On Thursday, the House approved their farm bill with SNAP/food stamp restrictions by a vote of 213-211, HR 2. The vote was directly tied to the immigration debate as conservatives had sunk the bill last month because of unmet demands on immigration. Estimates are that the House bill will cut SNAP by $19 billion. CWLA
On Thursday the Administration rolled out how they would reorganize the government. In addition to changing HHS, the plans would combine the Department of Education with the Department of Labor. It would be re-named the Department of Education and Workforce. The Department of Education was created under President Jimmy Carter when, at the same time,
On Wednesday, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) denounced the Administration’s “zero tolerance” policy in immigration enforcement as child abuse. DeLauro stood alongside nearly a dozen members of Congress on the front lawn of the Capitol for a press conference. The zero tolerance policy is an interpretation of an existing court agreement and settlement from 1997 (Flores
Republican members of the House of Representatives agreed to drop their drive for a discharge petition to force a vote on four separate immigration bills and instead agreed to a vote on two bills. The moderate Republican members needed just two more votes to reach the 218 signatures. All Democrats had signed onto the petition
The Administration has revived its assault on the ACA when, on Thursday, June 7, the Justice Department said it would not defend the Act against a lawsuit by some conservative states that are once again seeking to have the law declared unconstitutional. This comes against a backdrop of some other states, or at least
On Friday, June 15, the House Subcommittee on Labor-HHS-Education reported out their bill for FY 2019. The full bill won’t be released until it is considered next week in the full Committee but some items were made public. Overall the Subcommittee is spending the same amount for FY 2019 that was spent and approved
Republican members of the House of Representatives had their high noon meeting to discuss immigration and DACA last Thursday, June 7 but the meeting ended without resolution. Officially there are 215 votes on a discharge petition that would force a vote on four immigration bills. Leaders of the effort say they have the 3 additional
Last week Capitol Hill publications were reporting that the Administration will be releasing a plan to re-make the Department of Health and Human Services by moving programs and renaming the Department, possibly restoring the use of the word “welfare.” More significantly they would attempt to move the SNAP program from Agriculture to HHS along with
When members of Congress departed for the Memorial Day break, a small group of pro-immigration Republican members felt confident they could get the necessary 218 votes on a discharge petition that would force a vote on a DACA bill. At last count, if all Democrats sign-on, the count stood at 215 just before the break.
Last year the Child Welfare League of America participated in a Capitol Hill press conference with congressional members, including Congressperson Karen Bass (D-CA) denouncing the Administration’s consideration of a policy that would split up immigrant families as an anti-immigration enforcement tool. A report by the Washington Post last month indicates that the Administration is preparing
