Thread by @revolvingdoorDC, It feels as though events are moving faster than ever, just as [...]

It feels as though events are moving faster than ever, just as our capacity to keep track of them has been reduced.

Unfortunately, the decisions that are being made as we speak are likely to fundamentally shape our economy for a generation.
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That is why it is more important now than ever that Congress remain vigilant to incursions by this administration and its corporate allies as they rewrite the rules that govern our economy
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Since Fall of 2018, we at RDP have emphasized the role of congressional oversight:

https://rewire.news/article/2018/10/17/to-win-democrats-must-focus-on-accountability/

https://washingtonmonthly.com/2019/04/24/house-democrats-are-failing-to-investigate-the-white-house/

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/impeachment-further-trump-oversight

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Now That The Impeachment Probe Is Official, House Dems Must Ramp Up Other Oversight

Now That The Impeachment Probe Is Official, House Dems Must Ramp Up Other Oversight

https://rewire.news/article/2018/10/17/to-win-democrats-must-focus-on-accountability/

AFTER announcing they would stand down after narrow impeachment for Trump’s political war on the Biden family, House Democrats have now signalled a greater interest in oversight amidst coronavirus (4/?)

With that in mind, we will be offering a running list of suggestions for targets that are deserving of congressional scrutiny
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First up, lawmakers should definitely be going over Kushner’s separate, private sector coronavirus response team with a fine-toothed comb
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/01/jared-kushner-coronavirus-response-160553
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Behind the scenes, Kushner takes charge of coronavirus response

Trump’s son-in-law sets up shop at FEMA as his portfolio balloons to include manufacturing, supplies and long-term planning.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/01/jared-kushner-coronavirus-response-160553

As @CREWcrew 's Jordan Libovitz told @Politico:

"They're not necessarily doing something nefarious, but if they were, this is what they would do to hide it"

See our separate thread on this: https://twitter.com/revolvingdoorDC/status/1245753237594144769?s=20
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https://twitter.com/revolvingdoorDC/status/1245753237594144769?s=20

Speaking of Kushner, it sure would be nice to know more about how his family’s real estate company stands to benefit from the stimulus package
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/03/jared-kushner-company-benefit-recovery-bill-162652
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Kushner company stands to benefit from freeze on federal mortgage payments

With more than $800 million in federally backed properties, Kushner Companies could reduce its payments to zero under provisions of recovery bill.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/03/jared-kushner-company-benefit-recovery-bill-162652

Lawmakers might also do well to ask how it is that OscarHealth, a company Kushner’s brother Joshua co-founded and remains a major investor in, got the nod to build a coronavirus testing information website (the project has since been scrapped)

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/03/kushner-coronavirus-testing-oscar-company/609139/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
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Exclusive: Kushner Firm Built the Coronavirus Website Trump Promised

The extent of Oscar Health’s work on coronavirus testing hasn’t been previously reported.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/03/kushner-coronavirus-testing-oscar-company/609139/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

For even more on Kushner’s role in coronavirus response, see the project’s @MaxMoranHi’s latest piece:

https://www.alternet.org/2020/04/jared-kushner-is-the-point-man-for-private-profiteering-on-the-coronavirus-response/
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Jared Kushner is the point man for private profiteering on the coronavirus response

Hot off of singlehandedly ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, America’s Son-In-Law-In-Chief has put himself in charge of handling half of the White House response to the coronavirus crisis....

https://www.alternet.org/2020/04/jared-kushner-is-the-point-man-for-private-profiteering-on-the-coronavirus-response/

Of course, there’s more to look into than just crisis profiteering. While some lawmakers attempt to remake voting procedures to withstand the threat of coronavirus, like vote by mail, Trump's campaign operation is fighting them tooth and nail.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/03/trump-2020-election-legal-battle-coronavirus-162152
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The bruising legal battle underway that could decide the election

As the coronavirus crisis rages, the Trump campaign is squaring off against Democrats over voting rules.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/03/trump-2020-election-legal-battle-coronavirus-162152

