Politics
Congressional Bills Introduced & Hearings: Child Care at Vet Centers, Child, Dependent Care Tax Credit, Safe Contraception, Climate Change, Parental Leave Benefits, Maternal Mortality, Child Sexual Abuse
On Wednesday, the House is scheduled to consider H.R. 1585, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act; A bill to make it a criminal offense for individuals to engage in sexual acts while acting under color of law or with individuals in their custody, to encourage states to adopt similar laws; House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel is scheduled to hold a hearing, “Examining the Role of the Commander in Sexual Assault Prosecutions”; Addressing Campus Sexual Assault and Ensuring Student Safety Rights; A bill to require training and education to teachers and other school employees, students, and the community about how to prevent, recognize, respond to, and report child sexual abuse in primary and secondary education.
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Updated: The Honorable Nancy Pelosi: "Between the inevitable and the Unconceivable" ... "The Mueller Report will be released" “The President’s sham emergency declaration and unlawful transfers of funds have undermined our democracy"
"There's an easy answer to this: Release the Mueller report as soon as possible ... And let me just say ... the Mueller report will be released. To us, it is inevitable ... to them it is inconceivable ... We have to shorten the distance between the inevitable and the inconceivable." "Release the report ... that is where the evidence is ... if they don't have anything to hide, they shouldn't worry."
“The President’s sham emergency declaration and unlawful transfers of funds have undermined our democracy, contravening the vote of the bipartisan Congress, the will of the American people and the letter of the Constitution. more »
Update: Updated Video of Hearing to Consider the Nomination of Mr. David Bernhardt; 160 Conservation Groups' Opposition Letter to US Senators Urging Opposition To the Nomination
More than 160 conservation groups sent a letter to US senators urging them to oppose the nomination of fossil fuel lobbyist David Bernhardt as Interior secretary, citing his efforts to enrich corporations at the expense of the environment. Bernhardt's confirmation hearing is set for Thursday before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. “He consistently puts private profit above the public interest, crafting policies to benefit past clients and rolling back longstanding rules to protect habitat, imperiled species and public health. “David Bernhardt’s conflicts of interest, industry ties and questionable judgment make him ill-suited to lead the Department, and his confirmation would place our most cherished natural and cultural resources at even greater risk.” more »
GAO Found: There Is No Single Source of Publicly Available, Comprehensive &Timely Data on Executive Branch Appointees
There is no single source of data on political appointees serving in the executive branch that is publicly available, comprehensive, and timely. Political appointees make or advocate policy for a presidential administration or support those positions. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and two nongovernmental organizations collect, and in some cases, report data on political appointees, but the data are incomplete. For example, the data did not include information on political appointee positions within the Executive Office of the President. The White House Office of Presidential Personnel (PPO) maintains data but does not make them publicly available. more »