Earlier this afternoon, the House cleared another short-term funding measure by a vote of 343 to 67. Assuming that the Senate approves it and it is signed by the President before midnight Saturday, the negotiators will have bought themselves another week to produce a FY2021 spending package as well as, possibly, another COVID relief bill before officially adjourning the 116th Congress.
News and updates
Another CR Needed
The House plans to take up another short-term funding measure this week to keep the federal government funded through next Friday, December 18. The current funding mechanism is scheduled to expire at midnight Saturday.
The extension through next Friday is being sought to buy extra time for negotiators to come to an agreement on, among other things, the FY2021 spending package and another COVID relief bill. Congressional leaders have discussed the possibility of combining the two into a single measure and neither has been finalized.
DACA Reinstated
A federal court has ordered US Citizenship and Immigration Services to accept new DACA applications and restore two-year work permit validity. Judge Nicholas Garaufis of the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York issued the ruling today. USCIS is required to update information on their website by Monday, as well as develop a mechanism to notify eligible applicants. The Administration has the option to appeal the decision.
Read more here.
What We’re Reading this Week (November 30th-December 4th, 2020)
Election Fraud Claims: In a 46 minute-long video filmed at the Diplomatic Reception Room, the President continued to push unsubstantiated claims of a “rigged election”. US Attorney General Bill Barr has confirmed that there is no evidence of widespread election fraud. Read more.
Federal Budget: Certain provisions related to environmental protection, the National Academies, and the US Capitol Police are holding up a potential omnibus spending bill to fund the Federal Government after December 11th. Appropriators have turned to leadership to resolve the differences. More.
Lame Duck Nominee: The Senate confirmed Christopher Waller to the Federal Reserve Board in a 48-47 partisan vote. Sen. Paul (R-KY) was the only Republican to vote against his confirmation. Waller is the first Board nominee to be confirmed during a lame duck session. Read more.
Facebook Lawsuit: The US Department of Justice has sued Facebook, alleging the company hired several thousand foreign workers under the H-1B program, without considering qualified American applicants. Full story.
Marijuana Vote: Today, the House will vote on a bill removing marijuana from a federal list of controlled substances and expunge some marijuana-related convictions. More.
Census Delays: The US Census Bureau has conveyed to Congress that they will need until at least January 23rd to review anomalies and transmit results to the President, potentially thwarting plans to exclude undocumented persons. More.
McMorris Rodgers Becomes Top Republican on Energy and Commerce
Cathy McMorris Rodgers (5th District) was chosen yesterday by her conference as the ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee for the 117th Congress. The committee has jurisdiction over a wide range of issues.
Read more about the her selection here.