Sunday shows preview: Congress spars over next round of coronavirus relief; GOP seeks offensive after news of Flynn ‘unmasking’

The $3 trillion coronavirus relief package passed by the House on Friday and the “unmasking” of former national security advisor Michael Flynn are set to dominate the Sunday morning show circuit this weekend.

The HEROES Act, which builds upon the $2.2 trillion CARES Act signed by President Trump in late March, passed largely along party lines, but left both conservative and progressive lawmakers wanting changes.

Republican lawmakers in the Senate have indicated that the spending behemoth will be “dead on arrival” as it moves to GOP-controlled upper chamber. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has called the bill a Democratic “wish list,” and has opted for restraint in congressional spending to assess how the first four relief bills are impacting Americans. 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the lead architect of the legislation, is booked on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a prominent progressive lawmaker and former Democratic presidential candidate who has expressed his own concerns with the bill, is booked on ABC’s “This Week.” 

On Wednesday, Sanders and his former rival, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, announced “unity task forces” to explore progressive policy initiatives for the Democratic platform.

This week, reports surfaced that the Trump administration is drafting an executive order that would increase domestic production of drugs and medical supplies. White House Trade Advisor Peter Navarro, who has pushed for the country to lessen its dependence on China for medical supplies, is booked on ABC’s “This Week” and NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday night issued guidance to aid restaurants, bars and workplaces to mitigate the spread of coronavirus businesses allow employees and customers to return. However, the newly released guidelines appear watered down compared to previously shelved versions. 

Tom Frieden, a former director of the CDC, is booked on “Fox News Sunday.”

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Friday that the administration is hoping to have a coronavirus vaccine ready by January, an ambitious deadline that would break records for vaccine development. Azar is booked on CBS’s “Face the Nation” and CNN’s “State of the Union.”

GOP lawmakers have begun raising questions this week over the surveillance of former national security adviser Michael Flynn, a former Trump campaign official who was charged with lying to the FBI about calls he had with a Russian official following the 2016 election. Flynn originally pleaded guilty to lying about the calls.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who chairs the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, is one of the senators who told reporters this week that he will begin requesting documents and subpoenaing Obama administration officials. Johnson is booked on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

ABC’s “This Week” — Sanders; Navarro.

NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Navarro; Dr. Tom Inglesby, director of the Center for Health Security of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

CBS’ “Face the Nation” — Azar; Pelosi; Gary Cohn, a former adviser to President Donald Trump; Scott Gottlieb, a former Food and Drug Administration commissioner; Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America.

CNN’s “State of the Union” — Azar; Johnson.; Govs. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., and Mike DeWine, R-Ohio.

“Fox News Sunday” — Gov. Jared Polis, D-Colo.; Mohamed El-Erian, chief economic adviser at Allianz; Frieden

Fox’s “Sunday Morning Futures” —New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio (D-NY); Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA); Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.); Jeff Gordon; FOX NASCAR Analyst; Four-Time NASCAR champion

“America This Week With Eric Bolling” — Bill O’Reilly; Shelley Luther (Texas Hair Salon Owner); Rep Doug Collins (R-Ga.); Paris Dennard; Dr Nicole; Saphier; Ben Carson