Trump’s obsession with the potential for a malaria drug to treat coronavirus has seemed odd. That is, until you learn that he has a financial interest in the company that makes it.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-reportedly-has-financial-interest-in-hydroxychloroquine-manufacturer?via=twitter_page

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Trump Has ‘Financial Interest’ in Hydroxychloroquine Manufacturer: NYT

The president’s family trusts all invest in a mutual fund whose largest holding is the drugmaker of Plaquenil, the brand-name version of hydroxychloroquine.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-reportedly-has-financial-interest-in-hydroxychloroquine-manufacturer?via=twitter_page

Is Trump pushing an unproven and potentially dangerous treatment for personal gain?

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No wonder he’s already working to muzzle the new bailout Inspector General

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/us/trump-signing-statement-coronavirus.html

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Trump Suggests He Can Gag Inspector General for Stimulus Bailout Program

In a signing statement, the president undermined a key safeguard Democrats had insisted upon as a condition of approving $500 billion in corporate relief in the $2 trillion law.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/us/trump-signing-statement-coronavirus.html

That didn’t take long…

“President Trump has removed the chairman of the federal panel Congress created to oversee his administration’s management of the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package”
(15/?) https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/trump-removes-inspector-general-who-was-to-oversee-2-trillion-stimulus-spending/2020/04/07/2f0c6cb8-78ea-11ea-9bee-c5bf9d2e3288_story.html

Trump removes inspector general who was to oversee $2 trillion stimulus spending

Glenn Fine was removed from his position as acting inspector general at the Pentagon, making him ineligible for the spending watchdog role.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/trump-removes-inspector-general-who-was-to-oversee-2-trillion-stimulus-spending/2020/04/07/2f0c6cb8-78ea-11ea-9bee-c5bf9d2e3288_story.html

Trump has moved with frightening speed to dismantle even the limited accountability mechanisms that made it into the last stimulus package.
(16/?) https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/us/trump-signing-statement-coronavirus.html

Trump Suggests He Can Gag Inspector General for Stimulus Bailout Program

In a signing statement, the president undermined a key safeguard Democrats had insisted upon as a condition of approving $500 billion in corporate relief in the $2 trillion law.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/us/trump-signing-statement-coronavirus.html

Congress should consider how future mechanisms could be better insulated from presidential discretion
(17/?) https://www.thedailybeast.com/heres-how-congress-can-stop-trump-and-his-gang-from-plundering-the-coronavirus-bailout?ref=author

Here’s How Congress Can Stop Trump and His Gang from Plundering the Coronavirus Bailout

Trump will argue that he can spend the bailout money however he wants, no matter what conditions Congress writes into the law.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/heres-how-congress-can-stop-trump-and-his-gang-from-plundering-the-coronavirus-bailout?ref=author

In addition to monitoring ongoing developments, Congress should be investigating past administrative actions that have made us more vulnerable in this time of crisis

Exhibit A:
https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2020-04-02/coronavirus-trump-pandemic-program-viruses-detection?_amp=true&__twitter_impression=true

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Trump administration ended pandemic early-warning program to detect coronaviruses

The program had worked with labs in Wuhan, China, and around the world to detect deadly viruses that could jump from animals to humans.

https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2020-04-02/coronavirus-trump-pandemic-program-viruses-detection?_amp=true&__twitter_impression=true

Also, Trump's successful effort to transform the Presidential Personnel Office from a mechanism for rapid vetting to “a vehicle for enforcing loyalty and carrying out vendettas”

(19/?) https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/04/07/covid-19-white-house-personnel-fauci-birx-atkinson/

Perspective | Trump gutted his personnel office. Now it’s doomed to fail when we need it most.

