14 Senators wrote to CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure asking CMS to implement the new state plan option authority granted by Congress in the American Rescue Plan (ARP) to provide 12 months of postpartum Medicaid coverage.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote to 11 major corporate landlords asking them to commit to helping tenants obtain emergency rental assistance before initiating any eviction proceedings. Warren’s letter came in advance of the July 31, 2021 expiration of the CDC’s eviction moratorium. Warren noted that the expiration of the moratorium threatens to lead to a wave of evictions if landlords evict tenants before they receive federal rental assistance.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis sent requests for documents and transcribed interviews to three former Trump Administration political appointees and eight current and former public health officials involved in the Trump Administration’s COVID-19 response efforts. The requests came amid the release of an updated Select Subcommittee staff analysis documenting at least 88 incidents of the Trump Administration’s political interference in COVID-19 response, including 27 incidents that have been identified since the Select Subcommittee’s previous Oct. 2020 staff analysis. Letters were sent to former Trump advisors and career CDC officials, namely: Amanda Campbell (Former Deputy Chief of Staff, CDC); Kyle McGowan (Former Chief of Staff, CDC); Nina Witkofsky (Former Acting Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor, CDC); Dr. Nancy Messonnier (Former Director, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, CDC); and Dr. Anne Schuchat (Former Principal Deputy Director, CDC). Letters were also sent to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky requesting interviews with: Jay Butler (Deputy Director of Infectious Diseases, CDC); Christine Casey (Editor, MMWR, CDC); Kate Galatas (Deputy Director for Communications, CDC); Bill Hall (Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, HHS); Michael Iademarco (Director of Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services, CDC); and Max Weber (Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, HHS).

The Senate Finance Committee wrote to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig asking him to prioritize making improvements to the IRS Non-filer Sign-up Tool. The committee expressed concerns about the technological and design constraints on the portal that may prevent vulnerable communities from applying for the Child Tax Credit program. The committee noted that the Covid-19 pandemic made it clear that many Americans only access the internet via mobile devices, yet the IRS portal is not optimized to work on mobile devices or in languages other than English.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee wrote to Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock requesting information about the impact Covid-19 has had on inspections of drug manufacturing facilities. The committee also requested information on what actions the FDA has taken, or plans to take, to mitigate future delays of drug approval decisions.

Sen. Ed Markey wrote to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky asking for information on steps the CDC is taking to ensure that Americans have the most comprehensive, accurate, and up-to-date information on Covid-19 breakthrough cases (i.e., of fully vaccinated people testing positive for Covid-19). Markey noted that as of June, 4,000 fully-vaccinated MA residents have tested positive for Covid-19.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney wrote to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo urging him to take steps to protect renters and to quickly process emergency rental assistance. Maloney also suggested that New York extend its eviction moratorium until the Emergency Rental Assistance Program is able to process and disburse funds to the thousands of applicants whose applications are still pending decisions. The 2020 Coronavirus Relief Package and the American Rescue Plan provided approximately $2.3 billion in rental assistance funds to New York.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis wrote to four corporate landlords with high eviction rates during the Covid-19 pandemic—Invitation Homes, Pretium Partners, Ventron Management, and The Siegel Group—requesting information pertaining to their alleged failure to comply with eviction moratoria or to cooperate with rental assistance programs during the pandemic. The letters to the four companies can be found here: https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2021-07-19.Clyburn%20to%20Invitation%20Homes%20re%20Pandemic%20Evictions.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2021-07-19.Clyburn%20to%20Pretium%20Partners%20re%20Pandemic%20Evictions.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2021-07-19.Clyburn%20to%20Ventron%20Management%20re%20Pandemic%20Evictions.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2021-07-19.Clyburn%20to%20Siegel%20Group%20re%20Pandemic%20Evictions.pdf.

Seven Senate Democrats wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Acting Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Brian Boynton asking them to examine potential falsified Paycheck Protection Program applications made by companies in the firearm industry. The senators noted that despite gun makers claiming record demand and rising sales, the industry received over $156 million in PPP funds from SBA.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis and the House Small Business Committee wrote to SBA Administrator Isabella Guzman requesting documents and information on how SBA sought to prevent personnel from enabling fraud in the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. The letter came after reports that SBA employees and contractors intentionally aided in the distribution of fraudulent federal loans.

A bicameral group of Democrats wrote to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona requesting information about what actions the Department of Education planned to take to support student loan borrowers in default as the scheduled end of paused student loan payments, collections, and interest approaches in October 2021.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey wrote to Pres. Joe Biden sharing the results of their inquiry into federal loan servicers’ preparations for the resumption of student loan payments, and reiterating the call to extend the current pandemic-induced pause on payments and interest until at least March 31, 2022.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland and FTC Chair Lina Khan urging the DOJ and FTC to use authorities granted under the Covid-19 Consumer Protection Act to investigate how Amazon’s search and sponsorship algorithms may be misleading customers who are seeking products authorized by the FDA during the Covid-19 pandemic.

A bipartisan group of senators wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging him to explore all viable options to support Covid-19 vaccination efforts for the nine million Americans living abroad.

A bicameral group of Democrats wrote to Pres. Joe Biden urging him to act swiftly to extend the current pause on payments and interest for federally-held student loans. The members noted that even before the Covid-19 pandemic, roughly one million student loan borrowers were defaulting on their loans every year.

The Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee wrote to CFPB Acting Director Dave Uejio urging him to put in place better protections for homeowners who could lose their homes to foreclosure. Sens. Sherrod Brown and Elizabeth Warren asked CFPB to establish a uniform servicing standard that provides protections for all homeowners exiting a coronavirus-related forbearance to ensure fair treatment and equitable outcomes for all homeowners.

Delaware’s congressional delegation wrote to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra urging him to qualify the rural, non-profit hospital TidalHealth Nanticoke in Seaford, Delaware for its fair share of the relief funds included in the American Rescue Plan that were set aside for rural healthcare providers. The delegation asked Becerra to review HHS guidance for allocating this funding.

The House Oversight Committee and the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis wrote to AstraZeneca CEO and Executive Director Pascal Soriot and Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky as part of their investigation into manufacturing problems that plagued the Bayview facility of Emergent Biosolutions, which manufactured both the AZ and J&J vaccines. Emergent’s Covid-19 vaccine manufacturing deals with AZ and J&J went forward despite multiple audits and inspections citing deficient controls at Emergent’s Bayview facility that could lead to contamination. The subcommittee requested documents, contracts, communications, and other information from AZ and J&J as they continue investigating Emergent. The letters to AZ and J&J can be found here: https://oversight.house.gov/sites/democrats.oversight.house.gov/files/2021-06-22.CBM%20JEC%20to%20Soriot-AstraZeneca%20re%20Emergent..pdf; https://oversight.house.gov/sites/democrats.oversight.house.gov/files/2021-06-22.CBM%20JEC%20to%20Gorsky-Johnson%20%26%20Johnson%20re%20Emergent.pdf

A bicameral group of Democrats wrote to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy urging them to include childcare in the upcoming infrastructure funding package that better reflects the scale and scope of needed support. The members noted that the Covid-19 pandemic has made clear that childcare is essential infrastructure, and asked that the next funding package include at least $700 billion over ten years in direct spending for long-term, structural investments in childcare.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey, and Tina Smith wrote to the CEOs of all federal student loan servicers seeking information about the steps the companies are taking to transition millions of federal student loan borrowers back into repayments once the pause on student loan payments and interest ends in October 2021. While millions of borrowers were granted relief from student loan payments and interest during the pandemic, the senators expressed concern that many risk being throw into financial hardship when their payments resume. Warren, Markey, and Smith also expressed support for cancelling $50,000 of debt for each borrower.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Tammy Baldwin, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Bernie Sanders wrote to PhRMA President and CEO Stephen Ubl requesting information about the scope of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America’s lobbying efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic to prevent the implementation of key policies — including the negotiation of prescription drug prices in the Medicare Part D program — that would lower drug costs for millions of Americans.

A bicameral group of Democrats wrote to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer urging them to include policies to end the country’s maternal mortality crisis and eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in maternal health outcomes in the next relief package.

Reps. Carolyn Maloney, Kathleen Rice, Thomas Suozzi, and Gregory Meeks wrote to JPMorgan Chase Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon to express concern about high overdraft fees JPMorgan Chase charged to consumers in New York during the Covid-19 pandemic. The members urged JPMorgan to refund the overdraft fees charged to consumers during the pandemic and to stop charging these fees in the future.

A bipartisan group of senators wrote to SBA Administrator Isabella Guzman urging her agency to take immediate action to ensure that the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program reaches eligible applicants without further delay.

Eight Senate Democrats wrote to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Acting ICE Director Tae Johnson urging DHS and ICE to issue new guidance for all ICE field offices and facilities to not re-detain individuals who were released due to Covid-19 concerns. The senators expressed concern that more than 3,700 individuals who were formerly detained by ICE, then released due to Covid-19 concerns, are now being threatened with re-detention.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Chris Murphy, and Reps. Katie Porter and Mark Pocan, wrote to Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla expressing concern about public statements indicating that Pfizer would significantly raise the price of its Covid-19 vaccine once the pandemic subsides. The members requested that Bourla provide answers to questions pertaining to the potential price hike.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote to Gilead Sciences Chairman and CEO Daniel O’Day inviting him to testify before the Senate Committee on Finance on June 16, 2021. Early during the pandemic, Gilead’s antiviral drug, remdesivir, was identified as a useful treatment for severe Covid-19; the price for remdesivir remains high, even though subsequent research on the drug has revealed that the drug does not have a meaningful effect on Covid-19 survival.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis wrote to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, DOD contractor Crowley Logistics, and DOD subcontractor Yellow Corporation seeking information and documents related to their investigation into a $700 million loan awarded by Treasury as part of a program intended to support companies critical to maintaining national security during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Congressional Oversight Commission has previously reported that Yellow was “not critical to maintaining national security,” and that the company was subject to an active lawsuit by DOJ for knowingly overcharging DOD and allegedly making false statements to cover up that scheme. Despite this, Treasury approved the loan in July 2020. The letters to Treasury, DOD, Crowley Logistics, and Yellow can be found here: https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2021-06-03.Clyburn%20to%20Yellen%20re%20Treasury%20Nat%20Sec%20Loans.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2021-06-03.Clyburn%20to%20Austin%20re%20DoD%20Nat%20Sec%20Loans.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2021-06-03.Clyburn%20to%20Crowley%20and%20Bennett%20re%20Crowley%20Nat%20Sec%20Loans%20%281%29.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2021-06-03.Clyburn%20to%20Hawkins%20re%20Yellow%20Nat%20Sec%20Loans%20%281%29.pdf

The House Oversight and Reform Committee wrote to 10 Inspectors Generals asking them to assess cyber vulnerabilities created or exacerbated by their respective departments’ and agencies’ use of telework systems during the Covid-19 pandemic, and whether those vulnerabilities have been mitigated.

20 Senators wrote to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge, and Acting FEC Chairwoman Jennifer Rosenworcel requesting that USDA and HUD work with FEC to improve broadband connectivity and to promote the Lifeline universal service program. The senators noted that the pandemic made it clear that affordable and reliable broadband is critical to accessing education, healthcare, and other essential services.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis wrote to financial technology (FinTech) firms and partner banks seeking documents related to their handling of Paycheck Protection Program loans. The requests came in light of reports linking FinTech companies and bank partners to a disproportionate number of fraudulent PPP loan cases. The letters to Kabbage, Inc., BlueVine, Cross River Bank, and Celtic Bank can be found here: https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2021-05-27.Clyburn%20to%20Kabbage%20re%20FinTech%20PPP%20Fraud.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2021-05-27.Clyburn%20to%20BlueVine%20re%20FinTech%20PPP%20Fraud.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2021-05-27.Clyburn%20to%20Cross%20River%20re%20FinTech%20PPP%20Fraud.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2021-05-27.Clyburn%20to%20Celtic%20Bank%20re%20FinTech%20PPP%20Fraud.pdf

The House Energy and Commerce Committee wrote to Facebook, Twitter, and Google requesting a briefing as part of its investigation into the spread of false and misleading information regarding Covid-19 on social media and tech platforms. The letters to Facebook, Twitter, and Google and can be found here: https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/Facebook%20Letter%20re%20COVID%20Misinformation.pdf; https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/Twitter%20Letter%20re%20COVID%20Misinformation.pdf; https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/Google%20Letter%20re%20COVID%20Misinformation.pdf

The Senate Finance Committee wrote to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen urging the Treasury Department to provide flexibility in the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Final Rule to ensure underserved communities are not inadvertently denied broadband funding.

The House Oversight and Reform Committee wrote to Acting OPM Director Kathleen McGettigan urging OPM to place the safety of federal and contractor personnel at the forefront of any discussion in which OPM engages regarding how and when to bring employees back to their physical worksites.

13 Senate Democrats wrote to Aysha Schumburg, Associate Commissioner of the Children’s Bureau (Administration for Children and Families, HHS), asking HHS to ensure that youth currently in and transitioning out of the foster care system receive the support and resources they need to thrive, particularly as they navigate challenges stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic. The senators asked Schumburg to work with states, tribes, and territories to ensure that children and youth in foster care have high quality placements and trauma-informed care.

Public Citizen wrotw to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky expressing concern regarding the CDC’s recently revised guidance on mask wearing by people fully vaccinated for Covid-19. Public Citizen noted that the abruptly issued guidance has created widespread confusion across the country and engendered criticism from public health and medical experts. Public Citizen urged the CDC to convene an advisory committee to reconsider the recent changes to the agency’s mask guidance, and to ensure that any future announcements about loosening Covid-19 guidelines be examined by such an advisory committee prior to implementation.

Massachusetts’ congressional delegation wrote to Gov. Charlie Baker asking him to equitably distribute federal aid to communities that have been hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sens. Mike Braun and Chuck Grassley wrote to PRAC Chair Michael Horowitz asking the PRAC to conduct an audit or investigation into FEMA’s Funeral Assistance Program.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis wrote to SBA Administrator Isabella Guzman seeking documents pertaining to their investigation into a $750 million contract that the Trump administration awarded to RER Solutions to manage aspects of the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. The subcommittee obtained evidence that political appointees in the Trump administration may have been involved in a decision to substantially expand the scope of RER’s contract without a competitive bidding process. As a result, more than $360 million in taxpayer monies were funneled to a subcontractor, Rocket Loans, and its affiliate, Rapid Finance.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee wrote to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra asking him to restore the FDA’s premarket review authority and oversight over Covid-19 laboratory developed tests (LDTs). In October 2020, the committee wrote to then-HHS Secretary Alex Azar expressing concern over his decision to remove the FDA’s authority to require premarket review of Covid-19 LDTs.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein asked CDC Director Rochelle Walensky to publish detailed guidance on how the public can best protect itself from airborne transmission of Covid-19, especially when indoors. In June 2020, Feinstein asked then-CDC Director Robert Redfield to publish guidance that accounts for asymptomatic spread and airborne transmission.

Sens. Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal wrote to CEOs of ten major airlines urging them to make all Covid-19 pandemic-related flight credits valid indefinitely. Markey and Blumenthal noted that many airlines denied consumers the cash refunds they deserve, and are instead issuing temporary flight credits that are now beginning to expire, despite the ongoing public health emergency.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis wrote to Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell seeking documents related to the Fed’s implementation of the Main Street Lending Program and the Municipal Liquidity Facility. The subcommittee is seeking information about whether these programs reduce unemployment, and what additional steps the Fed is taking to improve the country’s economic recovery and identify lessons learned for future relief efforts.

Four Senate Democrats sent a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona requesting information about the steps the Department of Education and the Office of Federal Student Aid are taking to help transition millions of federal student loan borrowers back into repayment ahead of the scheduled end of paused student loan payments and interest in September. The CARES Act paused student loan payments for millions of borrowers.

Nine Senate Democrats sent a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra asking him to use new funding authorized in the American Rescue Plan Act and his authority under the Public Health Services Act to help manage Covid-19 outbreaks in federal, state, and local correctional facilities. The senators asked HHS to provide weekly Covid-19 testing to incarcerated individuals and correctional staff; expand vaccine access to these populations; and require federal, state, and local correctional facilities to collect and publicize detailed demographic data on Covid-19 testing and vaccinations. In April 2021, a group of public health professionals wrote to HHS with a similar request: https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Letter%20to%20HHS_04.19.pdf

Five Senate Democrats sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell urging them to include additional long-term funding for elementary and secondary schools in the next Covid-19 relief package.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein wrote a letter to NIH Director Francis Collins asking NIH to include analysis on whether sex/gender differences and their intersections with race/ethnicity influence Covid-19 research outcomes at NIH. Feinstein noted that while studies have shown no difference in the likelihood of Covid-19 infection among men and women, men are associated with higher risk of severe Covid-19 outcomes compared with women, suggesting fundamental sex/gender differences in immune response to infection.

Five Senate Democrats sent letters to the CEOs of Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson requesting information on their plans to expand access to Covid-19 vaccines and vaccine manufacturing capacity around the world. The requests came as India reported 350,000 new Covid-19 cases in a single day. The letters to Pfizer, Moderna, and J&J can be found here: https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2021.04.28%20Letter%20to%20Pfizer%20re%20India%20COVID%20outbreak.pdf; https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2021.04.28%20Letter%20to%20Moderna%20re%20India%20COVID%20outbreak%20.pdf; https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2021.04.28%20Letter%20to%20J&J%20re%20India%20COVID%20outbreak%20(1).pdf

Sen. Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging his administration to leverage all tools and resources available to provide Covid-19 relief to India. Sen. Warren asked Pres. Biden to explore all options to direct resources to India, including by prioritizing the production of ventilators, PPE, and vaccine materials for shipment to the country.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to SEC Chair Gary Gensler urging his agency to investigate Robert Kramer, president and CEO of Emergent BioSolutions, for potential insider trading. A new report based on SEC filings suggested that Kramer dumped $10 million worth of Emergent stock in January and February 2021 prior to the public disclosure of significant problems at the company’s Maryland facility. Emergent was the contract manufacturer for the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine; in March 2021, millions of doses of J&J were ruined due to accidental cross-contamination during its production process at a plant operated by Emergent. The error significantly delayed the country’s production of Covid-19 vaccines, and caused Emergent’s stock value to decline by nearly 50 percent.

Fifteen Senate Democrats sent a letter to President Joe Biden seeking information about OSHA’s delay in issuing an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS). The senators also asked Biden to release the ETS as soon as possible to address the heightened risks faced by frontline workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. On his first day in office, Biden issued an executive order calling on the Labor Department to “consider whether any emergency temporary standards on COVID-19, including with respect to masks in the workplace, are necessary, and if such standards are determined to be necessary, issue them by March 15, 2021.” To date, OSHA has not issued an ETS.

The Senate Judiciary Committee asked Attorney General Merrick Garland to rescind a Trump-era OLC opinion that would force individuals in home confinement to return to prison following the Covid-19 pandemic. The committee noted that the CARES Act does not require or permit BOP to recall these prisoners.

Sen. Dick Durbin wrote to Illinois education professionals warning about the risks of for-profit colleges. As the Covid-19 pandemic has interrupted in-person learning, Durbin noted that for-profit private colleges have seen an enrollment increase of 3.9 percent this spring; despite only enrolling 8 percent of post-secondary students, for-profit college students account for 30 percent of all federal student loan defaults. Durbin urged Illinois education professionals to work with local community colleges and other not-for-profit institutions to ensure students have information on quality and affordable post-secondary education options.

A bicameral group of Democrats wrote to Pres. Joe Biden asking him to include at least $700 billion for universal childcare in the American Families Plan. The members noted that childcare providers have been operating at razor-thin margins, having experienced closures, reduced enrollment, and increased operating costs throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

A bicameral group of Democrats sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to include substantial and permanent unemployment insurance (UI) reform in the upcoming American Family Plan.

Sens. Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley, Mike Crapo, and James Risch wrote to Acting OMB Director Shalanda Young urging her to include the creation of a permanent national endowment fund for the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program in OMB’s 2022 budget request. The senators noted that funding for the SRS has lapsed or decreased in recent years, creating financial instability for counties. Moreover, the economic downturn caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has made funding certainty for rural communities essential. An endowment fund for the SRS to make the program permanent would provide that certainty.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin and Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism Subcommittee Chairman Cory Booker wrote to Ranking Member Chuck Grassley and Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism Subcommittee Ranking Member Tom Cotton addressing their recent letter requesting that either the Judiciary Committee or Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism Subcommittee hold hearings to address hate crimes and discrimination against Asian Americans. Durbin and Booker argued that there is already ample evidence of hate crimes and extremist violence against this group, and that they would not support efforts to delay or derail floor consideration of the Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act. Durbin and Booker noted that Grassley and Cotton sent their request to hold such hearings only after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer filed cloture on the Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act. Sens. Durbin and Booker stressed the need to pass the Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act without delay.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis wrote to Emergent BioSolutions President and CEO Robert Kramer and Executive Chairman Fuad El-Hibri requesting that they testify before the subcommittee on May 19, 2021. The requests were part of the subcommittee’s new investigation into whether Emergent leveraged its relationship with a key Trump administration official to profit from federal contracts, despite a track record of raising prices and failing to meet contract requirements, and whether these actions impeded the federal response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The letters to Kramer and El-Hibri can be found here: https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2021-04-19.Clyburn%20to%20Kramer%20re%20Witness%20Invitation%20.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2021-04-19.Clyburn%20to%20El-Hibri%20re%20Witness%20Invitation%20.pdf

Sen. Dianne Feinstein wrote to Acting CFPB Director David Uejio urging CFPB to help Californians harmed by possible mismanagement of unemployment benefits by Bank of America. At least $11 billion was paid to applicants with fraudulent unemployment claims last year, which led BoA to incorrectly freeze benefits to many legitimate claimants in California until the matter was resolved. Feinstein pointed to the potential harm this caused claimants, especially amidst the unemployment crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ten Senate Democrats wrote to Pres. Joe Biden urging him to publicly support a temporary patent waiver for Covid-19 vaccines that would allow countries to manufacture treatments locally. The senators argued that such a waiver would help expedite the global vaccination effort and save lives. The senators also noted that while wealthy nations have been able to purchase more vaccines, the WHO’s COVAX effort has been unable to increase the global vaccine supply to the necessary level.

Reps. Joaquin Castro and Ted Lieu, and Sens. Alex Padilla and Elizabeth Warren, urged Pres. Joe Biden to prioritize the inclusion of the Citizenship for Essential Workers Act (H.R. 1909/S. 747), which would create a pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrant essential workers, as part of the American Families Plan and legislative package on jobs and infrastructure. The members pointed to the critical role immigrant essential workers played in U.S. society during the Covid-19 pandemic, over five million of whom are undocumented.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis released documents obtained as part of its ongoing investigation into the Trump administration’s political interference in the Covid-19 response and its haphazard efforts to obtain critical medical supplies. The documents included communications illustrating administration officials bragging about influencing the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports, attacking CDC’s guidance for schools and universities, and pushing a “herd immunity” strategy to combat the virus. The documents also showed that Trump administration officials often used personal email accounts for government work. The acquisition and release of these documents prompted the subcommittee to send letters to Paul Alexander (former HHS senior adviser), Scott Atlas (former special adviser to the president), and Steven Hatfill (former adviser to Assistant to the President Peter Navarro) requesting documents and transcribed interviews regarding their roles in the Trump administration’s pandemic response: https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2021-04-08.Clyburn%20to%20Alexander%20re%20COVID%20Response%20.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2021-04-08.Clyburn%20to%20Atlas%20re%20Scientific%20Information%20.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2021-04-08.Clyburn%20to%20Hatfill%20re%20PPE%20.pdf. The documents obtained by the Select Subcommittee can be found here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/j8cqfywd4g22hxm/04.09.21%20New%20Evidence%20Release%20Combined%20All%20Files.pdf?dl=0

The House Education and Labor Committee, House Energy and Commerce Committee, House Ways and Means Committee, Senate HELP Committee, and Senate Finance Committee sent a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra urging him to establish a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) that will allow unemployed workers to maintain access to health insurance coverage after the expiration of the American Rescue Plan Act’s (ARPA) COBRA subsidies. While eligible workers who experienced job loss or reduced hours have access to premium-free COBRA coverage through Sept. 30, 2021, under ARPA, they may not be able to receive coverage through the ACA marketplace until Jan. 1, 2021. Thus, without an SEP, unemployed workers would either be forced to pay the full cost of COBRA coverage or go without health insurance for three months until they enroll in a marketplace plan.

Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla sent a letter to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, California State Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, and California State Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins asking them to use their authority within Section 9901 of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) to help special districts and other units of state and local government that are in dire need of relief due to the Covid-19 crisis. Section 9901 provides funds to help states, territories, Tribal governments, and localities manage the public health and economic consequences of the pandemic.

Sen. Raphael Warnock and Rep. Hank Johnson Jr. sent a letter to HHS Principal Deputy Inspector General Christi Grimm expressing concern about apparent inconsistencies in data reported by dozens of Georgia nursing homes to the federal government regarding Covid-19 deaths since May 2020. Warnock and Johnson noted that hundreds of Georgia Covid-19 nursing home deaths may not have been included in data collected and published by CMS and CDC. They asked HHS OIG to include these data inconsistencies as part of its ongoing oversight and audit of Covid-19 data collection.

Sens. Alex Padilla and Dianne Feinstein sent a letter to Acting FEMA Administrator Bob Fenton asking his agency to work with state and local governments to keep the federally run Covid-19 vaccination sites at the Oakland Coliseum and California State University Los Angeles operational.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis sent letters to Archivist of the United States David Ferriero, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and Acting FEMA Administrator Bob Fenton seeking documents related to its ongoing investigation of the Trump administration’s efforts to procure and distribute PPE and other supplies during the Covid-19 pandemic. The inquiries were sent around the same time the subcommittee publicly released documents and communications obtained during its ongoing investigation, which provided evidence that: President Trump failed to heed an urgent warning from then-Assistant to the President Peter Navarro about the virus; White House officials pursued an ineffective and ad hoc approach to supply contracts; and the administration relied on outside advisers rather than career professionals to arrange contracts. The letters to the National Archives and Records Administration, HHS, DHS, and FEMA can be found here: https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2021-03-30.Select%20Sub%20to%20Ferriero%20re%20NARA%20Supply%20Chain%20.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2021-03-30.Select%20Sub%20to%20Becerra%20re%20Supply%20Chain%20.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2021-03-30.Select%20Sub%20to%20Mayorkas%20Fenton%20re%20DHS%20FEMA%20.pdf

Sen. Ron Wyden sent a letter to Acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel asking her agency to expand broadband internet access to all rural communities across the U.S. Wyden argued that helping communities recover economically from Covid-19 will require the country to close the digital divide and make broadband internet an essential service.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote a letter to Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon Web Services, expressing concern that Amazon’s search and sponsorship algorithms may be misleading consumers seeking masks and other PPE during the Covid-19 pandemic. She noted that Amazon’s quality-control methods did not appear to be sufficient to prevent consumers from receiving counterfeit items; in fact, Amazon appeared to be increasing risks for individuals purchasing masks and other protective equipment by promoting products not authorized by the FDA. Warren requested that Amazon modify its policies and procedures to prevent consumers from receiving misleading information about these products.

Public Citizen, PrEP4All, and leading experts in health and intellectual property wrote to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, NIH Director Francis Collins, and NIAID Director Anthony Fauci urging the U.S. government to use its ownership of U.S. Patent No. 10,960,070 (known as the “070 patent”), which covers methods for stabilizing Covid-19 spike proteins, to expand production of the NIH-Moderna Covid-19 vaccine. Public Citizen and its partners urged the federal government to insist on terms with Moderna that would expand vaccine access, including empowering the federal government to manufacture the vaccine itself and share the technology with the World Health Organization.

Sen. Sherrod Brown and Reps. Mark Takano, Bobby Scott, and Alma Adams sent a letter to Labor Secretary Marty Walsh urging the Labor Department to restore overtime pay protections for millions of workers. As the economy recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic, the members noted that it would be important to prioritize policies that boost pay and encourage hiring, particularly by extending overtime protections by raising the overtime salary threshold.

The House Ways and Means Committee wrote to Social Security Administration Commissioner Andrew Saul expressing concern about SSI beneficiaries still awaiting their economic impact payments. Because SSA had not yet sent the necessary files to IRS, tens of millions of SSI beneficiaries were awaiting their EIPs.

35 Democrats wrote to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen asking her agency to provide maximum flexibility for the distribution of relief funds in the American Rescue Plan, so that states can target these relief monies to the benefit of their most vulnerable communities.

The Senate Finance Committee and Senate Aging Committee wrote to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra urging him to provide the public and Congress with information on the rates of Covid-19 vaccinations in America’s nursing homes.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein wrote to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky urging the CDC to extend its eviction moratorium beyond March 31, 2021, to prevent homelessness during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The House Ways and Means Committee wrote to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig and SSA Commissioner Andrew Saul expressing concerns about reported delays in sending automatic stimulus payments to Social Security and Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries, along with Railroad Retirement Board and Veterans Affairs beneficiaries. The committee urged the IRS and SSA to quickly issue these payments, and update the committee about the timeline for these payments by March 26, 2021.

50 members of Congress asked HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and acting CMS Administrator Elizabeth Richter to issue guidance to states clarifying that emergency Medicaid will provide coverage for emergency medical conditions, including for Covid-19 testing, treatment, and vaccinations for undocumented immigrants. The members noted that such guidance would help ensure that undocumented individuals without health coverage can receive access to coronavirus-related care.

22 Senate Democrats wrote to Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz urging his office to conduct a comprehensive review of all coronavirus-related deaths of incarcerated individuals in BOP custody since the start of the pandemic.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis wrote to Robert Jenkins Jr., counsel to Robert Stewart (CEO, Federal Government Experts LLC), regarding a failed $35 million contract to provide N95 masks to the VA during the Trump administration. The subcommittee noted that the contract in question, in addition to a second multimillion-dollar contract to provide masks to FEMA, was canceled after Stewart’s company failed to deliver any masks and after Stewart pleaded guilty to related fraud charges. The subcommittee first sought documents related to the VA contract on July 14, 2020, but the company refused to comply with the request. In renewing its requests, the subcommittee asked for documents and communications related to federal contracts for PPE, medical supplies, or testing supplies.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis wrote to acting OMB Director Rob Fairweather and acting Labor Secretary Al Stewart urging them to closely track unemployment data for vulnerable groups during the pandemic in order to better inform efforts to rebuild the economy. The subcommittee asked OMB and DOL for information on the metrics being used by the Biden administration to assess inequities in employment for low-wage workers, people of color, and women, and how the administration plans to communicate these metrics to Congress and to the public. The subcommittee also inquired about whether the administration plans to include data on employment disparities in its Budget and Mid-Session Review, and information on strategies being pursued to reduce these disparities.

The Joint Economic Committee (JEC) sent a letter to White House Coronavirus Task Force Response Coordinator Jeffrey Zients urging the Biden administration to develop a plan for sharing surplus Covid-19 vaccine doses equitably with low- and middle-income countries. JEC asked that the plan includes donating the surplus doses to the WHO’s COVAX initiative.

Thirteen Senate Democrats wrote a letter to President Joe Biden asking him to temporarily suspend trade waivers that would allow foreign companies that do not have American workers or pay U.S. taxes to bid on projects funded by the American Rescue Plan.

More than 90 trade associations and chambers of commerce urged the Senate Small Business Committee, House Small Business Committee, and other congressional leaders to pass the PPP Extension Act of 2021, which would extend the Paycheck Protection Program application period beyond March 31, 2021.

A bicameral group of 21 Democrats sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig urging them to ensure that individuals who received unemployment compensation in 2020 are able to use the tax exclusion included in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee sent a letter to FAA Administrator Stephen Dickson asking FAA to extend its “zero tolerance” enforcement policy with respect to passengers who refuse to wear masks on commercial flights. The policy was adopted in January 2021, and is slated to end on March 30, 2021.

Seven members of the Texas congressional delegation sent a letter to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott urging him to expand Covid-19 vaccine eligibility to farmworkers, meatpackers, and other agricultural workers. Texas is one of the only states to have excluded such workers from Tier 1B of its vaccine rollout.

The Senate Homeland Security Committee sent letters to the White House, National Archives and Records Administration, DHS, DOD, HHS, OMB, and State Department seeking documents, communications, and interviews related to the federal government’s Covid-19 preparedness and response. It is the first bipartisan effort by the committee’s leaders to examine the federal government’s planning, coordination, and execution of prevention and response efforts to Covid-19.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee sent a letter to Michael Khouri, chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission, asking him to ensure that ocean carriers are abiding by U.S. law and are not engaging in unjust or unreasonable shipping practices resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. The committee noted that the pandemic upended the shipping industry, disrupted links in the maritime supply chain, and created unprecedented demand for imported products due to the consumer shift towards mass home delivery. As a result, many ocean carriers have prioritized higher value foreign goods over U.S. agricultural products, leaving limited shipping capacity for U.S. farm exports.

A bipartisan group of ten senators wrote a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack asking USDA to assist biofuels producers hurt by the Covid-19 pandemic.

A bicameral group of Democrats sent a letter to Acting HHS Secretary Norris Cochran urging HHS to rescind the Trump administration’s Title X Family Planning Program policies that severely curtailed access to family planning and sexual health services. The members argued that the Covid-19 pandemic necessitates an immediate rescission of the rule, arguing that the rule compounds the already disproportionate health impacts of the pandemic on communities of color and low-income communities. The members pointed out that a 2020 study found that the pandemic has led many women of color and low-income women to seek delaying or preventing pregnancies, but the rule has made it more difficult for these women to access family planning services and sexual health care, including contraception.

The House Oversight Committee sent letters to the CEOs of Cardinal Health, McKesson Corporation, AmerisourceBergen, and Johnson & Johnson requesting information about these companies’ plans to use a CARES Act tax provision to increase tax deductions for litigation costs related to these companies’ role in the opioid crisis. The letters to Cardinal Health, McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, and Johnson & Johnson can be found here: https://oversight.house.gov/sites/democrats.oversight.house.gov/files/2021-03-04.CBM%20Gomez%20DeSaulnier%20to%20Kaufman-Cardinal%20Health%20re%20CARES%20Act.pdf; https://oversight.house.gov/sites/democrats.oversight.house.gov/files/2021-03-04.CBM%20Gomez%20DeSaulnier%20to%20Tyler-%20McKesson%20re%20CARES%20Act.pdf; https://oversight.house.gov/sites/democrats.oversight.house.gov/files/2021-03-04.CBM%20Gomez%20DeSaulnier%20to%20Collis-%20AmerisourceBergen%20re%20CARES%20Act.pdf; https://oversight.house.gov/sites/democrats.oversight.house.gov/files/2021-03-04.CBM%20Gomez%20DeSaulnier%20to%20Gorsky-%20Johnson%20%20Johnson%20re%20CARES%20Act.pdf

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis wrote to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Acting SBA Administrator Tami Perriello, renewing its request for documents relevant to its investigation into the Paycheck Protection Program, which found that the Trump administration issued more than $4 billion in loans that may have been subject to fraud and didn’t prioritize underserved communities in loan disbursements.

14 Senate Democrats wrote to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer urging him to include safeguards in the upcoming Covid-19 relief package to protect Americans losing access to utilities, including power, heat, water, and internet services, during the pandemic. The letter came after extreme cold weather in Texas and other parts of the U.S. left Americans without heat and water.

11 Senate Democrats wrote to President Joe Biden urging him to include recurring direct payments and automatic unemployment insurance extensions, tied to economic conditions, in his Build Back Better long-term economic plan.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey, and Cory Booker wrote to Acting EPA Administrator Jane Nishida and NIH Director Francis Collins asking them to address environmental injustices that have disproportionately impacted minority communities and have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. The senators noted that Black Americans are not only more likely to be exposed to higher levels of industrial chemicals, air pollution, and other toxins, but also more likely to work in “essential” jobs during the pandemic.

14 senators wrote to White House Covid-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients encouraging the Biden administration to use live-event venues as Covid-19 vaccination sites.

The House Education and Labor Committee, House Appropriations Committee, House Energy and Commerce Committee, and House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis asked Covid-19 Pandemic Response Coordinator Jeff Zients, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, and Acting Labor Secretary Al Stewart to update ventilation and respiratory protection guidance and standards to address aerosol transmission of Covid-19.

Eight Senate Democrats wrote to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell asking them to include targeted support for the behavioral health needs of children, through the expansion of the Pediatric Mental Health Care Access program, in the next Covid-19 relief package. The senators asked for a $16 million annual allocation.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis wrote to One Medical CEO and President Amir Rubin seeking information about One Medical’s Covid-19 vaccination practices and urging him to comply with state and local vaccination prioritization guidelines. The letter came after reports that One Medical allowed ineligible patients to jump the vaccine line.

Six Senate Democrats wrote to Acting CFPB Director Dave Uejio requesting information about CFPB’s oversight authority and regulatory history with regard to tenant screening technology companies. The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a significant rise in economic and housing insecurity, including evictions, and such evictions often appear on reports generated by tenant screening companies. The senators noted that landlords rely on technologies generated by tenant screening companies, even though these technologies are also known to collect faulty data. The senators expressed concern that pandemic-induced evictions, many of which may violate eviction bans, could “blacklist” millions from future housing opportunities.

Reps. Carolyn Maloney and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio asking him to consider a request from the Hellenic-American Neighborhood Action Committee to add Covid-19 vaccination sites in their senior residences: One Flushing, HANAC Corona Senior Residence, HANAC PCA Senior Residence, George T. Douris Tower, and Archbishop Iakovos Senior Residence.

Five Senate Democrats wrote to Acting Census Bureau Director Ron Jarmin asking the bureau to continue its Household Pulse Survey, “Measuring Household Experiences During the Coronavirus Pandemic,” and ask about American households’ experiences paying utility and energy bills during the pandemic.

Sens. Ed Markey, Richard Blumenthal, and Roger Wicker wrote to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Acting HHS Secretary Norris Cochran, and DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas asking their agencies to convene a joint task force advised by aviation, security, and public health experts to develop national strategies for safe air travel during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. The senators urged DOT, HHS, and DHS to create a joint task force modeled after the Ensuring Health Safety in the Skies Act of 2021.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Sherrod Brown wrote to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, Vice Chairman for Supervision Randal Quarles, Acting Comptroller of the Currency Blake Paulson, and FDIC Chairwoman Jelena McWilliams asking them not to extend capital exemptions for the nation’s largest banks and holding companies. The request to end the temporary reduction in banks’ capital requirements came as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to destabilize the economy; Warren and Brown argued that banks need to maintain a cushion against potential losses.

The House Ways and Means Committee wrote to Acting CMS Administrator Elizabeth Richter asking CMS to reinstate patient protections waived by the Trump administration in nursing home facilities, and implement administrative changes to improve patient safety, oversight, and enforcement mechanisms. Specifically, the committee asked CMS to: ensure that all standard facility quality and safety surveys are reinstated and enforced; reinstate staffing and training requirements to ensure patient safety; release clear guidance on in-person and virtual visits, updated regularly to comply with Covid-19 data; address reporting gaps in Covid-19 nursing home data; publicly report Covid-19 demographic data in nursing homes; and reinstate a requirement that civil money penalties be imposed against nursing homes for all deficiencies on a per-day basis, among other changes.

Seven Senate Democrats wrote to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and ICE Acting Director Tae Johnson expressing concern about reports that staff at two ICE facilities threatened to expose asylum-seekers to Covid-19 if they did not submit to deportation. The senators asked what actions ICE and DHS are taking to investigate these allegations, and what actions will be taken to ensure similar incidents do not occur in the future.

Sen. Dick Durbin wrote to Krista Finazzo, vice president of area retail and delivery operations for the USPS Chicago Region, asking her to address service delays in the region. Durbin noted that the region has experienced disruptions in USPS service due to the Covid-19 pandemic, staff shortages, and snow storms, but stressed that more needed to be done to ensure the timely delivery of medicine and other essential mail during the pandemic.

Iowa’s congressional delegation wrote to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack asking him to expand the eligibility of USDA’s Covid-19 relief programs to include custom cattle feeders, a sector of Iowa’s agricultural economy operated primarily by family farmers.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee wrote to Comptroller General Gene Dodaro asking the Government Accountability Office to review FAA’s implementation of NextGen, the agency’s air traffic control system modernization program. The committee also asked the GAO to review how the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the agency’s efforts.

Rep. Charlie Crist wrote to Acting Attorney General Monty Wilkinson expressing concern about reports that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is establishing Covid-19 vaccination distribution sites in locations benefiting political allies and donors, over the needs of higher-risk communities and existing county waitlists. Crist asked the DOJ to determine if DeSantis’ vaccine distribution decisions violate federal law and merit a full federal investigation.

Massachusetts’ congressional delegation wrote to Acting FEMA Administrator Robert Fenton Jr. expressing support for the commonwealth’s request to participate in the FEMA Vaccination Center Pilot Partnerships Program. The delegation stated that, if chosen, Massachusetts would use this program to support Covid-19 vaccination efforts in underserved communities.

The House Ways and Means Committee wrote to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig asking the IRS to extend the tax return filing season beyond April 15, 2021, due to the continued challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The House Ways and Means Committee wrote to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig seeking information about alternatives to in-person tax preparation services, if any, from IRS partners providing free tax preparation services through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly programs. The committee noted that the Covid-19 pandemic continues to pose unprecedented health and economic challenges for low-income Americans and historically underserved communities, and that VITA and TCE play an important role in offering free tax assistance to low- and moderate-income individuals, as well as the elderly.

Sen. Susan Collins and six other senators wrote to President Joe Biden requesting the removal of the Section 301 tariffs placed on food, wine, and spirits from the European Union in October 2019 in retaliation to the WTO Large Civil Aircraft Dispute. The senators argued that these tariffs have harmed restaurants, retailers, grocers, importers, and distributors, many of which are small, locally owned businesses, and have magnified the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal asked Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to stop social media harassment and Covid-19 vaccine disinformation campaigns by groups targeting expectant mothers and women who have experienced miscarriages. Recent reporting revealed that mothers who posted about receiving the Covid-19 vaccine on social media have experienced abuse and harassment from strangers and groups spreading conspiracy theories about the Covid-19 vaccine’s safety. The letters to Facebook and Twitter can be found here: https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2021.02.18%20-%20Facebook%20-%20Antivax%20and%20Moms.pdf; https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2021.02.18%20-%20Twitter%20Antivax%20and%20Moms.pdf

Reps. Don Beyer, Gerald Connolly, Jennifer Wexton, Anthony Brown, Jamie Raskin, David Trone, and Eleanor Holmes Norton wrote to Acting OPM Director Kathleen McGettigan and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky requesting that the federal government federalize its response to vaccinating its employees. Representing Virginia, Maryland, and D.C., the members argued that the federal government should not burden their states’ limited vaccine supplies, and that they should vaccinate their employees through a separate federalized, vaccine allocation instead.

19 Senate Democrats wrote to President Joe Biden asking him to consider the needs of state, local, Tribal, and territorial governments and opioid and substance use disorder treatment providers as he develops a comprehensive public health strategy and transmits his FY 2022 budget to Congress. The senators noted that the Covd-19 pandemic dramatically altered the opioid and SUD prevention and treatment landscape in the U.S., and that overdoses and deaths spiked over the past year.

The Project on Government Oversight wrote to President Joe Biden urging his administration to improve the collection and reporting of Covid-19 relief data.

Five Senate Democrats wrote to Acting Labor Secretary Al Stewart requesting that he review and consider revising guidance issued on Jan. 8, 2021, specifying that workers “who [are] working reduced hours while [their] place of employment continues to operate” are not eligible for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. The senators argued that workers who have their hours reduced or are temporarily laid off when their employer reduces business operations due to Covid-19 are covered under PUA.

16 Senate Democrats wrote to President Joe Biden expressing support for the Community Development Block Grant program. The senators noted that Congress provided additional CDBG funds as part of the CARES Act, and asked Biden to prioritize funding for the program in his FY 2022 budget proposal.

Nine Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee asked Chairman Dick Durbin to open an investigation about New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his staff’s deliberate cover-up of New York’s Covid-19 death toll in the state’s nursing homes.

10 Senate Democrats wrote to White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeff Zients urging him to work with states, territories, Indian Tribes, and other jurisdictions to facilitate and ensure the swift vaccination of farm and food chain workers.

34 Senate Democrats wrote to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy seeking information about mail delays which have compromised service for veterans, seniors, and others who depend on mail for medications and critical needs during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth wrote to HHS Acting Secretary Norris Cochran urging HHS to prioritize Illinois’ community health centers in the next round of Covid-19 vaccine allotments.

Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth wrote to Domestic Policy Council Director Susan Rice asking the White House to provide an update on the ongoing severe weather situation impacting large swaths of the United States, and to work with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and other relevant agencies to support communities and public institutions. Durbin and Duckworth also asked the federal government to consider providing supplemental funding to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program to help low-income households with energy bills as they struggle through this weather crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Massachusetts’ congressional delegation wrote to Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker asking him to develop and implement a centralized, accessible system for all Massachusetts residents to pre-register for Covid-19 vaccinations, confirm eligibility details, and receive notifications when an appointment becomes available at a location convenient to them.

17 Senate Democrats wrote to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell asking them to provide “as much funding as possible” to HBCUs, and to ensure these institutions’ equitable access to relief funds, as Congress crafts the next Covid-19 relief package. The senators further requested that HBCUs receive at least the same proportion of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund as they received in last year’s Covid-19 relief packages.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis sent letters to RER Solutions, Rocket Loans, and Rapid Finance as part of its ongoing investigation of a $750 million contract the Trump administration awarded to manage the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program. The letters to RER Solutions, Rocket Loans, and Rapid Finance can be found here:

https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2021-02-11.Clyburn%20and%20NV%20to%20RER%20Solutions%20re%20EIDL%20%20%281%29.pdf;

https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2021-02-11.Clyburn%20and%20NV%20to%20Rocket%20Loans%20re%20EIDL%20.pdf;

https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2021-02-11.Clyburn%20and%20NV%20to%20Rapid%20Finance%20re%20EIDL%20.pdf

The Treasury Inspector General sent a letter to Jeremy Licht, Director of the Rhode Island Pandemic Recovery Office, advising his office that his use of Coronavirus Relief Fund proceeds to cover revenue shortfalls is not allowed. Treasury OIG notified Licht that their office would seek a recoupment of those relief funds from the state of Rhode Island in accordance with the CARES Act.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee wrote to Covid-19 Response Coordinator Jeffrey Zients requesting an update on nationwide Covid-19 vaccination efforts.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Reps. Carolyn Maloney and Katie Porter, wrote to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy urging them to prioritize improving data reporting requirements for assisted living facilities, residential behavioral health facilities, and other congregate care settings in future Covid-19 relief packages. Specifically, the members asked congressional leaders to include provisions of the Assisted Living Facility Coronavirus Reporting Act in upcoming legislative packages.

13 Senate Democrats wrote to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell requesting that they provide dedicated funding in the next Covid-19 relief package for summer enrichment opportunities for low-income children.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Sherrod Brown, and Chris Van Hollen wrote to Acting SEC Chair Allison Herrin Lee urging her to review and reform the SEC’s policies regarding 10b5-1 plans, which grant corporate executives a “safe harbor” to trade their company’s stock. The senators noted that executives — especially those in the health care industry — are abusing these plans to obtain huge windfalls. For example, the senators pointed out that on the same day Pfizer announced that its Covid-19 vaccine was effective in clinical trials, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla sold more than 60 percent of his personal shares in the company, valued at about $5.6 million. The shares were sold under Bourla’s 10b5-1 plan, which allows corporate executives to set an advance plan for purchase and sale of their corporate stock.

