Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Economy Healing But Still Battered, Fed Chief Warns
Jerome H. Powell, chair of the Federal Reserve, told lawmakers on Tuesday that the economy鈥檚 nascent rebound was likely to take a long time to reach all corners of the job market 鈥 and that already-disadvantaged groups were likely to suffer the most if the downturn drags on. While some parts of the economy are seeing a modest rebound, 鈥渓evels of output and employment remain far below their pre-pandemic levels, and significant uncertainty remains about the timing and strength of the recovery,鈥 Mr. Powell told the Senate Banking Committee. (Smialek, 6/16)
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell warned senators Tuesday that the U.S. economy still needs support from Congress and the central bank in the coronavirus recession fight despite a recent uptick in hiring and retail sales. In testimony before the Senate Banking Committee, the Fed chairman urged lawmakers not to let a string of surprisingly optimistic economic data dissuade them from taking further action to support struggling Americans and industries. (Lane, 6/16)
Pressure is building on the Trump administration to disclose the names of borrowers that received loans through the Paycheck Protection Program, and a key senator signaled that the names of larger loan recipients could be released. The Small Business Administration has so far not made public the list of roughly 4.6 million businesses that have received more than $512 billion from the pandemic emergency lending program since early April. (Tracy, 6/17)
For long stretches of the pandemic, black and white employment losses largely mirrored each other. But in the last month, layoffs among African-Americans have grown while white employment has risen slightly. Now, among all the black workers who were employed before the pandemic, one in six are no longer working. It鈥檚 not clear what is specifically causing these job losses. One possibility is that the pandemic is disproportionately hitting industries and regions that are more heavily African-American. (Tedeschi and Bui, 6/16)
In the Manhattan restaurants around Lincoln Center, the tips often rose and fell with the changing playbill. A popular classic musical could mean more preshow diners, and more income. A more famous actress as Eliza Doolittle could do the same. The end of a big run, like 鈥淢y Fair Lady,鈥 meant the opposite: Tips would be down for a while. 鈥淲e were dependent on how well shows were doing at Lincoln Center, and we really did pay attention,鈥 said Emma Craig, who was a server at the Atlantic Grill a block away before the coronavirus crisis. She has not returned to that job yet, or to another singing at a private supper club downtown. In both jobs, she said, 鈥淚 am dependent on the trickle down.鈥 (Badger and Parlapiano, 6/17)
Some New York City business owners, desperate for revenue months into the coronavirus pandemic, are bending or breaking the rules limiting restaurants and retail stores to takeout or curbside pickup. New York City took its first, limited steps toward reopening its economy last week with industries like construction and manufacturing restarting, and retail stores allowed to offer curbside and in-store pickup. Other business activity is still sharply restricted, however, and officials warn that violations risk undoing the state鈥檚 progress on lowering coronavirus infections. (King and Yang, 6/16)
A recession is expected to curtail Americans鈥 generosity following a record year for charitable donations, but the recent wave of money dedicated to fighting the coronavirus and racial inequality in the U.S. is offering a beacon of hope for nonprofits in 2020. The Giving USA report, released Tuesday, estimates nearly $450 billion was donated to charities in 2019, a 2.4% uptick from the previous year when adjusted for inflation. It marked a record year for giving that reflected a booming economy. (Ho, 6/17)
And elsewhere on Capitol Hill 鈥
The Senate Ethics Committee dismissed its investigation into Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) for alleged insider trading ahead of the coronavirus pandemic, notifying her in a letter Tuesday that it found 鈥渘o evidence鈥 the senator violated the law or Senate rules. The panel鈥檚 decision follows the Justice Department, which last month closed its probe of Loeffler鈥檚 stock sales before the pandemic crashed the markets. (Itkowitz, 6/16)
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is asking chairs of House committees to require members on their panels to wear masks during proceedings amid the coronavirus pandemic. Pelosi is asking the chairs to 鈥渆nforce rules of decorum and exclude Members who fail to comply," a senior Democratic aide familiar with the matter told The Hill late Tuesday. (Axelrod, 6/16)