Government experts must be able to focus on their jobs, not on staying in the president’s good graces.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/04/07/covid-19-white-house-personnel-fauci-birx-atkinson/

Unfortunately, Rep. Jim Clyburn, who will lead the new House committee charged with overseeing the coronavirus response, has said the body will only be "forward looking"

(20/?) https://thehill.com/homenews/house/491223-clyburn-says-stimulus-spending-oversight-committee-will-be-forward-looking

Clyburn says stimulus spending oversight committee will be 'forward

House Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) said Sunday the House committee formed to oversee the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic will be “forward looking” as opposed to examining what was done in

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/491223-clyburn-says-stimulus-spending-oversight-committee-will-be-forward-looking

How, for example, will legislators understand how Trump's policies made nursing home residents more vulnerable to death if not by looking backwards?
(21/?) https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1147661?__twitter_impression=true

Trump administration’s proposed rollback of nursing home regulations faces criticism amid coronav...

“These are frail, medically compromised people,” said an attorney at the nonprofit Center for Medicare Advocacy, who opposes the change.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1147661?__twitter_impression=true

Speaking of those who are particularly vulnerable, Congress would do well to examine the threat facing federal inmates.

What is the Trump administration doing to combat it (this article would suggest very little) and what more needs to be done?

(22/?) https://theintercept.com/2020/04/05/coronavirus-federal-prison-mdc-mcc-new-york/

As Coronavirus Looms in Federal Detention, People Inside Are Denied Constitutional Right to Speak...

Unable to reach their clients, lawyers worry the government is taking little action, even with reports of widespread coronavirus symptoms inside.

https://theintercept.com/2020/04/05/coronavirus-federal-prison-mdc-mcc-new-york/

From essentially the moment the CARES Act was signed into law, people were warning that its small business lending program could be a logistical disaster

(23/?) https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/02/banks-small-business-lending-program-launch-161106

Banks warn of chaotic launch of small business lending program

They're concerned that the expectations the administration has publicly set are unrealistic.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/02/banks-small-business-lending-program-launch-161106

By all accounts, those warnings have been borne out, as we document in a separate thread

(24/?) https://twitter.com/revolvingdoorDC/status/1248599584072499200?s=20

https://twitter.com/revolvingdoorDC/status/1248599584072499200?s=20

Meanwhile, the administration continues to get everything about their response to the underlying problem wrong. On Wednesday, the administration announced that it would be ending federal funding for testing sites, meaning that many will close

(25/?) https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/08/829955099/federal-support-for-coronavirus-testing-sites-end-as-peak-nears

Federal Support Ends For Coronavirus Testing Sites As Pandemic Peak Nears

As the coronavirus pandemic peak approaches, local officials say the federal government is ending support for COVID-19 community-based testing sites.

https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/08/829955099/federal-support-for-coronavirus-testing-sites-end-as-peak-nears

The CDC, as a part of its effort to “reopen” the country, also recently released guidance stating that essential workers who had been exposed to COVID-19 could still go to work (!?!) so long as they aren’t showing symptoms

(26/?) https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/08/830310903/white-house-announces-new-guidance-for-how-critical-employees-can-return-to-work

White House Announces New Guidance For How Critical Employees Can Return To Work

The new rules apply only to workers in critical infrastructure jobs, a broadly defined group that includes employees in fields from health care to financial services.

https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/08/830310903/white-house-announces-new-guidance-for-how-critical-employees-can-return-to-work

Why is our public health authority releasing guidance that directly contradicts science? Shouldn’t somebody be looking into this???

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SPECIAL AFTERNOON ADDITION
Major banks are asking regulators to allow them to directly own oil & gas companies. The institutions seem to be hoping to take advantage of federal bailout money to restore these companies to profitability
@StopMoneyPipe
(28/?) https://stopthemoneypipeline.com/private-banks-owning-oil-companies-is-a-recipe-for-disaster/

Private Banks Owning Oil Companies Is A Recipe for Disaster

Big banks like JP Morgan Chase want to buy up oil and gas companies. That's a recipe for climate disaster.

https://stopthemoneypipeline.com/private-banks-owning-oil-companies-is-a-recipe-for-disaster/

This crisis cannot be used as an opportunity to prop up a failing industry. It is Congress' responsibility to monitor the bailout to identify and prevent such corporate incursions

Where there are disaster-driven public policy puzzles, Congress should be asking, what more can the administration be doing to fix it? And, what changes can we make to make that task easier?