The House Oversight and Reform Committee asked Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock to lift the medically unnecessary in-person dispensing requirement for mifepristone, a prescription medication used to end early pregnancies. The committee argued that this requirement needlessly placed patients and providers in harm’s way during a pandemic.

The House Oversight and Reform Committee wrote to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy requesting a briefing about the high numbers of Covid-19 infections and deaths among postal workers during the pandemic. The committee also requested that USPS proactively provide greater transparency and effective mitigation of the health risks faced by the USPS workforce.

13 Senate Democrats representing small and rural states wrote to the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Senate HELP Committee to address inequitable access to Covid-19 vaccines and testing for small and rural states. The senators noted that their states faced unique challenges in providing accessible testing and distributing vaccines. They pointed out that the Covid-19 relief package signed into law in December gave small and rural states significantly less funding for testing and vaccination than expected due to a population-based formula that did not take into account the challenges faced by small and rural states.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Tina Smith, and Kirsten Gillibrand, and Rep. Lauren Underwood urged Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to include provisions that improve research and data collection, safeguard the health of pregnant and postpartum individuals, and dedicate resources to combat the maternal mortality and morbidity crisis during the pandemic, in the next Covid-19 relief package. Specifically, the members asked congressional leaders to include portions of the Maternal Health Pandemic Response Act in the next relief package.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Tina Smith wrote to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy urging them to include provisions in the next Covid-19 relief package that would boost the nation’s capacity to domestically manufacture active pharmaceutical ingredients and drugs that are critical to national security and public health. Specifically, the senators asked the leaders to include portions of the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Defense and Enhancement Act in the next relief package.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis wrote to White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain and Acting HHS Secretary Norris Cochran seeking assistance in obtaining information required to complete its investigation into the Trump administration’s political interference in Covid-19 guidance, testing, and treatments. The letters were sent after the subcommittee released newly obtained documents from officials at the Trump White House, HHS, and CDC illustrating political interference in Covid-19 messaging and federal response. The letters to Klain and Cochran can be found here: https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2021-02-08.Clyburn%20to%20Klain%20re%20WH%20Failures%20on%20Pandemic%20.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2021-02-08.Clyburn%20to%20Cochran%20re%20WH%20Failures%20on%20Pandemic%20.pdf

The House Transportation Committee and House Homeland Security Committee wrote to FAA Administrator Stephen Dickson and Acting TSA Administrator Darby LaJoye asking FAA and TSA to enforce a federal mask mandate for airline passengers to help slow the spread of Covid-19 and ensure passenger and frontline aviation and transportation security worker safety.

13 Senate Democrats wrote to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Amazon Web Services CEO Andy Jassy expressing their support for Amazon workers seeking to organize a union with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. The senators urged Amazon to provide their workers the compensation, benefits, and respect they deserve, given that they put in long hours and risked their own health during the Covid-19 pandemic to meet increased demand for Amazon’s services.

The House Small Business Committee wrote to President Joe Biden asking him to include small businesses, specifically minority-owned small businesses, in any effort to leverage the Defense Production Act to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.

A bipartisan group of Ohio mayors wrote to Ohio’s congressional delegation requesting direct, flexible assistance to Ohio communities to address the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

36 Senate Democrats wrote to Acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel requesting that the FCC provide home internet connectivity and devices to students unable to participate in online learning during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Specifically, the senators asked the FCC to use the E-Rate program to start bridging the “homework gap” without delay.

13 senators wrote to National Institute on Drug Abuse Director Nora Volkow supporting efforts to research and develop treatment options for individuals struggling with addiction to methamphetamine and other stimulants. Overdoses due to opioids, meth, and polysubstance use increased during the Covid-19 pandemic due to social isolation and limited in-person recovery options. The senators asked NIDA to keep them updated about efforts to develop treatments to address methamphetamine use disorder. They also asked for information about the amount of funding being dedicated to research on potential medications, the progress of clinical trials, and steps being taken to ensure diversity in clinical trials.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Andy Levin wrote to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell urging them to expand the country’s public health workforce as they begin crafting relief legislation to execute President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan. Warren and Levin argued that the best way to expand the public health workforce during the pandemic is through their Coronavirus Containment Corps Act, reintroduced this week, which would train a culturally competent and diverse public health workforce to counter mistrust among historically marginalized communities.

28 Senate Democrats wrote to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen urging the Treasury to ensure that Covid-19 relief reaches individuals experiencing homelessness.

A bicameral group of Democrats wrote to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer urging them to repeal “unwarranted” tax cuts for the wealthy in the next Covid-19 relief package. The tax breaks, given to a small number of extremely wealthy tax payers, were placed in a relief package passed in 2020.

As part of its ongoing investigation into tech companies’ handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and vaccine misinformation, the House Energy and Commerce Committee wrote to Facebook, Twitter, and Google asking them to stop the spread of false or misleading information about Covid-19 vaccines on their platforms. The letters to Facebook, Twitter, and Google can be found here: https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/Facebook%20Letter%20re%20COVID%20Vaccine%20Misinformation.pdf; https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/Twitter%20Letter%20re%20COVID%20Vaccine%20Misinformation.pdf; https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/Google%20Letter%20re%20COVID%20Vaccine%20Misinformation.pdf

A bicameral group of 120 Democrats wrote to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer asking them to repeal tax breaks for the wealthy in the next Covid-19 relief package.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis wrote to OSHA, Tyson Foods, Smithfield Foods, and JBS USA seeking information and documents related to Covid-19 outbreaks at meatpacking plants, which have resulted in the deaths of more than 250 employees. The letters came as reports indicated that OSHA, under the Trump administration, failed to enforce worker safety laws at meatpacking plants across the country, resulting in preventable Covid-19 infections and deaths. The letter to OSHA Deputy Assistant Secretary James Frederick can be found here: https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2021-02-01.Clyburn%20to%20OSHA%20re%20Meatpacking%20Investigation_.pdf.
Letters to Tyson, Smithfield, and JBS can be found here: https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2021-02-01.Clyburn%20to%20Tyson%20re%20Meatpacking%20Investigation%20.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2021-02-01.Clyburn%20to%20Smithfield%20re%20Meatpacking%20Investigation%20.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2021-02-01.Clyburn%20to%20JBS%20re%20Meatpacking%20Investigation%20.pdf

Reps. Adam Schiff and Ro Khanna, and Sens. Bernie Sanders and Brian Schatz, wrote to President Joe Biden asking him to prioritize educating Americans about higher-quality masks and explore options to make them readily and freely available. The members asked Biden to direct the CDC and FDA to provide the public with information about how to discern which masks are most effective and where they can get them. The members also asked Biden to distribute the highest-quality medical-grade masks available through USPS and make them accessible for safe pick-up. Lastly, the members asked Biden to invoke the Defense Production Act to increase the supply of higher quality masks.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, wrote to HHS Acting Secretary Norris Cochran asking HHS and its subagencies to monitor and address racial and other demographic disparities in the federal government’s Covid-19 vaccination deployment strategy, as it is critical for Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and immigrant communities to have access to the vaccine.

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel wrote to President Biden discussing reports transmitted to OSC by HHS’s Office of General Counsel in response to wrongdoing at the Administration for Children and Families. A whistleblower disclosed improprieties related to the deployment of ACF personnel to assist Americans repatriated from Wuhan, China at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic on Jan. 29, 2020. OSC found that when evacuees arrived at a California military base from Wuhan, they were met by ACF officials who were not wearing PPE and who lacked infection-control training, thereby increasing the risk of infection transmission to deployed personnel and to the American public.

13 Senate Democrats wrote to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell asking them to include additional relief for states, localities, and tribal governments in the next Covid-19 relief package.

The Office of Special Counsel wrote to President Biden alerting him and Congress that, over the last decade, HHS misappropriated millions of dollars Congress intended to fund vaccine research and emergency preparedness for public health threats like Ebola, Zika, and Covid-19. A whistleblower alerted OSC to the misuse of funds appropriated to BARDA; OSC referred the allegations for investigation to HHS OIG, whose investigation substantiated many of the allegations. The OIG reported that the practice of using BARDA funds for non-BARDA purposes was so common, it was called the “Bank of BARDA” within the agency.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote to Genesis Healthcare Chairman and CEO Robert Fish expressing concern about the decision by Genesis and its board to approve and pay out exorbitant bonuses to its top executives after more than 2,800 residents in its facilities died of Covid-19. Warren requested an explanation for this decision amidst a public health emergency and economic crisis. Warren asked why Genesis, which claimed to be on the brink of bankruptcy, accepted $300 million in CARES Act aid and then gave its top executive at the time a multimillion dollar bonus.

The House Committee on Oversight and Reform wrote to Safeguard Medical and AutoMedx Inc. seeking documents regarding the purchase of SAVe II and SAVe II+ ventilators, following reports that the Trump administration spent $70 million in taxpayer money to purchase these ventilators. Shortly after the administration signed contracts with these companies, HHS concluded that the existing SAVe II ventilator model could not treat Covid-19 patients. The letters can be found here: https://oversight.house.gov/sites/democrats.oversight.house.gov/files/2021-01-26.RK%20to%20Johnson-%20Combat%20Medical%20Systems%20re%20Federal%20Gov.%20Contracts.pdf; https://oversight.house.gov/sites/democrats.oversight.house.gov/files/2021-01-26.RK%20to%20Evans%20AutoMedx%20re%20Federal%20Gov.%20Contracts.pdf

Rep. Joaquin Castro and 93 members of the House of Representatives wrote to President Joe Biden and Acting HHS Secretary Norris Cochran requesting that HHS, in response to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, grant DACA recipients access to health benefits under the Affordable Care Act. The members noted that access to Covid-19 testing and treatment for DACA recipients is critical as 202,500 DACA recipients are employed as essential workers.

The Senate Finance Committee wrote to Acting HHS Secretary Norris Cochran requesting that HHS prevent the implementation of a harmful rule, RIN 0991-AC16, finalized by the Trump administration and set to go into effect on Feb. 11, 2021. The rule would remove Obama-era nondiscrimination protections from HHS-funded grant awards, and would allow sweeping taxpayer-funded discrimination based on sex, including sexual orientation and gender identity. The committee also asked HHS to revisit comments provided during an earlier comment period for the new rule and requested that the agency open a new comment period so stakeholders could contribute comments in light of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, which laid bare the need for HHS to protect the health of all vulnerable populations.

Six Senate Democrats wrote to Amazon, Walmart, Apple, Home Depot, Target, Wayfair, Best Buy, and Costco asking them to reduce plastic usage in their packaging to protect the environment. The senators noted that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, consumers have turned to online shopping, and expressed concern that this uptick in plastic packaging is contributing to the world’s growing plastic pollution problem.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, and Ron Wyden wrote to Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock requesting that the FDA quickly conduct a review of the accuracy of pulse oximeters across racially diverse patients and consumers. The use of pulse oximeters to monitor blood oxygen levels has increased during the Covid-19 pandemic, but a recent study suggested that devices measuring blood oxygen levels are less accurate in Black patients.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla wrote to President Joe Biden urging him to create a federal task force to help states combat organized criminal unemployment benefits fraud.

13 members of Congress wrote to Treasury Secretary-Designate Janet Yellen asking the Treasury to support IMF assistance for developing nations during the Covid-19 pandemic. The members urged Yellen to support the release of IMF Special Drawing Rights to help developing economies provide vaccines and manage the economic hardships caused by the pandemic. The members urged the Biden administration to support the “Support for Global Financial Institution Pandemic Response Act” and to partner with Congress to enact this proposal into law.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse wrote to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig asking the IRS to review Turning Point USA’s nonprofit, tax-exempt status after the organization held a series of Covid-19 “superspreader” events. Whitehouse noted that an organization is ineligible for tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) if the purpose of the organization is contrary to public policy or is illegal and argued that Turning Point USA’s decision to host potential “superspreader” events was in open violation of local Covid-19 guidelines and clearly contrary to the public good.

26 Senate Democrats wrote to President-Elect Joe Biden urging him to fully use the Defense Production Act and all other federal acquisition authorities at his disposal to increase the production and stockpiling of critical medical, testing, and PPE supplies.

The Senate Banking Committee wrote to FHFA Director Mark Calabria seeking clarification of FHFA’s policy regarding loan sales by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Senate Banking Committee wrote to Jeffrey Martin, assistant director of the VA Office of Regulatory Policy and Management, expressing concern about the VA’s proposed Covid-19 Veterans Assistance Partial Claim Payment program. The committee stated that the program would raise monthly costs for military borrowers and threaten their ability to stay in their homes. The committee asked that like other federal agencies, the VA ensure that each military borrower in forbearance has access to the cost-free loan deferral or modification option that meets their financial needs.

Sen. Brian Schatz asked President-elect Joe Biden to consider implementing reforms to prevent the politicization of future decennial censuses. From the delayed nomination of a qualified Census Bureau director, to proposals to include a citizenship question, to efforts to end the 2020 census prematurely, Schatz pointed to examples of the Trump administration’s interference with the Census Bureau’s work.

Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar seeking clarification on the availability of Covid-19 vaccines for Oregon. Based on Azar’s Jan. 12, 2021, announcement that the federal government planned to accelerate vaccine distribution to states by releasing the “entire supply” in its reserves, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown planned to make those aged 65 and older eligible for vaccination. However, on Jan. 14, Gen. Gustave Perna informed her that there was no reserve of vaccine doses and that Oregon was already receiving its full allocation. Allen asked Azar to reconcile his Jan. 12 statement with the information provided by Operation Warp Speed on Jan. 14.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus wrote to President-elect Joe Biden expressing their commitment to working with him to build a fair and inclusive immigration system. The CHC noted that Covid-19 had hit immigrant and mixed-status families particular hard. Health disparities are tied to immigration status; Latinos are more likely to contract the virus and die from Covid-19 and less likely to have access to health care than non-Hispanic whites, and immigrants continued to dominate “essential jobs” during the pandemic.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Katie Porter wrote to Operation Warp Speed Chief Adviser Moncef Slaoui and OWS COO Gen. Gustave Perna urging the Trump administration to use the Defense Production Act to bolster the nation’s Covid-19 vaccine supply.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, House Homeland Security Committee, and the House Appropriations Committee, along with Reps. Dina Titus, Lucille Roybal-Allard, and Mike Thompson asked President-elect Joe Biden to waive all cost-share requirements for the Covid-19 emergency declarations declared on March 13, 2020, and any subsequent major disaster declarations for all states, tribes, territories, and the District of Columbia for the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Seven Republican Senators wrote a to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler urging the EPA to avoid making any decisions on small refinery exemptions (SREs) until after the Supreme Court rules in the Renewable Fuels Association et al. v. EPA case. The senators expressed concerns that EPA was planning on issuing numerous pending SREs, which would harm biofuels producers and the farmers who sell to them. Ethanol and biodiesel plants are currently struggling with the economic fallout of Clvkd-19.

Sen. Cory Booker and Rep. Ayanna Pressley wrote to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris encouraging a bold vision for racial and economic justice by including the American Opportunity Accounts Act, or “Baby Bonds,” in the next Covid-19 relief package. Baby Bonds would create a federally funded savings account for every American child with the hope of closing the racial wealth gap; at birth, $1,000 is deposited, and the account grows every year until the child is 18 years old.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein asked that CDC Director Robert Redfield publish best-practice guidelines on how Covid-19 vaccine providers can maximize distribution of their allocated doses in situations where demand in priority groups is lower than expected or doses would otherwise be at risk of expiring.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney urged New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to improve Covid-19 vaccine access for NYC’s elderly and disabled residents by adding a vaccination site on Roosevelt Island.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee asked nine internet service providers for information regarding their decisions to raise prices and impose data caps during the Covid-19 pandemic. The committee emphasized the importance of access to reliable, affordable broadband internet during the pandemic, as many Americans have transitioned to remote work and online learning. The letters to Altice USA, AT&T, Century Link/Lumen, Charter Communications, Comcast, Cox Communications, Frontier Communications, T-Mobile US, and Verizon can be found here in the order listed: https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/Altice%20USA.2021.1.11.%20Letter%20to%20ISPs.CAT_.pdf; https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/ATT.2021.1.11.%20Letter%20to%20ISPs.CAT_.pdf; https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/Lumen%20Technologies.2021.1.11.%20Letter%20to%20ISPs.CAT_.pdf; https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/Charter%20Communications.2021.1.11%20Letter%20to%20ISPs.CAT_.pdf; https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/Comcast%20Cable.2021.1.11.%20Letter%20to%20ISPs.CAT_.pdf; https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/Cox%20Communications.2021.1.11.%20Letter%20to%20ISPs.CAT_.pdf; https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/Frontier%20Communications.2021.01.11.%20Letter%20to%20ISPs.CAT_.pdf; https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/T-Mobile%20US.2021.1.11.%20Letter%20to%20ISPs.CAT_.pdf; https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/Verizon%20Communications.2021.1.11.%20Letter%20to%20ISPs.CAT_.pdf

45 Senate Democrats wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar asking him to address challenges hampering the Covid-19 vaccine distribution process and requesting that the Trump administration develop a comprehensive, national vaccination plan.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren and six House Democrats urged HHS Secretary Alex Azar to allocate funds reserved for underserved communities in the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021. Given that the pandemic has disproportionately impacted low-income communities, Tribal nations, and communities of color, the members noted that the funds Congress appropriated to address health disparities for these communities must be used effectively, including allocated through grants to nonprofit organizations and for culturally responsive outreach activities.

45 religious organizations, including the National Council of Churches, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, and the National African American Clergy Network, urged President-elect Biden to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit in order to support low-wage workers, many of whom are people of color, during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The American Hospital Association wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar asking HHS to coordinate national Covid-19 vaccine distribution efforts across all states and jurisdictions, as well as the many relevant stakeholders involved in the vaccine distribution process. AHA noted that they did not know who was “responsible for answering questions” about the rollout and asked for greater transparency and communication from the agency. AHA also asked HHS to identify and resolve barriers to the rapid deployment of millions of doses of Covid-19 vaccines.

The Senate Finance Committee, Senate HELP Committee, House Ways and Means Committee, House Energy and Commerce Committee, and House Education and Labor Committee wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and CMS Administrator Seema Verma expressing concern regarding policies included in the proposed Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2022. The committees urged HHS, Treasury, and CMS to abandon the proposed rule changes, which they worry could make health care more expensive and obstruct access to health care for millions of Americans.

The Senate Banking Committee and House Financial Services Committee asked Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to halt any significant changes to the country’s housing finance system during the Covid-19 crisis. The committees also requested Mnuchin brief Ranking Member Sherrod Brown and Chairwoman Maxine Waters on any actions that the Treasury Department might take in the next month that will affect the housing finance system and housing opportunities for families across the country.

The House Committee on Education and Labor wrote to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue urging him to rescind the proposed rule titled “Child Nutrition Programs: Restoration of Milk, Whole Grains, and Sodium Flexibilities,” which is nearly identical to a vacated 2018 rule of the same title. The committee urged Perdue to uphold his responsibility to ensure that federal school nutrition standards are consistent with the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans. While the Covid-19 pandemic has strained the capabilities of school food authorities, the committee noted that pandemic would not excuse providing unhealthy food, so USDA should not roll back nutrition standards for meals.

Sen. Cory Booker and Rep. Donald Payne wrote to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie urging his agency to implement coronavirus-related compensation, including retention pay, for VA New Jersey Healthcare System employees who are serving on the frontlines of the pandemic. Booker and Payne pointed out that the VA New Jersey Healthcare System, unlike VA Healthcare Systems across the U.S., is not offering retention pay and does not plan to grant employees Covid-related compensation in the future.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis issued subpoenas to HHS Secretary Alex Azar and CDC Director Robert Redfield, ordering them to produce documents on political interference that hindered the U.S.’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The subpoenas followed more than three months of obstruction by HHS and evidence that CDC Director Redfield instructed subordinates to delete an email illustrating the White House’s interference in the agency’s scientific reports.

The Senate Finance Committee and Senate Aging Committee asked HHS Secretary Alex Azar and CMS Administrator Seema Verma to publicize data on Covid-19 vaccine distribution to nursing homes.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker wrote to Loren Sweatt, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor, asking why OSHA has not protected meatpacking plant workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. The letter followed the publication of a study that explicitly identified meatpacking facilities as Covid-19 transmission vectors into surrounding populations that accelerated the spread of the virus in these communities.

The Senate Homeland Security Committee informed Vice President Mike Pence that the committee is conducting oversight of the federal government’s response to Covid-19 and will examine the federal government’s planning, coordination, and execution of Covid-19 prevention and response efforts. The committee will seek detailed information from the White House Coronavirus Task Force, DHS, HHS, Defense, State, and OMB to analyze the challenges and flaws of the Trump administration’s pandemic preparedness and response efforts. The committee requested relevant documents and communications pertaining to its review of the government’s response from Pence, and sent letters to the agencies mentioned: https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/201221_PetersLetter_COVIDDocDHS.pdf; https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/201221_PetersLetterr_COVIDDocDOD.pdf; https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/201221_PetersLetter_COVIDDocHHS.pdf; https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/201221_PetersLetter_COVIDDocOMB.pdf; https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/201221_PetersLetters_COVIDDocState.pdf

Sen. Dianne Feinstein wrote to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and 13 other heads of major sports leagues urging them to publicly promote compliance with Covid-19 safety guidelines such as masking and physical distancing.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis and the House Committee on Financial Services wrote to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin criticizing his decision to request the Federal Reserve to return unused CARES Act funds. The committees noted that such a request risked crippling the Fed’s emergency lending programs at a time when the government should be using every tool at its disposal to support the country’s economic recovery. The committees urged Mnuchin to extend these programs and rescind his request to return funds that have already been invested in these lending facilities.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis and the House Committee on Financial Services wrote to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin criticizing his decision to request the Federal Reserve to return unused CARES Act funds. The committees noted that such a request risked crippling the Fed’s emergency lending programs at a time when the government should be using every tool at its disposal to support the country’s economic recovery. The committees urged Mnuchin to extend these programs and rescind his request to return funds that have already been invested in these lending facilities.

Eight Senate Democrats wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, Operation Warp Speed Chief Adviser Moncef Slaoui, and OWS COO Gustave Perna requesting information on how FDA and OWS are ensuring that clinical trials for the development of Covid-19 vaccines will enroll participants in ways that are representative of the American population and reflective of the differing risks of exposure and health outcomes across communities.

The Senate Judiciary Committee wrote to ICE Assistant Director of Homeland Security Investigations Steve Francis asking his office to continue acting to stop counterfeit Covid-19 vaccines and other treatments. The committee also asked ICE and DHS to provide Congress with a report outlining trends they have identified during Operation Stolen Promise 2.0, a government operation focused on preventing the production, sale, and distribution of counterfeit or unauthorized Covid-19 treatments and vaccines.

Twelve Senate Democrats wrote to HHS Assistant Secretary Lynn Johnson asking HHS to provide relief for those currently in the foster care system and those transitioning out of foster care as they navigate the Covid-19 crisis. The senators noted that the serious health and economic challenges brought by Covid-19 exacerbate existing challenges faced by the approximately 424,000 children in the foster care system and the more than 20,400 young adults who “age out” of foster care each year.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar and Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller seeking information about the Trump administration’s Covid-19 vaccine acquisition and distribution efforts. The letter came as public reports indicated that the Trump administration missed opportunities as recently as November 2020 to purchase additional Pfizer vaccine doses.

The House Committee on Natural Resources wrote to President-elect Joe Biden urging him to prioritize the health of public lands employees and visitors during the Covid-19 pandemic. The committee asked Biden to extend his mask mandate, initially announced as applying to all federal buildings, to federally managed public lands as well.

