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Senate resolves filibuster flap

21 Jul 2013 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The authority of the writer of the Letter to the Colossians is spelled out clearly in this Sunday’s second reading: It is exercised “on behalf of [Christ’s] body, which is the church, of which I am a minister in accordance with God’s stewardship given to me.” Complaining that a president’s authority to make nominations should not be hindered by obstructionist tactics, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid led the Democratic Party in a high-stakes showdown with Republicans over the chamber’s long-standing rules on the use of the filibuster.Facing a looming vote to eliminate use of the filibuster in presidential nominations, Senate leaders reached an agreement on Tuesday to preserve the tactic in exchange for confirmation votes on most of President Barack Obama’s stalled nominees, ending, at least for now, months of partisan warfare that threatened the stability of several federal agencies and a generation of procedural traditions.The immediate result was the confirmation, in a 66 to 34 vote, of Richard Cordray as the first permanent director of the Consumer Financial Protection Board after his nomination for a five-year term had languished for months. His approval, a decisive victory for frustrated Democrats who pushed to establish the agency in the aftermath of the financial crisis, will expand the powers of the new watchdog office, allowing it to move forward with plans to regulate a variety of consumer-lending programs.“This must be a new normal,” Reid said after the Senate allowed consideration of Cordray. “Qualified executive nominees must not be blocked on procedural supermajority votes.”Homily hint: Poll after poll suggests Americans think the political process has become largely dysfunctional. At the same time volunteerism is strong, and churches, charities, and nongovernmental organizations continue to accomplish great things in society. Rather than complain about what isn’t working, let’s focus on how the glass is half full and ask how we can help fill it up. Sources: Articles by Jonathan Weisman and Jennifer Steinhauer for theNew York Times and Laura Litvan and Kathleen Hunter for Bloomberg.com

barack obama nominees richard cordray filibuster republicans democrats us senate senate harry reid consumer financial protection board

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Congress bears down on budget deal

15 Dec 2013 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“Make your hearts firm,” counsels the author of the second reading this Sunday; “do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another.” Republican leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives are encouraging dissenters in their ranks to stop complaining and fall in line behind a two-year budget deal negotiated with Democrats behind closed doors, indicating that the normally rambunctious group of lawmakers is not spoiling for a year-end fiscal fight.Despite conservative groups and some Republicans in the Senate denouncing the $85 billion plan, the Republican-controlled House could vote as early as Thursday to lock into place a measure that would minimize chances of any further government shutdowns at least until October of 2015. Passage in the House, just before the chamber recesses for the year on Friday, would all but guarantee the same in the Senate, probably next week.The sea-change in a Congress which opinion polls show is scorned by the public also came as Republicans are investing nearly all of their energy in showcasing problems with President Barack Obama's landmark healthcare law. Another messy fight over the budget could have taken attention away from the program known as Obamacare after Republicans have scored public relations gains from its flawed rollout in October.Republicans have openly acknowledged they also did not want a budget fight to tamp down consumer confidence during the Christmas buying season which is so crucial to retailers. At the same time they have resisted Democratic efforts during budget negotiations to extend federal benefits for the long-term unemployed, which are set to expire later this month.With 1.3 million people set to lose those benefits amid a 7 percent national jobless rate, the Obama administration said the economy could take a hit as long-term unemployed people have less money to spend.Homily hint: Budgets express priorities and values. What does your personal budget reveal? You might be surprised to compare how much goes to personal entertainment and how much of it goes to helping others. The holiday season is a good time to reflect on your spending priorities. Sources: Articles by David Lawder and Thomas Ferraro for Reuters and Mark Trumbull for the Christian Science Monitor

unemployment benefits congress house of representatives republicans budget obamacare

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Immigration advocates warm to GOP legalization plan

16 Feb 2014 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The psalmist this Sunday blesses those who “follow the law of the Lord,” for their way “is blameless.” Many advocates for immigrants would be content with just such a blameless condition in the eyes of the law and are responding positively to new Republican Party overtures on immigration reform that would legalize undocumented immigrants but not necessarily allow them all to become U.S. citizens.During a recent Republican gathering, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner released a list of Republican “principles” on immigration. The statement declared that there would be “no special path” to citizenship for illegal immigrants but that in general they should be allowed to “live legally and without fear” in the United States if they meet a list of tough requirements and rules.Tamar Jacoby, head of the Washington-based advocacy group ImmigrationWorks USA, called the Republican statement on legalizing undocumented immigrants a “historic breakthrough” and a “critical first step” to meaningful immigration reform. The principles did not include any specific policy proposals or timeline.Some labor unions and immigrant groups said they would continue to insist on a full path to citizenship, and some conservative Republicans said they would fight against legalizing undocumented immigrants, which they call an “amnesty” for lawbreakers, but Boehner’s statement seemed to signal a sea change in the party’s stance, and many major immigrant advocate groups seemed eager to respond in kind.“To see the Republicans moving from self-deportation to legalization is a major shift,” said Clarissa Martinez of the National Council of La Raza in Washington. “There is a big chasm between saying ‘no special path’ and shutting the door to citizenship entirely. It could mean a lot of things. There is no clarity or definition yet, but it is a start and we are definitely encouraged.”Homily hint: Catholic teaching is clear on the rights of immigrants to basic human dignity and freedom from reprisal. “The more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he [sic] cannot find in his country of origin. Public authorities should see to it that the natural right is respected that places a guest under the protection of those who receive him” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2241). See the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops document, Catholic Church’s Position on Immigration Reform. Source: An article by Pamela Constable for the Washington Post

immigration republicans john boehner immigration reform national council of la raza clarissa martinez immigrationworks usa tamar jacoby

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More maneuvering on healthcare mandates

16 Feb 2014 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In this Sunday’s gospel Jesus declares he did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it, not leaving out “the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter.” The Obama administration has been a good deal more flexible in its carrying out of provisions of the new healthcare law, announcing Monday that it would postpone enforcement of employee mandates yet again. Republicans kept up their criticism of the law.For the second time in a year the administration is giving certain employers extra time before they must offer health insurance to almost all their full-time workers. Under new rules announced Monday by U.S. Treasury Department officials, employers with 50 to 99 workers will be given until 2016—two years longer than originally envisioned under the Affordable Care Act—before they risk a federal penalty for not complying.Companies with 100 or more workers are getting a different kind of one-year grace period. Instead of being required in 2015 to offer coverage to 95 percent of full-time employees, these bigger employers can avoid a fine by offering insurance to 70 percent of them next year.How the administration would define employer requirements has been one of the biggest remaining questions about the way the 2010 healthcare law will work in practice—and has sparked considerable lobbying. By providing the dual phase-ins for employers of different sizes, administration officials have sought to lighten the burden on the small share of affected employers who have not offered insurance in the past.Congressional Republicans seized on the announcement as the latest justification for scrapping the healthcare law. In particular they renewed their opposition to the law’s requirement that most Americans have insurance, saying it is unfair to delay rules for businesses and not for individuals.Homily hint: Perhaps out of all the partisan jostling over healthcare reform this country might actually end up with a fairly balanced policy that takes a variety of points of view into consideration. While employers certainly have legitimate cost concerns, an individual’s right to healthcare coverage at a reasonable price must also be safeguarded and expanded. Let’s find common ground and move forward to respond to the challenges. Sources: Articles by Juliet Eilperin and Amy Goldstein for the WashingtonPost and Louise Radnofsky and Theo Francis for the Wall Street Journal

health insurance republicans healthcare reform affordable care act employers employee mandate

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