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One such puzzle, as stores face shortages, farmers are being forced to destroy thousands of lbs of crops

How could USDA step in to overcome the logistical barriers that keep foods destined for restaurant supply chains out of consumer ones?

(31/?) https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/11/business/coronavirus-destroying-food.html

Dumped Milk, Smashed Eggs, Plowed Vegetables: Food Waste of the Pandemic

With restaurants, hotels and schools closed, many of the nation’s largest farms are destroying millions of pounds of fresh goods that they can no longer sell.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/11/business/coronavirus-destroying-food.html

But it’s not just Agriculture committee oversight we need.

With this administration, there’s room for every committee to get in on the oversight action.

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The Education and Labor committee should, for example, be keeping a close eye on the Ed. Dept. which may soon be dispensing bailout funds to predatory for-profit colleges

(33/?) https://www.marketwatch.com/story/exclusive-these-for-profit-colleges-could-reap-up-to-1-billion-in-federal-bailout-money-2020-04-08

Exclusive: These for-profit colleges could reap up to $1 billion in federal bailout money

Dozens of for-profit colleges that are among those most likely to benefit from stimulus funding face thousands of claims from students demanding their money...

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/exclusive-these-for-profit-colleges-could-reap-up-to-1-billion-in-federal-bailout-money-2020-04-08

And, given many of these institutions’ histories, and the Education Department’s lack of interest in holding predatory actors accountable, it is important that lawmakers remain vigilant in following how the schools spend any bailout funds they may receive.

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Ed. and Labor must also conduct oversight of Eugene Scalia, who seems to be willfully working to make workers *less* safe.

(35/?) https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/04/10/labor-secretary-eugene-scalia-faces-blowback-he-curtails-scope-worker-relief-unemployment-crisis/?ceid=5898612&emci=2e457973-d77c-ea11-a94c-00155d03b1e8&emdi=37b0b975-d97c-ea11-a94c-00155d03b1e8

Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia faces blowback as he curtails scope of worker relief in unemployment...

The son of late Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia has come under fire over his handling of worker protection and the unemployment program.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/04/10/labor-secretary-eugene-scalia-faces-blowback-he-curtails-scope-worker-relief-unemployment-crisis/?ceid=5898612&emci=2e457973-d77c-ea11-a94c-00155d03b1e8&emdi=37b0b975-d97c-ea11-a94c-00155d03b1e8

His department significantly narrowed paid family leave provisions and is failing to release guidance that would make clear what employers are required to do to keep workers safe

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The Trump administration has formed another unqualified, nepotistic task force, this time to “reopen the economy”

Would be nice if Congress lifted a finger at this latest show of corruption

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/04/ivanka-trump-jared-kushner-council-to-reopen-america

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Oh Thank God: Trump Appoints Ivanka and Jared to Council to Reopen America

The economy is in shambles, but fear not: the poster children for nepotism are on the case.

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/04/ivanka-trump-jared-kushner-council-to-reopen-america

As Trump puts unqualified family members in charge, he refuses to to fill hundreds of vacancies across the breadth of the federal government, including areas critical to COVID-19 response

(38/?) https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/26/us/politics/coronavirus-expertise-trump.html

Job Vacancies and Inexperience Mar Federal Response to Coronavirus

Unfilled jobs and high turnover mean the government is ill equipped for a public health crisis, said many former and current federal officials and disaster experts.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/26/us/politics/coronavirus-expertise-trump.html

We joined many other groups to ask Congress to reassert its advice and consent role and compel the administration to offer qualified nominees. The letter also calls for updates to the FVRA to guard against future vacancies on this scale

(39/?) https://www.peer.org/agencies-leadership-vacancies-tied-to-poor-pandemic-response/

Agencies' Leadership Vacancies Tied to Poor Pandemic Response - PEER.org

Groups Urge Senators to Rein in Trump Constitutional Abuses

https://www.peer.org/agencies-leadership-vacancies-tied-to-poor-pandemic-response/

While the House cannot confirm nominees, it can help force the administration to start filling positions by, for example, withholding funds until it does.