Twelve Senate Democrats wrote to HHS Assistant Secretary Lynn Johnson asking HHS to provide relief for those currently in the foster care system and those transitioning out of foster care as they navigate the Covid-19 crisis. The senators noted that the serious health and economic challenges brought by Covid-19 exacerbate existing challenges faced by the approximately 424,000 children in the foster care system and the more than 20,400 young adults who “age out” of foster care each year.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar and Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller seeking information about the Trump administration’s Covid-19 vaccine acquisition and distribution efforts. The letter came as public reports indicated that the Trump administration missed opportunities as recently as November 2020 to purchase additional Pfizer vaccine doses.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Richard Blumenthal, and Dick Durbin, and Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Diana DeGette, wrote to the CEOs of British American Tobacco and Philip Morris International, and FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn and FTC Chairman Joseph Simons, questioning the tobacco companies’ exploitation of the Covid-19 pandemic to market e-cigarettes to young people and seeking information from the FDA and FTC on enforcement actions to regulate misleading e-cigarette advertisements. Several subsidiaries of BAT and PMI have taken advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic to promote the sale of their products and some of these subsidiaries have falsely claimed that vaping is not associated with an increased risk of contracting Covid-19. The letters to BAT and PMI can be found here: https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2020.12.16%20Letter%20to%20British%20American%20Tobacco%20re%20vaping%20COVID%20advertisements.pdf; https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/FINAL%20Letter%20to%20PMI%20re%20COVID%20vaping%20advertising.pdf. The letter to FDA and FTC can be found here: https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2020.12.18%20Letter%20to%20FDA%20and%20FTC%20re%20vaping%20COVID%20advertisements.pdf

The House Committee on Natural Resources wrote to President-elect Joe Biden urging him to prioritize the health of public lands employees and visitors during the Covid-19 pandemic. The committee asked Biden to extend his mask mandate, initially announced as applying to all federal buildings, to federally managed public lands as well.

The House Oversight Committee wrote to Assistant to the President and Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy Peter Navarro requesting information about all pandemic-related government contracts in which he played a role. The letter follows the committee’s inquiry into a contract Navarro negotiated that resulted in American taxpayers overpaying for ventilators by hundreds of millions of dollars.

A bipartisan group of 14 senators wrote to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig urging the Trump administration to wave late-filing penalties for taxpayers whose filing delays were caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The senators also urged the administration to create a special Covid-19 First Time Abatement option for taxpayers eligible for normal First Time Abatement, if they can show that their filing difficulties were directly caused by the pandemic; to provide written guidance directing IRS customer service representatives to grant reasonable cause and Covid-related abatement requests liberally; to develop and advertise specific Covid-related examples that qualify for reasonable cause abatement; and to create a dedicated telephone number, or dedicated prompt, for taxpayers and their advisors to call to request penalty relief.

A bipartisan group of 14 senators wrote to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig urging the Trump administration to wave late-filing penalties for taxpayers whose filing delays were caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The senators also urged the administration to create a special Covid-19 First Time Abatement option for taxpayers eligible for normal First Time Abatement, if they can show that their filing difficulties were directly caused by the pandemic; to provide written guidance directing IRS customer service representatives to grant reasonable cause and Covid-related abatement requests liberally; to develop and advertise specific Covid-related examples that qualify for reasonable cause abatement; and to create a dedicated telephone number, or dedicated prompt, for taxpayers and their advisors to call to request penalty relief.

The House Oversight Committee wrote to Assistant to the President and Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy Peter Navarro requesting information about all pandemic-related government contracts in which he played a role. The letter follows the committee’s inquiry into a contract Navarro negotiated that resulted in American taxpayers overpaying for ventilators by hundreds of millions of dollars.

18 Senate Democrats wrote to Operation Warp Speed Chief Adviser Dr. Moncef Slaoui and OWS COO Gen. Gustave Perna expressing concern about the Trump administration’s lack of planning and transparency surrounding Covid-19 vaccine development and acquisition. The senators requested information about the administration’s preparations to purchase vaccines. Thy wrote after reports that the administration declined to purchase additional doses of Pfizer’s vaccine, a decision that could hinder the nationwide vaccination campaign, as the U.S. will reportedly be unable to purchase additional doses of the Pfizer vaccine until the summer of 2021.

18 Senate Democrats wrote to Operation Warp Speed Chief Adviser Dr. Moncef Slaoui and OWS COO Gen. Gustave Perna expressing concern about the Trump administration’s lack of planning and transparency surrounding Covid-19 vaccine development and acquisition. The senators requested information about the administration’s preparations to purchase vaccines. Thy wrote after reports that the administration declined to purchase additional doses of Pfizer’s vaccine, a decision that could hinder the nationwide vaccination campaign, as the U.S. will reportedly be unable to purchase additional doses of the Pfizer vaccine until the summer of 2021.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urging them to include provisions addressing health equity in the Covid-19 relief package under negotiation. Warren noted that the pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on low-income communities, Tribal nations, and communities of color. She requested that the next federal Covid-19 relief package include funding that directly reaches these communities and enlists trusted partners to provide services and information that help slow the spread of Covid-19.

Nine Senate Democrats wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer requesting that any future legislative package, including FY 2021 appropriations, health care extenders, or Covid-19 emergency relief, ensures that hospital-based nursing schools do not face cuts during the pandemic. The senators noted that continued funding for these schools is critical for maintaining a strong nursing education and training pipeline.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urging them to include provisions addressing health equity in the Covid-19 relief package under negotiation. Warren noted that the pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on low-income communities, Tribal nations, and communities of color. She requested that the next federal Covid-19 relief package include funding that directly reaches these communities and enlists trusted partners to provide services and information that help slow the spread of Covid-19.

Nine Senate Democrats wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer requesting that any future legislative package, including FY 2021 appropriations, health care extenders, or Covid-19 emergency relief, ensures that hospital-based nursing schools do not face cuts during the pandemic. The senators noted that continued funding for these schools is critical for maintaining a strong nursing education and training pipeline.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar and CDC Director Robert Redfield seeking compliance with the subcommittee’s investigation into political interference with CDC’s scientific work, and requesting a transcribed interview with Redfield to further investigate the matter. The letter came after news that a CDC staffer was directed to delete emails, a violation of federal laws that require federal agencies to preserve records, including emails.

The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar and CDC Director Robert Redfield reiterating their request from more than seven months ago, for Covid-related records considered key to the committee’s ongoing oversight of actions taken by the Carnival Corporation and the CDC in response to the threat of Covid-19 on cruise ships.

Six Senate Democrats wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and the Senate Appropriations Committee to reiterate the urgent need for increased funding for the Agency on Healthcare Research and Quality in FY 2021. AHRQ is charged with improving the quality and delivery of health care, a critical part of the U.S.’s Covid-19 response. The most recent Senate Labor Health and Human Services package included a 24 percent cut to AHRQ.

Sens. Jeff Merkley, Ron Wyden, Dianne Feinstein, Patty Murray, and Maria Cantwell wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and the Senate Appropriations Committee asking the Senate to pass federal housing assistance for residents of Oregon, Washington, and California impacted by wildfires. The senators noted that state resources and funding have been strained by the Covid-19 pandemic and are now completely depleted by weeks of fighting some of the most dangerous and widespread fires on record.

The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar and CDC Director Robert Redfield reiterating their request from more than seven months ago, for Covid-related records considered key to the committee’s ongoing oversight of actions taken by the Carnival Corporation and the CDC in response to the threat of Covid-19 on cruise ships.

Six Senate Democrats wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and the Senate Appropriations Committee to reiterate the urgent need for increased funding for the Agency on Healthcare Research and Quality in FY 2021. AHRQ is charged with improving the quality and delivery of health care, a critical part of the U.S.’s Covid-19 response. The most recent Senate Labor Health and Human Services package included a 24 percent cut to AHRQ.

Massachusetts’ congressional delegation wrote to USDA Undersecretary of Marketing and Regulatory Programs Greg Ibach and USDA Agriculture Marketing Service Administrator Bruce Summers to request a meeting regarding the fourth round of distributions under the Farmers to Families Food Box Program, as well as any potential future rounds of the program. The delegation’s letter came as reports emerged that in its most recent rounds, the program struggled to meet the needs of Massachusetts residents.

Sens. Jeff Merkley, Ron Wyden, Dianne Feinstein, Patty Murray, and Maria Cantwell wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and the Senate Appropriations Committee asking the Senate to pass federal housing assistance for residents of Oregon, Washington, and California impacted by wildfires. The senators noted that state resources and funding have been strained by the Covid-19 pandemic and are now completely depleted by weeks of fighting some of the most dangerous and widespread fires on record.

Massachusetts’ congressional delegation wrote to USDA Undersecretary of Marketing and Regulatory Programs Greg Ibach and USDA Agriculture Marketing Service Administrator Bruce Summers to request a meeting regarding the fourth round of distributions under the Farmers to Families Food Box Program, as well as any potential future rounds of the program. The delegation’s letter came as reports emerged that in its most recent rounds, the program struggled to meet the needs of Massachusetts residents.

10 Senate Democrats urged HHS Secretary Alex Azar and CDC Director Robert Redfield to ensure a fair and equitable distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine by working closely with states to understand and appropriately implement the Covid-19 vaccine distribution recommendations made by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

10 Senate Democrats urged HHS Secretary Alex Azar and CDC Director Robert Redfield to ensure a fair and equitable distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine by working closely with states to understand and appropriately implement the Covid-19 vaccine distribution recommendations made by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar and Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller requesting information on their preparations to coordinate the wide distribution of Covid-19 vaccines once they are cleared by the FDA.

A bicameral group of Democrats wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy urging them to consider an additional stimulus package to address the impact of Covid-19 on the country, and to include emergency support for communities recovering from devastating and historic wildfires.

Sens. Bernie Sanders, Kirsten Gillibrand, Elizabeth Warren, Jeff Merkley, Ed Markey, and Ron Wyden wrote to their Senate colleagues to demand that any new Covid-19 relief proposal includes a $1,200 direct payment to adults and $500 to their children.

Washington state’s congressional delegation wrote to President Trump and FEMA Administrator Peter Gaynor inquiring about Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s Sept. 16 and Oct. 8, 2020, request for a Major Disaster Declaration and supplemental federal assistance. The delegation noted that the state continued to be overwhelmed by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, while simultaneously experiencing a damaging wildfire season. The delegation asked Trump and FEMA to support Inslee’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration, as well as Public Assistance and Individual Assistance for eligible counties.

Sen. Sherrod Brown wrote to Jeffrey Zients and Dr. Vivek Murthy, appointed as White House Covid-19 Coordinator and U.S. Surgeon General, respectively. In his letter, Brown outlined key priorities for President-elect Biden’s Covid-19 response team, including urging them to ensure widespread testing, aggressive contact tracing, and vaccinations, and to improve data collection, and secure PPE, among other priorities. Brown also urged the Covid-19 Advisory Board to address racial inequities and the disproportionate risk Covid-19 poses to communities of color.

A bicameral group of Democrats wrote to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urging them to include robust assistance for environmental justice communities in the next Covid-19 relief package.

A bicameral group of Democrats wrote to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urging them to include robust assistance for environmental justice communities in the next Covid-19 relief package.

The House Committee on Financial Services wrote to President-elect Joe Biden asking him to reverse actions taken by the Trump administration in a variety of areas, including those pertaining to Covid-19, public health, consumer protection, and housing. Chairwoman Maxine Waters attached a list of regulations and other executive actions taken by the Trump administration over the past four years within the jurisdiction of the House Committee on Financial Services. Of relevance to the Covid-19 pandemic, Waters asked Biden to fully implement the Defense Production Act. issue an executive order to prevent evictions, promote stable housing during the pandemic, fully use CARES Act lending authorities, and fully support agencies involved in consumer protection, including the CFPB. A list of recommendations provided by the committee can be found here: https://financialservices.house.gov/uploadedfiles/cmw_ltr_to_biden_attachment.pdf.

Sen. Mike Crapo and 26 other senators wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy expressing support for the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act and the Payments in Lieu of Taxes program. The members urged leaders to reauthorize SRS and maintain robust PILT funding as part of the appropriations process, because SRS and PILT serve as a lifeline to rural America’s local governments, funding schools, roads, law enforcement, and public health programs.

Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee wrote to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig asking the IRS to resolve all remaining inquiries regarding Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) before the end of the year. The committee also asked IRS to keep the EIP mailbox for congressional offices open through the end of the next filing season. The tool was created after congressional offices were inundated with requests from constituents seeking a more direct pathway to IRS assistance during the Covid-19 crisis.

29 members of California’s congressional delegation wrote a letter to Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller asking the Defense Department to continue assisting California and other states in their efforts to combat wildfires. The letter requests that the department continue to operate two programs that provide important operational support to CAL FIRE and the National Guard as California battles the Covid-19 pandemic and other challenges that have stretched the capacity of first responders.

Sen. Richard Blumethal and five other senators wrote to ExamSoft CEO Sebastian Vos requesting information on the steps the company has taken to protect the civil rights of students to ensure that ExamSoft is not creating barriers for students’ futures. The letter comes as media reports found that students of color and students with disabilities faced issues when using the software, including being locked out of exams or being wrongly accused of cheating. ExamSoft and similar remote testing products have seen increased usage as the Covid-19 pandemic has led to a rise in distance learning technology usage by academic institutions. The senators also criticized the requirement for students to install intrusive software and provide extensive personal information (e.g., images of their home and personal information regarding their disabilities) to ExamSoft.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar and 14 other senators wrote to National Institute of Mental Health Director Joshua Gordon requesting information about NIMH’s efforts to study the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the mental health of children and young adults. The senators also encouraged NIMH to prioritize these efforts to improve the ability of policymakers to respond to this matter.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein wrote to President Trump urging him to approve California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s request for continuing authority and funding under Title 32 to order to duty, or extend the military orders, of up to 1,500 members of the California National Guard responding to Covid-19 through March 31, 2021. Feinstein also requested that Trump authorize 100 percent federal cost-share for California’s National Guard through March 31.

New York’s congressional delegation wrote to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer asking them to include robust emergency relief for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in the next Covid-19 relief package.

A bipartisan group of senators wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer asking them to pass the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act and to make the existing federal excise tax rates for alcohol beverage producers permanent. The senators wrote that the Covid-19 pandemic has devastated producers’ businesses, and that such economic harm would be compounded by an increase in their federal excise taxes.

Sen. Mark Warner and 31 other senators wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urging them to include extensions of the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program and the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program in the next Covid-19 relief package. The senators also asked McConnell and Schumer to include additional weeks of benefits for both programs.

Oregon’s congressional delegation wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar and CMS Administrator Seema Verma asking them to approve Oregon Gov. Kate Brown’s request to extend Open Enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace through Dec. 31, 2020, to ensure Oregonians have the opportunity to enroll in health coverage and protect themselves and their families during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Massachusetts’s congressional delegation wrote to Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf urging his agency to immediately halt the deportations of immigrants who pose no public safety threat in the U.S. Given that Covid-19 cases have increased significantly across the country, the delegation noted that the detention and deportation of immigrants only served to increase the spread of the virus among detainees and to foreign countries.

The House Committee on Education and Labor wrote to GSA Administrator Emily Murphy urging her to grant the Biden-Harris transition team access to critical information, services, and resources. Chairman Bobby Scott noted that GSA’s failure to make the ascertainment designation and allow the transition to begin compromised the incoming Biden administration’s ability to implement testing and treatment plans for Covid-19. Moreover, Scott noted that delays in sharing critical information with the transition team endangered the lives of frontline workers and stalled the implementation of workplace safety measures. With regards to education, Scott stated that GSA’s delays were preventing incoming Department of Education personnel from adequately supporting schools, students, and teachers during the pandemic.

Sen. Cory Booker and 16 other senators wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy urging them to provide robust funding for the swift distribution of Covid-19 vaccines in any upcoming legislation that addresses the pandemic.

The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works wrote to GSA Administrator Emily Murphy criticizing GSA’s delay in providing resources and access to critical information to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. Of relevance to the Covid-19 pandemic, Ranking Member Tom Carper expressed concern that the incoming administration was being hindered in its preparations to protect public health. Namely, lack of access to EPA career officials and data would prevent Biden’s team from further evaluating research demonstrating how air pollution results in more adverse outcomes from Covid-19. Moreover, lack of resources and access to also risked possible delays in the evaluation of surface disinfectants.

The Senate HELP Committee wrote to GSA Administrator Emily Murphy expressing concern over her efforts to delay the start of the formal presidential transition process. Ranking Member Patty Murray noted that delaying ascertainment could hamper the federal response to the Covid-19 pandemic and stated that allowing President-Elect Biden’s transition team to begin working with public health officials and to access resource and personnel needs for his incoming administration would be critical to achieving improved public health outcomes.

The House Judiciary Committee wrote to GSA Administrator Emily Murphy calling on her to produce the ascertainment of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and to allow the transition team to receive proper briefings from DOJ and DHS. Of relevance to the Covid-19 pandemic, Chairman Jerry Nadler stated that the transition team needed to be briefed on the spread of Covid-19 throughout the federal penitentiary system.

The Senate Finance Committee wrote to GSA Administrator Emily Murphy asking her to ascertain President-elect Joe Biden’s victory and begin the formal transition of power. Ranking Member Ron Wyden stated that in order to address the twin crises of the Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant economic downturn, Biden would need to have installed experienced staff at HHS and Treasury by Jan. 20, 2021, to ensure departments can mobilize the country’s public health and economic responses. Wyden noted that his committee would be responsible for confirming Biden’s nominees for HHS secretary, Treasury secretary, and other key positions such as assistant secretary for the Administration for Children and Families and CBP commissioner. Wyden said GSA’s delays would hamper the presidential transition by blocking funds necessary to conduct an orderly transition, prevent the Biden’s team from receiving critical information from outgoing officials at HHS and Treasury, and stall the vetting of nominees.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis wrote to GSA Administrator Emily Murphy asking her to ascertain President-elect Joe Biden’s victory and facilitate a transition of power. Chairman James Clyburn detailed the critical importance of governmental preparedness in advancing public health, pointing to a number of ways in which the federal government failed to respond properly to the Covid-19 pandemic. He noted that the Trump administration’s failure to quickly ramp up testing hindered efforts to control the virus, and that the lack of uniformly implemented, nationwide public health measures led to a surge of infections across the country.

The House Financial Services Committee wrote to GSA Administrator Emily Murphy to ascertain Joe Biden as president-elect and ensure his transition team can take immediate actions to prepare the incoming administration. Relevant to the handling the Covid-19 pandemic, Chairwoman Maxine Waters warned Murphy that her delay could lead to delays in extensions of evictions and foreclosure moratoria (which are set to expire at the end of 2020); delays in mobilizing resources for the production of PPE and other medical supplies; delays in support for small businesses and state and local governments; and could hamstring efforts to identify and mitigate threats to the country’s financial stability.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis wrote a letter to Yegg CEO George Egbuonu asking for him to comply with a document request the subcommittee sent on Aug. 24, 2020, requesting his cooperation in an investigation of the Farmers to Families Food Box Program. The subcommittee accused Yegg Inc. of withholding key documents needed to conduct its investigation.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Ayanna Pressley wrote to Comptroller General Gene Dodaro requesting a GAO report on how federal Covid-19 relief funds have been distributed to disproportionately affected communities, including businesses and providers located in low-income and medically underserved communities, Tribal businesses and health-care providers, community health centers, and other organizations serving high-need populations.

The House Committee on Small Business wrote to SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza seeking more information on the status of SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. The committee noted that publicly available data did not provide the level of detail needed to determine the effectiveness of EIDLs or the precise amount remaining in the fund. The committee expressed concern about the opaqueness of the EIDL process, while arguing that greater transparency among SBA, EIDL applicants, and Congress was necessary to strengthen the program and prevent fraud from occurring.

The House Committee on Small Business wrote to SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, and IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig asking their agencies to reverse their stances on the deductibility of expenses paid for with funds obtained via the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The IRS had issued multiple rulings in recent months treating loan proceeds as taxable, contrary to Congress’s intent under the CARES Act. The committee urged the Treasury and IRS to bring their positions in line with congressional intent.

The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs wrote to President Trump urging him to improve the security of state, local, and private-sector institutions researching Covid-19 and to send a strong message to foreign governments attempting to hack into U.S. medical institutions that this behavior is unacceptable.

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce wrote to President Trump urging him to direct his administration to begin the presidential transfer of power to preserve the U.S.’s democratic process and to protect the health and well-being of all Americans as the country faces a surging Covid-19 pandemic. Chairman Frank Pallone noted that delaying transition efforts may endanger public health by risking delays in a vaccine rollout, national strategy for testing, and distribution of crucial supplies.

Sen. Gary Peters and 40 other senators wrote to GSA Administrator Emily Murphy asking that she immediately ascertain Joe Biden as president-elect and Kamala Harris as vice president-elect, and make available the transition resources that are provided by law. The senators noted that GSA’s delay in created risks to national security and undermined Covid-19 response efforts as the U.S. death toll from climbed past 250,000. The GSA administrator’s ascertainment of a president-elect is critical for agencies’ willingness to share information with the transition team, including classified information, as well as for the expeditious processing of security clearances for candidates for high-level national security positions.

Americans for Financial Reform, the Center for Responsible Lending, Demos, the National Consumer Law Center, the Student Loan Borrower Protection Center, and more than 200 other organizations wrote to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris asking them to issue an executive order to cancel federal student debt on the first day of their administration. While the student loan debt crisis was severe prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, these organizations stated that the challenges facing borrowers have been exponentially magnified given the disproportionate toll the pandemic has taken on the health and economic security of people of color and women.

Illinois’ congressional delegation wrote to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue expressing concern regarding the availability of SNAP benefits for a group of supportive living facilities (SLFs) in Illinois serving low-income seniors and individuals with disabilities. Until recently, USDA routinely authorized new SLFs and reauthorized existing SLFs across Illinois as SNAP retailers, enabling facilities to serve meals by pooling SNAP benefits for eligible residents who would otherwise face difficulty using their SNAP benefits to purchase groceries. USDA had decided recently to oppose this long-standing arrangement; the delegation worried that this move could jeopardize access to SNAP for 8,000 vulnerable individuals during the Covid-19 pandemic, and asked Perdue to postpone the termination of this arrangement.

Sen. Rick Scott wrote to GAO Comptroller General Gene Dodaro asking him to provide updates on GAO’s review of potential fraud in SBA’s Covid-19 relief programs, including PPP and EIDL.

Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren wrote to NIH Director Francis Collins expressing concern about how the postponement of addiction and behavioral health research programs at NIH due to the Covid-19 pandemic will impact the results of this research to the detriment of those struggling with opioid use disorder (OUD). The senators asked questions regarding the status of these programs and how NIH plans to mitigate the impact of postponement.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Katie Porter wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller, NIH Director Francis Collins, Acting Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority Director Gary Disbrow, Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf, and FEMA Administrator Peter Gaynor requesting information and documents for all federal contracts issued for the development, manufacturing, and distribution of therapeutics, vaccines, diagnostics, and other medical products procured to identify, mitigate, treat, cure, and prevent the spread of Covid-19, including all contracts associated with Operation Warp Speed, BARDA, NIH, FEMA, and the Pentagon.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren and five other senators wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar following up on a July 16 letter regarding his agency’s pricing negotiations with Gilead Sciences for a large supply of remdesivir. The senators noted that this arrangement allowed Gilead to charge American health insurers the highest price in the world for the drug, leading to revenues of up to almost half a billion dollars for the company. The senators requested answers to questions regarding the current status of HHS’s pricing negotiations with Gilead and whether it has plans to challenge Gilead’s monopoly control to ensure the drug is accessible.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren and multiple other members of Congress wrote to BOP Director Michael Carvajal and Attorney General William Barr requesting that the Bureau of Prisons and the Justice Department provide information on the use of copays in federal prisons during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Eight Iowa labor and civil rights groups filed a federal complaint against Iowa OSHA alleging that the agency has been grossly negligent in protecting workers. Representing workers in meatpacking, the dairy industry, construction, transportation, health-care, nursing homes, and other industries, the groups filed a Complaint About State Program Administration with federal OSHA in an effort to force Iowa to protect workers from life-threatening conditions in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. The advocacy groups urged federal OSHA to investigate Iowa OSHA; the complaint alleged that numerous workplaces failed to protect their workers and that Iowa OSHA did not properly investigate complaints.

