Category: What We’re Reading

Keep up with what’s happening in DC. Below is a selection of articles the Federal Relations team read this week.

Biden-Harris Ticket: Presidential candidate Joe Biden has chosen US Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) to run for Vice President on his ticket. Prior to the US Senate, she served two terms as the California Attorney General. More at ABC.

Experts Warn of Further COVID Surge: Public health experts are concerned that with an increase in activity, including returning to schools, football games, and large rallies, COVID-19 cases will continue to grow exponentially. Read more at Roll Call.

Historic Peace Deal: On Thursday, the White House announced a deal for the United Arab Emirates and Israel to establish normal diplomatic relations, in exchange for Israel ceasing further annexation of Palestinian territory. Currently Israel does not have normal relations with most other Middle Eastern countries. More at Foreign Policy.

GAO Invalidates DHS Appointments: A report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf and his Deputy Ken Cuccinelli were invalidly appointed to their roles and are ineligible to serve. The matter has been referred to the DHS Inspector General for further investigation and potential action. More at Politico.

FBI Agent Pleads Guilty in Russia Probe: An FBI agent was found to have altered an email in order to obtain a surveillance warrant for former Trump Campaign aide Carter Page while conducting a probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Full story at Politico.

Keep up with what’s happening in DC. Below is a selection of articles the Federal Relations team read this week.

Taking Action on the 737 MAX: The FAA has outlined required design and operational changes needed for the 737 MAX to fly again, however the FAA also wants to fine Boeing $1.25M for interfering with investigators. Details here and here.

DHS Under Investigation: The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has opened an investigation into the Department of Homeland’s security alleged tracking of protesters and journalists during Black Lives Matter protests. Updates here.

Beirut Explosion: Early this week several large explosions at the port of Beirut, Lebanon killed almost 80 people, injured thousands, and caused widespread destruction during an already challenging time for the Middle Eastern nation. Lebanese officials described the explosion as an accident, however President Trump and his Chief of Staff suggested it was an “attack”. More at Politico.

New Air Force Chief of Staff: General Charles “CQ” Brown was sworn in this week as the Air Force Chief of Staff, becoming the first Black chief of a military service. He has extensive experience both domestically and overseas. More at Washington Post.

Fauci is a “Realistic Optimist”: In an interview with Politico, Dr. Anthony Fauci described himself as a “realistic optimist” saying the US can avoid another major shutdown if everyone complies with wearing a mask, social distancing, hand hygiene, and other prevention measures. Full interview here.

Congresswoman to Repay Campaign Funds: Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) was ordered to repay her campaign for almost $11,000 in salary funds she drew after election day in 2018. Under law, candidates may receive a salary from campaign funds, within limits, only while they are an active candidate. The House Ethics Committee noted in a report there appeared to be no intentional wrongdoing. More at Roll Call.

Negotiations Stall: Negotiations between House and Senate leadership and the White House on a next COVID relief package don’t appear to be wrapping up quickly. Although the President has indicated he may resort to Executive Orders, additional appropriations would have to be passed by Congress. Of concern to many Americans is that supplemental unemployment benefits expired last week. More at Politico.

TikTok Banned?: Late Thursday, President Trump signed an Executive Order prohibiting US companies from doing business with the Chinese-owned parent companies of both TikTok and WeChat. More at TechCrunch.

Keep up with what’s happening in DC. Below is a selection of articles the Federal Relations team has read this week.

Congressman John Lewis Lain in State: On Monday, Congressman John Lewis was lain in state in the Capitol Rotunda as lawmakers paid their respects. Footage here.

Education Civil Rights Chief Steps Down: Kenneth Marcus, Civil Rights Chief at the Department of Education, will step down amidst controversy. He is accused of using his office to further his own personal agenda by prioritizing investigations into transgender athletes, as well as reopening a closed antisemitism case against Rutgers. However, Mr. Marcus is also lauded for strengthening sexual misconduct regulations under Title IX and expanding civil rights protections for Jewish students. More at New York Times.

