Claudia Grisales
Claudia Grisales is a congressional reporter assigned to NPR's Washington Desk.
Before joining NPR in June 2019, she was a Capitol Hill reporter covering military affairs for Stars and Stripes. She also covered breaking news involving fallen service members and the Trump administration's relationship with the military. She also investigated service members who have undergone toxic exposures, such as the atomic veterans who participated nuclear bomb testing and subsequent cleanup operations.
Prior to Stars and Stripes, Grisales was an award-winning reporter at the daily newspaper in Central Texas, the Austin American-Statesman, for 16 years. There, she covered the intersection of business news and regulation, energy issues and public safety. She also conducted a years-long probe that uncovered systemic abuses and corruption at Pedernales Electric Cooperative, the largest member-owned utility in the country. The investigation led to the ousting of more than a dozen executives, state and U.S. congressional hearings and criminal convictions for two of the co-op's top leaders.
Grisales is originally from Chicago and is an alum of the University of Houston, the University of Texas and Syracuse University. At Syracuse, she attended the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, where she earned a master's degree in journalism.
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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer negotiated late into the night with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and spoke hopefully of a deal coming together on Tuesday.
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Three members of Congress have tested positive; more than a dozen are in quarantine. A move to remote voting would break a longtime institutional tradition of voting in person.
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The bill, which still needs to be negotiated with Senate Democrats, provides direct cash payments, loan guarantees for impacted businesses and more resources for testing and development of vaccines.
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The Senate approved a new package earlier Wednesday providing paid sick leave and boosting testing for the coronavirus.
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Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said discussions included payments to small businesses, loan guarantees for industries like airlines and hotels, and a stimulus package for workers.
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The House is in recess, but senators return to Washington this week to take up the House-passed financial aid bill to address the economic threat to workers posed by the coronavirus.
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The focus remains on keeping Congress open. There haven't been any discussions of shutting down public galleries or limiting tours.
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The emergency funding deal is the result of bipartisan negotiations in both the House and the Senate. The measure is expected to be sent to the president's desk soon.
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Lawmakers voiced concern Friday about the Trump administration's messaging on the outbreak. They backed the medical response, but pressed for more information and test kits from public health experts.
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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he expects senators to take up the plan in the next two weeks.