The Senate Committee on Finance, Senate HELP Committee, House Committee on Ways and Means, House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and House Committee on Education and Labor wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, CMS Administrator Seema Verma, and IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig expressing their concern regarding the Trump administration’s recent approval of waivers submitted by Georgia under Section 1115 of the Social Security Act and 1332 of the ACA. Under these waivers, Georgia would be allowed to impose work requirements and premiums on beneficiaries in its Medicaid program and to eliminate Healthcare.gov in the state. The committee leaders urged the administration to reverse approval of these waivers, which would make health care less accessible. The letter outlined how these waivers would be harmful to Georgia residents, violate federal statute, and compound challenges facing the state during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship wrote to SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza expressing concern about SBA’s ability to detect and prevent fraud in the EIDL program, and requesting answers to several questions about the program. The letter, authored by Chairman Marco Rubio, comes after an Oct. 28 SBA IG report, which found that billions of dollars in potentially fraudulent EIDL loans and grants were made to ineligible businesses.

Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Sherrod Brown wrote a letter to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie asking the VA to improve its data collection of veterans’ race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity to effectively address health disparities. The letter comes in light of two GAO reports that highlighted the VA’s failure to accurately collect and analyze information about LGBTQ veterans and outlined the agency’s shortcomings in measuring and ensuring progress on health-care disparities linked to race and ethnicity. Of relevance to the Covid-19 pandemic, the letter noted that an analysis of the health records of 5.8 million veterans in VA care showed that Black and Hispanic individuals were twice as likely to test positive for Covid-19, even after accounting for underlying health conditions, other demographics, and geographic location.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Tina Smith wrote to FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn requesting information regarding inspections of foreign drug manufacturing facilities. These inspections were suspended in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The senators expressed concern that, absent proper oversight of the drug supply chain and the overseas facilities manufacturing products millions of Americans rely on, patients will face an increased risk of drug contamination or other problems.

Sens. Sherrod Brown and Jack Reed wrote to FHFA Director Mark Calabria expressing concern about recent loan sales by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that could put homeowners at risk of further delinquency or foreclosure. Fannie and Freddie had both recently sold large numbers of loans they previously guaranteed to private investors; the senators noted that unlike Fannie and Freddie, private purchasers of these loans are not obligated by Congress to provide forbearance to borrowers. Thus, unless FHFA requires Fannie and Freddie to secure contractual representations, warranties, or covenants obligating the new owners to continue offering the same loss-mitigation options, new owners are under no obligation to offer borrowers the post-forbearance options Fannie and Freddie created, nor are they obligated to pause foreclosures during the Covid-19 pandemic. The senators noted that they have repeatedly supported FHFA’s decision to extend a foreclosure moratorium to Fannie and Freddie borrowers to ensure that Americans are not at risk of losing their housing during the pandemic. However, FHFA’s decision to allow the sales to proceed undermined the protections it had put in place.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote to CDC Director Robert Redfield requesting clarification regarding his agency’s public communication about Covid-19 mortality as it relates to race, ethnicity, and age. Warren argued that by failing to adjust Covid-19 mortality rates by age in its public data releases, the CDC may not be providing an accurate assessment of the increased risk of death and serious illness for communities of color relative to white Americans of the same age. She urged the CDC to begin including age adjustments in its publications on mortality.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar to follow up on a Jan. 15, 2020, letter inquiring about steps HHS was taking to ensure the U.S. was prepared for a Covid-19 outbreak. Feinstein asked Azar for information about what his agency was doing to ensure there were adequate resources and personnel at designated quarantine facilities to oversee the health of evacuees returning to the U.S. She also asked how the federal government planned to reimburse states and local governments assisting with Covid-19 evaluations, and what was being done to contact incoming travelers who were screened prior to the implementation of the 14-day quarantine period.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote to Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery (SIGPR) Brian Miller criticizing a response he gave to her July 15 letter, in which Warren asked SIGPR to review and report on the role of lobbyists in the dispensation of CARES Act funds in the quarterly report to Congress. Warren stated that Miller’s response indicated that he was unwilling to conduct nonpartisan oversight investigations and was unwilling to do the work required to fulfill his role as chief watchdog of CARES Act funds. In this letter, Warren reiterated her original request that SIGPR conduct a nonpartisan review of the role lobbyists are playing in helping companies secure CARES Act aid, and the process through which executive agencies responsible for the dispensation of CARES Act grants, loans, and corporate bond purchases are addressing conflicts of interest and ethics. Warren also reiterated her request that SIGPR include analysis on the aforementioned topics in the next quarterly report to Congress.

The House Ways and Means Committee wrote to Office of Personnel Management Acting Director Michael Rigas seeking information regarding the Trump administration’s efforts to ensure federal employees and their families remain safe during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Congressional Oversight Commissioner Bharat Ramamurti wrote to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell regarding the Treasury’s and the Fed’s failure to ensure the programs they created under the CARES Act equitably served people of color and women. Pressley and Ramamurti asked that they use the monetary policy tools at their immediate disposal to quickly and directly address the outsized impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on communities of color and women, as well as the large racial unemployment gap.

Sen. Sherrod Brown and eight other senators wrote to the CEOs of the nation’s largest energy companies urging them to suspend all utility shutoffs until the Covid-19 public health emergency has ended. The companies addressed include: Duke Energy, Southern Company, Exelon Corporation, FirstEnergy, American Electric Power, Xcel Energy, Entergy Corporation, Dominion Energy, PPL Corporation, Public Service Enterprise Group, Ameren Corporation, Berkshire Hathaway Energy, American Water, Aqua America, Corix Group of Companies, Comcast, Charter Communications, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Cox Communications, and Lumen Technologies.

Sen. Rick Scott and seven other senators wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar asking for clarification about its guidance on free Covid-19 testing for all. The senators noted that changes made in tri-agency guidance published on June 23 created some confusion regarding coverage requirements. The senators noted that there had been increasing coverage denials from health plans for Covid-19 testing, particularly for asymptomatic individuals, and asked Azar to update the guidance to clarify that individuals who need a test can receive one without cost-sharing, medical management, or prior authorization, regardless of whether the individual is symptomatic.

The American Securities Association wrote to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell urging them to extend the Municipal Liquidity Facility and expand eligible issuers, allow for lower rates, and longer repayment terms. ASA stated in their letter that they believe that the current MLF rates are significantly higher than necessary, and that the MLF’s current 36-month repayment term is too short.

Sen. Patty Murray wrote to Vice President Mike Pence following reports that administration officials tried to pressure CDC experts to sign onto a statement claiming that housing migrant children in hotels was the best way to protect them against Covid-19. She asked the administration to stop pressuring CDC scientists to sign this declaration and noted that these hotels were reportedly open to the public and do not provide decreased exposure to Covid-19. Additionally, she pointed out that whereas shelters overseen by HHS are licensed and run by individuals with specific training, the hotels are run by third-party contractors with minimal training for dealing with the unique needs of migrant children. Murray also noted that licensed shelters overseen by HHS are expected to provide access to legal services, education, and other programming that is unlikely to be provided in a hotel run by a third-party contractor.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Katie Porter wrote to General Services Administration Inspector General Carol Fortine Ochoa requesting an investigation of the Trump administration’s abuse of the federal contracting process to subvert ethics laws for Dr. Moncef Slaoui. Slaoui leads Operation Warp Speed (OWS), the administration’s COVID-19 vaccine research and development efforts. The administration hired Slaoui as OWS’s chief scientist via a contract with Advanced Decision Vectors, LLC, which allowed him to evade the ethics and conflict of interest requirements that apply to government employees. Warren and Richard Blumenthal, and Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Katie Porter, also wrote a letter to Slaoui asking him to resolve his outstanding conflicts of interest in order to ensure the public’s confidence in any Covid-19 vaccines developed by OWS (https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2020.10.29%20Letter%20to%20Slaoui%20re%20financial%20conflicts.pdf).

Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Richard Blumenthal, and Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Katie Porter, wrote to Dr. Moncef Slaoui, the head of Operation Warp Speed (OWS), asking him to resolve his financial conflicts of interest and expressing concern over the unusual consulting arrangement that allowed him to avoid disclosing or resolving these conflicts. Slaoui formerly worked at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and refused to sell his stock in GSK or to fully disclose the value of his financial holdings. GSK secured a federal contact of up to $2.1 billion through OWS to supply 100 million doses of a Covid-19 vaccine, the biggest vaccine deal to date. Slaoui reportedly continues to hold leadership positions with SutroVax, Medicxi, and Galvani Bioelectronics, and he previously served on the board of drug manufacturer Moderna. To avoid having to fully disclose or resolve these conflicts, Slaoui currently works for the federal government as a contractor with Advanced Decision Vectors, LLC. On this matter, Warren and Porter wrote to GSA Inspector General Carol Fontine Ochoa to investigate the contracting process and the terms through which Slaoui was hired by Advance Decision. (https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Letter%20to%20GSA%20re_%20Ethics%20and%20Slaoui%2010.29.20.pdf).

Rep. Rashida Tlaib wrote to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell requesting clarification as to why the Fed was financially propping up firms like Marathon Petroleum, ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, and other energy companies, while failing to sufficiently help cities and municipalities grappling with losses in tax revenue and costs associated with the Covid-19 pandemic. Tlaib cited a report by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis that showed that the Fed’s Secondary Market Corporate Credit Facility portfolio included the bonds of 95 companies that paid out dividends to their shareholders even as they laid off workers.

Twenty-two state attorneys general wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar and NIH Director Francis Collins asking them to reject recommendations made by NIH’s Human Fetal Tissue Ethics Advisory Board, which would limit federal funding for treatments and therapies for various health conditions, including Covid-19. The AGs noted that Regeneron, one of the drugs used to treat President Trump after he was diagnosed with Covid-19, was tested in cells derived from fetal tissue.

The House Committee on Oversight and Reform wrote to FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn and FTC Chairman Joseph Simons seeking information about FDA and FTC efforts to eliminate the sale, distribution, and prescription of the drug thymosin alpha-1 for treating Covid-19, citing a report noting that more than 30 medical practice groups and compounding pharmacies across more than a dozen states have made false claims about thymosin alpha-1 on their websites and on social media since the pandemic began. The committee noted that such false claims appear to be illegal and ought to be subject to strict enforcement by FDA and FTC. The committee also asked FDA and FTC to open an investigation into VitaLifeMD (one of the medical groups peddling false claims) and to take all appropriate action against the company and its principals. VitaLifeMD has falsely claimed that thymosin alpha-1 is an “FDA-approved” drug that worked like “magic” and was “one of the best ways to prevent and fight” coronavirus.

Sens. Jeff Merkley, Patty Murray, Kirsten Gillibrand, Chuck Schumer, Ron Wyden, Cory Booker, and Maria Cantwell wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar asking HHS to ensure that millions of dollars in federal funding for critical public health programs will not be withheld for political reasons in the middle of a pandemic. President Trump and Attorney General William Barr have threatened to withhold the funding as part of a politically motivated scheme to punish Democratic-leaning cities where residents have been protesting for racial justice. The senators requested that HHS respond to the letter within two weeks with a copy of the compiled report of federal grants, funding awards, and health programs from all agencies HHS oversees; an explanation for how HHS plans to implement Trump’s directives regarding punishing Portland, Seattle, New York, and Washington, D.C.; and an explanation as to whether Trump’s directives will influence the granting or withholding of Covid-19 relief funds.

Seventy-seven community, civil rights, consumer, and student advocacy organizations wrote to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos urging her agency to extend the suspension of payments on federal student loans through September 2021 amid the Covid-19 crisis. The signatories noted that the current suspension on federal student loans is set to expire on Dec. 31, 2020, and that if the department does note extend the suspension, borrowers will find it difficult to repay loans and make ends meet

The House Committee on Oversight and Reform wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar pointing out his “complete failure” to comply with previous requests for documents regarding a $250 million contract awarded by the Trump administration to launch a massive advertising campaign to “defeat despair and inspire hope” amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The letter also contained new documents obtained from contractors involved in the campaign. The committee noted that they first wrote to Azar seeking documents about his agency’s contract with Fors Marsh Group on Sept. 10, 2020. On Oct. 1, the committee sought additional documents from HHS concerning a $15 million communications contract awarded to Atlas Research LLC. The committee’s most recent letter reiterated its requests for documents and provided additional instructions for complying with the requests.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Tammy Baldwin, and Tina Smith wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar and CDC Director Robert Redfield requesting information on what their agencies are doing to understand and respond to the alarming excess mortality rates associated with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Tina Smith wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, CDC Director Robert Redfield, and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos asking their agencies to provide complete, transparent, and timely national reporting of Cocid-19 cases in K-12 schools. The senators noted that as schools have begun the new academic year operating in person, remotely, or with a hybrid approach, there has been wide variation in the reporting and tracking of Covid-19 cases at schools that provide in-person learning. To date, the administration had not formulated or disseminated a national method for reporting and tracking Covid-19 cases in schools, resulting in inconsistent, unreliable, and unavailable data. In their letter, the senators further criticized DeVos for saying it was not her agency’s job to track schools’ re-openings or infection rates.

Illinois’ congressional delegation wrote to FEMA Administrator Pete Gaynor expressing concern about the agency’s processing of Illinois’ public assistance requests as they relate to Covid-19 expenses. To date, the delegation noted that FEMA has approved less than 5 percent of Illinois’ submitted claims, taking an average of more than 90 days to process a claim. The delegation requested clarification on these policies and denials, while urging FEMA to be transparent, timely, and communicative as they enforce administrative requirements.

Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand wrote a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue asking his agency to reverse course on new classifications that exclude meat produced from breeding animals for eligibility for reimbursement under the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) 2. Schumer and Gillibrand noted that while milk is the primary source of income for dairy farmers, these farmers often run diversified operations with significant revenue coming from the meat of cows retired from milking. Under the first version of CFAP, farmers could claim reimbursement and federal assistance for losses from meat production no matter the purpose for which their livestock was raised. However, in the second version of CFAP, farmers can only claim reimbursement and assistance for losses from meat production for livestock specifically raised for slaughter. The senators expressed concern about the effect of CFAP 2 on New York’s dairy industry, which has already suffered losses due to the pandemic and economic downturn.

More than 80 medical and health organizations wrote to Acting DEA Administrator Timothy Shea asking him to expedite and complete its efforts to implement a telemedicine special registration process, which would enable providers to safely prescribe controlled substances remotely. Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the opioid overdose crisis has increased; the use of telemedicine during the pandemic, they argued, has demonstrated the value of increased access to telemedicine to enable all qualified providers, including Community Mental Health Centers and addiction treatment facilities, to prescribe Medication Assisted Treatment to patients with Opioid Use Disorder.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Mazie Hirono wrote to Sens. James Inhofe (chairman, Senate Armed Services Committee) and Jack Reed (ranking member) requesting that the committee (SASC) hold a hearing regarding the Defense Department’s role in Operation Warp Speed (OWS). Warren and Hirono noted that despite the department’s outsized role in the vaccine development and distribution process, SASC has yet to hold a public hearing dedicated exclusively to its efforts to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. The senators stated that while the inner workings of OWS are largely unknown, recent reports have shed light on its structure and hierarchy. Most notably, a leaked organizational chart revealed that military personnel vastly outnumber civilian scientists, and that about 60 of the approximately 90 OWS leaders are employed by Defense.

The House Committee on Ways and Means wrote a letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig to determine the status of, and the IRS’s preparedness for, the upcoming 2021 tax return filing season amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The letter contained questions about when the filing season would begin, what date the IRS expected to open the filing season, and whether the IRS is prepared.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar urging his compliance with the subcommittee’s Sept. 14, 2020, request for transcribed interviews and documents regarding efforts by HHS political appointees to interfere with CDC scientific reports and guidance during the Covid-19 crisis. HHS had, to date, produced no documents or witnesses in response to these requests. Rep. James Clyburn, chairman of the subcommittee, sent a second letter on Sept. 22 emphasizing the urgency of the investigation and offering accommodations. On Oct. 2, Azar testified before the subcommittee that HHS was in the “final stages” of getting the requested documents arranged for release. However, in the nearly three weeks since his testimony, HHS had refused to commit to any interviews or produce any documents despite repeated follow-up efforts from the subcommittee.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow and 14 other senators wrote to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue asking the USDA to reverse its decision to exclude dairy farmers from receiving Covid-19 relief to cover losses related to meat production. The senators argued that USDA has sufficient resources to cover these losses, and stated that it would be less complicated for relief to cover all livestock and avoid confusion about what animals are covered or excluded. Additionally, the senators noted that while milk is the primary income for dairy farms, dairy farms often diversify their operations, with significant revenue often coming from the meat of cows that have been “retired” from milking.

The Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs wrote a letter to CFPB Director Kathleen Kraninger asking how the Consumer and Financial Protection Bureau would work to ensure that mortgage borrowers who face a long-term loss of income as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic are not compelled to exit mortgage forbearance and experience foreclosure. Sen. Sherrod Brown, canking member of the committee, noted that while some borrowers will be able to resume their regular payments by using the deferral or partial claim processes set up by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, or their private lender, other borrowers will be unable to resume their prior payments and will need more time to enter a modification with their servicer to make their payments more affordable. Brown pointed out that the modification process can take time, and during that time, the committee was concerned that mortgage servicers may put borrowers on track for foreclosure.

More than one hundred members of the House and Senate wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy urging them to prioritize the development of comprehensive policy plans to prevent and mitigate the impact of future pandemics. In the letter, the members outlined the steps necessary to prevent future pandemics, while also noting that Congress must provide relief to Americans suffering from the current Covid-19 pandemic and economic downturn.

The House Committee on Oversight and Reform, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis wrote to State Department Acting Inspector General Matthew Klimow and DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari requesting an investigation into the shipment of ventilators to and from Russia during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic in the U.S. The letter noted that the U.S. sent 200 ventilators to Russia at a cost of $5.6 million to American taxpayers; less than two months earlier, FEMA accepted 45 Russian ventilators that were electrically incompatible and unsafe for use in the U.S.

Sen. Patty Murray and 33 other senators wrote to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos asking that she ensure federal student loan borrowers can gain access to crucial federal relief. Since March 2020, the CARES Act has provided forbearance, waived interest, and halted collections for borrowers whose student loans were directly held by the Department of Education. But, according to new information provided by the Education Department to Murray, 8.2 million federal student loan borrowers currently cannot take advantage of this relief because some or all of their loans do not qualify. Of those borrowers, 4.4 million are not receiving any relief, and 3.8 million have a mix of loans that qualify and those that do not. In their letter, the senators urged DeVos to ensure that these borrowers do not continue to face unnecessary financial struggles and confusion, and to take immediate action to help them qualify for relief.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren and 15 other senators wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin asking their agencies to conduct an analysis of how the repeal of the Affordable Care Act in California v. Texas would affect health-care coverage in the United States, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler asking that he use and improve equity screening and mapping tools to identify and invest in vulnerable communities, specifically requesting the agency to submit a plan within the next two months to improve the EJSCREEN tool and expand its use in federal environmental decision-making. Warren couched EPA’s inaction within a larger discussion of how compounding environmental and health inequities have led to poor health outcomes for communities of color from Covid-19.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren and 19 other senators wrote to Attorney General William Barr requesting that the Justice Department immediately rescind its support of the Supreme Court lawsuit California v. Texas, which seeks to invalidate the Affordable Care Act. The senators noted that because of the Covid-19 pandemic, uninsured rates could spiral even further if the ACA’s preexisting conditions protections were overturned. Health experts warned that without the ACA, health insurers could classify Covid-19 as a pre-existing condition and deny Covid-19 survivors health insurance.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis wrote letters to four cargo carriers — Atlas Air, Kalitta Air, Western Global Airlines, and Amerijet International — that received more than $630 million total from the Treasury as part of the Payroll Support Program (PSP, which was created to preserve aviation jobs) despite reports of these companies’ financial success during the Covid-19 pandemic. Rep. James Clyburn, subcommittee chairman, called on these companies to either return the money or to demonstrate that they needed the funds to keep workers on the payroll. The letters to Atlas Air, Kalitta Air, Western Global Airlines, and Amerijet International can be found here in the order listed: https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2020-10-19.Clyburn%20to%20Dietrich%20re%20Cargo%20Carrier%20Letter%20Atlas%20Air%20FINAL.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2020-10-19.Clyburn%20to%20Kalitta%20re%20Cargo%20Carrier%20Letter%20Kalitta%20Air%20.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2020-10-19.Clyburn%20to%20Neff%20re%20Cargo%20Carrier%20Letter%20Western%20Global%20Airlines%20.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2020-10-19.Clyburn%20to%20Strauss%20re%20Cargo%20Carrier%20Letter%20Amerijet%20.pdf

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis wrote to Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mark Calabria asking that his agency direct Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to require mortgage servicers to automatically grant forbearance to borrowers who are delinquent for 60 days or more. Rep. James Clyburn, the chairman of the subcommittee, noted that although forbearance is currently an option for delinquent mortgage holders, data obtained by the subcommittee showed that a substantial number of delinquent borrowers, particularly borrowers with the lowest incomes, had not obtained forbearance as of August 2020 and were in need of financial relief.

The Senate HELP Committee wrote to Vice President Mike Pence expressing concern regarding reports surrounding the administration’s continued political interference with the decision-making of public health officials at the CDC. Sen. Patty Murray, ranking member, urged Pence and others on the White House Coronavirus Task Force to end the administration’s interference and to heed the guidance of public health experts.

Sen. Margaret Wood Hassan and six other senators wrote to FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn requesting information on how the FDA is ensuring that phase three clinical trials will provide adequate data and information on the safety and effectiveness of Covid-19 drugs (including biologics) and vaccines in older adults.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote to SEC Chairman Jay Clayton and Chairman and Chief Executive of the U.S. Commodities Futures Trading Commission Heath Tarbert asking them to conduct an insider trading investigation after reports that in February, President Trump administration officials privately gave dire warnings to conservative allies and Republican donors about the risks to the economy from the Covid-19 pandemic. During this time, Trump was publicly optimistic about the virus, saying that Covid-19 was “very much under control.” Warren noted that Trump’s top advisers were reportedly indicating to donors and other members of the Hoover Institution’s board of directors that they should “(s)hort everything…betting on the idea that the stock prices of companies would soon fall.”

The Government Finance Officers Association, International City/County Management Association, National Association of Counties, National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers, National Association of State Treasurers, National League of Cities, and the United States Conference of Mayors wrote to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell emphasizing the importance of the Municipal Liquidity Facility (MLF). The coalition, which represents state and local governments and finance officers, provided recommendations for improving the MLF and its responsiveness to issuers of governmental securities, including that it be extended into 2021 and expanded to a greater number of eligible issuers. The coalition requested that the MLF’s 36-month term be extended and that borrowers have greater flexibility over its usage. Lastly, the coalition recommended that the Fed create a Secondary Market Corporate Credit Facility. Many of these recommendations were reflected in the Congressional Oversight Commission’s Fifth Report.

A bipartisan group of senators wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar urging his agency to release funds for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) as quickly and at the highest level possible under the current continuing resolution. The senators noted that millions of low-income families face severe economic hardship due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and that releasing LIHEAP funds would reduce the likelihood that low-income households would have to choose between heating their homes and affording other necessities like food or medicine.

The Senate HELP Committee minority staff wrote a letter to CMS Administrator Seema Verma asking CMS to track Covid-19 in congregate care facilities in order to better protect seniors and persons with disabilities, and better understand the impact of Covid-19 on these vulnerable populations. The senators noted that CMS has the responsibility and authority to expand current reporting requirement regulations beyond nursing homes to include other Medicaid-funded institutions.

Sen. Sherrod Brown, ranking member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, wrote to Federal Reserve Vice Chair of Supervision Randal Quarles, NCUA Chair Rodney Hood, FDIC Chair Jelena McWilliams, and Acting Comptroller of the Currency Brian Brooks expressing concern over the lack of action by financial regulators to protect the U.S. economy amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Brown noted that “watchful waiting” and deregulation were insufficient regulatory responses, and urged the addressees to respond to and prepare for threats to financial stability before the economy and working families suffer more.