It can also begin gathering the information that will be necessary to effectively update the FVRA

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Unfortunately, none of this (nor any of the suggestions that came before it) will be getting a look anytime soon. Remarkably, the House will not be coming back to Washington until at least May.

(41/?) https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/13/coronavirus-update-house-wont-return-to-washington-until-may.html

House will not return to Washington until May 4 unless it has to pass 'emergency' bill

The House will only come back if it has to pass emergency coronavirus response legislation, according to Majority Leader Steny Hoyer's office.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/13/coronavirus-update-house-wont-return-to-washington-until-may.html

Speaking of vacancies, this deep dive into FEMA’s capacity issues ahead of the pandemic is sobering

(42/?) https://www.wsj.com/articles/fema-joined-coronavirus-fight-with-posts-unfilled-and-parent-agency-shifting-funds-to-immigration-11586827506?mod=hp_lead_pos6

FEMA Joined Coronavirus Fight With Posts Unfilled and Parent Agency Shifting Funds to Immigration

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, the coordinator of the government’s coronavirus response, entered the crisis with thousands of unfilled positions and the leadership of its parent department...

https://www.wsj.com/articles/fema-joined-coronavirus-fight-with-posts-unfilled-and-parent-agency-shifting-funds-to-immigration-11586827506?mod=hp_lead_pos6

The Trump admin has been shifting resources away from disaster-preparedness & towards immigration enforcement, leaving FEMA with about 20% of its 5000 full-time positions unfilled

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How did these vacancies, budget constraints, and leadership turnover contribute to our lack of preparedness for this crisis? What can be done, both in the short- and long- terms to fix these problems?

These sorts of questions should be Congress’ top priority

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Also at the top of the list should be the Treasury Department’s decision to allow banks and other creditors to claim people’s government stimulus checks

(45/?) https://prospect.org/coronavirus/banks-can-grab-stimulus-check-pay-debts/

Your Coronavirus Check Is Coming. Your Bank Can Grab It.

Regulators have given banks the green light to use stimulus funds to pay off debts that individuals owe them.

https://prospect.org/coronavirus/banks-can-grab-stimulus-check-pay-debts/

This, of course, could have been avoided had Congress been paying attention over the last year and not elected to trust in the goodness of Steven Mnuchin’s heart by instead exempting stimulus checks from private debt collection via statute

(46/?) https://prospect.org/politics/congress-failure-of-oversight-trump-first-term/

Congress Must Have Skipped the First Three Seasons of Trump Reality Show

The failure of oversight throughout the first term has set the stage for House Democrats’ weak performance during the coronavirus crisis.

https://prospect.org/politics/congress-failure-of-oversight-trump-first-term/

But with that vastly superior option gone, they can still put pressure on the Treasury Department to reverse this horrendous decision

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Others are also vying for a piece of the stimulus check pie. Taxpayers who use TurboTax to access their stimulus check may be steered to paid services that they could be getting for free

(48/?) https://www.propublica.org/article/millions-of-americans-might-not-get-stimulus-checks-some-might-be-tricked-into-paying-turbotax-to-get-theirs

Millions of Americans Might Not Get Stimulus Checks. Some Might Be Tricked Into Paying TurboTax to...