DOJ Files Charges Against Chinese Scholars: This week the Department of Justice filed charges against four Chinese citizens, three visiting scholars and one PhD student, who are accused of falsifying their US visa applications. All are accused of failing to disclose current or prior Chinese military affiliation. Under Presidential Proclamation, Chinese nationals who have been affiliated with an entity supporting the Chinese Military-Civil Fusion Strategy cannot obtain certain graduate-level academic visas. More at Inside Higher Ed.

Congressman Tests Positive for COVID-19: Representative Louie Gohmert (TX-1st) tested positive for COVID-19 this week during a White House screening required before traveling with the President. He is the 7th known Member of Congress to test positive. Recently, Rep. Gohmert had been seen in the Capitol without a mask on. More at Politico.

USCIS Increases Fees: US Citizenship and Immigration Services have increased their fees for certain immigration and naturalization benefits requests in order to address budget concerns. The USCIS budget is almost entirely fee-based. The final rule published by DHS is available here.

Congressman Accused of Misusing Funds: A newly released report from the Office of Congressional Ethics has accused Representative Sanford Bishop (GA-2nd) of misusing over $90,000 in campaign and official funds. The report recommends a full investigation by the House Ethics Committee. More at Politico.

Fauci Card Becomes a Bestseller: The baseball card of Dr. Anthony Fauci throwing the ceremonial first pitch at the Washington Nationals season opener has become the best-selling card in Topps NOW history, despite the subpar throw. More at NBC Sports.

Below is a selection of articles the Federal Relations team read this week.

Rep. John Lewis: On the 17th, Congressman John Lewis passed away. He was a well-known civil rights activist and had a long and successful career in the US House of Representatives.

Federal Law Enforcement in US Cities: Citizens and local leadership of several major cities, most notably Portland, have expressed outrage at unidentified federal law enforcement being deployed to quell protests, including officers from DHS and DoJ. The Administration has indicated that further units could be deployed. Read more.

China Relations: The State Department announced on Wednesday that the US will order China to close its Consulate General in Houston in order to protect US intellectual property and the privacy of US citizens. The US accused China of espionage and attempting to interfere in American internal affairs. China called the move an “unprecedented escalation”, and in turn, will close the US Consulate in Chengdu. More at Politico.

US Detains Chinese Researcher: Federal law enforcement has detained Juan Tang, a researcher at UC Davis, who is accused of lying on her US visa application regarding her prior Chinese military service and Communist Party affiliation. She is believed to have been taking shelter at the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco since she first met with investigators last month. More at Bloomberg.

Michael Cohen: A federal judge ruled that Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former personal attorney, was improperly taken into custody earlier this month. The judge ruled that the US Government acted in a “retaliatory” manner following the release of his tell-all book. More at CNN.

USCIS Furloughs: US Citizenship and Immigration Services was set to furlough more than 13,000 employees until Congress intervened and found new revenue estimates which would leave USCIS with a budget surplus. Furloughs are now delayed another month. Revenue shortfalls with USCIS are expected to be addressed in subsequent stimulus packages. More here.

CDC Changes Course on Schools: New guidance from CDC strongly recommends reopening schools in fall, claiming that children are less likely to become sick from COVID-19 or spread it, and that they will suffer from being out of the classroom. However, the guidelines do recommend reevaluating if their is uncontrolled community transmission. More at CNN.

Below is a selection of articles the Federal Relations team read this week.

Seattle Police- Mayor Jenny Durkan wants to reallocate $76 million in the 2021 SPD budget. More at Seattle Times.

End of Fulbright in China- President Trump has indicated the administration will take steps to end the Fulbright program in China and Hong Kong, as part of an executive order ending policy exemptions for Hong Kong. More at Inside Higher Ed.

Review of College Tax Exempt Status- Legal analysts believe the IRS would face legal hurdles to reconsider the tax exempt status of colleges and universities. More analyses at Bloomberg.

Hacking COVID Research- US, UK, and Canadian intelligence services have asserted that the Russian Government has hacked COVID-19 vaccine research centers in the UK. More at BBC.