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U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday that now was not the time for the chamber to pass a stripped-down coronavirus relief bill, after more than 100 House Democrats urged their leadership to pass enhanced unemployment benefits. “I don’t think strategically it’s where we should go right now because the Republicans would like to pass something like that and say forget about” other Democratic priorities, Pelosi said in an interview on PBS’s “NewsHour” program. (8/20)

Pelosi also warned that if the House were to pass a standalone bill to extend unemployment insurance, Senate Republicans could amend it and add "poison pills." "I don't think it's done by giving them an out," Pelosi said of reaching a coronavirus aid deal with Republicans. "I think it's done by making them come into the negotiation." (Marcos, 8/20)

The Blue Dog Coalition of moderate House Democrats is circulating a letter they plan to send to congressional leaders urging them to get back to the bargaining table on a new round of coronavirus relief legislation. The coalition, which includes several lawmakers in difficult reelection races, outlines areas of potential compromise between the parties including on unemployment benefits, state and local government aid and direct payments to households. (McPherson, 8/20)

The unexpected jump in weekly initial jobless numbers to more than 1 million is a red flag about the stability of small business in the United States. The first week of claims data after the Paycheck Protection Program stopped accepting applications shows the need for renewed stimulus for small businesses and consumers, advocates and business owners say. (White, 8/20)

The $400 in extra unemployment aid for millions of out-of-work Americans is actually $300 in most states. And it won’t arrive for weeks, experts warn. Americans may just get three weeks’ worth of payments, according to guidance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which will run the relief program through its Disaster Relief Fund following an executive action from President Trump earlier this month. (Menton, 8/21)

Sen. Bill Cassidy tested positive for Covid-19 after exposure to a person with the coronavirus, he said Thursday. The Louisiana Republican will quarantine for two weeks and notify anyone with whom he came in contact, he said in a statement. Cassidy, a doctor, is the second U.S. senator to test positive for Covid-19 after Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. (Pamuk, 8/20)