The Social Alternative - Congress and the Christmas Spirit - Issue #9

Happy Holidays and Warm Wishes!

On Friday, Congress wrapped us up a present, with a bow, in the form of two impressive achievements that make this one of the most consequential legislative sessions in recent. Plus, it was all done without nuking the filibuster or attaining a 60-vote Senate majority, which many observers believed was the only way to kickstart Congress.

The House approved the measure over the objection of nearly all House Republicans, who had hoped to punt on full-year appropriations until January when they will hold a majority. The current slim Democratic majority held firm, providing just enough votes to get the funding package through the finish line.

The omnibus attracted nine Republican votes in the House:

• LIZ CHENEY (Wyo.)

• RODNEY DAVIS (Ill.)

• BRIAN FITZPATRICK (Pa.)

• JAIME HERRERA BEUTLER (Wash.)

• CHRIS JACOBS (N.Y.)

• JOHN KATKO (N.Y.)

• ADAM KINZINGER (Ill.)

• FRED UPTON (Mich.)

• STEVE WOMACK (Ark.)

Also, Rep. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-N.Y.) voted against the bill and Rep. RASHIDA TLAIB (D-Mich.) voted “present”— by proxy! In a statement made on Friday, Ocasio-Cortez said she was concerned about funding in the bill for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in addition to the $858 billion in defense spending.

“I campaigned on a promise to my constituents: to oppose additional expansion and funding for ICE and DHS — particularly in the absence of long-overdue immigration reform. For that reason, as well as the dramatic increase in defense spending which exceeds even President Biden’s request, I voted no on today’s omnibus bill,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

DHS received $86.5 billion in discretionary resources.

Ocasio-Cortez said the “dramatic increase” in spending for those two agencies “cut[s] against the promises our party has made to immigrant communities across the country,” adding that it is the case “especially in light of the lack of progress on DACA [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals], TPS [Temporary Protected Status], and expanding paths to citizenship.”

Defense and nondefense spending

The omnibus put roughly $773 billion toward non-defense discretionary spending, compared to $858 billion for defense funding.

Ukraine

Congress greenlit about $45 billion in emergency funding to support Ukraine, nearly a year after Russia invaded the country. In fact, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy paid a visit to the states this week, Zelensky spoke for just over 20 minutes in English, invoking U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, thanking lawmakers for their support and vowing to defeat Russia.

Electoral Count Act

The Electoral Count Reform Act also makes an appearance in the bill.

The measure reforms the 1887 Electoral Count Act to clarify the vice president cannot overturn election results when Congress counts Electoral College votes and raises the number of members necessary to raise objections to a state’s electors.

The legislation was drafted in response to the events of Jan. 6, 2021, when then-President Trump urged then-Vice President Mike Pence to block the certification of Joe Biden’s victory by Congress.

Health Care/Government Programs

Dems didn't achieve as much as they had hoped but a list of investments in health care and research includes $47.5 billion for the National Institutes of Health, $9.2 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and $950 million for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.

Dems have also pointed to a $13.4 billion increase for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a boost of $28.5 billion for child nutrition programs, new Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers they say would support over 11,000 additional low-income households, as well as a boost to maximum Pell Grant award.

Other Add Ons

The Senate adopted several last-minute tweaks to the bill on Thursday, as they considered a series of amendments during a marathon voting session before final passage.

The eight amendments adopted include proposals aimed at allowing proceeds from assets seized from sanctioned Russian oligarchs to be put toward Ukraine aid, a measure aimed at strengthening protections for breastfeeding workers and another dealing with compensation for 9/11 victims.

Congress also approved an amendment to provide for the continuation of pay and benefits of Navy Lt. Ridge Alkonis. According to Deseret News, his pay was cut while serving a three-year sentence in a prison in Japan after a car accident that killed two citizens.

The omnibus also included legislation introduced by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) that seeks to prohibit the use of TikTok on government phones and devices. However, the bill had already made it into the package prior to the vote on Thursday afternoon.

The TikTok bill was added after the Senate unanimously approved the bill earlier this month, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) recently expressed support for passing the legislation.

In Other News

• University of California workers approve contract agreement ending longest higher education strike in U.S.

• The House of Representatives Select Committee probing the Jan. 6th 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol released its final report Thursday, outlining its case against former President Donald Trump, and that he should face criminal charges.

• The Colorado River Basin, which supplies water to roughly forty million people, hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland, is suffering more than a twenty year mega-drought.

Final Thoughts

Thank you for reading, as always I appreciate you dear reader, and I wish you this holiday season, thee warmest of wishes. Enjoy your time with family and friends. Next weeks issue, I will be wrapping up the year sharing my thoughts on the Labor movement we experienced this year, the momentum we have built and moving forward in 2023.