans travel in record-low numbers dating back to mid-March. On Friday and Saturday, the Transportation Security Administration reported that more than 1 million travelers made their way through security checkpoints at airports (ABC News).

 

The Hill: Businesses see transformed landscape even after vaccines. 

IN FOCUS/SHARP TAKES

POLITICS/NEW ADMINISTRATION: The president is unlikely to announce another White House bid before Jan. 20 as he is set to leave the White House, but he continues to air out conspiracy theories and allegations of voter fraud, and holds out hope of flipping the election result. 

 

According to Axios, Trump is moving away from the possibility of launching a presidential bid by the Jan. 20 inauguration of Biden, afraid that doing so would give the impression that he would be giving up his efforts to overturn Biden’s win. Delaying also gives him the ability to avoid Federal Election Commission paperwork for the foreseeable future and puts fewer restrictions on millions of dollars he has raised since Election Day and how it can be spent. 

 

However, Trump’s machinations in the coming months will remain under the keen eye of political watchers, as The Hill’s Niall Stanage writes about in his latest Memo. It also creates a sticky situation for some of his staunchest allies, who don’t want to draw his ire by acknowledging his defeat. 

 

While the wait is on for Biden’s inauguration, the more immediate concern for national Republicans is the looming floor fight on Jan. 6, when a joint session of Congress meets to certify the Electoral College results. The main problem: Top Republicans believe it is horrible politics to keep up what is a futile effort to prevent Biden from taking office. 

 

As Jonathan Easley points out, McConnell has urged Senate Republicans not to support the effort by Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) or any other House members looking to object on certification day. Trump, though, is continuing a pressure campaign on conservative lawmakers to do so, saying in a radio interview on Sunday morning that he spoke on Saturday night with Sen.-elect Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) (seen below). Last week, Tuberville hinted during a campaign appearance in Georgia that he would back Trump’s effort on the floor.

 

GOP strategists remain hopeful that the Kentucky Republican can squash the insurgency, arguing that it hurts the party’s brand moving forward as they stare into a tough 2022 map.

 

For now, the Georgia runoffs remain the priority for the party. Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) tweeted on Sunday that Trump will return to the state to rally voters on Jan. 4 — the eve of the elections.

 

CNN: Sidney Powell back at the White House Sunday night.

 

The Hill: GOP lawmakers are showing up more frequently on Newsmax.

 

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Trump campaign brings new Supreme Court challenge over Pennsylvania’s 2020 election.

 

 

 

 

> Biden under pressure: After four years of watching Republicans reshape the judiciary with conservative judges, progressive activists are pushing Biden to similarly prioritize filling judicial positions and to bring more professional diversity, as most jurists are former prosecutors and corporate lawyers. 

 

As The Hill’s Harper Neidig writes, progressives want more judges who have cut their teeth as public interest or civil rights advocates, arguing that they would help level the playing field in a legal system that favors the wealthy and powerful. Since Trump took office, Republicans have confirmed 234 judicial nominees to vacancies, including the three Supreme Court picks who received the lion’s share of the attention.

 

While Democrats want Biden to reverse much of Trump’s work across government, there is one entity that is likely here to stay: Space Force.

 

As Rebecca Kheel writes, although the new branch of the military — which celebrated its first anniversary on Sunday — has been fodder for humor in recent years, it is unlikely to go anywhere, as it would require congressional action and enjoys bipartisan backing. Biden’s team has not yet unveiled its plans for the entity.

 

The Hill: Biden assembles team to enact ambitious climate agenda.

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OPINION

Why are COVID-19 antibody drugs sitting on shelves? By Scott Gottlieb and Mark McClellan, opinion contributors, The Wall Street Journal. https://on.wsj.com/3nBOCKd 

 

Farewell to Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), one of the vital few, by George F. Will, columnist, The Washington Post. https://wapo.st/3h5mqNk 

WHERE AND WHEN

The House meets at 9 a.m.

 

The Senate will convene at noon.

 

The president has no public events scheduled.

 

Vice President Pence will lead a teleconference with higher education chancellors & presidents at 11:30 a.m., a coronavirus task force meeting at 2 p.m., and a video teleconference with governors on COVID-19.

 

Biden will receive the Presidential Daily Brief before taking the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will headline campaign events in Gwinnett County, Ga., and Columbus, Ga.

 

Hill.TV’s “Rising” program features news and interviews at http://digital-release.thehill.com/hilltv or on YouTube at 10:30 a.m. EST at Rising on YouTube. 

ELSEWHERE

➔ CYBERSECURITY: Despite presidential skepticism, senators and experts expressed confidence on Sunday that Russia was behind the cyberattack on a number of federal agencies. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, criticized Trump’s refusal to name Russia as the culprit despite mounting evidence. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) added that the situation warranted a proportional response “or greater” (The Hill). … As The Hill’s Maggie Miller and Laura Kelly write, Russia has long been viewed by the U.S. as a threat in cyberspace. But following the recent intrusion, questions are being raised over how the federal government was so completely blindsided by an attack many experts have seen coming.

 

➔ TECH: Facebook’s feud with Apple is coming to a head over a dispute about Apple’s new privacy feature that would limit the reach of targeted ads, highlighting the contrasting but symbiotic nature of the two tech giants’ business models (The Hill).  

 

➔ SPORTS: The National Hockey League officially announced its return to the ice on Sunday with plans to start a 56-game regular season on Jan. 13 and hand out the Stanley Cup in July. In a major change this season, each team will only compete against teams in their respective division, spurred by the creation of a division of only Canadian teams due to travel restrictions and the minimization of travel due to the pandemic (ESPN). 

THE CLOSER

And finally … They didn’t win, but Charlie Woods (and his father, Tiger Woods) stole the show.

 

Charlie Woods, 11, and his father shot a 10-under-par 62 at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, playing a scramble format, to finish seventh. The father-son duo finished five strokes behind Justin Thomas and his father, Mike Thomas, the winning pair. However, the event was not about winning as much as it was about the pair playing in an event together, which is a rarity.

 

“It was incredibly special for us to have the opportunity to spend the quality time we had,” said Woods, who was a surprise commit to the event, which is for major champions and their family members. “It’s memories we’ll have for our entire lives” (ESPN).