Congress steps up to steer recovery

WASHINGTON — As President Trump tries to move on from the coronavirus, Congress is rushing to fill the void and prepare the country for the long fight ahead.

Jolted by the lack of comprehensive federal planning as states begin to reopen, lawmakers of both parties are developing policies and tapping resources to prevent a second wave.

The legislative branch is stepping up in the absence of a consistent White House strategy, in much the way governors have been forced to go it alone during the pandemic response.

Congress is preparing its fifth coronavirus aid package, a “Rooseveltian” effort, as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York put it. It’s a Democraticheavy plan that Republicans are watching warily, despite support in the party for some provisions.

Trump has turned lifeanddeath decisionmaking away from the federal government and onto the states for the next phase of the response. He expects governors to arrange testing systems and find their own medical gear, saying the federal government is a “supplier of last resort.” The White House coronavirus task force has stopped daily briefings.

In the House and Senate, lawmakers are pushing sweeping proposals for a national virus testing strategy. Health officials say a robust national testing effort, with the ability to trace the contacts of those who have been infected, should be central to any plan returning Americans to work. Several lawmakers want the federal government to hire outofwork Americans into an “army” of the estimated 300,000 public health workers needed for the job.