Tag: U.S. Congress

White House threatens veto of defense bill over Confederate provision

The Hill logoThe White House on Tuesday threatened to veto annual defense policy legislation in part because it includes a provision that would direct the Pentagon to rename military bases currently named after Confederate leaders.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a statement hours before a House vote on the massive defense policy bill expressing “serious concerns” about multiple provisions of the bill. The White House said that if the bill were presented to President Trump in its current form, “his senior advisors would recommend that he veto it.” 

“The Administration strongly objects to section 2829, which would require renaming of certain military institutions,” the statement reads. “It also has serious concerns about provisions of the bill that seek to micromanage aspects of the executive branch’s authority, impose highly prescriptive limitations on the use of funds for Afghanistan, and otherwise constrain the President’s authority to protect national security interests.” Continue reading.

Congress pulls punches on Russian bounties firestorm

The Hill logoCongress appears poised to do little, if anything, to pass legislation responding to intelligence indicating Russia had offered bounties for the killing of U.S. troops, despite the initial firestorm that erupted on Capitol Hill.

Democrats are continuing to press Trump administration officials for answers since news first broke that the U.S. intelligence community concluded months ago that a unit in Russia’s military intelligence agency offered payments to Taliban-linked militants to incentivize the killing of U.S. and coalition troops in Afghanistan.

A few bills have been filed in recent weeks to address the issue. In the Senate, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Bob Menendez (N.J.), proposed adding sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin to the annual defense policy bill. Continue reading.

Congress under pressure to provide billions for school openings

The Hill logoCongress is under growing pressure to provide billions of dollars to help schools reopen as part of the next coronavirus aid package while debate rages nationwide over whether it’s safe to send students and teachers back to classrooms.

Democrats and Republicans are increasingly in agreement that education funding will be a key part of the negotiations this month for a trillion-plus aid package. But divisions are emerging over how the funds should be allocated directly to K-12 public schools or through special vouchers for parents.

Without the funding, education groups warn that schools won’t have adequate protective gear, cleaning and ventilation systems needed to keep students, teachers and staff safe in line with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. Continue reading.

Congress must act now to help states with vote-by-mail in November, experts say

Election officials will need more resources to prepare for voting by mail and in person

The November presidential and congressional elections are a little more than four months away, and Congress must act now to help states prepare for a surge in Americans seeking to vote by mail because of pandemic-driven fears that are likely to keep them from voting in person, according to election experts, advocates and lawmakers.

As many as 30 states have already lowered barriers for voters seeking to mail in their ballots because of COVID-19. Some, like Nevada, have gone as far as sending pre-printed mail-in ballots to all registered voters in some counties.

But states scrambling to scale up voting by mail also need to be prepared for voters to show up in person at regular polling places because of glitches in the mailing process or a failure to receive mail-in ballots in advance. That could increase costs not only for new equipment but for staffing to handle both ways to vote, experts say. Continue reading.

4 Ways Congress Can Amend the Insurrection Act

Center for American Progress logoThe United States has seen widespread protests against police brutality and systemic racism in recent weeks, triggered by the brutal murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. Despite the largely peaceful nature of the protests and having no real justification, President Donald Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to use the military to restore so-called law and order on America’s streets. While Trump ultimately did not invoke the act, these events have underscored that the Insurrection Act of 1807 needs to be substantially amended to put in place appropriate checks on abuse of presidential authority over the active-duty military and federalized National Guard for law enforcement purposes. Congress should consider how best to amend the act with more checks and balances so that it cannot be used for undemocratic purposes.

An arcane but extraordinary authority

The Insurrection Act is a statutory exception to the Posse Comitatus Act that allows the use of military and federalized National Guard to support law enforcement officers when they are overwhelmed or to quell an uprising; the use of the military for domestic law enforcement is otherwise prohibited under Posse Comitatus. Presidents have used this arcane but extraordinary authority sparingly in recent decades. Yet it is clear now that norms with respect to its modern use rely too heavily on the character and whims of the incumbent in the Oval Office—regardless of political party.

The Insurrection Act gives the president authority to use active-duty and federalized National Guard regardless of the consent of governors and local officials if the president believes that the law cannot be upheld in circumstances of domestic unrest, rebellion, or insurrection. The act is surprisingly vague and places few constraints on presidential authority over when and how it can be used. Its use over the course of American history has varied under different circumstances and leaders, from helping enforce desegregation in the 1950s to quelling the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles in 1992—its last use, undertaken at the request of the California governor. Continue reading.

Trump on collision course with Congress over bases with Confederate names

The Hill logoPresident Trump and Congress are on a collision course over whether to rename Army bases that are named for Confederate military officers.

Trump is adamantly opposed to changing the names, tweeting Wednesday that he would “not even consider” doing so. The next day he warned Republicans not to “fall for” for a legislative effort to change the names.

But just hours after making his position clear, news emerged that the Republican-led Senate Armed Services Committee approved an amendmentto the annual defense policy bill that would require the Pentagon to rename bases and other military assets bearing the names of Confederate leaders. Continue reading.

Black lawmakers unveil bill to remove Confederate statues from Capitol

The Hill logoA pair of senior members of the Congressional Black Caucus introduced legislation on Thursday that would remove the remaining Confederate statues from the Capitol following nationwide protests against police brutality and racial profiling.

The bill from Reps. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) came a day after Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called for removing Confederate statues from the Capitol complex.

There are 11 statues of people who served in the Confederacy, either as officials or soldiers, displayed in the Capitol complex. Some, such as Jefferson Davis, who served as president of the Confederate States, are located just steps from the House chamber. Continue reading.

Calls for police reform sparks divisions in Congress

The Hill logoCalls for law enforcement reforms in the wake of George Floyd’s death are sparking divisions in Congress, raising early questions about what, if anything, will be able to make it to President Trump’s desk. 

Lawmakers are grappling with how to respond to days of protests fueled by the police killing of Floyd, an unarmed black man who died last week while detained by Minneapolis police, that revived the national conversation about lingering racial inequality and the use of force by police officers.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said “there may be a role” for lawmakers. Continue reading.

Critics say Trump, Congress fumbling economic response to COVID-19

The Hill logoTen weeks after President Trump signed the first coronavirus relief bill into law, many economists, business groups, lawmakers and labor advocates contend the multitrillion-dollar response has been insufficient, misguided or both.

Despite nearly $3 trillion in emergency spending, much of the economy appears to be in free-fall, and there are warnings of a long and painful road to economic recovery.

“From a jobs perspective it is as if we have done nothing,” Damon Silvers, policy director of the AFL-CIO, commented on the unprecedented actions taken by Congress, the White House and the Federal Reserve. Continue reading.

 

Supreme Court could reshape congressional subpoena power in Trump case

The case is a microcosm of the rancorous partisan divide in Washington

President Donald Trump and House Democrats don’t agree on much these days, but both sides will tell the Supreme Court during oral arguments Tuesday that the fate of four committee subpoenas could redraw the limits of congressional investigative power.

Trump’s personal lawyers and the Justice Department have warned the justices that Congress needs to be stopped. They say lower court rulings that allow the House to demand Trump’s personal and business financial information from an auditing firm and two banks will open up a new political weapon for Congress to harass a president and keep him from doing his job.

“This would grant Congress easy access to, among other things, the President’s financial, legal, medical, and educational records,” Trump’s lawyers wrote. “Given the temptation to investigate the personal lives of political rivals, legislative subpoenas targeting the private affairs of presidents will become routine in times of divided government.” Continue reading.