The Country is on Fire
COVID-19 is burning through the United States. Over 90% of new COVID-19 cases in the United States are due to the delta variant and its lineages. In May, the delta variant accounted for around 3% of new U.S. cases. Over 85% of the counties in the United States are high or substantial transmission areas. On Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 103,444 new COVID-19 cases in the United States. Earlier this week, in remarks aimed squarely at certain Republican governors like Florida’s Ron DeSantis, President Joe Biden said that if governors are not willing to help, then they should “at least get out of the way of the people who are trying to do the right thing.” DeSantis issued an executive order that effectively bans masks in Florida schools and threatens to withhold state funding from noncompliant school boards. Florida currently has one of the highest rates of new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths.
In an interview with McClatchy, Dr. Anthony Fauci, White House chief COVID-19 medical advisor, said that an even deadlier strain of COVID-19 could emerge and that strain might be more effective in evading the vaccines. “If we don’t crush the outbreak to the point of getting the overwhelming proportion of the population vaccinated, then what will happen is the virus will continue to smolder through the fall into the winter, giving it ample chance to get a variant…that can push aside delta…If another one comes along that has an equally high capability of transmitting but also is much more severe, then we could really be in trouble,” Fauci said in the interview.
In yet another communications failure, the CDC failed to mention that when it, and other federal officials, cited statistics that 99% of recent deaths and 95% of hospitalizations from COVID-19 were in unvaccinated individuals, these numbers were through June, before the delta variant surged across the U.S. At Thursday’s White House COVID-19 Response Team briefing, the head of the CDC, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, acknowledged in response to a question that the CDC is currently working to update these numbers in the “context of the delta variant.”
With global cases exceeding 200 million, the World Health Organization has asked countries to hold on giving booster shots until the end of September in order to get more of the world population vaccinated. Several countries, including Israel, have already started giving segments of their population booster shots, and more countries are planning to start soon. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is currently developing a national strategy for booster shots that is expected to be released in the coming weeks. Dr. Fauci made it clear that getting booster shots to immunocompromised individuals is a “high priority.”
The Biden-Harris Administration is also discussing what federal authorities it can use to increase the number of people vaccinated in the country. Yesterday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that a variety of policy options are being discussed in order to continue the “wartime response against the virus.”
Quick Facts
Infrastructure: The Senate has been considering amendments to the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill all week, and it is Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s, D-N.Y., intent to finish consideration of the bill and vote on final passage this coming week. When the Senate convenes today, there will be a vote on a motion to proceed to consideration of the Sinema-Portman substitute amendment. The Congressional Budget Office scored the infrastructure bill and concluded the legislation would add a net $256 billion to projected deficits during the period 2021-2031. Schumer also intends to vote on the $3.5 trillion budget resolution, which is the next step in the reconciliation process, before the Senate leaves town for the August recess.
Clean Cars and Trucks: President Biden signed an executive order that sets a goal of having 50% of all new passenger cars and light trucks sold in the United States by 2030 be zero-emission vehicles.
Eviction Moratorium: As the CDC COVID-19 eviction moratorium expired on July 31, congressional Democrats and the White House scrambled to find a way to prevent evictions. Back in June, the Supreme Court denied an application to stay the eviction moratorium because it was to end in a few weeks. However, Justice Kavanaugh wrote that the CDC had exceeded its authority to issue a nationwide moratorium and that Congress would need to pass legislation to extend the moratorium. This week, the CDC issued a new eviction moratorium that applies in areas of substantial and high COVID-19 transmission, which is the vast majority of the country. Legal scholars are divided on whether the new moratorium is constitutional.
DOJ Investigation: Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating the City of Phoenix and the Phoenix Police Department to determine if the Phoenix Police Department “engages in a pattern or practice of violations of the Constitution or federal law.” Among the issues that the DOJ will investigate is whether the police department uses excessive force and whether it engages in discriminatory policing practices.
Student Loans: The Department of Education announced yesterday that it was extending the pandemic suspension of federal student loan payments through January 31, 2022. The suspension was due to expire on September 30.
Deferred Enforced Departure: Citing the continued action of the People’s Republic of China to deny basic rights and freedoms to the people of Hong Kong, President Biden signed a memorandum providing a safe haven in the United States for certain Hong Kong residents who are currently in the United States. Removal of Hong Kong residents from the U.S. will be deferred for 18 months.
July Jobs Report: According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nonfarm payrolls increased by 943,000 in July, beating expectations. Unemployment fell to 5.4%. Despite these positive numbers, President Biden did not celebrate, but instead said that there was still “a lot of hard work left to be done, both to beat the delta variant and to continue the advance of our economic recovery.”
Congressional Gold Metal: The U.S. Capitol Police and those who protected the Capitol on January 6 were awarded the Congressional Gold Metal. One metal will be displayed at the U.S. Capital Police headquarters, one at the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, one will be on display at the Smithsonian Institution, and one at the U.S. Capitol.
War Authority: The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations favorably reported S.J. Res 10 to repeal the authorizations for use of military force against Iraq. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has stated that he intends to bring this resolution to the floor later this year. The House of Representatives has already passed the repeal of authorization.
Cuba: The Senate unanimously passed a resolution introduced by Senator Bob Menendez, D-N.J., expressing strong solidarity with the people of Cuba and condemning the actions of the Cuban government against peaceful protestors.
A Matter of Time: The calls for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign are growing after New York’s Attorney General Letitia James released a report from a five month independent investigation into alleged sexual harassment by Cuomo. The report concluded that the governor sexually harassed multiple current and former New York State employees, that he broke the law, and that improper and retaliatory actions were taken in response to the harassment allegations. Governor Cuomo has denied that he inappropriately touched anyone. President Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., New York Democratic Senators Chuck Schumer and Kristen Gillibrand, and many New York State legislators have all called on Cuomo to resign. If Cuomo does not resign, he risks being impeached by the New York State Legislature.
Global cases: 201,430,552
Global deaths: 4,274,316
U.S. cases: 35,541,106
U.S. deaths: 615,816