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Fed Chair Jerome Powell will address lawmakers twice this week while the Supreme Court could come out with a long-awaited ruling on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The lawmakers are attempting to block the regulation reforming the anti-redlining law under review powers granted to Congress, but the move is largely symbolic with the Senate and White House controlled by the GOP.

A budget item establishing a new agency to protect consumers from predatory lenders has been put on hold as state officials deal with the coronavirus response and other priorities. But it could be revived in legislative talks later this summer.

The central bank is only now nearing the launch of the credit facilities after the effort was announced in April. But Chairman Jerome Powell said loans have been available through other means.

Members of the Small Business Committee signaled backing for broadening Paycheck Protection Program access for the smallest companies, encouraging participation by nonbank lenders and other improvements.

Some lawmakers fear that when forbearance plans and enhanced unemployment coverage expire, the consequences for mortgage borrowers still affected by the pandemic will be severe.

The central bank will increase support for credit issued through the Main Street Lending Program while providing midsize firms with more flexibility on the amounts they receive.

Former Comptroller of the Currency Joseph Otting landed a post with Black Knight, which provides technology solutions to mortgage and real estate companies.

Acting Comptroller of the Currency Brian Brooks had suggested states and municipalities should end "indefinite shutdowns" meant to combat the spread of the coronavirus. The Democratic lawmaker said he was going against the public health recommendations.

Members of both parties raised concerns that the requirements for participating in the Municipal Liquidity Facility and Main Street Lending Program are too restrictive to benefit smaller localities and certain midsize firms.

The funds will be used to support housing, job training and aid for small businesses in communities that have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

Several Senate Banking Committee members from both parties are facing tough reelection challenges in a year when control of the entire chamber — and the banking policy agenda — may be up for grabs.

Chairman Jerome Powell said the Federal Reserve's actions during the coronavirus outbreak have been aimed squarely at helping U.S. workers, not Wall Street or wealthier Americans. He also said Friday that a new lending program geared toward middle-market firms is "days away" from getting up and running.

Though he acknowledged working remotely has definite advantages, CEO Michael Corbat says “our goal is to get our employees back."

Even after the Fed eased some limitations in April to promote emergency lending, the bank has had to make some “tough choices” to heed the $1.95 trillion growth ceiling set by regulators in the aftermath of its phony-accounts scandal.

The bill, which now goes to the Senate, would give small businesses greater flexibility in how they use the funds; not everyone's on board with Otting's signature achievement.

The congressional showdown over the pace of rulemaking during the pandemic is a hardening of older positions on banking policy ahead of the 2020 elections, observers said.

The general structure of this year’s reviews is unchanged despite the pandemic. But a supplemental analysis of banks' response to the downturn could weigh heavily in evaluating 2020 capital distributions and making adjustments to the tests over the long run.

Payouts continue to be relatively generous, but that could change if the Federal Reserve demands banks bolster capital or the economy worsens.

The funds include $3.2 billion in loans that community development financial institutions had already approved during the PPP's second phase.