MORE POWER for March 17th
1000 MORE's weekly nonpartisan roundup of the most important happenings in federal government, written in a way that doesn't require a law degree to understand, with tools to take action
March 17, 2023
This week in MORE POWER:
A bill to stop time changes
Federal action on banks
Bills to make it harder to get SNAP & HUD benefits
A federal Parents Bill of Rights
Senate moves to end the Iraq War authorization
Federal action on guns
COVID-19 Origins Act passes Congress
Everyone this week.
A Bill To Stop Daylight Savings Time
Still haven't caught up on sleep since the clocks changed? There's a bill for that. Believe it or not, for the past few sessions, Congress has been working to pass the Sunshine Protection Act. If passed, this would do away with the Spring and Fall time changes.
Government Banking Actions
Two institutions that primarily served the tech and cryptocurrency industries, Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank respectively, made headlines for failing this weekend, and the FDIC - Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation - stepped in to protect deposits and prevent additional failures at other banks.
Typically, the FDIC insures up to $250,000 of a depositors' money. You can read Michelle Singletary's piece in The Washington Post to learn more about what the FDIC insures. In the case of Silicon Valley Bank, which had $175B in deposits, around 90% of its accounts held more than $250,000 in deposits, meaning they were not insured by the government. That's why the FDIC transferred all deposits from these two failed banks to two newly created bridge banks, so that customers could continue to access funds.
While these failed banks are American, the impact was felt globally, with branches in Europe and Canada and a joint venture in China. Panicked investors airing their worries on social media driving the markets to drop. The federal government's biggest concern was to prevent "contagion," or the spread of depositors at other banks trying to withdrawal large sums, and Biden spoke out this week to assure Americans that the banking industry is strong.
What happened exactly to cause the failures remains to be seen, but there are serious questions regarding the Trump administration's 2018 federal banking legislation that pushed these banks into a lower tier of risk, and thus subject to less oversight. Now Congress and the Biden administration are looking at ways to shore up the banking system and prevent similar failures. They could do anything from expand the amount and type of FDIC insurance on deposits, to repealing the Trump era banking laws. Have a view on this that you would like to share?
Bills That Make It Harder To Get SNAP & HUD Benefits
Conservative Republicans in Congress have long worked to increase the requirements to qualify for government assistance programs like SNAP, and to tie receiving benefits to working outside the home, (having a job). The America Works Act is the latest bill introduced in the House that would expand the age range for recipients who have to work to qualify for the benefit from 18-49 to 18-65, and it would force states to find or provide jobs for those who can't find one on their own, so that they can qualify for SNAP.
Senator Rick Scott has also introduced a bill in the Senate that would broaden the requirements to receive not just SNAP benefits, but for the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Public Housing and Tenant-Based Rental Assistance programs, like Section 8 Housing, as well. Neither chamber has scheduled for votes on these bills. Have a view that you would like to share?
Parents Bill Of Rights
During the pandemic, school board meetings around the country became the place for airing grievances. Parents and members of the public have brought up a range of topics, from specific issues with students, teachers, schools, districts, and curriculum, to more general complaints against mask mandates, stay at home orders, and election fraud conspiracy theories. Conservative activists have coalesced around the idea that parents have a right to know what is happening in schools, known as the "parents rights" movement, and Republicans have capitalized on this to win elections in states like Virginia and Florida. Now they are moving on federal legislation to address some of the issues raised by parents.
The Parents Bill of Rights in the House of Representatives would codify a parent's right to get notified about what is happening in their child's school, be it what is in the curriculum or instances of violence on campus. It is authored by former teacher Rep. Julia Letlow, (R-LA) and co-sponsored by 122 House Republicans. The bill includes some eye-popping measures, like forcing every school to make and keep up-to-date book and materials lists available on demand for parents, prompting compliance questions for a school workforce already suffering from staffing shortages and lack of funding. Additionally, it would require schools to notify all parents if a school employee changes any students' name, pronouns or sex-based accommodations, including bathrooms and locker rooms.
With recent educational measures coming out of Florida, some are wondering whether this bill is an attempt to further conservative culture wars in perpetuity, to keep school board meetings in the headlines and distract attention from other issues. Democrats, who tried to offer several amendments to the bill that were rejected, are on the record criticizing the bill for doing nothing to meet the needs of families struggling with inflation or to improve students' educational outcomes, like providing free meals and access to healthcare and childcare.
Rep. Steve Scalise, (R-LA) has said the bill will be on the schedule for a vote next week. You can use 1000 MORE to read more about the bill and contact your representative on it.
Senate Moves To End The Iraq War Authorization
The 20th anniversary of the second Iraq War is coming up next week, and the Senate has been working to pass legislation to cancel the war authorization. Votes on the matter started on Wednesday of this week, with the final vote to repeal the resolution expected next week.
Why is the Senate doing this? Because America, as a nation, cannot officially go to war unless Congress says so. According to the Constitution, only Congress can declare war and appropriate military funds, while the President is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. In this instance, as the Iraq War was approved by a joint resolution, only Congress can act to cancel that resolution. Have a view on this that you would like to share?
Federal Action On Guns
This week, President Biden was in Monterey Park, California, the site of a recent mass shooting, to announce executive action on guns. There, he charged Attorney General Merrick Garland with creating a plan to clarify who is considered a gun dealer, and thus who is required to become a federal firearm licensee (FFL). Biden intends to apply a whole cabinet approach to enforcement of current gun laws for FFLs. He also called on Congress to pass legislation to ban assault weapons, require background checks for every gun sale, fund community policing initiatives, and expand violence interruption program funding.
This is on the heels of Rep. Robin Kelly, (D-IL) re-introducing the Federal Firearms Licensee Act last week. This bill intends to modernize the current system of federal background checks and firearms licensing in order to stop the flow of illegal guns into communities, as evidence shows that dealers who lose their federal firearm license are turning their stock into "personal inventory," which they then sell under the table.
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COVID-19 Origins Act Passes Congress
The House and Senate passed the bill to declassify government documents on the origins of COVID-19. But will President Biden sign it? As of now, Biden has signed 0 pieces of legislation from the current term of Congress that started in January. At this point, there are 5 bills and resolutions that the President could sign. Have a view on this that you would like to share?
1000 MORE + SXSW
Last weekend at SXSW, I spoke on a panel about the future of politics, especially as it relates to combatting voter suppression efforts and fostering civic empowerment. It was incredible to connect with innovators across industries, regions, and cultures! Where should 1000 MORE go next?