Congress gave the IRS the job of sending out coronavirus rescue checks. But the underfunded agency is struggling, while for-profit companies like Intuit have started circling, hoping to convert…

https://www.propublica.org/article/millions-of-americans-might-not-get-stimulus-checks-some-might-be-tricked-into-paying-turbotax-to-get-theirs

And now many hedge funds seem to be angling for small business loans, claiming they are “just like hair salons, restaurants, and dry cleaners”

(49/?) https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-14/hedge-fund-managers-are-claiming-bailouts-as-small-businesses

Hedge Fund Managers Claiming Bailouts as Small Businesses

Free money.That’s the enticing prospect hedge funds and other trading firms are pondering after realizing they too might be able to participate in a historic U.S. stimulus package to keep small...

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-14/hedge-fund-managers-are-claiming-bailouts-as-small-businesses

Except that, as this Bloomberg piece points out: “hedge funds are designed to employ as few people as possible so star traders don’t have to share millions of dollars in fees.” And “the industry gets its name from the premise it can generate gains even when markets fall"

(50/?)

Under the terms of the Fed’s new bond-buying program, fossil fuel companies could win big. A @foe_us report found that:

- Up to $19.4 bn could go to ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Conoco

- Up to $24.1 bn could go to 12 fracking-focused companies

(51/?)

http://foe.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Big-Oils-Lifeline.pdf

Congress needs to step in and make clear that the Fed should not be accelerating the next collapse by propping up fossil fuel companies in this one.

(52/?)

For those interested in finding other areas that require oversight on their own, this new resource from @accountable_us is sure to be a big help

(51/?) https://twitter.com/accountable_us/status/1250461647690440705?s=20

https://twitter.com/accountable_us/status/1250461647690440705?s=20

The Fed also shouldn’t be propping up private equity firms’ investments or be facilitating new takeovers. That is, however, exactly what its new lending program is set to do.

(52/?) https://pitchbook.com/news/articles/fed-stimulus-offers-relief-to-private-equity-despite-critics-objections

Fed's stimulus offers relief to private equity despite critics' objections | PitchBook

Private-equity backed companies will see relief in the Fed's latest loan program, but critics are worried about how they'll spend the money.

https://pitchbook.com/news/articles/fed-stimulus-offers-relief-to-private-equity-despite-critics-objections

According to @WaPo, workers across the country have filed at least 3000 complaints with OSHA of unsafe conditions that put them at a higher risk of contracting the virus.

(53/?) https://twitter.com/JStein_WaPo/status/1250939200955994113?s=20

https://twitter.com/JStein_WaPo/status/1250939200955994113?s=20

Even as frontline workers die of COVID-19, OSHA *still* has not used its authority to create legally binding standards that would help protect workers from the virus

This is shameful. MOCs should be applying overwhelming pressure on the admin to make them take action.
(54/?)

And why, as we struggle to get the resources we need to fight this pandemic, is the administration awarding new contracts (to big GOP donors, no less) to build the border wall?

(55/?) https://www.thedailybeast.com/army-decides-a-coronavirus-pandemic-is-a-good-time-to-give-gop-donors-dollar569-million-to-build-the-wall

Army Gives GOP Donors $569 Million to ‘Build the Wall’

What coronavirus crisis? Big Republican donors get a half-billion dollar, no-bid deal that one watchdog calls “a travesty that must be investigated and audited immediately.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/army-decides-a-coronavirus-pandemic-is-a-good-time-to-give-gop-donors-dollar569-million-to-build-the-wall

Why did the administration choose to tap UnitedHealth Group to administer a crisis response program when, by all accounts, HHS had the capability to do so in house?

(56/?) https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/18/unitedhealth-trump-coronavirus-recovery-funds-193716?nname=playbook&nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b7bd0000&nrid=0000014e-f0ef-dd93-ad7f-f8ef14580001&nlid=630318

Trump team’s use of big insurer to dispense recovery funds comes under scrutiny

A White House economist with close ties to UnitedHealth is helping oversee a program administered by the firm.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/18/unitedhealth-trump-coronavirus-recovery-funds-193716?nname=playbook&nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b7bd0000&nrid=0000014e-f0ef-dd93-ad7f-f8ef14580001&nlid=630318

Hint: One of the CEA economists advising the program used to consult for UnitedHealth and has received funding from the company for non-profit ventures

(57/?)