The House Committee on Education and Labor wrote to Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia and OSHA Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Loren Sweatt expressing concern over a recent OSHA policy change that will undermine efforts to protect worker safety and result in reduced reporting of coronavirus-related workplace hospitalizations and fatalities. OSHA requires workplace fatalities to be reported to OSHA within eight hours and any hospitalization must be reported within 24 hours; previous OSHA policy started the reporting clock when a worker is hospitalized or dies. However, OSHA recently altered the reporting policy for Covid-19 hospitalizations and fatalities so that the reporting clock starts at the time of an exposure incident. The committee noted that because no one is hospitalized within 24 hours of exposure to Covid-19, these changes will result in no Covid-related hospitalizations being reported to OSHA. In addition, Covid-related deaths often occur more than 30 days after exposure, meaning that very few will be reported to OSHA. The committee requested a detailed description of OSHA’s justification for making changes to the reporting requirements, as well as communication between OSHA and DOL or outside parties on this issue.

The House Education and Labor Committee, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education wrote to the Department of Education’s Inspector General asking for an audit of the department’s monitoring of states’ and localities’ compliance with the equitable services requirement of Education Stabilization Fund grants. The CARES Act required local educational agencies (LEAs) to provide equitable services “in the same manner” as section 1117 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. However, the committees claimed that the department distorted the plain language of this section, first through unauthorized
guidance, and then through unauthorized rulemaking, creating confusion and forcing LEAs to choose between delaying the use of some of their CARES funds or diverting more than a billion dollars of federal emergency aid from public school students to serve private school students.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote to Walt Disney Company Executive Chairman Robert Iger and CEO Bob Chapek expressing concern about Disney’s recent decision to lay off 28,000 employees. The executives cited the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting economic recession as reasons for the layoffs. However, Warren noted that the company prioritized the enrichment of executives and stockholders through hefty compensation packages, and billions of dollars’ worth of dividend payments and stock buybacks in recent years, weakening Disney’s financial ability to weather economic downturns. Warren requested more information on the Disney board’s actions prior to the announcement of these layoffs, and why the company prioritized risky stock buybacks and high executive pay over its workers. Warren requested more information about which workers would be laid off and how decisions about layoffs were reached, the specific monthly cost savings expected for Disney as a result of these layoffs, whether Disney will provide laid-off employees with guaranteed health benefits or other forms of protection during the pandemic, and to what extent share buybacks and dividend payments in recent years have benefited top executives and members of the board.

The Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation (House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee) wrote a letter to CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield expressing concern over press reports alleging the Trump administration intervened on a CDC decision regarding when cruise ships could safely resume sailing. CDC allegedly attempted to extend the “No Sail Order” to Feb. 15, 2021, to help contain the spread of Covid-19, but following White House involvement, the extension was shortened to the end of October 2020. The subcommittee requested records and communications related to the decision to shorten the extension on the order.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar requesting that he clarify whether the Trump administration is responding to the Covid-19 crisis with a herd immunity “strategy.” During the select subcommittee’s Oct. 2, 2020, hearing on HHS’s response to the Covid-19 crisis, Rep. Jamie Raskin asked Azar whether he supported the herd immunity strategy advocated by President Trump, White House health policy adviser Scott Atlas, and former HHS appointee Paul Alexander. Azar replied: “Herd immunity is not the strategy of the U.S. government with regard to coronavirus.” However, lawmakers noted that on Oct. 5, Azar met with Atlas and three other outspoken proponents of pursuing a herd immunity strategy in response to the pandemic — a strategy rejected by the vast majority of public health experts. Following the meeting, Azar tweeted that it provided “strong reinforcement” of the administration’s strategy, while HHS has refused to comment on whether the administration is pursuing herd immunity.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis wrote letters to the seven aviation contractors receiving the most Payroll Support Program (PSP) funds, asking that they forgo any layoffs or furloughs until all PSP funds awarded to them have been expended. The letters follow the release of a staff report revealing that the Treasury allowed aviation contractors to fire thousands of workers, even as these companies received hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds intended to protect those workers’ jobs. The letters, sent to DAL Global Services LLC; Menzies Aviation, Inc.; Flying Food Fare Inc.; Swissport USA, Inc.; Gate Group; Sky Chefs, Inc.; and Worldwide Flight Services, Inc., are linked here in the order listed: https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2020-10-09.Clyburn%20to%20Taylor%20re%20PSP%20Follow%20up%20letter%20DAL%20Global%20Services%20LLC.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2020-10-09.Clyburn%20to%20Redmond%20re%20PSP%20Follow%20up%20letter%20to%20Menzies%20Aviation%20Inc.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2020-10-09.Clyburn%20to%20Cotton%20re%20PSP%20Follow%20up%20letter%20Flying%20Food.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2020-10-09.Clyburn%20to%20Mena%20re%20PSP%20Follow%20up%20letter%20Swissport.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2020-10-09.Clyburn%20to%20Rossinyol%20re%20PSP%20Follow%20up%20letter%20Gate%20Gourmet.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2020-10-09.Clyburn%20to%20Rutjes%20re%20PSP%20Follow%20up%20letter%20Sky%20Chefs%20Inc.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2020-10-09.Clyburn%20to%20Simpson%20re%20PSP%20Follow%20up%20letter%20Worldwide%20Flight%20Services%20Inc.pdf

Sens. Patrick Leahy, Cory Booker, and Kamala Harris wrote to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham asking him not to proceed with Supreme Court confirmation hearings unless stringent Covid-19 testing procedures are implemented immediately. The senators noted that two committee members have tested positive for Covid-19 and others have thus far refused to be tested. The senators told Graham that without testing procedures in place, the hearings could threaten the safety and health of those attending in person.

The Subcommittee on Nutrition, Oversight, and Department Operations (House Agriculture Committee) wrote to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue expressing concern over USDA’s Farmers to Families Food Box Program, especially as the agency continues to delay the subcommittee’s review and oversight of the program. The members requested USDA respond to a series of questions about the program, including those pertaining to contracts and contract amounts, misleading or inaccurate information provided by contracted entities, and contractor noncompliance with the program’s regulations, among other issues.

The Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy (House Committee on Oversight and Reform) wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar requesting information about reported plans to impose penalties — the loss of Medicare and Medicaid funding — against hospitals that do not satisfactorily comply with new Covid-19 reporting requirements. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi noted that this move could potentially strip health care from millions of Americans who receive inpatient and outpatient care at hospitals that accept Medicare and Medicaid.

Rep. Nydia Velázquez (chairwoman, House Committee on Small Business) wrote a letter to SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza requesting that SBA release data related to Covid-19 relief programs. In her letter, Velázquez asked SBA to comply with data requests from GAO related to SBA’s Covid-19 response programs, specifically the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program.

Rep. Richard Neal (Chairman, House House Ways and Means Committee) wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar asking the Trump administration to develop an inclusive, comprehensive strategy for distributing Covid-19 vaccinations to all Americans. In his letter, Neal raised concerns that more than 61 million adults with disabilities and more than 25 million individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP) could be excluded from HHS’s plans to distribute a vaccine.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Gary Peters, and Patty Murray wrote to GAO Comptroller General Gene Dodaro asking GAO to conduct an investigation to understand the extent to which undue political influence at CDC and FDA has violated the agencies’ scientific integrity and communication policies.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee wrote a letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar requesting answers to a series of questions concerning his decision to overrule career scientists at FDA by announcing that the Trump administration would allow laboratory-developed tests (LDTs), including those for Covid-19, to come to market without FDA review.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren sent letters to the largest banks —those with more than $250 billion in total consolidated assets — requesting information on how these institutions are assessing and mitigating risks resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. Warren raised concerns about the Federal Reserve Board of Governors’ lack of transparency about the methods and findings of its recent stress tests and noted that banks may not be prepared for the economic fallout in the coming months, especially if households and businesses do not receive needed relief from Congress.

Sen. Cory Booker wrote letters to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and U.S. Secret Service Director James Murray requesting information about Covid-19 outbreaks linked to the White House. In his letter to Meadows, Booker requested an overview of steps being taken to protect the health and safety of staff who work on the White House grounds. In a separate letter to Murray, Booker requested a full list and contact information for all individuals who attended or worked at President Trump’s Oct. 1, 2020, event in Bedminster, N.J.; Booker asked that information be sent to the New Jersey Department of Health to assist with contact-tracing efforts. Booker’s letter to Meadows can be found here: https://www.booker.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/WH%20COVID%20letter7.pdf. His letter to Murray can be found here: https://www.booker.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Letter%20to%20Secret%20Service%20RE%20Trump%20Fundraiser_10_07_20_Final.pdf.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Tina Smith wrote letters to five of the largest retail Covid-19 testing providers and the National Community Pharmacists Association requesting information on the availability of pediatric testing for Covid-19 at their testing sites. The senators noted that families are having difficulty obtaining tests for their young children and that the limited availability to pediatric testing would likely disproportionately impact people of color. Testing sites in predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in major cities face higher demand than those in predominantly white neighborhoods, making tests harder to obtain. The senators also noted that a recent CDC study found that children who have died from Covid-19 were significantly more likely to be Black, Hispanic, or American Indian/Alaskan Native. The letters were sent to CVS Health, Kroger, Rite Aid, Walgreens, Walmart, and the National Community Pharmacists Association, each of which participate in the HHS’s Community-Based Testing program. The letters are linked here, in the order mentioned: https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2020.10.07%20Letter%20to%20CVS%20re%20pediatric%20testing.pdf; https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2020.10.07%20Letter%20to%20Kroger%20re%20pediatric%20testing.pdf; https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2020.10.07%20Letter%20to%20Rite%20Aid%20re%20pediatric%20testing1.pdf; https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2020.10.07%20Letter%20to%20Walgreen%20re%20pediatric%20testing.pdf; https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2020.10.07%20Letter%20to%20Walmart%20re%20pediatric%20testing.pdf; https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2020.10.07%20Letter%20to%20NCPA%20re%20pediatric%20testing.pdf

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce wrote to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows asking that he allow contact tracers to investigate the large outbreak of Covid-19 cases affecting President Trump and White House staff.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Dianne Feinstein, and Shelley Moore Capito, and Reps. Katherine Clark and Steve Stivers wrote to Acting DEA Administrator Timothy Shea asking DEA to finalize “partial fill” regulations as opioid overdose rates increase nationwide and the Covid-19 pandemic continues to have an outsized impact of patients suffering from opioid use disorder. Lawmakers had previously written to DEA requesting that it update its regulations so that Section 702 could be fully implemented. Section 702 of the 2016 Comprehensive Addiction Treatment and Recovery Act allows patients to take home only a portion of their opioid prescription and then return to have the remainder filled if their pain continues, thereby affording both patients and doctors greater control over the amount of opiates in their possession and in circulation. However, the DEA’s current definition of “partial fill” only allows a “partial fill” if the pharmacist does not have enough medication to completely fill a prescription. The members argued that this definition prevents pharmacists from fulfilling the intent of Section 702.

Reps. James Clyburn (Chairman, House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis), Carolyn Maloney (Chairwoman, House Committee on Oversight and Reform), and Zoe Lofgren (Chairwoman, Committee on House Administration) wrote to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott asking him to rescind his proclamation requiring early vote-by-mail ballots that are returned in person to be delivered to a single early voting clerk’s office location in each county. Lawmakers noted that Abbott’s proclamation will force voters to congregate at a single county clerk’s office to deliver ballots amid a pandemic. As examples, they noted that in Harris County, which includes Houston and has more than 4.7 million residents, 12 locations will be consolidated into one. Travis County, which has a population of 1.2 million, will be forced to consolidate four sites into one. Further, they noted that since most voters returning their mail-in ballots are over 65 years old or disabled, the burden of traveling potentially long distances to one location will fall on those most vulnerable to the health risks of Covid-19.

The House Education and Labor Committee wrote to USDA following reports that several faith-based organizations participating in the Farmers to Families Food Box program are including religious messages in food boxes, conducting prayer and other religious activity as part of the distribution of boxes, using the distribution to engage in solicitations, and limiting the distribution to church members or individuals who participate in services such as Bible study. The committee noted that such activity is blatant violation of USDA regulations, which prohibit “explicitly religious activities, including activities that involve overt religious content such as worship, religious instruction, or proselytization, as part of the programs or services supported with USDA direct assistance.” Rep. Bobby Scott, chair of the committee, requested answers to questions pertaining to these alleged activities, as well as various documents from USDA, including a list of contractors participating in the Families to Food Box program, details of USDA’s oversight of the program, and whether the agency is tracking any violations of its regulations and policies.

Reps. Frank Pallone and Bobby Scott wrote to Labor Secretary Scalia and HHS Secretary Azar asking for increased protections for frontline workers. In the letter, the lawmakers expressed concern that low-wage, essential workers often lack the health insurance coverage and resources necessary to access Covid-19 testing, and without guidance from the CDC, questions around the appropriate frequency of testing remain unanswered, and workers continue to face significant health risks on the job.

Reps. Bobby Scott (Chairman, House Education and Labor Committee) and James Clyburn (Chairman, House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis) wrote] to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos expressing concern over South Carolina’s misuse of CARES Act education funds to develop a voucher program. South Carolina’s governor dedicated $32 million in Governor Emergency Education Relief funds to the Safe Access to Flexible Education grants program, a violation of GEER and CARES Act regulations, which only permits usage of these funds for institutions of higher education, local educational agencies, and “education related entities,” not school vouchers. Scott and Clyburn requested that the Education Department review South Carolina’s SAFE grants program to determine if it complies with the relevant sections of the CARES Act, and asked for all communications between the governor’s office and the department related to the development, implementation, or legality of South Carolina’s SAFE grant program.

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (Chairman, Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, House Committee on Oversight and Reform) sent letters to CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield and FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn requesting information about the control over public health messaging and information exercised by non-experts in the White House regarding the Covid-19 response. In 2019, Executive Order 13891 vastly expanded the reach of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) by requiring not only regulations but also non-binding guidance to be funneled through the office. During the pandemic, OIRA’s review of public health guidance reportedly expanded more, now covering almost every document related to Covid-19. OIRA began reviewing Covid-19 guidance, as well as sending this guidance to other officials — often those lacking medical or public health backgrounds — for review or comment. For example, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who does not possess a medical or public health background, recently weighed in on the FDA’s vaccine guidance.

The letter to CDC is here: https://oversight.house.gov/sites/democrats.oversight.house.gov/files/2020-10-05.RK%20to%20Redfield-CDC%20re%20OIRA.pdf. The letter to FDA is here: https://oversight.house.gov/sites/democrats.oversight.house.gov/files/2020-10-05.RK%20to%20Hahn-FDA%20re%20OIRA.pdf

Sens. Tom Carper, Lisa Murkowski, Margaret Wood Hassan, and Tina Smith wrote a letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar and CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield asking that the administration, in partnership with state and local governments, work to ensure all Americans continue receiving necessary immunizations to prevent additional illness and outbreaks amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Reps. Harley Rouda (Chairman, Subcommittee on the Environment, House Committee on Oversight and Reform) and Rashida Tlaib (Vice Chairwoman, Subcommittee on the Environment) wrote to CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield requesting that he use his authority under Section 361 of the Public Health Services Act to issue a nationwide moratorium on drinking water shutoffs during the Covid-19 pandemic. The members noted that access to clean water for hand-washing, for example, is essential to stop the spread of Covid-19.

The House Committee on Education and Labor and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) wrote to Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia requesting information regarding the Labor Department’s involvement in the watering down of CDC recommendations to Smithfield Foods Sioux Falls Pork Plant (Smithfield), a meatpacking plant in South Dakota that experienced a major Covid-19 outbreak. Further, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) had yet to issue an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) to keep workers safe and prevent the spread of Covid-19. The committees sent a similar letter to HHS, CDC, and NIOSH on Sept. 28, 2020.

Eleven Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats wrote a letter to Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsay Graham requesting that he delay the in-person confirmation hearing for Amy Coney Barrett in light of Covid-19 infections among members of the committee and President Trump. Sens. Mike Lee and Thom Tillis, both members of the committee, were among those who had tested positive.

Reps. Carolyn Maloney (Chairwoman, House Committee on Oversight and Reform), Jimmy Gomez (Vice Chairman, House Committee on Oversight and Reform), and Rosa DeLauro (Chairwoman, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education within the House Committee on Appropriations) wrote to Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia requesting information and a staff briefing on the Labor Department’s implementation of paid leave provisions in the bipartison Family First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which passed in March 2020 and expanded access to paid sick leave and paid family leave during the Covid-19 pandemic. In August 2020, the department’s inspector general issued a report highlighting key flaws in the administration’s implementation of the program, and a federal judge in New York ruled that the administration defied Congress’s intent in implementing the law. The letter raised concerns highlighted by the IG report, the court decision, and other issues with the administration’s implementation of these provisions, which could limit workers’ access to paid leave.

Sens. Dick Durbin and Elizabeth Warren wrote letters to Attorney General William Barr and Bureau of Prisons Director Michael Carvajal to act promptly to reduce the rapid spread of Covid-19 in federal facilities by adopting a public health-driven approach, including releasing eligible individuals to home confinement and adopting appropriate and humane procedures to medically isolate or quarantine individuals infected with Covid-19. The senators criticized the use of harmful measures like solitary confinement for inmates who have tested positive for Covid-19. Their letter, focused on BOP’s failure to slow the spread, can be found here: https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2nd%20Letter%20to%20DOJ.BOP%2010.2.2020%20Final.pdf. Their letter criticizing the use of solitary confinement for Covid-19-positive inmates can be found here: https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Letter%20from%20Warren%20and%20Durbin%20to%20AG%20Barr%20and%20Director%20Caraval%20re%20solitary%20confinement%20during%20COVID-19%20pandemic%2010.2.20%20FINAL.pdf

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (Chairman, Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, House Committee on Oversight and Reform) wrote a letter to Assistant Secretary for Health Adm. Brett Giroir requesting documents and information about the procurement of Covid-19 antigen tests by HHS and their deployment in nursing homes, schools, and other high-risk areas for the purposes of “screening” asymptomatic individuals. Because antigen diagnostic tests can be faster, more convenient, and less expensive than molecular diagnostic tests, Krishnamoorthi noted that they could play an important role in the U.S.’s testing program, if used effectively.

Sens. Jon Tester, Elizabeth Warren, Brian Schatz, Ed Markey, and Mazie Hirono wrote to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie asking his agency to step up its monitoring and support of long-term care facilities to better protect the health and lives of veterans, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Reps. James Clyburn (Chairman, House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis), Maxine Waters (Chairwoman, House Committee on Financial Services), Carolyn Maloney (Chairwoman, House Committee on Oversight and Reform), and Stephen Lynch (Chairman, House Subcommittee on National Security) wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Mark Esper requesting documents on the potentially inappropriate use of hundreds of millions of dollars from the CARES Act. The letter follows reporting that nearly $1 billion of Defense Production Act funding, which Congress appropriated to DOD under the CARES Act to “prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus,” instead has been “funneled to defense contractors and used for making things such as jet engine parts, body armor, and dress uniforms.”

Sen. Gary Peters and 29 other senators wrote to Principal Deputy Inspector General at HHS Christi Grimm requesting that HHS OIG investigate the extent to which political interference has undermined the scientific and public health processes at the operating divisions of HHS during the Covid-19 response, particularly CDC and FDA.

Reps. James Clyburn (Chairman, House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis), Carolyn Maloney (Chairwoman, House Committee on Oversight and Reform), and Raja Krishnamoorthi (Chairman, Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy) wrote letters to Den Tolmor (manager, DD&T Group) and Dr. Ryung Suh (CEO, Atlas Research) requesting documents related their work on a coronavirus advertising campaign under contracts with HHS. The letters follow the chairs’ Sept. 10, 2020, letters calling on HHS Secretary Alex Azar and another contractor, Fors Marsh Group, to suspend a $250 million contract to create advertisements to “defeat despair and inspire hope” prior to the November election. The letters to DD&T Group and Atlas Research can be found here: https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2020-10-01.CBM%20Clyburn%20to%20Tolmor%20re%20DD%26T%20Group.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2020-10-01.CBM%20Clyburn%20RK%20to%20Atlas%20Research%20re%20Coronavirus-Related%20Communications%20Contract.pdf

Sen. Jeff Merkley and 19 other senators wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar asking HHS to develop a vaccine strategy that addresses Covid-19’s disproportionate impacts on communities of color. The senators asked Azar to update his agency’s vaccine distribution guidance to include a robust and detailed strategy to inform, collaborate, and engage with communities of color to equitably distribute a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine to these communities once it is licensed or authorized for use.

Sen. Sherrod Brown, along with Reps. Marcy Kaptur, Joyce Beatty, Tim Ryan, and Marcia Fudge (Chairwoman, House Subcommittee on Elections), wrote a letter to Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose asking him to take action to protect the health and safety of Ohio voters and poll workers during the upcoming election. The Ohio congressional delegation asked that LaRose implement recommendations made by doctors, faith leaders, and voting-rights advocates, including requiring social distancing, wearing masks, and providing PPE to poll workers, among other recommendations.

Reps. Ted Deutch, Eliot Engel, Brian Fitzpatrick, and 16 other members of Congress wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar asking his agency to expand the use of community health workers within existing programs at HHS and fully leverage their expertise and skills when combating the Covid-19 pandemic. The representatives noted that community health workers are cost-effective, and can help strengthen the nation’s response to the pandemic, while containing health-care spending. A similar letter was sent to Azar by 10 Democratic senators.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren obtained and released new details and documents on Wells Fargo’s practice of entering borrowers into forbearance without their consent, putting them at risk of greater financial hardship during the Covid-19 crisis. Warren released that information in a letter to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, urging Powell to carefully evaluate this behavior by the bank before the Fed begins to consider permanently lifting the bank’s growth cap. The documents released by Warren can be found here: https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/WF_2020.pdf

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis wrote to Vice President Pence, HHS Secretary Azar, and CDC Director Redfield requesting that they immediately revise CDC guidance on reopening schools during the Covid-19 pandemic in a way that accurately reflects the best available science and public health guidance, rather than the political interests of the president. Chairman James Clyburn expressed concerns over previous CDC public statements that contradicted other CDC scientific reports and asked the addressees why the CDC issued misleading statements like “children appear to be at lower risk for contracting COVID-19 compared to adults” and “scientific studies suggest that COVID-19 transmission among children in schools may be low,” among other statements. He also asked the addressees to identify instances in which the White House, HHS, or other federal agencies edited, delayed, or prohibited the release of CDC guidance, reports, or other documents related to reopening schools or the impact of Covid-19 on children.

Twenty-two senators wrote to Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia urging him to instruct OSHA to issue an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) requiring employers to develop and implement a comprehensive plan to protect workers during the pandemic. An ETS would establish an explicit, uniform, enforceable standard for Covid-19 worker safety. According to the senators, as of Sept. 27, OSHA headquarters had received 9,076 complaints from workers about unsafe workplaces, while state-level OSHA offices had received 27,925 complaints. The senators noted that according to DOL data, OSHA opened an inspection in response to only 11.7 percent of the complaints received; however, it was unclear how many of these “inspections” involved an on-site facility inspection. The senators remarked that the vast majority of complaints never received an inspection, and that more than 90 percent of all complaints have already been closed.

Reps. James Clyburn (Chairman, House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis), Maxine Waters (Chairwoman, Committee on Financial Services), and Carolyn Maloney (Chairwoman, Committee on Oversight and Reform) wrote letters to the outside directors of the Eastman Kodak Company requesting documents pertaining to the Trump administration’s effort to award a $765 million federal loan to Kodak for the production of ingredients for generic drugs. The lawmakers also requested documents related to the Kodak board’s decision to issue stock options to Kodak Executive Chairman James Continenza and board members, as well as trades in Kodak stock surrounding the loan announcement.

