May 26th
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
May 26, 2023
This week on the Hill:
Debt Ceiling Progress
Crack Down On Fentanyl
Supporting Veterans
Fixing Airport Delays
Stopping Senior Scammers
Ending Gun Violence
Debt Ceiling Progress
This week's negotiations on the debt ceiling have been rocky. Meetings moved from the White House to Capitol Hill and back again. Throughout talks, key House Republicans have used a strategy of being accessible to the press. This appears to have worked in their favor, with a CNN poll showing 60% of Americans believe that spending cuts should be a part of the final deal.
Likely items in the final bill include:
raising the debt ceiling through 2025, which Biden wanted
permitting reform, which would likely make it easier for oil and gas companies to get federal drilling permits like Republicans wanted
spending caps for social programs (i.e. Medicaid, SNAP, WIC), freezing them at this year's spending levels, with increased work requirements to receive benefits like Republicans wanted, alongside increased funding for the military and veterans, desired by most in both parties
cancelling $10 billion of the $80 billion Congress approved last year for an I.R.S. crackdown on high earners and corporations that evade taxes like Republicans wanted
taking back tens of billions of dollars in unspent COVID money from the states which most in both parties are in agreement on
Congressional Democrats, who have publicly come out against budget caps and changes to work requirements, are growing angrier by the day, saying that they will be forced to pass whatever the White House agrees to in order to avoid default and economic catastrophe.
At this point, the Limit Save Grow Act is still the only piece of legislation to pass any chamber of Congress to raise the debt ceiling before we are expected to reach it next week. All parties will be working down to the wire to get the final bill through by the firm June 1 deadline issued by the Treasury Department.
Crack Down On Fentanyl
This week, the House voted on two bills to crack down on drug trafficking networks.
The Preventing the Financing of Illegal Synthetic Drugs Act is a bipartisan bill that would look into how transnational criminal gangs launder money earned from illegal fentanyl sales. The bill passed the House 412-2, with the two no votes coming from Rep. Thomas Massie, (R-KY) and Rep. Matt Gaetz, (R-FL). It goes to the Senate next.
The HALT Fentanyl Act is a House Republican bill that would permanently change the classification of fentanyl and related substances, which impacts how law enforcement and the judicial system is able to engage on the drug. While the National District Attorneys Association supports the bill, dozens of nonprofit organizations have come out against it, including the Drug Policy Alliance, The Sentencing Project, and The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights, who said, “the classwide scheduling that this bill would impose would exacerbate pretrial detention, mass incarceration, and racial disparities in the prison system, doubling down on a fear-based, enforcement-first response to a public health challenge.” The bill passed the House 289-133, with 74 Democrats, most of whom represent rural and suburban districts, joining 215 Republicans to vote "yes." It goes to the Senate next.
Use the links above to read about the bills & take action.
Supporting Veterans
This week, the House passed three bills to improve benefits and programs for service members and their families. Many veterans organizations like the Wounded Warrior Project and the American Legion have been working to pass these bills.
The Korean American VALOR Act is a bipartisan bill that would, for the first time, secure VA healthcare benefits for members of the Korean military who served the U.S. in the Vietnam War and are now naturalized U.S. citizens. The bill passed House this week and it goes to Senate next.
The Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act is a bipartisan bill that would set up automatic cost of living adjustments for disabled veterans and surviving family members. The House passed the bill this week. It already unanimously passed the Senate in March, so it is headed to the president for him to sign into law next.
The VET–TEC Authorization Act is a bipartisan bill that would help veterans receive the training and skills they need to compete for jobs in the tech industry. The bill passed the House this week. It goes to the Senate next.
You can use the links above to read about these bills & take action.
Fixing Airport Delays
Earlier this month, the Senate passed the bipartisan NOTAM Improvement Act with an amendment. This bill would establish a task force on improvements for NOtices To Air Missions (NOTAM), the system that failed in January, causing major disruptions in air travel. While the bill already passed the House in January, because of the Senate's amendment, the House had to vote again to agree to the bill with amendment.
The House passed the NOTAM Improvement Act with amendment this week. It goes to the president for his signature next.
Stopping Senior Scammers
There is seemingly no end to the number of scams Americans encounter everyday, be it email, text, telemarketing, or mail. Seniors are a particularly vulnerable group, often targeted and taken advantage of by bad actors who seek to extort financial gains from them.
The bipartisan Senior Security Act wants to change that. This bill would work to end scams that target senior citizens by setting up a task force at the Securities and Exchange Commission that would look at how seniors are being targeted so Congress can legislate appropriately to stop fraudsters. The Senior Security Act is up for a vote in the House next week, alongside a package of other financial bills.
Ending Gun Violence
Wednesday marked one year since the massacre at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. Gun violence remains the number one killer of children in the United States.
So far in 2023, nearly 17,000 people have died from gun violence. The question remains, what will our society collectively come together to do about it?
Members of Congress have introduced many bills on this issue this year, like:
Assault Weapons Ban
Federal Firearm Licensee Act
Mental Health Access and Gun Violence Prevention Act
Office of Gun Violence Prevention Act
You can use the links above to read about the bills and take action.
What Congress Passed This Week
Nothing.
What POTUS Signed Into Law This Week
Nothing, again. But stay tuned- there are bills on the way to his desk.
