September 29th

This week in MORE POWER:
The Death of Senator Dianne Feinstein
Government Shutdown
Impeachment Hearing
Child Care Funding at Risk
Air Travel in Jeopardy
Budget Bill Updates

The Death of Senator Dianne Feinstein

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein of California has died at the age of 90, her office confirmed this morning. She was the longest serving woman in the Senate, having been elected in 1992. She was a trailblazer who led legislative achievements on progressive issues and her colleagues and constituents have been singing her praises all morning.

Feinstein was the oldest member of the Senate. For months there have been calls for her to step down. In February, she announced that she would not run for re-election. Democrats in California have been preparing to run for the seat, including Representatives Barbara Lee, Katie Porter and Adam Schiff. Governor Gavin Newsom will have to quickly appoint a temporary successor. He will likely not choose one of the people planning to run in the election.

Government Shutdown

Congress has less than 35 hours until the deadline to pass a budget and avoid a shutdown. They have not passed any of the 12 budget bills that are expiring at 12:01 a.m. on Sunday.

A government shutdown would stop paychecks for about 4 million federal employees across the nation. Active-duty members of the military and TSA agents would have to work without pay. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits would cease after less than a week, halting assistance to nearly 1.5 million infants. SNAP benefits, which serve 40 million Americans, are projected to stop a month into a shutdown. National parks could remain open, but without facility maintenance.

Congress could avoid a shutdown by passing a continuing resolution, also known as stop gap funding, which would be a short term spending agreement until an agreed upon date to buy time to come to an agreement about the next fiscal year's budget. Both the Senate and the House have versions of a continuing resolution circulating. In order to avoid a shutdown, both chambers would have to agree on the same bill. In the House, hard right republicans aren't budging on deep cuts to government spending on social programs.The Senate continuing resolution includes aid to Ukraine and disaster relief that hard right republicans won't agree to.

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Impeachment Hearing

While congress was in the final hours of the looming budget deadline, instead of coming to an agreement about funding the government, they were holding an impeachment inquiry hearing about President Biden.

An impeachment inquiry is not an impeachment. It is an accusation in search of facts before congress can move forward with an impeachment that would prove the president committed high crimes and misdemeanors. Republicans are trying to find evidence that Biden used his office to enrich his family.

Conservative law professor Jonathan Turley said in the hearing, "In fact, I do not believe that the current evidence would support articles of impeachment. That is something that an inquiry has to establish. But I also do believe that the House has passed the threshold for an impeachment inquiry into the conduct of President Biden.”

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Childcare Funding at Risk

The emergency funding that the government allocated to child care providers during the pandemic, called the Child Care Stabilization Program, is expiring on Saturday. The Century Foundation, a progressive think tank published a report stating that 70,000 childcare programs are projected to close as a result of the loss in funding, which would impact 3.2 million children.

To prevent this crisis, some lawmakers are actively working on a new law called the Child Care Stabilization Act. It has the backing of over 100 House members and 37 senators, but they are all progressives and for the bill to become law, it will need republican support as well.

You can Read About the Bill and Take Action Here

Air Travel in Jeopardy

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the agency of the Department of Transportation that regulates air travel, including equipment, aircraft operations, air traffic control, airport safety, pilot and aircrew certification, and consumer protections. A government shutdown would cause federal employees like TSA agents and FAA employees to work without pay. During the 2018-2019 shutdown, many employees stopped going to work, which caused major delays at airports. Furthermore, a government shutdown could cause longterm challenges for air travel due to missed trainings, certifications, and research.

Coincidentally, the law that authorizes the FAA also expires on Saturday. There is a bill that has already passed the House that would reauthorize the FAA. It is stalled in the Senate.

You can Read About the Bill and Take Action Here