February 23rd
This week in MORE POWER:
All Eyes on the Budget
Student Loans Get More Action
Policy Daze
Biden Nominates More Judges
All Eyes on the Budget
Congress was out of session this week but returns on Wednesday and will have to hit the ground running to pass a budget in time to avoid a partial or full government shutdown. The continuing resolutions that are currently in place to temporarily fund the government expire on March 1 and March 8. Passing a long-term budget that fully funds the government will require a bipartisan effort, which is proving challenging as republicans won’t budge on conservative measures like abortion, earmarks and guns. There will likely be another continuing resolution before we have a long term budget as House Speaker Mike Johnson struggles to lead his chamber to an agreement. A partial or full government shutdown could impact the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), air travel, national parks, Social Security and Medicare.
Student Loans Get More Action
Executive action that is. The Biden administration made headlines this week when the President announced the cancellation of an additional $1.2 billion in student loan debt on Wednesday, bringing the total to $138 billion for 3.9 million borrowers during his term. His original plan was to cancel up to $400 billion for over 40 million borrowers but the Supreme Court struck it down, so he has had to get creative with executive actions.
Policy Daze
After a push from sororities in the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), the historically African American greek organizations, members of congress reintroduced the Protect Black Women and Girls Act. Members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., and Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. successfully advocated for the bipartisan effort led by U.S. Representatives Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.), Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.). The bill would create an interagency task force to examine challenges Black women and girls face in various areas, including disparities in healthcare, salary, and education, and provide recommendations to Congress to improve policies and programs. The legislation is designed to identify the root causes of the systemic racism and sexism that Black women and girls face so that the government can designate federal resources to solve them.
Biden Nominates More Judges
President Biden nominated five more judges- one to a federal circuit court and four to federal district courts. He emphasized his pledge to promote diversity within the nation's courts in terms of personal and professional backgrounds. This recent announcement marks President Biden’s forty-sixth round of nominees for federal judicial positions, bringing the total number of federal judicial nominees to 224. All of these nominees will have to be confirmed by the Senate.
Judge Nancy L. Maldonado: Nominee for the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Georgia N. Alexakis: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Krissa M. Lanham: Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Arizona
Judge Angela M. Martinez: Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Arizona
Sparkle L. Sooknanan: Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
What Congress Passed This Week
Nothing; they were on recess.
Nothing; they were on recess.
Nothing to see here.
What POTUS Signed Into Law This Week
Nada.
