March 31st

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 31, 2023

This week in MORE POWER:
Nashville school shooting reactions & legislation
A bill to expand oil & gas production
Bills that target China
Ending the Iraq War authorizations
Fire Grants & Safety Act
COVID is over-over, per Congress
District Work Period starts now
What Congress passed this week

Nashville School Shooting Reactions & Legislation

This week, the country mourned lives lost from yet another mass shooting, this time at a school in Nashville, Tennessee. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been over 130 mass shootings in the first three months of 2023.

In response, former teacher and middle school principal Rep. Jamaal Bowman, (D-NY) chastised his colleagues in a back and forth with Rep. Thomas Massey, (R-KY), calling those who will not take action to end gun violence "cowards." This comes after Republican Rep. Andy Ogles, (R-TN), whose district includes the site of the shooting, was heavily criticized on social media after issuing a statement of "thoughts and prayers" amidst a 2021 Christmas card photo surfacing in which his family posed with firearms. Additionally, Senator Chris Murphy, (D-CT), did not mince words in his response to Speaker Kevin McCarthy, (R-CA)'s refusal to answer questions on the matter:

President Joe Biden said he reached the end of his authority to act on gun violence prevention. He renewed his call for Congress to pass an Assault Weapons Ban, like they did in the 1990s in response to a spike in gun violence at that time. Congress went on to let that ban expire in 2004, and as you can see from this chart, the number of mass shootings has spiked since. The Assault Weapons Ban has been introduced in the Senate but it has not yet been called for a vote.

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A Bill To Expand Oil & Gas Production

The last Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act when both chambers were run by Democrats. It remains the most significant piece of climate-change-fighting legislation to date, and it includes many provisions to lower energy costs for American families. At the same time, Republicans continually seek to increase the production and supply of oil, natural gas, and minerals, claiming it will lower energy costs for consumers and reduce America's reliance on foreign resources, the production of which tends to cause more pollution than resources extracted in America. Republicans have not been able to increase natural resource extraction on public lands since the Trump administration had power.

That began to shift this week, when the House passed the Lower Energy Costs Act by a vote of 225-204, with four Democrats voting "yes" with 221 Republicans. In addition to expanding nonrenewable resource exploration, this bill would also roll back environmental protections, like fees for methane emissions. Methane is a hazardous greenhouse gas that has caused more than 25% of global warming, as it traps more heat in the atmosphere than CO2, causing an estimated 1 million premature deaths a year according to the UN Environment Program.

In response, President Biden threatened to veto the bill, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called the bill a "partisan, dead-on-arrival and unserious proposal." Have a view on this that you would like to share?

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Bills That Target China

While TikTok oversight keeps trending and grabbing headlines, other threats from China remain hot topics on the Hill as well. The United States has long considered China both a competitor and a foreign adversary, be it because of the economy, communism, human rights violations, or potential espionage. This week, the House passed three bills to reign China in:

H.R. 1107 PRC Is Not a Developing Country Act: this bipartisan bill passed the House unanimously. If it passes the Senate and the President signs it into law, it would force the administration to take steps to pressure the international community to remove China's status as a "developing country," so that it no longer receives the benefits given to developing nations by organizations like the World Bank, and so that it gets a status more appropriate for the world's second largest economy.

H.R. 1154 Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act: an estimated 60,000-100,000 people are killed in China each year, including prisoners allegedly killed by the Chinese government for forced organ harvesting, according to Rep. Chris Smith, (R-NJ). His bipartisan bill would set up strict fines of up to $1M USD and penalties, including losing your passport, to those involved. It passed the House nearly unanimously by a vote of 413-2. The two "no" votes came from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, (R-GA) and Rep. Thomas Massey, (R-KY) who claimed it increased presidential authority "without any adjudication or due process."

H.R. 1189 Undersea Cable Control Act: Americans can only use the internet and phone systems to connect with people abroad using undersea cable system technology. Congress is concerned about the growth of cable systems built by foreign adversaries, and the resulting threats to data security and privacy, so this bipartisan bill aims to keep Americans using American undersea cable systems. If it becomes law, it would make the administration set-up systems and enforce policies to prevent foreign adversaries like China from getting access to American-made parts and technology for undersea cable projects. It passed the House unanimously.

All three bills go to the Senate next. You can use 1000 MORE to read about each bill and contact your Senators using the links above.

Ending The Iraq War Authorizations

This week, the Senate finally voted to pass S. 316 to end the Iraq War Authorizations by a vote of 66-30, with 18 Republicans and 3 Independents voting "yes" alongside all Democrats present in the chamber. Those voting "no" feel the bill is a sign of weakness on foreign policy in the region, particularly in light of the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The vote took longer than anticipated, with many amendments being offered on the Senate floor slowing the process. The bill goes to the House next, where it remains to be seen if enough Republicans can vote with Democrats to pass it, that is, if it even gets scheduled for a vote. At this point, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy has only committed to sending it to the appropriate committees for review. President Biden has promised to sign the bill if it passes the House. Have a view you would like to share?

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Fire Grants & Safety Act

Climate change continues to push extreme weather events like wildfires into the headlines. Smoke from recent fires in the Western U.S. has even been seen as far east as New York City. That, in addition to expiring programs to fund firefighting in communities nationwide, including money for equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, and training, pushed the Senate to pass the bipartisan Fire Grants & Safety Act this week. It goes to the House next.

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COVID Is Over-Over, Per Congress

There has been a lot of back and forth in Washington, D.C. this year over how and when to end the COVID-19 emergency declaration. At least 5 million Americans are projected to lose health insurance after enrolling in Medicaid during the pandemic, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, because of an expiring rule that prevented states from kicking people off the program and forcing them through a burdensome renewal process. This is of particular interest to people who live in Republican led states, where state officials have been focused on reducing the number of people on government healthcare plans. Continuous Medicaid coverage from the pandemic period ends today. Here is a link to the Medicaid website in case you or your loved ones need to renew.

Questions also remain about whether vaccines and booster shots will still be free to members of the public, and what happens to programs for free testing and treatments like Paxlovid when the public health emergency ends.

In spite of that, the Senate voted 68-23 to pass H.J.Res. 7 to officially end the national COVID-19 emergency. Nine Senators abstained from the vote. The bill already passed the House in February, when 11 Democrats joining 218 Republicans in voting yes. The bill goes to the President next.

While the administration had already declared that the public health emergency will end in May, they have been outspoken against H.J.Res. 7 and a similar bill passed by the House earlier in the year - H.R. 382. That being said, Biden has not said that he will veto H.J.Res. 7. You can use 1000 MORE to contact the President and let him you know what you want him to do.

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District Work Period Starts Now

The House is now in a District Work Period through April 17th, so they are headed home to their districts. The Senate starts their state work period April 3, and it also lasts until April 17th. While your representatives are back home, you can use 1000 MORE to contact their offices and ask about any local, in-person or telephone town hall meetings that you can attend. Remember, Congress needs your input on the issues you care about. They can't represent you unless they know where you stand on the issues.

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