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Amid growing concerns about both the economic and health impacts of the rapidly spreading coronavirus, appropriators are rushing to draft an emergency spending package that could provide upward of $6 billion in aid. House and Senate appropriators are discussing a package in the range of $6 billion to $8 billion with the aim of getting it on the House floor as early as the middle of next week, several people familiar with the deliberations said. (Krawzak, 2/27)

Congress has approximately 10 working days before it is set to leave for a weeklong recess, giving lawmakers a tight timeframe if they are going to finalize a deal, get it passed by both chambers and get it to President Trump's desk before leaving town. (Carney, 2/27)

“This is not a time for naming calling or playing politics,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters at her weekly news conference in the Capitol on Thursday. “The first step the Congress must take is to ensure the government has the resources needed to combat this deadly virus and keep Americans safe.” (Parkinson, 2/27)

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) and House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) are negotiating an emergency spending package. Shelby told reporters the spending package will provide a "much higher" figure than the $2.5 billion requested by the Trump administration, predicting the final deal will be more than $4 billion. "We want to make sure if this stuff really spreads that we're doing our job," Shelby said.  (Carney, 2/27)

A barrage of questions for the Office of the Attending Physician on Capitol Hill about the coronavirus prompted an email to all Senate employees that include two videos of Attending Physician Brian Monahan detailing the origins of the COVID-19 virus and best practices for staying healthy. Monahan reiterated that the COVID-19 virus is not man-made and that there is no virus activity in the Washington area at this time. (Tully-McManus, 2/27)