During the break (December 21), Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded 25 guidance memoranda over a range of programs including the JJDPA. Sessions stated that, “Congress has provided for a regulatory process in statute, and we are going to follow it. This is good government and prevents confusing the public with improper and wrong advice… we
Taxes First Congressional leaders and the President hope to make quick action of their tax bill early this week with the House voting Tuesday and the Senate on Wednesday. That timetable could be adjusted slightly depending on the health status of two Senators but Senate Republicans are looking confident in getting almost all 52 votes
The House attached an earlier CHIP reauthorization on their latest CR—a CR that is likely to fall flat. The House bill is similar to a CHIP reauthorization that passed earlier this fall by a largely partisan vote. The bill (HR 3922) extends CHIP for five years. Democrats opposed the bill because of the way it
Democratic leaders sent mixed messages all last week on the fate of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and whether or not it would be a line in the sand for their votes in any end-of-the-year packages. In addition to the previous week’s letter by 34 House Republicans calling for action on DACA by
Although some states, running their own health care purchasing exchanges, have kept their open enrollment going, HHS shut down open enrollment on Friday, December 15 converting what had been a 12 week enrollment period down to 6 weeks. For people living in the 39 states that rely on the federal site, reports were rampant of
Congress made quick action of a two-week continuing resolution (CR) on Thursday, December 7, extending FY 2018 funding to December 22, 2017. Kicking the proverbial can down the road, congressional leaders now have two more weeks to negotiate a laundry list of items that were supposed to be completed last September 30. The House approved
Building on earlier comments by the President, on Wednesday, December 6, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WS) said, “We’re going to have to get back next year at entitlement reform, which is how you tackle the debt and the deficit.” The irony of the remarks appears to be missed by many congressional leaders who are drafting a
The House and Senate set up a Conference Committee to resolve differences formally, but the actual meeting of this Committee is unlikely to be where real decisions are made. A Conference Committee includes membership from both houses and both parties but when they do meet it will be likely to be to approve what has
On Monday, December 4, the Every Child Deserves a Family Campaign was launched to promote best interests of all children in foster and adoption systems. The campaign is headed up by the Family Equality Council and includes a coalition of nearly two dozen founding organizations including the Child Welfare League of America. The goal of
As leaders met at the White House it became no clearer whether young people effected by the President’s repeal of DACA will get relief by the end of 2017. On Tuesday, December 5 a letter was sent to the Speaker by 34 House Republicans calling for action on DACA by the end of this year.