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Democrats’ efforts to be watchdogs for the federal government’s coronavirus response limped into motion Wednesday with the first meeting of a special committee created to examine the pandemic. Yet the open briefing, held via videoconference, largely served to highlight the frustrations and limitations that lawmakers, especially Democrats, have encountered this spring as Congress has struggled to stake out its role in addressing the pandemic. (DeBonis and Kane, 5/13)

After Republicans and Democrats spent 90 minutes whipsawing between alternate realities, the top lawmakers on the House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis paused for a fleeting display of humanity toward each other. "If the distance between me and you on any issue were five steps, I'd be happy to take three of them," House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn said to his GOP counterpart, Republican Whip Steve Scalise, as the panel's first meeting came to a close Wednesday. (Cheney, 5/13)

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday defended the stunning $3 trillion price tag on Democrats’ pandemic relief package as what is needed to confront the “villainous virus” and economic collapse. “The American people are worth it,” Pelosi told The Associated Press. In an interview with the AP, Pelosi acknowledged that the proposal is a starting point in negotiations with President Donald Trump and Republicans, who have flatly rejected the coronavirus relief bill headed for a House vote Friday. (Mascaro and Rama, 5/13)

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is plowing ahead with a vote Friday on House Democrats’ $3 trillion coronavirus relief package, bucking progressives who are calling for a delay to give lawmakers time to secure additional liberal priorities in the bill. Pelosi and her allies are putting on a show of force as they try to unite the sometimes-fractious caucus and get their troops in line ahead of this week’s roll call on the 1,800-plus-page bill. (Marcos and Wong, 5/13)

Businesses are going belly up, tens of millions have been laid off and, by some measures, the U.S. seems headed for another Great Depression. But Republicans surveying the wreckage aren’t ready for another round of coronavirus aid, instead urging a “pause.” It’s a position based on a confluence of factors. Polls show GOP voters think the government is already doing enough. Republicans on Capitol Hill are divided over the best approach. Billions approved by Congress have yet to be spent. And it’s also not clear what President Donald Trump wants to do next, if anything, to juice the economy — his payroll tax cut idea hasn’t gained any traction on Capitol Hill. (Taylor, 5/14)

Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.) said he plans to buck party lines and vote in favor of the $3 trillion coronavirus relief package proposed by House Democrats and slated to come to the floor on Friday. King — who represents one of the hardest-hit districts in the state and is set to retire at the end of this term — said while there are provisions that give him pause, he feels it’s critical that Congress provide funding for state and local governments that have been disproportionately affected by the deadly virus. The New York Republican also said the language to eliminate the $10,000 cap on the state and local tax (SALT) deduction for 2020 and 2021 factored into his decision to back the measure. (Brufke, 5/13)

Oklahoma Republicans in the U.S. House have come out strongly against the latest financial relief bill, saying Democratic leaders are using the pandemic to push for a “liberal wish list.” The House is expected to vote Friday on the measure, which has an estimated price tag of $3 trillion. Republican Reps. Tom Cole, of Moore; Kevin Hern, of Tulsa; Frank Lucas, of Cheyenne; and Markwayne Mullin, of Westville, have criticized the bill. (Casteel, 5/14)

Negotiations on Capitol Hill over the next package of coronavirus economic relief have revived discussions about ending surprise medical billing, an effort to bolster patient protections that has sparked heavy spending by opponents who warn of damage to the health-care system. Surprise billing typically occurs when a patient is treated at a hospital that is in their insurance network by a medical professional who isn’t, potentially leading to crippling medical charges. The push to end surprise billing pits patient advocates and health-insurance providers, who back the effort, against hospital and medical groups who say it amounts to government rate-setting that would jeopardize the finances of some hospitals and mean out-of-network doctors earn less money. (Peterson and Bykowicz, 5/14)

Federal agents seized a cellphone belonging to a prominent Republican senator on Wednesday night as part of the Justice Department’s investigation into controversial stock trades he made as the novel coronavirus first struck the U.S., a law enforcement official said. Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, turned over his phone to agents after they served a search warrant on the lawmaker at his residence in the Washington area, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a law enforcement action. (Wilber and Haberkorn, 5/13)

House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) formally introduced a pair of rules changes designed to revive congressional action in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic that has left Congress sputtering for the past two months. Hoyer said Wednesday that his resolution, drafted after bipartisan negotiations with GOP leaders, will allow lawmakers to cast their votes from afar if they cannot be present in the Capitol for “reasons beyond our control” related to the virus. Those lawmakers would designate their proxy to another lawmaker who is present. (Kane, 5/13)