Sunday shows preview: As states loosen social distancing restrictions, lawmakers address dwindling state budgets

The next coronavirus stimulus package and efforts to reopen the country are set to dominate the Sunday morning show circuit this week as the country prepares next steps to tackle the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The CARES 2 Act, which builds upon the $2.2 trillion CARES Act Congress passed in late March, is set to finalize at some point this month. Democrats are pushing for $2,000 relief checks for most Americans and more federal aid for states, many that have been forced to make hard budget decisions as they see their revenues shrink amid the pandemic. 

Republican’s have been hesitant about state and local government aid, arguing the measure could serve as a “bailout” for states that have made poor financial decisions before the pandemic. 

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who is tasked with disbursement of relief aid, is booked on Fox News’s “Fox News Sunday.” White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow is booked on ABC’s “This Week.” Both officials play a vital role in negotiating the legislation with Congress.

Peter Navarro, one of the president’s top Trade advisors, is also booked on FOX News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” as the administration eyes a continuation of the China trade deal signed in January. 

Neither Anthony Fauci nor Deborah Birx, two key public health officials on the coronavirus task force, are booked on any major cable TV networks this Sunday. Former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb, a critic of the Trump administration’s response to the virus who served under former President Barack Obama, is booked on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D), who announced a 5-phase reopening plan this week, is booked on CNN’s “State of the Union.” Republican Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio, where state lawmakers passed legislation that would limit the power of the state’s health director, is booked on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures.”

Some states, such as Georgia, opened as early as last week, despite objections from local leaders. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms of Atlanta, who has continued to keep her city on lockdown despite the lift from the state, is booked on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

This week, the Department of Justice dropped the case against former national security adviser Michael Flynn who was charged with lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia shortly before President Trump took office. The move lead to mass criticism by Democrats, and their calls for U.S. Attorney General William Barr‘s resignation.

One of Flynn’s attorney’s Sidney Powell is booked on Fox Business News’s “Sunday Morning Futures.

ABC’s “This Week” — Kudlow; Dr. Paul Stoffels, chief scientific officer at Johnson & Johnson; Dr. George Yancopoulos, president of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.

NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.); Dr. Jeffrey Shaman, chief science officer at Coriell Life Sciences; Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota; Robert Smith, CEO of Vista Equity Partners.

CBS’ “Face the Nation” — White House adviser Kevin Hassett; former Google CEO Eric Schmidt; Dr. Christopher Murray of the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation; James Ryan, president of the University of Virginia; Gottlieb

CNN’s “State of the Union” — Hassett; Pritzker; Mayor Lance Bottoms ; Dr. Leonard Schleifer, CEO of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.

“Fox News Sunday” — Mnuchin; DeWine; Dr. Tom Inglesby, director of the Center for Health Security of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Fox’s “Sunday Morning Futures” — Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.); Powell; Navarro; Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.); Trey Gowdy, former Congressman (R-S.C.)

“America This Week With Eric Bolling” — US Agriculture Secretary Sonny Purdue; Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.); Rep. Mike McCaul (R-Texas); K.T. McFarland Former Deputy National Security Advisor; Tim Murtaugh, communications director for Trump 2020; Liz Bonis; Sebastian Gorka; Ameshia Cross