Kelsey Snell
Kelsey Snell is a Congressional correspondent for NPR. She has covered Congress since 2010 for outlets including The Washington Post, Politico and National Journal. She has covered elections and Congress with a reporting specialty in budget, tax and economic policy. She has a graduate degree in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. and an undergraduate degree in political science from DePaul University in Chicago.
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Some Democrats are pushing for changes to the social safety net to address needs of people during the pandemic and beyond. Moderates caution the need for reassessing plans and bipartisan changes. -
The House approved the massive package with aid to states, local governments, individuals. Senate Republicans already dismissed the proposal and it's unclear when parties will reach bipartisan deal. -
There have been four separate measures over the last two months, including payments to individuals, tax breaks for businesses, and funds for public health and state and local governments.
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A trio of Senate Democrats wants to give $2,000 per month to individuals through the end of the health emergency. One Senate Republican suggests covering payroll for companies that rehire workers. -
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.
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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.
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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. -
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.