On July 28, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) announced the administration’s interest in awarding Kodak the loan, using loan authority granted to DFC in connection with the pandemic. In response to the lawmakers’ Aug. 4 documents request to Continenza, counsel for Kodak informed the committees that the company was not able to produce documents and communications possessed by Kodak’s outside directors.

Links to the letters sent to Kodak’s outside directors (Richard T. Bradley, Jeffrey D. Engelberg, George Karfunkel, Phillipe D. Katz, Jason New, and William G. Parrett), in the order listed, can be found here: https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2020-09-28.Joint%20Comte%20to%20Bradley%20re%20Kodak.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2020-09-28%20.Joint%20Cmte%20to%20Engelberg%20re%20Kodak%20FINAL.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2020-09-28%20.Joint%20Cmte%20to%20Karfunkel%20re%20Kodak.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2020-09-28%20.Joint%20Cmte%20to%20Katz%20re%20Kodak.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2020-09-28%20.Joint%20Cmte%20to%20New%20re%20Kodak.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2020-09-28%20.Joint%20Cmte%20to%20Parrett%20re%20Kodak.pdf

Sen. Dianne Feinstein and other members of the California congressional delegation (Reps. Josh Harder, Ami Bera, Grace Napolitano, Gilbert Cisneros, Jr., Barbara Lee, Mark DeSaulnier, and Juan Vargas) wrote to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer asking them to include a six-month extension for states and local governments to spend their allocations of the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF), as provided by the CARES Act, in the next Covid-19 relief package.

The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs wrote to VA Secretary Wilkie following up on an April 15 letter concerning the VA’s decision to eliminate the 48-hour review by veterans’ representatives that occurs during the claims process. This process allows Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) to review VA decisions to ensure that all claimed conditions have been addressed and properly adjudicated, and that potential errors and the need for appeals are mitigated. Chairman Jon Tester noted that multiple VSOs have reported an increase in avoidable errors leading to incorrect rating decisions for veterans and that, on average, veterans wait 93.4 days for a decision on their claims. Tester noted that the Covid-19 pandemic has made veterans more reliant on their benefits.

The House Committee on Education and Labor and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, CDC Director Robert Redfield, and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Director John Howard requesting information regarding the watering down of CDC recommendations to Smithfield Foods Sioux Falls Pork Plant, a meatpacking plant in South Dakota that experienced a major Covid-19 outbreak. The committees sent a similar letter to Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia on Oct. 5, 2020.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Ro Khanna wrote a letter to Sean O’Donnell, the acting Defense Department inspector general, asking him to review the Pentagon’s potential misuse of CARES Act funds. Pursuant to the Defense Production Act (DPA), the CARES Act provided the department with $1 billion to fund efforts to manufacture PPE and other supplies. According to press reports, however, the Pentagon redirected the majority of these funds — $688 million — to defense contractors to make things such as jet engine parts and body armor.

Sens. Patrick Leahy, Bernie Sanders, and Rep. Peter Welch, wrote a letter to Agriculture Secretary Perdue following USDA’s award of the Farmers to Families Food Box contract to two non-Vermont entities. The program, initiated with the passage of the CARES Act, partners with regional and local producers to provide produce, dairy, and meat to food-insecure families. The Abbey Group, a food service company based in Enosburg Falls, Vt., distributed 568,682 food boxes containing local Vermont produce regionally from May through mid-September. For the third and final phase of the program, USDA selected Costa Fruit and Produce, based in Massachusetts, and Sysco, based in Texas, to distribute food boxes in Vermont. The Vermont delegation expressed concern that the number of families reached by the program may decline and that Vermont farms will be unable to participate in the program as they have before. The letter also raised general concerns regarding the continuity of the program’s operations through October.

Oregon’s congressional delegation wrote to Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig asking them to extend the non-filer deadline for claiming Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) into the beginning of December and to improve outreach to hard-to-reach communities. The delegation noted that many Oregonians are still waiting to receive their EIPs; given the dual challenges posed by the recent wildfires and the pandemic, delivering outstanding EIPs to Oregonians impacted by wildfires would help these communities rebuild. While the IRS announced on Sept. 17 that it had mailed letters to 131,647 Oregonians who may be eligible for EIPs, many impacted by the wildfires will be unable to access mail because their homes have been destroyed or mail delivery has been disrupted.

Reps. Richard Neal (Chairman, House Committee on Ways and Means) and Bill Pascrell, Jr. (Chairman, Subcommittee on Oversight) wrote a letter to HHS Secretary Azar requesting information on the Trump administration’s decision to thwart an effort to mail reusable face masks to every American household during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The House Committee on Homeland Security sent a letter to DHS Acting Secretary Chad Wolf requesting documents regarding DHS’s briefings with the CDC during the early days of the pandemic. The committee is investigating what DHS knew about Covid-19 and when, whether DHS downplayed the threat, and what measures were being undertaken by the agency. Although the CDC said in February 2020 that the “potential public health threat posed by COVID-19 [was] very high,” Wolf had told the committee in March that “the risk from COVID-19 to the American public remains low.”

Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden wrote a letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig and Acting OPM Director Michael Rigas expressing concern over the inflexibility of Health Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) for workers, noting that absent guidance from the IRS, some FSA administrators require workers to submit a letter of medical necessity to receive reimbursement for masks and gloves, while other administrators do not. The senators requested that the IRS clarify that such items are eligible for reimbursement and that such a letter is not required. They also asked that OPM immediately remove this requirement for purposes of FSAs for federal workers and deem masks and gloves reimbursable FSA purchases, without a letter of medical necessity.

The House Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform wrote to FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn for information on the safety and efficacy standards the FDA will use when issuing an emergency use authorization (EUA) for a Covid-19 vaccine.

Rep. Frank Pallone (Chairman, House Energy and Commerce Committee), Rep. Richard Neal (Chairman, House Ways and Means Committee), and Sen. Ron Wyden (Ranking Member, Senate Finance Committee) wrote a letter to HHS Secretary Azar and CMS Administrator Verma expressing concern over CMS’s lack of transparency in expanding the Accelerated and Advance Payment (AAP) Program beyond the scope authorized by the CARES Act. AAP is intended to assist certain providers in emergencies; the CARES Act expanded the number of eligible providers and increased the maximum payment amount. In their letter, lawmakers raised concerns that CMS jeopardized the integrity of the program, requested answers to questions related to the unauthorized expansion of AAP, and requested a briefing.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker wrote to OSHA Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor Loren Sweatt seeking information about the agency’s delayed response to dozens of reported Covid-19 outbreaks affecting thousands of workers in hundreds of meatpacking facilities across the country. The senators note that earlier in the spring, OSHA identified violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act at major meatpacking facilities — Smithfield Packaged Meats Corporation in Sioux Falls, S.D., and JBS Foods in Greeley, Colo. These two facilities were the sites of worksite and community outbreaks that sickened more than 1,500 workers, killed 10, and put thousands more in their communities at risk. OSHA elected to issue the smallest possible fines for these companies.

Reps. Mark Pocan and Barbara Lee wrote to the co-chairs of the Defense Spending Reduction Caucus (Reps. James Clyburn, Carolyn Maloney, and Adam Smith) asking them to commence oversight investigations and public hearings regarding the Pentagon’s alleged misuse of the majority of $1 billion intended for the purchase of medical supplies like masks and swabs. The Pentagon instead funneled those monies to defense contractors.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Ron Wyden, Cory Booker, and Rep. Barbara Lee wrote to Gopal Khanna, director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), asking his agency to review the use of race-based clinical algorithms in standard medical practice. The members noted that the pandemic’s disproportionate consequences for communities of color have starkly revealed that racism is a public health crisis, and argued that medical and public health organizations must reevaluate the ways in which current practices, including the use of race-based algorithms, could be worsening outcomes for people of color.

The Oregon congressional delegation wrote a letter to FEMA Administrator Peter Gaynor asking FEMA to provide the widest possible range of transitional housing units to the areas of Oregon impacted by the ongoing wildfires. The delegation noted that hotels in the area are already stretched thin hosting evacuees and others impacted by the pandemic.

The House Select Subcommittee for the Coronavirus Crisis wrote to David Harris, the president and CEO of Advanced Decision Vectors (ADV), urging compliance with the subcommittee’s earlier document requests concerning Operation Warp Speed (OWS). The subcommittee noted that there are significant conflicts of interest among top advisers of OWS (including Chief Adviser Dr. Moncef Slaoui) that could bias the administration’s vaccine-development process. Documents obtained by the subcommittee raised questions about Slaoui’s investment in GlaxoSmithKline, a company that is developing a vaccine and has been selected for federal investment. The documents also show that three other consultants working on OWS — Dr. Carlo de Notaristefani, Dr. William Erhardt, and Dr. Rachel Harrigan — have financial interests in companies producing coronavirus vaccines, treatments, or diagnostics that have not previously been publicly disclosed in connection with OWS.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, and Rep. Ted Deutch wrote to U.S. Marshals Service Director Donald Washington and Prisoner Transportation Services President Joel Brasfield inquiring about the health and safety of prisoners during transfers amid the pandemic. The lawmakers urged immediate Covid-19 testing of all detained individuals prior to their transfers between facilities.

The letter to the U.S. Marshals Service is here (https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2020.09.21%20Letter%20to%20US%20Marshals%20Service%20(USMS)%20re%20Prisoner%20Transport%20during%20COVID-19.pdf) and the letter to Prisoner Transportation Services, LLC is here (https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2020.09.21%20Letter%20to%20Prisoner%20Transportation%20Services%20(PTS)%20re%20Prisoner%20Transport%20during%20COVID-19.pdf)

Senators wrote a letter to President Trump asking that he work with Congress to enact legislation providing emergency assistance and rental protection during the pandemic. The administration’s order from CDC instituting a federal rental eviction moratorium through Dec. 31, 2020, for nonpayment of rent does not include any new funding to help people pay rent, nor does it prohibit landlords from charging late penalties and fees.

Thirty-eight senators wrote a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai asking him to use the E-Rate Program to fund students’ home access to the internet and online learning. The senators argue that closing the connectivity gap will also help close the “homework gap” experienced by disadvantaged students that is exacerbated by Covid-19.

Washington state’s congressional delegation wrote a letter to President Trump asking him to support Gov. Jay Inslee’s request for a declaration of a major disaster for the state. The delegation also requested that Trump authorize the Individual Assistance Program and Public Assistance Program Category B measures, including congregate/non-congregate sheltering for Whitman County. The delegation noted that the state’s wildfire-fighting resources are stretched thin, and affected communities were particularly vulnerable because of Covid-19.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote a letter to Jamie Dimon and Doug McMillon, former and current board chairs of the Business Roundtable (BRT), criticizing them and other BRT member CEOs for failing to honor commitments from BRT’s 2019 Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation. Warren inquired about the changes to corporate governance they were making to implement their commitments, and wrote about how Covid-19 exacerbated and worsened existing racial and economic disparities. She criticized corporate greed (cutting benefits for essential workers, which disproportionately impacted workers of color, while increasing executive compensation) and hypocrisy (statements of solidarity with Black lives, while failing to hire, fairly compensate, and promote Black men and women) during the pandemic. Warren also noted that BRT lobbied against congressional efforts to extend unemployment benefits, Covid-19 liability protections, and other measures to benefit essential workers.

Reps. Raúl Grijalva (Chairman, House Natural Resources Committee) and Ruben Gallego (Chairman, Subcommittee on Indigenous Peoples of the United States) wrote a letter to Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Tara Sweeney and Bureau of Indian Education Director Tony Dearman seeking information related to the BIE’s reopening of schools for in-person classes on Sept. 16, 2020. The letter came after an invitation for relevant federal officials to testify at a subcommittee hearing on the issue was declined.

The House Ways and Means Committee issued a Request for Information (RFI) soliciting input on the misuse of race within clinical care. The RFI follows a series of letters Rep. Richard Neal wrote to health and medical professional societies requesting details on certain clinical algorithms created by some professional societies.

The Senate Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies held a hearing titled “Review of Coronavirus Response Efforts.” Witnesses include Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Bob Kadlec, the assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the Department of Health and Human Services; and Adm. Brett Giroir, the HHS assistant secretary for health.

Rep. James Clyburn (Chairman, Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis) wrote a letter to Vice President Pence and Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx raising concerns that the White House Coronavirus Task Force had weakened or retracted previous science-based recommendations in numerous states still in the “red zone,” including states that failed to comply with previous task force recommendations. The letter also requested the release of all task force reports, memoranda, presentations, and assessments by Sept. 23, 2020.

Sens. Sherrod Brown and Ron Wyden wrote a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos asking him to end his company’s various anti-worker practices and address Amazon’s poor record with regard to worker health and safety during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bill Cassidy wrote a letter to HHS Secretary Azar and Education Secretary DeVos asking their agencies to issue guidance to K-12 schools and colleges/universities regarding supports, services, and accommodations to address the increased needs of students facing new or ongoing mental health needs that have arisen or been exacerbated by the pandemic. The senators also requested guidance take into consideration the unique challenges for minority students, students with disabilities, students experiencing homelessness, and tribal nations to account for the disproportionate effect the pandemic has had on these communities.

Rep. Richard Neal (Chairman, House Ways and Means Committee) wrote a letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar calling on his agency to release details on their editorial process following reports that HHS political appointees improperly interfered with the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWRs) regarding Covid-19.

Reps. James Clyburn (Chairman, Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis) and Bill Foster (select subcommittee member) sent letters to HHS Secretary Azar and Defense Secretary Esper asking them to provide access and information to the Government Accountability Office in connection with GAO’s review of Operation Warp Speed, as required by law. The letter to Azar is here (https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2020-09-15.Clyburn%20to%20Azar%20re%20OWS%20GAO%20Access%20Letter%20HHS_%20%28002%29.pdf) and the letter to Esper is here (https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2020-09-15.Clyburn%20to%20Esper%20re%20OWS%20GAO%20Access%20Letter%20DOD_%20%28002%29.pdf).

Twenty-two senators wrote a letter to Stephen Ubl, President and CEO of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), expressing concern over recent efforts by member pharmaceutical manufacturers that threaten access to life-saving, discounted drugs for low-income patients through the 340B Drug Pricing Plan. The senators noted the need for 340B covered entities to be able to continue to serve low-income patients. However, some member drug manufacturers have undermined that work by denying 340B pricing to covered entities for drugs dispensed through contract pharmacies. The senators requested a response from PhRMA regarding steps being taken by the industry to end denials of 340B pricing for drugs dispensed through contract pharmacies, along with contract pharmacy claims data.

Thirty-five senators wrote a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy asking USPS to reverse operational and organizational changes that have caused medication deliveries to be delayed, which disproportionately harm individuals most at-risk during the pandemic, including seniors, people with chronic health conditions, and people with disabilities.

Twenty senators wrote a letter to the CEOs of 28 Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) lender and guaranty agencies requesting that they take additional measures to support federal student loan borrowers during the pandemic. While the CARES Act and other administrative actions automatically provide forbearance, waive all interest, and halt collections on federally held loans, approximately 8 million borrowers with loans not directly held by the Department of Education were left out of that relief.

Reps. Frank Pallone Jr. (Chairman, Energy and Commerce Committee), Anna Eshoo (Chairwoman, Health Subcommittee), and Diana DeGette (Chairwoman, Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee) wrote a letter to nine pharmaceutical companies — AstraZeneca, BioNTech, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Moderna, Novavax, Pfizer, and Sanofi — currently developing Covid-19 vaccines. The House Energy and Commerce Committee sought further information about these companies’ research and development efforts, and information on how they intend to ensure that only a safe and effective vaccine will be made available to the public.

The letters to the CEOs of AstraZeneca, BioNTech, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Moderna, Novavax, Pfizer, and Sanofi can be found here: https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/AstraZeneca.2020.9.15.pdf; https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/BioNTech.2020.9.15.pdf; https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/GlaxoSmithKline.2020.9.15.pdf; https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/JohnsonJohnson.2020.9.15.pdf; https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/Merck.2020.9.15.pdf; https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/Moderna.2020.9.15.pdf; https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/Novavax.2020.9.15.pdf; https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/Pfizer.2020.9.15.pdf; https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/Sanofi.2020.9.15_0.pdf

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis wrote to HHS Secretary Azar and CDC Director Redfield to request transcribed interviews and documents regarding efforts by political appointees at HHS to block the publication of CDC scientific reports by the CDC. The representatives requested the following individuals appear for transcribed interviews by videoconference on the following dates: Anne Schuchat, CDC principal deputy director, Sept. 22, 2020; Charlotte Kent, CDC MMWR editor-in-chief, Sept. 22; Nina Witkofsky, CDC acting chief of staff, Sept. 23; Trey Moeller, CDC acting deputy chief of staff, Sept. 23; Kate Galatas, CDC acting associate director for communication, Sept. 24; Paul Alexander, HHS senior adviser, Sept. 24; Michael Caputo, HHS assistant secretary for public affairs, Sept. 25. The letter asked that Redfield and Azar confirm by Sept. 16 that these individuals will appear voluntarily.

Reps. Carolyn Maloney (Chairwoman, House Committee on Oversight and Reform) and Frank Pallone, Jr. (Chairman, House Committee on Energy and Commerce), and Sen. Patty Murray (Ranking Member, Senate HELP Committee), wrote to HHS Secretary Azar urging him to halt the administration’s efforts to block federally funded research using fetal tissue and to reject ideologically driven recommendations made by the Human Fetal Tissue Ethics Advisory Board. On April 16, 2020, Maloney, Pallone and Murray asked Azar to immediately reverse restrictions on the use of fetal tissue in any federally funded coronavirus-related research and requested a briefing on the impact of these restrictions on the development of Covid-19 vaccines and therapeutics (HHS declined to provide this briefing).

Oregon’s congressional delegation wrote a letter to HHS Secretary Azar asking him to declare a public health emergency in tOregon due to the ongoing wildfires. They note that wildfires have exacerbated challenges posed by the pandemic: many evacuees do not have homes to return to. Smoke and ash from the wildfires also put individuals at greater risk for respiratory illnesses, including Covid-19. The delegation said that issuing a public health emergency order and taking other measures will help the state deal with the dual challenges of the wildfires and the pandemic.

Sen. Marco Rubio (Chairman, Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship) wrote to Chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase Jamie Dimon following reports that bank employees may have been involved in the misuse of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) funding. Rubio asked Dimon to provide the committee with additional information regarding JPMorgan Chase’s investigation into potential misuse of PPP and/or EIDL funds.

The House Committee on Oversight held a hearing titled “Ensuring a Free, Fair, and Safe Election During the Coronavirus Pandemic.” Witnesses include Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft; Kristen Clark, the president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; Krutika Kuppali, the vice chair of the Global Health Committee; Mimi Marziani, the president of the Texas Civil Rights Project; and actress and activist Kerry Washington.

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions held a hearing titled “Vaccines: Saving Lives, Ensuring Confidence and Protecting Public Health.” Witnesses included NIH Director Francis Collins and Surgeon General Jerome Adams.

Reps. Jerry Nadler and Zoe Lofgren, and Sens. Dick Durbin and Dianne Feinstein wrote to Secretary of State Pompeo; DHS Undersecretary of Strategy, Policy, and Plans Chad Wolf; and HHS Secretary Azar requesting that the administration consult with Congress before setting its FY 2021 refugee admissions target (the administration is legally required to consult with Congress on resettlement targets each year). The letter also urges the addressees to recall the country’s bipartisan history of providing safety to refugees and to rebuild the U.S. refugee resettlement program. The letter also notes that Covid-19 has had a particularly severe impact on refugees, as they are among the most vulnerable populations facing the pandemic.

A bipartisan group of 10 senators wrote to HHS Secretary Azar and CDC Director Redfield requesting that the administration work more closely with states, health-care providers, and private-sector stakeholders to modernize, automate, and streamline Covid-19 and other data collection and management as quickly as possible. The letter also emphasized the importance of including race, age, gender, and location in data collection.

Ohio’s congressional delegation wrote to Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose asking him to use his existing authority to provide prepaid return postage on ballots and ballot applications, and communicate with USPS to ensure that all Ohioans receive their ballots on time. The delegation noted that Congress provided Ohio with more than $12 million in CARES Act funding to help cover the cost of initiatives like prepaid postage.

Reps. Peter DeFazio, Dan Lipinski, and Jennifer Wexton wrote to Amtrak CEO William Flynn asking that he prohibit any Amtrak jobs from being offshored. The letter followed a Request for Proposal (RFP) for eCommerce and Mobile Development that would allow certain work to be offshored at a time when Amtrak is looking to reduce its workforce by 14 percent and seeking additional taxpayer funds to maintain limited service during the pandemic. The lawmakers note that if Amtrak does not reverse the offshoring provision in this or any existing or future RFP, they will find it difficult to support additional taxpayer monies for Amtrak.

In an update on Sept. 11, DeFazio, Lipinski, and Wexton noted that Flynn scrapped the RFP that would have allowed for jobs to be offshored: https://transportation.house.gov/news/press-releases/defazio-lipinski-and-wexton-applaud-amtrak-president-and-ceo-william-flynn-for-committing-to-not-send-jobs-overseas

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Sen. Dick Durbin wrote to CDC Director Redfield to update his agency’s guidance to colleges and universities and encourage campuses to go tobacco-free — including e-cigarettes — for the fall semester. The request is based on new evidence linking tobacco use and Covid-19; young people aged 13 to 24 who vape are five times more likely to be diagnosed. Those who both vaped and smoked cigarettes in the past 30 days were nearly seven times more likely than non-users to be diagnosed and almost five times more likely to experience symptoms.

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce wrote to Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette requesting information on the delay in implementing a survey and other procedures that form the basis for the upcoming 2021 U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER), an annual report constructed from a survey of 30,000 employers across 53 different energy technologies. The USEER provides critical insights into the energy sector, including the status of jobs, skills and demographics. Since the onset of the pandemic, the U.S. has lost more than 1.3 million energy-sector jobs, including more than 600,000 clean-energy jobs. Reps. Frank Pallone and Bobby Rush expressed concern that the Energy Department has taken no apparent action to ensure the timely collection of survey data for the upcoming installment of
the USEER, which would provide data on 2020 employment conditions.

Reps. Frank Pallone, Jr. (Chairman, Energy and Commerce Committee), Anna Eshoo (Chairwoman, Health Subcommittee), and Diana DeGette (Chairwoman, Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee) wrote to HHS Secretary Azar expressing concern following actions undertaken by several drug manufacturers that threaten to undermine the 340B Drug Pricing Program, which helps expand access to care for uninsured and low-income patients as well as those living in rural areas. Pallone, Eshoo, and DeGette noted that the 340B program is a critical tool in the fight to lower drug prices, and helps safety net health providers, including Federally Qualified Health Centers and disproportionate-share hospitals, among others, to provide frontline care during the pandemic. They requested that the administration maintain the program’s integrity to ensure care is not interrupted. Under the 340B Program, drug manufacturers participating in Medicaid are required to provide discounts on outpatient prescription drugs to certain safety net health providers, called “covered entities,” which can use the savings to expand and improve care.

California’s congressional delegation wrote to Census Director Dr. Steven Gillingham asking him to detail how an accurate census count will be conducted given the Covid-19 crisis, wildfires in California, and the Trump administration’s decision to end counting operations early. The lawmakers note that additional obstacles caused by Covid-19 include a higher number of people experiencing homelessness — an historically undercounted population — as well as difficulties hiring and retaining census workers.

Sens. Gary Peters and other senators wrote to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy noting that USPS operational changes and subsequent mail delays have exacerbated Covid-19 related financial challenges facing small businesses. Peters had also previously introduced legislation to reverse changes and block the postmaster general from implementing additional disruptions to service for the duration of the public health emergency.

Illinois’s congressional delegation wrote to HHS Secretary Azar requesting that his agency look into the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign’s saliva-based testing regimen (SHIELD T-3) and consider ways to scale up that regimen to help combat the Covid-19 pandemic.

The House Appropriations Committee wrote a letter asking President Trump to reconsider his decision to defund previously appropriated and committed contributions to the World Health Organization.

