The Senate Armed Services Committee is scheduled to hold this morning its confirmation hearing on the nomination of Patrick Shanahan, Chairman of the University of Washington Board of Regents, for the position of Deputy Secretary of Defense. Information about the hearing is available here.
News and updates
What We’re Reading This Week — June 12 – 16
Here’s a selection of article the Office of Federal Relations is reading this week.
No More “Manspreading”— The public transportation system in the Spanish capital of Madrid is trying to stop “manspreading.” Read more here.
More Debt, Lower Wages – Women and minorities are more likely to borrow to pay for their college degrees, yet their lower lifetime pay means many will end up struggling to buy homes and sock away money. Read more from CBS.
“Winning So Much” — At the Australian equivalent of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull channels President Trump.
Trump Won’t Alter Status of DREAMers – President Donald Trump’s administration has issued its most explicit promise to date that so-called Dreamers can keep their permission to work legally in the U.S. “No work permits will be terminated prior to their current expiration dates,” the Department of Homeland Security said in guidance posted on its website Thursday night. Read more over at Politico.
Play Ball! – A particularly meaningful “God Bless America” opened up the 56th annual Congressional Baseball Game as members of both the Republican and Democratic teams stood side-by-side — patriotically bipartisan — in center field. Read more about the game on Roll Call.
Melania Moves to Washington – “Looking forward to the memories we’ll make in our new home!” the first lady tweeted. Read more over at the Washington Post.
DACA to Remain for Now, DAPA Officially Rescinded
On Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officially rescinded the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) policy that was issued by the Obama Administration in 2014 but blocked by a federal court later that year before it could be implemented. In the same memo that repealed DAPA, the Administration stated that it will keep in place for now the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
A press release about the DACA and DAPA announcement is available here and a fact sheet about the announcement from DHS is available here.
Keep Calm with Appropriations and Carry On
Despite having no budget resolution and discretionary spending levels, the House and Senate Appropriations committees have decided to move forward with crafting draft bills.
Lawmakers of both parties and in both chambers have predicted the need for another stopgap measure to extend current funding levels when FY 2018 begins on October 1, 2017.
must have some sort of spending package ready to avoid a government shutdown. Additionally, writing detailed spending bills that fund lots of popular programs is easier than navigating the treacherous politics involved in constructing a bipartisan deal over spending limits.
That said, the House and Senate are taking different approaches to crafting their bills.
On Monday, the House Appropriations Committee has released its version of the FY2018 Military Construction – VA appropriations bill. The first of the 12 annual spending bills Monday night — a popular measure funding the Department of Veterans Affairs and construction projects at military bases. The $88.8 billion measure is $6 billion over FY2017 levels, despite FY2018 sequester levels being less than FY2017 levels. It is unclear where the $88.8 billion figure came from. The House Appropriations Committee is expected to vote on the measure as soon as Thursday and more bills are expected to be released soon.
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If no new budget deal is cut, the House and Senate are confined to the levels set by the 2011 deficit-cutting law, the Budget Control Act (BCA), which is also known as the Sequester. That law would require cutting about $5 billion from the agreement reached to set FY2017 levels.
House Votes Cancelled
Early this morning, Republican Members of Congress were practicing for the annual Congressional Baseball game on a practice field in Del Ray, VA — a suburb of Washington, DC.
Members, staff, and Capitol Police were injured. The story is evolving. Our thoughts and prayers are with the those injured and the Capitol Hill family.
Read more at Politico and The Washington Post.