Along with last week’s roll call votes, the Senate also passed an amendment to a bill (H.R. 266) to add $320 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program to provide aid to businesses for paying their employees during coronavirus lockdowns, as well as $75 billion to fund health care efforts, including testing for the coronavirus; and the Student Veteran Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6322), to make certain improvements in the educational assistance benefits under the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in the case of changes to courses of education by reason of emergency situations.

HOUSE VOTES

CORONAVIRUS SPENDING OVERSIGHT: The House has passed a resolution (H. Res. 935), sponsored by Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Mass., to establish the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis. The subcommittee would, among other things, investigate the effectiveness of federal government spending in response to the coronavirus and the possible use of existing or new laws to prepare for future pandemics. McGovern said the subcommittee was needed to ensure that funds “are helping struggling Americans and small businesses without any rampant fraud or abuse, and that companies aren’t taking part in price-gouging or profiteering.” A resolution opponent, Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., said there was already an oversight commission for coronavirus spending, and that the new subcommittee could become “yet another partisan witch hunt aimed at damaging the president.” The vote, on April 23, was 212 yeas to 182 nays.
YEAS: Chellie Pingree, D-1st District; Jared Golden, D-2nd District

FURTHER CORONAVIRUS SPENDING: The House has approved the Senate amendment to a bill (H.R. 266) to add $320 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program to provide aid to businesses for paying their employees during coronavirus lockdowns, as well as $75 billion to fund health care efforts, including testing for the coronavirus. A supporter, Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, said the new funding was needed to “prevent hurting working families and the jobless with an unnecessarily extended economic recession marked by shortages of needed day-to-day supplies and serious healthcare problems created by long-term unemployment.” The vote, on April 23, was 388 yeas to 5 nays.
YEAS: Pingree, Golden

There were no key votes in the Senate this week.