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News and updates

News and updates

Hurricane-Debt Ceiling-Short-Term Spending Package Expected to be Cleared

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In a surprising development earlier this week, President Trump struck a deal with the Democratic leadership in Congress to link measures that would increase the debt ceiling and keep the government funded on a temporary basis to a hurricane-relief bill.  The move caught Congressional Republicans off guard, who had earlier expressed opposition to tying the debt ceiling and government-funding efforts to a bill to fund the rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Harvey.

After the House cleared a stand-along hurricane bill totaling approximately $8 billion earlier this week, the Senate followed up by nearly doubling the size of the package as well as increasing the debt limit and funding the government through December 8.  The House is expected to take up the Senate-passed package later today.

 

ED’s COO of Finanical Aid Quits

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Tuesday night, James Runcie, chief operating officer of the Office of Federal Student Aid, quit \over what he said were simmering management problems at the agency that culminated in a dispute with DeVos over her insistence that he testify Wednesday before a congressional oversight panel.

Politico has the story. 

Appeals Court Upholds Block on Administration Travel Ban

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The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the block on the second version of the Administration travel ban. A federal judge in Maryland originally blocked the ban from going into effect earlier this year. The Fourth Circuit covers the following states: Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has yet to rule on a similar block issued by a judge in Hawaii.

Gorsuch Nomination Moves Forward After Senate Rule Change

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The Senate earlier today used the “nuclear” option on the nomination of Neil Gorsuch for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court by eliminating the filibuster for Supreme Court nominations.  The Senate voted along party lines to change the Senate rules to allow Supreme Court nominations to move forward by a simple majority vote rather than meeting the 60-vote filibuster threshold.

After the rule change, the Senate agreed to proceed on the nomination, setting up a final vote on Gorsuch most likely late Friday.