House Speaker Nancy Pelosi repeated a phrase throughout her update this morning on the latest federal response to the coronavirus: "Testing, testing, testing."
The speaker said testing is "so very important, to take inventory, to understand the epidemiological spread of the virus, and also to meet the needs of the people affected."
She confirmed that Democrats and Republicans are working closely to pass a bill today that would provide additional protections, and free testing, following an $8.3 billion aid package last week. "No one will say I can't afford it," she said.
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act would ensure free coronavirus testing, paid emergency sick leave, expanded unemployment insurance, increased protections for health care workers on the frontline, and food security initiative for children while schools are closed.
The bill is currently being debated in the House, but the clock is ticking as lawmakers consider whether they should leave the capital out of an abundance of caution.
When asked if House Democrats would stick around if a deal was not made within the next two days, Pelosi insisted lawmakers would get it done.
"We don't need 48 hours. We need to make a decision to help families now," she said.
"If people have to stay home, we have to stay home, but we don't want people to panic," Pelosi added but held off from outlining further plans to address the virus.
"We're here to pass a bill. When we pass a bill, we'll make a judgment about what comes next," she said.
As an addendum to her update on the coronavirus response, the speaker chimed in on the Democratic primary race.
"In case you were going to ask, no, I don't think Bernie Sanders should get out of the race. I'm a grassroots person. I'm chair of the California Democratic Party. I know the enthusiasm of supporters of candidates, and they want to see it play out."
President Donald Trump's aggressive stance at the two-day NATO summit in Brussels, on top of his antagonizing trade policies, have "brought the transatlantic alliance to the lowest point,” says Joshua Meltzer, senior fellow of global economy and development at the Brookings Institute.
Stocks dipped today after the White House threatened to impose a new set of tariffs on China on $200 billion worth of goods. However, Kate Warne, investment strategist at Edward Jones, says this could be an opportunity for investors. "Put money to work today."
These are the headlines you Need2Know:
The NATO Summit got off to a heated start as President Trump already criticized member countries for not paying their fair share of defense spending.
The Trump administration also missed its promised deadline to reunite dozens of migrant families.
A natural gas leak in Sun Prairie, Wisc., turned deadly when an explosion erupted for several hours.
Brett Kavanaugh, the president's pick for the open Supreme Court seat, met on Capitol Hill with the vice president and senators yesterday.
The NFL Players Association is challenging the anti-kneeling policy, which requires players to remain in the locker room if they choose to protest the national anthem.
Hurricane Chris makes its way up the East Coast, but shouldn't make a major impact on land.
Cheddar Big News' Jill Wagner gives us the details.
President Trump has already spurned key allies at the annual summit, accusing Germany of being a "captive of Russia." Cheddar's J.D. Durkin, who is on the ground in Brussels, gets into the latest.
The U.S. tariffs would only end up hurting the consumer and the automakers employees across its plants and distribution centers in America, says Zack Hicks, CEO and president of the Toyota Connected unit in North America.
President Donald Trump nominated the DC appellate court judge to replace Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, who's retiring at the end of the month.
A study finds male political reporters in Washington, D.C., retweet other men more than women. “Men and women are operating in gender echo chambers in Washington on Twitter,” says Nikki Usher, the lead author of the study.
Members of the military alliance are prepared to be spurned by the president and worry he may start to unravel the organization. But the Trump administration has, in fact, increased its spending on NATO, suggesting that worries surrounding the event might not turn transpire, says Dan Michaels, the Wall Street Journal Brussels bureau chief.
American cheese producers that rely heavily on exports are already feeling the impact of tariffs on their products, forcing them to reconsider their strategy completely, says Heather Hadden, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal.
Although the recent job report showed the U.S. economy added 213,000 jobs in June, the trade war is predicted to have a significant impact on the economy. "Unless we get either isolated resolutions of these disputes or global resolutions ... we don't see any momentum in that space," Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst at Bankrate.com, tells Cheddar.
