Kelsey Snell

Dr. Anthony Fauci and other members of the coronavirus task force will testify before a GOP-led Senate committee next week but have been blocked from making similar appearances in the House so far.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is planning to start a Senate session next week even though Washington, D.C., remains a coronavirus hotspot. The House is not returning to the capital yet.

The House majority leader initially told House Democrats the chamber would convene next week. A bipartisan task force is looking at options for remote voting and committee work.

It is the fourth measure approved by Congress in less than two months to combat the pandemic. This one, totaling $484 billion, will supply fresh funding to a new small business lending program.

In the last month, the coronavirus pandemic has claimed the jobs of one in six workers in the United States. NPR economic, science and congressional correspondents discuss the latest coronavirus news.

Bipartisan negotiators and the Trump administration reached a deal on spending more money to support small businesses, as well as to assist hospitals and improve testing nationwide.

Both Republicans and Democrats agreed that a small-business program that ran out of money needed a major infusion. Negotiators also added resources for hospitals and testing.

The White House and congressional leaders may be near a deal on a new wave of coronavirus relief funding. The proposal would replenish a small business loan program that ran out of money.

Congress isn't known for passing broad legislation quickly. Its response to the 2008 economic crisis has parallels with that to the coronavirus pandemic, which could mean political blowback for some.

The 2008 economic crisis had both parties on Capitol Hill acting swiftly to provide relief this time around. Congress learned it takes time for policies to take hold, but political fallout is swift.

Governors are signaling a dire financial picture for states as Congress spars over including state and local funds along with additional money for small business loans.

Democrats want to funnel the extra funding through community-based financial institutions, which they say help businesses owned by minorities, veterans and rural Americans across the country.

Over the past 10 years, the IRS budget has been reduced by roughly 20%, leaving the agency with aging technology and forcing it to cut back on staff and training.

This time frame is longer than the estimate that Treasury Secretary Mnuchin gave when he negotiated the program for cash payments with congressional leaders.

The House speaker said the new select committee, chaired by Rep. James Clyburn, will focus on accountability and transparency in the new spending and programs to address the pandemic.

NPR congressional reporter Kelsey Snell and physician Dr. Abraar Karan answer listener questions about the relief bill signed into law Friday and about the latest measures combating the coronavirus.

NPR politics and science correspondents round up the latest news in the federal response to the coronavirus epidemic in the United States, including of the passage of the emergency rescue bill.

But two of Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie's Republican allies, Reps. Chip Roy of Texas and Paul Gosar of Arizona, defended him against the attack.

The CARES Act offers relief to state and local governments, individuals, small and large businesses, and hospitals affected by the coronavirus crisis.

The economic relief bill provides help to individuals, businesses, hospitals, as well as state and local governments. Here are the details.