December 29
This divided Congress has been historically unproductive, only passing 27 bills into law in 2023, including legislation on the budget, veterans, natural disaster, and tribal affairs.
Most of the key wins for movements happened because people spoke up and the Executive Branch took action. Together, we are bigger than the big lobby. When we speak up, our elected officials listen because it is our votes that keep them in office.
This Week in MORE POWER:
Historical Judicial Appointments
Student Loan Forgiveness
Raising the Debt Limit Ceiling
Paying Military Workers
Avoiding a Shutdown, Take One
Avoiding a Shutdown, Take Two
Historical Judicial Appointments
As a result of decades of advocacy urging the government to appoint more diverse judges, the Biden administration continues to make a record breaking number of judicial appointments of women and people of color. Biden has appointed and the Senate has confirmed more Black women to the nation’s circuit courts than all previous administrations combined and more Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander (AANHPI), and Native American federal judges than any previous administration.
The administration has focused on promoting public defenders and civil rights attorneys, successfully appointing record numbers of both. The Senate has confirmed a total of 166 judicial nominees in three years, and three more are on the docket for confirmation in January.
Student Loan Forgiveness
Last year, the Biden administration announced a plan to forgive over $400B in student loans. The Supreme Court struck down that program in June 2023. The administration continued to make headlines throughout the year as it fought Republicans in Congress and in the courts to deliver student loan forgiveness to more Americans.
- In July, President Biden announced the cancellation of $39B in student debt for people who have been repaying their loans for 20 years or more under income-driven repayment plans (IDR). This automatic debt forgiveness applied to 804,000 loan borrowers.
- In August, the Administration announced that they were testing a new income-driven repayment plan for student loans to make it more affordable. The new plan, Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE), shows borrowers their exact monthly payment amount and allows them to choose the most economical plan.
- In October, the Biden administration announced $9B in student debt forgiveness for 125,000 borrowers, many of whom are getting the relief under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program for public service workers like firefighters and mental health professionals.
- In December, Biden announced an additional $4.8B in student loan forgiveness for over 80,000 people on the PSLF and IDR programs.
The total amount of student loans forgiven due to executive action in 2023 is $132B for 3.6 million Americans.
Raising the Debt Limit Ceiling
Biden signed the Fiscal Responsibility Act into law in June. The bill raises the debt ceiling through January 2025 and freezes spending at current levels. That means the federal government will not default on its debt and the country avoids the serious economic consequences of default until after the next presidential election.
The bill also contained spending caps, rather than spending cuts to social programs, freezing spending at current levels. It expanded work requirements, meaning that more people receiving SNAP and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) will have to work to qualify for benefits, and the bill raises the age cap for the work requirement from 49 to 54. Homeless people, veterans, and people ages 18 to 24 coming out of foster care are exempt from the work requirement. And it contained reforms on federal permits for energy projects that not only apply to oil and gas, but to clean energy and renewables as well, to speed up climate friendly projects.
Paying Military Workers
This month, both chambers of Congress passed the final National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and President Biden can sign it into law at any time. The NDAA funds military personnel for 2024 and gives them a 5.2% raise. It also includes an extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and the controversial program known as Section 702 that the government has used for warrantless data collection on Americans, until April 19. Congress will have to reauthorize the FISA program in a separate bill next year before the Spring deadline.
Avoiding a Shutdown, Take One
H.R. 5860, which provides fiscal year appropriations to Federal agencies through November 17, 2023 was the first federal government budget extension of the year. The bill was a temporary measure to fund the government for 45 days. When Congress passed it in September, they were buying more time to negotiate, with hopes to pass the entire 2024 budget by Thanksgiving. While that didn’t happen, Congress still avoided a government shutdown, fending off delays and gaps to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Veterans services, and flights due to airport security and air traffic control staff shortages.
Avoiding a Shutdown, Take Two
The Further Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act is the second extension to the federal government budget of 2023. It funds the parts of the government impacted by the Agriculture, Energy and Water, Military Construction-VA and Transportation-HUD budget bills through January 19, 2024. The parts of the government that fall under the eight other budget bills are funded through February 2, 2024. It also contains a one year extension to the Farm Bill that otherwise would have expired at the end of 2023. The Farm Bill funds agricultural programs, and it also funds SNAP. Congress has until next fall to pass the full five-year Farm Bill.
