With the current continuing resolution set to expire on Thursday, December 11, all eyes and ears are on House and Senate negotiators as they work toward an agreement on an omnibus spending bill that would fund the federal government through the remainder of the fiscal year.
Here are the committee hearings we’re paying attention to this week.
Tuesday, December 9
Senate Judiciary Committee
SEXUAL ASSAULT ON UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES
10 a.m. Dec. 9, 226 Dirksen Bldg.
Subcommittee Hearing
Wednesday, December 10
Senate Judiciary Committee
OBAMA IMMIGRATION POLICY
Dec. 10, 2:30 p.m., 226 Dirksen Bldg.
Full Committee Hearing
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE TO EBOLA
10:30 a.m., 419 Dirksen Bldg.
Subcommittee Hearing
House Foreign Affairs Committee
U.S. AND THE ARCTIC
2 p.m., 2200 Rayburn Bldg.
Subcommittee Hearing
Category: Immigration
House Narrowly Passes Immigration Response
In a fairly narrow and mostly party line vote, the House passed a measure disapproving of Obama’s immigration action yesterday. It likely stops there: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says the Senate won’t take it up.
Congressman Ted Yoho (R-FL) has lead the effort in the House meant to channel conservative anger and stop the Administration’s recently announced Executive Order on immigration.
On November 20th, President Obama announced the US would extend legal status to an estimated 4 million people who have lived in the United States for at least five years and are parents of U.S. citizens or of lawful permanent residents. The move is designed to end deportations that separate families that have been together in the United States. This action will reinforce a 2011 prosecutorial discretion order telling customs and Justice Department officials to focus deportations on immigrants who threaten public safety or national security. The Executive Order will not go into effect until next year.
Late Thursday, House lawmakers passed the bill, HR 5759, the Preventing Executive Overreach on Immigration Bill, sponsored by Rep. Yoho, which would prohibit the administration from exempting or deferring from removal certain categories of undocumented immigrants. It also would prohibit the executive branch from treating such undocumented immigrants as if they were lawfully present, had lawful immigration status or providing them authorization to work legally.
In a 219-197 vote, Seven Republicans voted against it, three Democrats voted for it, and three Republicans voted present.
The bill and the vote is largely symbolic since Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has already announced that the Senate will not take up the measure.
Republican lawmakers are seeking other routes for nullifying the President’s executive order, including via a year-end fiscal year 2015 appropriations omnibus that would fully fund most of the government but provide only temporary spending for immigration-related activities as a way to revisit the immigration issue in the next Congress.
Obama Takes Action on Immigration
President Obama has announced during a prime-time television address on Thursday evening that he will take executive action on immigration. The sweeping actions aim to shield as many as 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation and will grant work permits to some.
A new program will allow the parents of US citizens and permanent residents to apply for work permits and deferred deportation. It is estimated that around 4 million parents are eligible to take advantage of this sweeping reform. To be eligible, parents must be here illegally for at least five years and have no felony convictions.
In addition, federal law enforcement officers are directed to shift enforcement efforts to illegal immigrants with criminal records, gang affiliations, or ties to terrorism going forward. There will also be a long-overdue expansion of high-tech visas, and restrictions on would-be entrepreneurs will be loosened to allow them to travel more freely to the US to launch companies.
The GOP has confirmed that the executive actions cannot be blocked through appropriations. While many within the GOP claim the President does not have legal authority to make such sweeping actions, the White House maintains it does and points to the fact that every US President in the last half century has taken executive action on immigration.
White House Initiative Releases Financial Aid Guide for Hispanic Students
The White House Initiative on Education Excellence for Hispanics released a new guide on financial aid today. Available in both Spanish and English, the guide consolidates and outlines existing resources in a culturally relevant way for Hispanic students. The guide aims to better support these students in their efforts to enroll in and pay for higher education. It includes recommendations for how to complete college application materials and the FAFSA form, and provides tips on choosing the right college and an overview of financing options. In addition, the guide includes resources for students who have been granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status and non-U.S. citizen students.
Access the guide on the Initiative’s web page. The guide will also be housed on the U.S. Department of Education’s new online resource page, Educational Resources for New Arrivals & DACA students.
DHS Announces New Immigration Regs
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today announced the publication of two proposed regulations, including a rule to extend employment authorization to spouses of certain H-1B workers, and a proposal to enhance opportunities for certain groups of highly-skilled workers by removing obstacles to their remaining in the United States.
Both Notices of Proposed Rulemaking will soon publish in the Federal Register. DHS encourages the public to comment on the proposed rule through www.regulations.gov. All public comments will be considered before the final rule is published and goes into effect.