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The Week in Washington — Trump Attacks World Health Organization

April 16, 2020

President Trump announced Tuesday that the Administration will stop making payments to the World Health Organization for 60 to 90 days while the White House conducts a review into the WHO’s role in “mismanaging and covering up” the ongoing pandemic. This move was praised by some Republicans, but criticized by Democrats, public-health experts, and other international partners including the E.U. and Germany. The move is widely viewed as Trump’s effort to shift blame to China for the pandemic, rather than taking responsibility for the Administration’s response during Q1 of 2020. (Notably, circumstantial evidence has also surfaced to support the conclusion that the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 originated in a laboratory in China, rather than in a market.)

The Week in Washington — Pandemic Hammers U.S. and Global Economy

April 6, 2020

As the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic shifts from Europe toward the United States, U.S. officials now say that the number of American fatalities could reach 240,000, even with social-distancing measures. Despite feverish research, treatment options remain limited for now, and a vaccine is at least 18 months away. The New York area is by far the worst off, with the peak at least another week away. Other parts of the country such as Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Miami, and New Orleans will replace New York as the new hotspots in the coming weeks.

The Week in Washington — COVID-19 Crisis Update

March 18, 2020March 18, 2020

Congress will send its second emergency bill to the White House this week, designed to support workers who are directly impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak — particularly those who lose their jobs or can’t work. (The first emergency bill, focused on funding vaccine research, was signed on March 6.) The Phase 2 bill was drafted by House Democrats and includes the following provisions, to be effective through the end of 2020:

The Week in Washington — Bernie Sanders is Now the Democratic Presidential Front-Runner

February 26, 2020February 26, 2020

Senator Bernie Sanders last weekend won the Nevada Caucus — the third contest in the Democratic presidential primary process. Winning almost half of the voters (47 percent) among seven candidates, Sanders’s runaway Nevada victory has made him the unmistakable front-runner in the Democratic field, and the odds-on favorite to win the Democratic nomination in July.

The Week in Washington — Democratic Primary Begins in Iowa; U.S. Lurches Forward on 5G Strategy

February 10, 2020

What happened: The two biggest surprises of the Iowa Caucus were Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s overperformance, and Vice President Joe Biden’s underperformance. Buttigieg finished in a statistical tie for first place with Senator Bernie Sanders, while Biden finished in fourth place behind Senator Elizabeth Warren. Buttigieg is a novice in national politics, whose victory in Iowa is reminiscent of other Democrats who used Iowa to springboard to the nomination, including Jimmy Carter (1976) and Barack Obama (2008).