Today's Politico Playbook Audio Briefing is presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

Good Thursday morning. I'm Anna Palmer and welcome to your Politico Playbook audio briefing.

And I'm Jake Sherman. If the end of impeachment was the beginning of Washington's election season slumber,

a pair of crises is marching into the capital city's bedroom, clanking pots and threatening

to rustle the drowsy town to life. The arrival of the coronavirus on U.S. soil and the rapidly

approaching expiration of the nation's surveillance laws have suddenly refocused a Congress and

administration on governing, thrashing their plans to spend the bulk of their time fundraising,

campaigning, and passing meaningless small-bore partisan bills. Legislative skirmishes during election years are nothing new, but combine a mercurial

president with the legislative body that opposes him almost reflexively, and you can see why

Washington might be more comfortable asleep now. In the next few weeks, a divided Congress will have to

pass, and President Donald Trump will have to sign a

spending bill to help prepare the United States for the widespread arrival of the deadly

virus that's sweeping through Europe and Asia, and a renewal of FISA laws, which allow the

government to conduct surveillance on foreign adversaries. At this moment, neither seemed teetering

on the brink of failure, but both present Congress and the Trump administration with challenges

250 days before the election. After denying the president funding for various priorities and

self-declared emergencies, Congress is now poised to give Trump

far more money than he asked for to fight the coronavirus. The administration suggested Congress

a lot $2.5 billion. Democrats pushed back asking for $8.5 billion. But it seems that there's a

consensus around $4 billion, at least right now.

There are lingering questions, however.

Senior Democratic aides were disheartened by the president's decision to name Mike Pence as the point person for the crisis instead of a noted public health expert.

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