The admin also seems to be taking advantage of the crisis to further harm its favorite scapegoat: immigrants. Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Ag. Secretary Sonny Perdue are pushing to cut the minimum wage for migrant farm workers on H-2A visas

(58/?) https://www.wsj.com/articles/white-house-seeks-to-cut-wages-smooth-migrant-labor-hiring-for-farms-squeezed-by-coronavirus-11587123000

White House Seeks to Cut Farmworker Wages, Ease Hiring Constraints

The Trump administration is taking steps to reduce costs and restrictions on farmers looking to hire migrant workers during the coronavirus pandemic, including lowering their minimum wages.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/white-house-seeks-to-cut-wages-smooth-migrant-labor-hiring-for-farms-squeezed-by-coronavirus-11587123000

Just when you think the Trump administration can’t get any worse…

Just kidding, if there’s one thing we’ve learned by this point, they can always get worse.

Still, today’s line-up of oversight targets is a real doozy.

(59/?)

The Trump administration is not only failing to ensure that adequate supplies are available to states but is actively *blocking* shipments to states and hospitals. Where is the congressional outrage at this Wild West-style hold up?

(60/?) https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/04/hospitals-face-a-white-house-blockade-for-coronavirus-ppe.html

A White House Blockade Is Stopping States from Getting PPE

The NEJM has published a horrifying account of a health-care executive trying to evade what appear to be mafia tactics by the federal government.

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/04/hospitals-face-a-white-house-blockade-for-coronavirus-ppe.html

Reopening the economy now just means sending low-income workers into harm’s way (& some, to their deaths) to keep profits going. Now, Trump is trying to make it so that corporations aren't held responsible for endangering their employees’ lives

(61/?) https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/04/21/white-house-coronavirus-regulations/

White House readies push to slash regulations as major part of its coronavirus economic recovery...

White House economists are working on a major repeal of business regulations as President Trump pushes to "reopen" the economy, according to two people familiar with their work.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/04/21/white-house-coronavirus-regulations/

And even as Trump insists that the crisis is under control and that we will soon be able to reopen, he is using the threat of coronavirus as an excuse to “halt all immigration into the U.S.”

(62/?) https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/20/trump-suspend-immigration-coronavirus-197755

Trump's surprise immigration ban expected to include major exemption

Several industry representatives expect the upcoming immigration suspension will exempt one of the largest sources of immigration at the moment — farmworkers.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/20/trump-suspend-immigration-coronavirus-197755

Where others see a tragic disaster, this administration sees an opportunity to expand corporate profits at regular people's expense by rapidly rolling back regulations

Congress cannot let this proceed unchallenged!

(63/?) https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/04/21/white-house-coronavirus-regulations/

White House readies push to slash regulations as major part of its coronavirus economic recovery...

White House economists are working on a major repeal of business regulations as President Trump pushes to "reopen" the economy, according to two people familiar with their work.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/04/21/white-house-coronavirus-regulations/

As if that weren’t enough, the administration is rapidly exporting the virus throughout the world via deportation flights!

(64/?) https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/17/americas/us-migrants-guatemala-coronavirus/index.html

44 migrants on one US deportation flight tested positive for coronavirus

At least 44 migrants who were on the same deportation flight from the US to Guatemala this week have tested positive for Covid-19, two Guatemalan government sources told CNN.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/17/americas/us-migrants-guatemala-coronavirus/index.html

Meanwhile, as gargantuan restaurant chains easily tap into stimulus money, we’re learning every day of new roadblocks for people to get their checks

(65/?)

Exhibit A: Today at noon is the deadline for social security recipients to file to receive $500 checks for their children. If they miss it, they’ll have to wait until next year!

