Americans are still trying to figure out what to make of the COVID-19 pandemic. Only a few weeks ago, the American economy was doing well, and employers were hiring. Today, many governors have essentially shut down commerce and effectively suspended some protected civil liberties by mandating the practice of social distancing in their states.

House Democrats are embracing the words of Rahm Emanuel, who served as President Barack Obama’s first White House Chief of Staff, who once said, “You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it's an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.” Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) response to the COVID-19 pandemic was introduced in legislative form on Monday. The bill, the Take Responsibility for Workers and Families Act, includes a laundry list of Democratic priorities that have nothing to do with treating the virus.

The Senate is in session. The House may or may not be in recess.

Earlier this week, the Department of the Treasury released its requests to Congress for the third-phase of COVID-19 response legislation. This request includes $500 billion in direct payments to Americans, $300 billion in loans to small businesses, $150 billion to distressed industries, and $50 billion to the airline industry. Add it all up, and we’re looking at a $1 trillion package to address COVID-19, in addition to the roughly $110 billion that Congress has already spent in response to the pandemic.

An amendment being offered in the Senate to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, H.R. 6201, would dramatically improve the emergency legislation that seeks to help Americans cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. As passed by the House, however, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act may hurt the very workers it attempts to help.

The state of the economy is on everyone’s mind due to the COVID-19 and the more frequent practice of social distancing. People are staying at home due to the virus, which will have a negative impact on consumption. On Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said that the administration is “looking at sending checks to Americans immediately.” The idea is similar in approach to proposals from Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Mitt Romney (R-Utah).

The Senate will consider the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, H.R. 6201, at some point this week, possibly as soon as today. The House already passed the bill in the early hours of Saturday morning, with members having little time to read the legislation before voting on it. The abysmal process concerns aside, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act includes provisions that would certainly have devastating unintended consequences.

The Senate is in session this week. The House is in recess.