In what has felt like an eternity, the first six months of 2020 are officially behind us. As our nation continues recovering from the greatest healthcare and economic challenge we’ve seen in our lifetimes, I’d like to take a moment to review some of the legislative highs – and lows – from the last six months as it pertains to Congress’s response to coronavirus and other critical policy issues.
To date, Congress has passed $2.9 trillion in coronavirus relief funding through four overwhelmingly bipartisan response bills. Following this immediate and bipartisan response to coronavirus, and considering the numerous other challenges that currently need our attention, I remained hopeful the House would continue working together. Unfortunately, after several weeks of Speaker Pelosi forcing the House to vote on partisan messaging bills – even on issues that have a decades-long tradition of bipartisanship – it appears this bipartisan momentum has come to a screeching halt.
Since the Speaker brought the HEROES Act to the House Floor for a vote in May under the guise of a fifth coronavirus response package, we have voted exclusively on costly and partisan messaging bills that will not accomplish anything in terms of getting America back on track, getting the jobless back to work, or mitigating our current economic and healthcare challenges. Combined, these bills would add up to trillions of dollars in new spending for policies that would derail the significant strides we’ve made, making it even more difficult for our country to recover.
Even more recently, the House majority had an opportunity to lead on law enforcement reform legislation, a critical issue that must be addressed. We all agree that reforms are needed to address police misconduct and strengthen the accountability and transparency of our law enforcement agencies. However, instead of coming to the table with Republicans on this issue, Speaker Pelosi chose to move a partisan messaging bill that fails to reflect the viewpoints of all stakeholders, creates the potential for unintended consequences, and will actually undermine the ability of law enforcement agencies to protect and serve their communities.
Although it’s incredibly disappointing to see the House majority miss all of these critical opportunities to lead, considering our country is in serious need of meaningful reforms, I’m pleased that we are continuing to make progress in other policy areas and in our response to the coronavirus. For example, last week the United States-Mexico-Canada free trade Agreement (USMCA) kicked into effect, notching a historic win for American workers and job creators. This is also great news for Nevada’s workers, farmers, ranchers, and businesses, as this historic agreement will lead to freer markets, fairer trade, and robust economic growth.
THE RECOVERY REPORT:
ECONOMIC UPDATE
- According to the latest jobs report released last week, the U.S. economy added a record 4.8 million jobs in June, reducing unemployment to 11.1 percent, which is down from a peak of 14.7 percent in April.
- Nevada has experienced an 86 percent approval rate for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, and as of July 7th, has processed 42,147 loans, saving 500,000 jobs and totaling $4,125,976,098 in assistance. This program has been a lifeline to many businesses across the Silver State including the Boys and Girls Club of the Truckee Meadows, the Moana Nursery, and the Pershing County Hospital District, to name a few.
- The average loan size for the PPP is approximately $100,000, demonstrating that the program is serving all small businesses.
- Finally, recent reports indicate Nevada’s unemployment rate has improved as jobs are continuing to rebound from April lows. All of Nevada’s Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) which include Las Vegas, Reno, and Carson City have experienced employment growth, with more than 27,000 jobs created last month.
HEALTHCARE UPDATE
CD-2 Cases by County Reported on 7/10:
Washoe County
- 3,507 cases cumulative, 1,103 active, 2,313 recovered, 92 deaths
- The Washoe County Health District (WCHD) has attributed the recent increase in cases to “exposed contacts, social gatherings, domestic travel, and people not social distancing.” In Washoe County, the highest proportion of active cases is in the 20-29 age group.
- As of July 9, 79% of licensed hospital beds in Washoe county are occupied, 58% of ICU beds are occupied, and 19% of ventilators are in use.
