On Capitol Hill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi canceled plans Wednesday to allow lawmakers to cast votes and hold hearings remotely, after Republicans objected. Pelosi has scheduled a vote this afternoon on $484 billion in additional coronavirus relief funding — most of it to replenish the Paycheck Protection Program that provides forgivable loans to small businesses. Lawmakers are expected to take up an even larger “Phase 4” coronavirus package in the coming weeks.
In a letter to congressional leaders, more than 60 progressive organizations are demanding no additional funding for the Pentagon’s $756 billion budget in any future COVID-19 response bills. They write, “The coronavirus pandemic has made it crystal clear that federal spending is dangerously misaligned with our national priorities and actual threats to human security.”