| CORONAVIRUS: Confusion is cropping up across the U.S. in the aftermath of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) guidance that fully vaccinated individuals can forgo wearing masks in almost all settings. Although last week’s federal decision to encourage vaccinated people to eschew masks was welcome as the government urged unvaccinated Americans to get inoculated, the new direction caught many off guard, The Hill’s Alex Gangitano, Nathaniel Weixel and Sylvan Lane write, raising questions about how new policies are to be implemented. The guidance sent states and cities scrambling to determine whether to change their own rules to match the new federal advice. Health experts, business leaders and labor groups said the new recommendations are too ambiguous and too wide-ranging. The administration says it will not take a federal position on “vaccine passports,” leaving the question of proof of vaccination up to businesses and industries. The CDC promises to update its specific recommendations for workplaces, restaurants, schools, summer camps and other settings and circumstances. “Millions of Americans are doing the right thing and getting vaccinated, but essential workers are still forced to play mask police for shoppers who are unvaccinated and refuse to follow local COVID safety measures. Are they now supposed to become the vaccination police?” Marc Perrone, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers union, said in a statement. Axios: CDC mask guidance sparks confusion, questions. The Wall Street Journal: Health officials seek to clarify COVID-19 mask guidelines. Backing up last week’s announcement, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky appeared on four Sunday shows, maintaining that vaccine mandates are not the right way to go, all the while imploring unvaccinated Americans to get a jab sooner rather than later (or never) (The Hill). “If you are not vaccinated, you are not safe,” Walensky told “Fox News Sunday,” saying that the science surrounding past recommendations that fully vaccinated people wear masks only weeks ago has “evolved” (The Hill). The Hill’s Sunday shows update: CDC guidance reverberates. The Washington Post: Confused Americans grapple with CDC’s new mask rules: “It caught us off guard.” The Wall Street Journal: Firms ponder speeding up plans for return to offices. 
© Getty Images A major question continues to swirl around children as the vast majority remain unvaccinated after the CDC greenlighted those aged 12 to 15 to begin receiving Pfizer’s shot. Walensky told CNN’s “State of the Union” that the status quo remains for unvaccinated children and that they should continue to wear masks. “We recognize the challenge of parents who can't leave their kids at home,” Walensky said, adding that children “should be masked in those settings and to the best of their ability to keep a distance.” “The recommendations for those settings have not changed," she continued (The Hill). Justine Coleman, The Hill: Schools face new pressures to reopen for in-person learning. The Associated Press: Some aren’t ready to give up masks despite new CDC guidance. The Hill: NIH’s Anthony Fauci: Vaccinated people become “dead ends” for the coronavirus. The Washington Post: India’s coronavirus vaccination drive is faltering just when the country needs it most. The Associated Press: Great Britain yet to decide on Pfizer offer to vaccinate Olympians. ***** CONGRESS: Today is tax filing day for 2020, and the coming weeks will be crucial for Democrats on the tax front as they determine how to potentially pay for their proposed $4.1 trillion infrastructure and jobs package going forward. As The Hill’s Alexander Bolton writes, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) face an uphill battle on the issue as their top priority — restoring the state and local tax (SALT) deduction — faces opposition from corners of the Senate Democratic conference. Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) have both signaled their opposition to reinstating it, while others, including Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) are lukewarm on the idea. A full restoration would cost as much as $500 billion, or more than the amount of revenue that would be collected by raising the corporate tax rate to 25 percent. Reintroducing the SALT deduction could also spark issues among progressives, as the lion's share of the benefit goes to the rich. Fifty-seven percent of the tax cut would benefit the top 1 percent, and 25 percent would benefit the top 0.1 percent. Meanwhile, as Americans race to file their taxes today, lawmakers are debating the president’s push to strengthen tax enforcement against high-income individuals and businesses, as they consider ways to reduce the amount of uncollected taxes. As The Hill’s Naomi Jagoda points out, Biden has proposed providing the IRS with $80 billion for enforcement and other purposes and increasing the amount of information that banks have to report to the agency. According to the administration, the proposal would generate on net $700 billion in revenue. Democrats have spoken highly of Biden’s approach. Across the aisle, GOP members are on board with ensuring that people pay the taxes they owe. However, they argue that the White House’s proposal will not generate as much revenue as it estimates and could lead to government overreach. 
© Getty Images > Voting brouhaha: Schumer is facing big headaches in trying to get a sweeping voting rights bill through the Senate as Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) continues to oppose the For the People Act. Schumer, who is pushing to retain the slim Democratic majority in 2022, is under fierce pressure from progressives who warn that the party will face major consequences politically if it fails to pass the bill. As The Hill’s Jordain Carney notes, Schumer has shown no signs of budging, having promised to bring the sweeping bill to the floor one way or another. The Hill: Push to combat sexual assault in U.S. military reaches a turning point. | 
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