(66/?) https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/04/21/new-roadblock-irs-gives-social-security-recipients-until-wednesday-file-500-payments?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook

'A New Roadblock': IRS Gives Social Security Recipients Until

"It is impossible to tell from the outside if this latest outrage is the result of incompetence, mean-spiritedness, or both."

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/04/21/new-roadblock-irs-gives-social-security-recipients-until-wednesday-file-500-payments?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook

. @MotherJones did some digging into the questions that our @MaxMoranHi raised about Jared Kushner last month, which is great!

But why wasn't Congress doing this?

(67/?)

https://www.alternet.org/2020/04/jared-kushner-is-the-point-man-for-private-profiteering-on-the-coronavirus-response/ https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/04/jared-kushner-nat-turner-coronavirus-conflicts-of-interest/

How health care investors are helping run Jared Kushner's shadow coronavirus task force

Companies in their portfolios have a clear financial stake in how Trump handles the crisis.

https://www.alternet.org/2020/04/jared-kushner-is-the-point-man-for-private-profiteering-on-the-coronavirus-response/

Finally, the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program is out of money and House Democrats are busy once again trading away all their leverage for a pittance. See our latest thread on what they should be asking for: https://twitter.com/revolvingdoorDC/status/1252647944869818368?s=20

https://twitter.com/revolvingdoorDC/status/1252647944869818368?s=20

In states that are returning to “business as usual” (as if that were possible), many workers will be asked to go back to work or risk losing their unemployment benefits, a fraught choice when the risk of contracting the virus remains high

(69/?) https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/jgewm7/gop-states-reopening-early-will-push-people-scared-to-work-off-unemployment

GOP Governors Will Push Workers off Unemployment by Reopening Early

The Department of Labor confirmed to VICE that workers who refuse to return to work out of a general fear for their safety will lose their CARES Act unemployment benefits.

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/jgewm7/gop-states-reopening-early-will-push-people-scared-to-work-off-unemployment

Is there no better way to design benefits to account for these very real concerns? How could Congress get rid of this impossible choice in future legislation? These are questions it should be asking itself.

(70/?)

The House is getting ready to replenish the PPP’s depleted funds without addressing any of the problems with the program’s design

Newly added to that list of concerns is the fact that large banks prioritized lending to their wealthiest clients

(71/?) https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/22/business/sba-loans-ppp-coronavirus.html

Banks Gave Richest Clients ‘Concierge Treatment’ for Pandemic Aid

Some businesses seeking coronavirus loans got to avoid flaky online portals or backed-up queues. Many other small businesses couldn’t get their loan requests submitted before the money dried up.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/22/business/sba-loans-ppp-coronavirus.html

Private banking clients got the first spot in the line and help filling out the onerous paperwork. Unsurprisingly, that meant most got their loans, while thousands of small businesses couldn’t make it in before funds dried up

(72/?)

Elsewhere, Trump continues his crusade to oust anyone who is not sufficiently loyal to him.

(73/?)

This week that meant removing the doctor who led the agency involved in coronavirus vaccine development because he called for rigorous testing of hydroxychloroquine, which Trump has touted as a wonder drug.

(74/?) https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/22/us/coronavirus-live-coverage.html

Vaccine Chief Says He Was Removed After Questioning Drug Trump Promoted

The first known U.S. death from the illness came in early February in California. Trump says he ‘strongly’ disagrees with Georgia’s governor on reopening some businesses.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/22/us/coronavirus-live-coverage.html

Trump has an enthusiastic and consequential foot soldier in Mike Rigas, the Director of OPM. When Rigas is not blowing off requests from Congress, he apparently can be heard advocating for an end to the civil service’s merit system

(75/?) https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/21/democrats-blast-trump-federal-workers-coronavirus-199026

Democrats blast Trump team's handling of federal workers in coronavirus crisis

The Office of Personnel Management is stonewalling their requests for information, lawmakers say.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/21/democrats-blast-trump-federal-workers-coronavirus-199026

It is hard to overstate just how detrimental such a move would be

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