Sen. Pat Roberts and 20 other senators wrote to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue asking that USDA use resources available through the CARES Act to provide adequate support for wheat farmers and ensure that all classes of wheat are covered under the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). The senators noted that CFAP provides critical assistance to many wheat producers impacted by Covid-19, including at-risk 2019 crop losses for hard red spring and durum wheat. While this assistance remains important to these producers, the letter makes the point that the classes of wheat covered by CFAP constitute just 30% of 2019 production, leaving the majority of wheat farmers without access to CFAP assistance.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Sherrod Brown, Chris Van Hollen, Robert Menendez, and Jack Reed wrote to CFPB Director Kathleen Kraninger regarding the agency’s failure to ensure that borrowers receive timely and accurate information regarding their options to access mortgage relief and avoid foreclosures during the Covid-19 pandemic. The senators wrote to Kraninger seeking information about how CFPB plans to ensure that borrowers are made aware of available mortgage relief options and how to access them.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Tina Smith wrote a letter to President Trump requesting him to detail steps his administration will take to end the U.S.’s over-reliance on foreign pharmaceutical products. They requested that he work with Congress to pass legislation like the U.S. Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Defense and Enhancement Act and criticized his executive order, arguing that it failed to establish or recommend guidelines for the list of essential medicines and key inputs the FDA and HHS have been tasked with creating. They also note that the order does not address existing loopholes in reporting requirements for drug manufacturers that prevent the federal government from understanding the weaknesses in the U.S. supply chain, among other problems.

Sens. Amy Klobuchar, and Bob Menendez, and Tom Carper sent a letter to American embassies urging officials to protect the right to vote for Americans living and serving overseas. In the face of mail delays and the Covid-19 pandemic, the letter calls on officials to provide information regarding contingency plans to ensure American and military voters abroad can vote safely.

The letter was sent to U.S. embassies in Canada, the U.K., Mexico, France, Japan, Australia, Israel, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Dominican Republic, Philippines, Costa Rica, China, Brazil, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, Haiti, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, and Argentina.

The House Committee on Education and Labor wrote to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue requesting corrections to the agency’s Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) program guidelines. USDA’s state guidance, which was provided to the committee’s majority staff on Aug. 24, 2020, indicated that children in schools that delay the start of their instructional year due to the Covid-19 pandemic would not be eligible for P-EBT during the time period between the traditional start of the school year and the delayed start time. The letter writers noted that this ran contrary to the statutory requirement that any child who would otherwise be eligible for a free or reduced price school meal (i.e., if not for the closure of their school due to the pandemic) be eligible. Lastly, the letter discussed the need for clarification in the new state guidelines to guarantee children in schools offering entirely virtual instruction and meal service would still be eligible for P-EBT.

Sen. Patty Murray wrote a letter to FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn warning against rushing approval of a Covid-19 vaccine, expressing concern after he suggested the FDA could issue an emergency use authorization before Phase III clinical trials were complete. Murray discussed the importance of ensuring public confidence that a vaccine is safe and effective, and requested the FDA engage in a transparent and rigorous process in reviewing all vaccine candidates. She called on Hahn to brief her on this issue and for the FDA to outline its standards for emergency authorization of a vaccine, similar to what it has previously done regarding its standards for vaccine approval.

Sen. Ron Wyden wrote to Vice President Mike Pence and HHS Secretary Alex Azar requesting that they use their Defense Production Act (DPA) authorities to increase production of testing reagents and other supplies and speed up the delivery of these products to meet the needs of rural communities in Oregon and elsewhere in the United States.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren and nine other senators asked thata Senate HELP Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander and Ranking Member Patty Murray call on FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn and CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield to testify before the committee for a hearing regarding the Trump administration’s politicization of the federal government’s Covid-19 pandemic response and the undue political influence of the White House on public health agencies. The senators suggest that political pressure from the White House influenced Covid-19 testing guidelines, the CDC’s reopening guidelines, and the FDA’s authorization of hydroxychloroquine and convalescent plasma for use in treating Covid-19 patients.

Multiple senators wrote to Defense Secretary Mark Esper regarding his failure to “meaningfully respond” to questions raised in a letter sent on April 27, 2020. Esper’s response, dated May 12, is here: https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/DoD%20Response%20Ltr_12%20May%2020.pdf

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Richard Blumenthal and Ed Markey urged CARES Act inspectors general to investigate political interference in the Trump administration’s Covid-19 response.

The House Committee on Education and Labor and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry wrote to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue denouncing his agency’s refusal to extend all school meal waivers through the 2020-2021 school year. Lawmakers urged Perdue to reverse this decision and use the authority Congress provided USDA under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) to extend these waivers. This letter followed a response provided by Perdue on Aug. 20, 2020, to an earlier committee letter.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Tina Smith wrote to Quest Diagnostics, BioReference, ARUP Laboratories, LabCorp, and the Mayo Clinic about capacities to process Covid-19 tests and communicate results in a timely fashion. Warren and Smith requested explanations for delays in test results and declining testing numbers and asked the lab CEOs about their turnaround times (as of Aug. 26, 2020) for Covid-19 diagnostic tests, the number of tests processed per day (on average) for each full week in July and August 2020, the maximum daily capacities of these labs to process tests, information on supply shortages, and ways in which the administration and/or Congress can help alleviate testing capacity limits and delays.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote to FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn inquiring about the FDA’s process for communicating changes in emergency use authorizations (EUAs) to medical providers in the field. To date, several EUAs have been modified or revoked because of new information after authorization (e.g., hydroxychloroquine as Covid-19 treatment). Warren requested that Hahn detail the steps the FDA takes to inform entities using a product authorized under an EUA of any modifications and revocations of the EUA and asked that Hahn describe how the FDA enforces compliance with any modifications and revocations of an EUA.

Sens. Ron Wyden and Bob Casey wrote to Vice President Mike Pence expressing concern over continued PPE shortages in nursing homes. A new analysis of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) data by the minority staffs of the Senate Finance and Aging Committees found that roughly 1 out of every 12 nursing homes in the United States reported having no current supply of one or more type of PPE as of Aug. 9 — a nearly three-fold increase since July 5. The senators requested that Pench, who heads the White House Coronavirus Task Force, address this chronic supply shortage.

Sens. Warren and Blumenthal and Rep. Jayapal obtained and released to HHS troubling new information on evasion of federal conflict-of-interest rules by Dr. Moncef Slaoui, top adviser to the Trump administration’s “Operation Warp Speed.” Slaoui had used a loophole, by working under $1 contract for “Advanced Decisions Vectors,” to avoid federal ethics rules.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey requestd communications between the FDA and the White House on potentially politicized convalescent plasma emergency use authorization.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis wrote to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue seeking documents pertaining to the Farmers to Families Food Box Program, a USDA program intended to provide food assistance to Americans in need during the pandemic. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act authorized USDA to use funds appropriated by Congress to buy food directly from producers and distribute it to those in need. However, USDA reportedly awarded contracts to companies that were “unqualified” or unable to perform the duties necessary.

The House Committee on Education and Labor wrote to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos asking her agency to cease misusing the Education Stabilization Fund (ESF), a CARES Act fund intended to support local education agencies and postsecondary entities facing the loss of state and local revenue due to the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The letter accused the Department of Education of not following the plain language of the statute and granting educational institutions across the country the necessary funding to support student learning during the pandemic. The committee noted that the department was using taxpayer dollars to fund the Trump administration’s apprenticeship program (IRAP) and other programs Congress had not authorized.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee wrote to FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn asking him to ensure that sound science and the protection of public health alone drive FDA’s Covid-19 vaccine approval process, rather than political considerations.

Sens. Kamala Harris and Dianne Feinstein wrote to President Trump expressing support for California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration for California in response to widespread wildfires. Harris and Feinstein asked Trump to expedite a Major Disaster Declaration without the need for complete preliminary damage assessments and to make federal assistance available. The senators noted that the Covid-19 crisis compounded the challenges facing California as the state addresses these wildfires.

Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine wrote to USCIS Deputy Director for Policy Joseph Edlow expressing concern about USCIS’s plans to furlough more than 13,000 federal employees during the Covid-19 pandemic. Warner and Kaine noted that USCIS was no longer projecting a deficit for this fiscal year and urged USCIS to use the funds to maintain employment for these federal employees.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee sent a series of letters to pharmacies, pharmacy benefit managers, and the relevant trade associations as part of the committee’s investigation into the impacts of USPS operational changes on the delivery of mail-order prescription drugs to patients across the U.S.

Letters were sent to CVS Health, Express Scripts, National Association of Chain Drug Stores, OptumRx, Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, Rite Aid, and Walgreens. They can be found, in the order listed, here: https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/CVSHealth.2020.8.21.Letter%20re%20Postal%20Service%20Changes.HE_.OI_.pdf; https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/ExpressScripts.2020.8.21.Letter%20re%20Postal%20Service%20Changes.HE_.OI_.pdf; https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/NACDS.2020.8.21.Letter%20re%20Postal%20Service%20Changes.HE_.OI_.pdf; https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/OptumRx.2020.8.21.Letter%20re%20Postal%20Service%20Changes.HE_.OI_.pdf; https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/PCMA.2020.8.21.Letter%20re%20Postal%20Service%20Changes.HE_.OI_.pdf; https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/RiteAid.2020.8.21.Letter%20re%20Postal%20Service%20Changes.HE_.OI_.pdf; https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/Walgreens.2020.8.21.Letter%20re%20Postal%20Service%20Changes.HE_.OI_.pdf

Nine Senate Democrats wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar asking HHS to take steps to better inform young people of the risks tobacco and e-cigarette usage can pose for Covid-19 infection.

Sen. Sherrod Brown asked Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to reverse policy changes he made to USPS operations and restore full postal service and mail processing capacity. Brown also asked DeJoy to step down from his position.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote to the Acting Chair of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee Michael Horowitz urging PRAC to investigate the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation’s $765 million loan to Eastman Kodak Company as part of the Trump administration’s Covid-19 response.

29 Senate Democrats urged Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to consider the impact of his recent policy changes to USPS operations on the 1.3 million service members and their families serving domestically and overseas.

Sen. Dick Durbin wrote to AARP Illinois Chapter Director Bob Gallo to inquire about how recent USPS operational changes have affected or may affect the communities AARP-IL serves.

15 Senate Democrats wrote to FHFA Director Mark Calabria expressing concern about the sudden announcement that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will charge an additional 50 basis points in upfront fees for all refinance loans delivered to them on or after Sept. 1, 2020. The senators requested that Calabria not approve any pricing or policy changes during the Covid-19 pandemic that will hurt homeowners and renters.

The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee wrote to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie seeking information about the VA’s plans to work with a private-sector company to deliver medications to veterans in Montana, rather than continue to partner with USPS.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar wrote to SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza expressing concerns about the impact of USPS shipping delays on small businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic. Klobuchar asked SBA to stand up for small businesses by imploring USPS and the Trump administration to eliminate costly delays to mail delivery.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Tina Smith, and Chris Murphy requested information from HHS Secretary Alex Azar and CDC Director Robert Redfield about their plans to collect and report information on Covid-19 cases linked to higher education institutions.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bob Casey wrote to Cigna, CVS Health, Humana, UnitedHealth and OptumHealth, and Walgreens requesting information regarding delays in mail-order deliveries of medications as a result of operational changes at USPS.

Maine’s congressional delegation wrote to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue urging USDA to assist Mainers whose livelihoods depends on the lobster industry. On June 24, 2020, President Trump issued the “Memorandum on Protecting the United States Lobster Industry,” instructing USDA to provide assistance to fishermen and producers working in the U.S. lobster industry within 60 days. To date, USDA had not assisted those working in the industry.

117 House Democrats urged Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer to pass the Worker Relief and Security Act, which will extend unemployment benefits and ensure benefits last for the duration of the Covid-19 recession by tying enhanced unemployment insurance to the pandemic.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee wrote to GAO Comptroller Gene Dodaro requesting a review of changes that HHS has made to Covid-19 hospital capacity reporting systems and requirements during the pandemic.

Reps. Jerry Nadler (chairman, House Judiciary Committee), Rashida Tlaib, Zoe Lofgren (chairwoman, Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship), Debbie Dingell, and Marcy Kaptur wrote a letter to President Trump and Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf to immediately designate Lebanon for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) in order to provide a safe haven to Lebanese nationals in the U.S. in the wake of explosion in Beirut. The letter also urged the administration to welcome to the U.S. individuals and families permanently displaced by the blast through any and all means at its disposal, including humanitarian parole. Lawmakers also noted that providing protection is particularly urgent given Lebanon’s struggles with the Covid-19 pandemic and a crippling economic crisis.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer asking them to include robust funding for substance use disorder and mental health in the next Covid-19 relief package.

Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine wrote to election registrars in Virginia urging them to do everything they can to ensure all Virginians can access their right to vote during the pandemic.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Rashida Tlaib wrote to Corvias CEO John Picerne requesting information regarding Corvias’s influence over colleges’ and universities’ campus reopening plans during the Covid-19 pandemic. Institutions within the University System of Georgia and Wayne State University both have student housing agreements with Corvias and moved students back to campus to hold in-person instruction in the fall of 2020.

Seven Senate Democrats wrote to Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf expressing concern about the unlawful detention and deportation of unaccompanied immigrant children and asylum-seeking families during the Covid-19 pandemic. The senators asked DHS to grant all protections and due process to immigrants afforded by the law. The senators requested information about the detention and housing conditions of UACs, the number of UACs awaiting expulsion, and policy guidance and memoranda detailing criteria DHS used to determine UAC status, among other issues.

35 Congressional Democrats wrote to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai asking the FCC to extend the 2.5 GHz Rural Tribal Priority Window by no less than 180 days from the Aug. 3, 2020, deadline, as Tribal nations continue to respond to the Covid-19 crisis.

Five members of Ohio’s congressional delegation wrote to Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose urging him to reconsider his decision prohibiting local boards of election from providing multiple secure ballot drop boxes in each county.

Senate Democrats wrote to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy seeking information about changes at USPS that were adversely affecting mail delivery for Americans across the country.

Seven Senate Democrats asked the USPS Board of Governors to reverse changes to postal service operations that were put in place by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.

The Senate Appropriations Committee wrote to Comptroller General Gene Dodaro requesting that GAO assess the completeness and quality of census data collection by comparing it to the original operational plans for the 2020 decennial census and the 2010 decennial census results.

Oregon’s congressional delegation asked Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to rescind changes to postal service operations and restore full service and functionality to USPS. The delegation accused DeJoy of election interference by causing delays to ballot delivery ahead of the election; risking Oregonians’ lives by delaying the delivery of medications and other necessities; and undermining USPS’s ability to meet increased demand of its services during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rhode Island’s congressional delegation wrote to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy expressing concerns about recent changes to USPS operations and the harmful consequences on mail delivery for residents and businesses in Rhode Island. The delegation asked DeJoy to suspend these operational changes and to support the mission of USPS and its workers.

Reps. Peter DeFazio, Mark Takano, Brian Fitzpatrick, and Alma Adams wrote a letter to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy requesting them to swiftly address delays in mail deliveries of veterans’ prescription drugs.

20 Senate Democrats wrote to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham urging the Census to honor its previously announced 2020 Census completion date of Oct. 31, 2020, and to continue operations to ensure an accurate count for Indian Country and the Native Hawaiian community.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the House Committee on House Administration, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Democrats from the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs wrote to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy requesting information regarding the Trump administration’s role in Postal Service delays.

Sen. Joe Manchin wrote to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to express concern with the distribution of Economic Impact Payments to West Virginians. Manchin noted that many of his constituents had not yet received their EIPs. He urged Mnuchin to work with his office to resolve these issues as soon as possible.

Maryland’s congressional delegation wrote to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy expressing concern about delayed mail delivery in the Baltimore region. The delegation noted that many Marylanders are immunocompromised, elderly, or reluctant to take the risk of contracting Covid-19, and will need to vote by mail in the election. The delegation asked DeJoy to reinstate and continue paying overtime for USPS staff, develop measures to keep USPS employees safe, allow more flexibility with timing for routes, and develop a plan to address staffing shortages due to Covid-19.

Maryland’s congressional delegation wrote to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue urging USDA to extend a number of school meal waivers for the entire 2020-2021 school year, or until regular school operations are restored.

A bipartisan group of 10 senators asked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to include the Flexible Financing for Rural America Act of 2020 (S.4152) in the next Covid-19 relief package.

House members requested information from the Trump administration regarding National Guard and FEMA cost-share requirements for the national pandemic response. The administration required 47 states and territories to cover 25 percent of their National Guard costs, while carving out an exception to cover 100 percent of the costs for Texas, Arizona, California, and Connecticut.

The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis and the Committee on House Administration sent letters to election officials in Florida, Georgia, Texas, and Wisconsin requesting information on the states’ plans to eliminate barriers faced by voters during this year’s primaries and to ensure free, fair, and safe federal elections. The letters seek details on how the states will follow guidance from the CDC, recommending “[l]ower risk election polling settings.”

Sens. Chris Coons and Patty Murray, along with a bicameral group of lawmakers, wrote to CDC Director Robert Redfield and Office of Child Care (OCC) Director Shannon Christian (ACF, HHS) to request OCC, in coordination with CDC and with input from other relevant agencies and health and child development experts, distribute comprehensive and detailed public health and safety guidance to assist child-care providers in their response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow and Rep. Bobby Scott wrote to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue asking USDA to use its full authority to provide healthy meals to students for the duration of the school year amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Stabenow and Scott noted that In the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, Congress granted authority to USDA to provide waivers that allow children to receive school meals during the pandemic. While several waivers have already been approved for the 2020-2021 school year, USDA had not extended flexibilities for several key programs that keep children fed while schools are closed and also reduce administrative burdens for schools.

Sen. Jon Tester wrote to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy expressing concern and requesting information about USPS collection boxes allegedly being removed from numerous communities in Montana. Given the Covid-19 pandemic, Tester noted that USPS’s services are needed now more than ever, particularly in rural Montana communities where local access to grocery stores, pharmacies, and other essential services is limited.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus requested information on the Kushner-led Operation Warp Speed’s plans to develop and disseminate a vaccine, and possible conflicts of interest regarding Dr. Moncef Slaoui, the project’s chief adviser and a former pharmaceutical company executive.

Sen. Chuck Grassley and Rep. Richard Neal asked the U.S. International Trade Commission for an overview of key U.S. industry sectors producing Covid-related goods; detailed case studies on key products within each relevant industry sector, such as N95 respirators, ventilators, vaccines, and Covid-19 test kits; and on supply-chain challenges and constraints.

The Committee on Natural Resources asked how the Interior Department planned to comply with CDC guidelines and to explain whether the National Park Service planned to purchase and distribute personal protective equipment to employees, among other issues.

A bipartisan group of 12 senators urged CMS Administrator Seema Verma to ensure that all recommended vaccines be made accessible to Medicare beneficiaries.

Sens. Tammy Baldwin and Chris Murphy wrote to Congressional Budget Office Director Phillip Swagel expressing concerns with current health care coverage baseline and assumptions used by CBO and the Joint Committee on Taxation with relation to short-term, limited duration insurance products. Baldwin and Murphy asked CBO to reevaluate an earlier methodology used for private health insurance coverage projections.

Four Democrats from Wisconsin’s congressional delegation asked President Trump to restore 100 percent federal cost share to Wisconsin for the use of the National Guard through Dec. 31, 2020, in support of the fight against Covid-19. The arrangement had been terminated by Trump’s Aug. 3 memorandum for all states and territories (except Florida and Texas).

31 Senate Democrats wrote to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy requesting that USPS examine the impact of its recent operational and policy changes on veterans’ access to prescription drugs during the Covid-19 pandemic. The senators also asked USPS to work with the VA to ensure that no veteran suffers from further medication delivery delays.

70 Democrats wrote to Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf requesting that DHS revise guidance to colleges and universities that would prohibit international students on new F-1 and M-1 visas with a full-time online course load from entering the U.S.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee urged FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to provide unlimited voice minutes and unlimited mobile data to Lifeline recipients for the duration of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee wrote letters to Anthem President and CEO Gail Boudreaux and Delta Dental Plans Association President and CEO Steven Olson seeking information about their companies’ coverage policies and practices for Covid-19 tests and related items and services. The committee also requested information on whether these companies’ increased profits are being used to provide consumers relief, such as through premium reductions, rebates, zero cost-sharing for Covid-19 treatments, or other financial assistance.

Senate Democrats urged Postmaster General Louis DeJoy not to take any action that makes it harder for Americans to vote.

Five Democrats from Colorado’s congressional delegation wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy expressing concern about the administration’s decision to end census field data collection activities early. The delegation urged congressional leadership to include an extension of the statutory deadlines for the delivery of apportionment data and redistricting files following the 2020 census in the next Covid-19 relief package, and require the enumeration period to be extended through Oct. 31, 2020.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein urged California Gov. Gavin Newsom to impose strict guidelines on any reopening of California schools. Feinstein also supported Newsom’s July 17, 2020, order to prevent school openings in counties on the Covid-19 watch list.

New Hampshire’s congressional delegation wrote to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy expressing concerns about recent service problems at USPS and sharing frustrations from those who rely on USPS for their survival, such as small business owners selling goods during the pandemic and residents relying on consistent mail services for medication. The delegation urged USPS to reverse recent policy changes that have slowed mail delivery and take steps to improve mail service.

Democrats from Virginia’s congressional delegation wrote to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue in support of several waiver requests made by Virginia that would assist in delivering food to children during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The delegation asked USDA to extend a number of waivers to ensure that school districts have the certainty they need to continue providing students with nutritious meals during the pandemic.

A bipartisan group of 24 senators urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to include support for charitable nonprofits providing frontline services in the next Covid-19 relief package.

Minnesota’s congressional delegation wrote to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig requesting information on how the IRS plans to address delays in processing paper tax returns and the lack of clarity to filers experiencing delays in receiving tax refunds.

Massachusetts’ congressional delegation wrote to Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham reiterating their ongoing concern regarding the full and accurate enumeration of college and university students across Massachusetts in the 2020 census. The delegation asked Dillingham to confirm that the Census Bureau intends to use college and university directory information for both on-campus and off-campus students that has been provided to them. Given the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting school closures, the delegation sought assurance that students living both on and off campus will be counted in the census.

Arizona’s congressional delegation urged U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to consider the broad impacts of a new seasonal trade remedy on Mexican tomato imports. The delegation noted that the seasonal trade remedy would choke off a critical supply of imported tomatoes during the Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in higher prices for U.S. consumers, while reducing availability, selection, and quality in supermarkets. The delegation asked USTR to oppose any new agriculture seasonality provision targeting Mexican tomato imports, arguing that it would undermine free trade and run counter to consumer preferences.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee wrote to CDC Director Robert Redfield requesting a briefing, to take place on Aug. 25, 2020, on current knowledge about the effects of Covid-19 infection and transmission among children and young people, its related health impacts, and future threats to the health of the nation’s youth. The committee also requested information on the steps the Trump administration is taking to address these issues.

Four Democratic members from Oregon’s congressional delegation wrote to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham to express concern over the announcement to end field collection of data early. While Oregon’s self-response rate is 65.6 percent, some counties in the state have fallen far below this rate. As Covid-19 impacted data collection for the census, the delegation urged Dillingham to return to the original field data collection deadline of Oct. 31, 2020, to give Oregonians the opportunity to respond to the count.

Nine Senate Democrats asked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to include funding to increase cybersecurity capabilities for state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, school districts, libraries, small businesses, hospitals, and other essential services and institutions, in the next Covid-19 relief package.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin wrote to Vice President Mike Pence expressing concerns about ongoing Covid-19 testing supply shortages and the reported diversion of supplies from Wisconsin, a Covid-19 hotspot. Baldwin requested information about federal diversions of supplies and testing kits from her state.

A bipartisan group of 48 senators urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to extend the statutory deadlines for the delivery of apportionment data and redistricting files following the 2020 census in the next Covid-19 relief package.

17 Senate Democrats wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer asking that student loan forbearance be codified for the duration of the the economic crisis and included in the next Covid-19 relief package.