Quad Counties (Carson City, Storey, Lyon, and Douglas Counties)
- 424 cases cumulative, 123 active, 292 recovered, 8 deaths
- Breaking with the statewide average, the age range with the most cases is individuals between the ages 50-59, with the next highest being individuals between the ages 30-39
Rural Counties
- Humboldt: 90 cases cumulative, 76 recovered, four are self-isolating, 6 active cases, and four deaths
- Churchill: 26 cases cumulative, 9 recovered, 17 active cases, 1 death
- Elko: 213 cases cumulative, 91 recovered, 140 active cases, 1 death (as with Washoe County, highest proportion of cases are in 20-39 age demographic)
- Pershing: 10 cases cumulative, 3 recovered, 7 active, 0 deaths
- Lander: 40 cases cumulative, 38 recovered, 2 active, 0 deaths
- Eureka: 1 case cumulative, still currently active
As of this week:
- Nevada has not reached hospital capacity.
- Our doctors have a better understanding of how to treat patients.
- We know how to better protect our most vulnerable populations.
- Tremendous progress continues to be made on vaccines and therapies. This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) status to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for a new diagnostic test that will detect both COVID-19 and influenza. As our nation enters flu season later this year, this innovation will greatly aid Nevada’s ability to test in the most efficient manner.
- The role and responsibilities of individual Americans in stopping the spread is better understood. In fact, Nevada's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Division recently visited 169 locations throughout the state to monitor compliance levels with Nevada's face-mask mandate. OSHA found a statewide compliance rate of 87 percent: 89 percent in Northern Nevada and 79 percent in Southern Nevada.
WASHINGTON WRAP-UP
FISCAL YEAR 2021 APPROPRIATIONS BILLS
Although the House was in recess this week, the Appropriations Committee is not. This week, I was back in Washington for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Interior an Environment and Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee markups. On Thursday, the House Appropriations Committee held its first full committee markup of the year on the following FY21 appropriations bills: 302(b) allocations and State and Foreign Operations; Agriculture, Rural Development, and the FDA; and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs. In case you missed it, you may catch the full committee markup of these bills here: https://bit.ly/2Zc1AEF. We also had a second full committee markup Friday on the FY21 Interior and Environment and Legislative Branch appropriations bills. You may view that full committee markup here: https://bit.ly/2BQ8hDQ
There are areas of strong bipartisan agreement included in each of these bills such as:
- Increased funding for US Forest Service (USFS) priority accounts, the operation of our National Park System, and for critical programs that support American Indians and Alaska Natives (Interior);
- Increased funding for the expansion of rural broadband services to provide economic development opportunities and improved education and healthcare services, and increased funding to support America’s farmers and ranchers (Agriculture, Rural Development, and the FDA);
- Provisions directing the National Guard Bureau to prioritize the remodeling and replacement of Air National Guard (ANG) Wing Buildings that support the wildland fire suppression mission, funding for projects at access control points at Air Force and Air National Guard installations in urban areas, and funding to support rural health initiatives and veterans’ medical programs (Military Construction and Veterans Affairs); and
- Funding for our commitment to Israel’s security, support for foreign military financing programs, and funding to enhance U.S. presence in critical and strategic areas (State and Foreign Operations).
Although there are areas of strong agreement included in each of these bills, I cannot support them in their current form as they will ultimately set us back in several other areas. I’m specifically concerned about the costly partisan provisions included in these appropriations bills that would pile spending on top of budget caps that have already been agreed to, modify current immigration policies to policies that would not adequately secure our border, and impose severe regulatory burdens that would hinder the Administration’s ability to efficiently and effectively operate federal agencies Americans rely on.
As we continue moving forward in the FY21 appropriations process, I’m hopeful these concerns are worked out before the end of the fiscal year so we can focus on advancing meaningful legislation the President will sign into law.
A LOOK AHEAD
Next week, I’ll be back in Washington for another round of full committee markups for the following FY21 appropriations bills: Energy & Water; Commerce, Justice, & Science; Transportation, Housing & Urban Development; Defense; Homeland Security; and Financial Services & General Government.
As always, thank you for subscribing to the Amodei Report. I look forward to continuing to keep you up to date on the issues you care about most. For additional information, please visit my website at amodei.house.gov or call my Washington office: (202) 225-6155, Reno office: (775) 686-5760, or Elko office: (775) 777-7705. To receive updates on what I am doing in Washington and in Nevada’s 2nd District follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
