Congress Update

Daily Digests: M 3/8 • T 3/9 • W 3/10 • Th 3/11 • F 3/12 — Prayers

Related Headlines:

Senate Confirms Merrick Garland As Biden’s Attorney General • 20 Senate Republicans Join Democrats

Senate Confirms Marcia Fudge As Housing and Urban Development Secretary

Senate Confirms Michael Regan To Lead EPA

Senate Republicans Put Hold On Haaland’s Nomination For Interior Secretary • Schumer moves to break GOP holds on Haaland

Schumer moves to bring up Becerra's nomination after committee tie

57 Republicans take to House floor in push to reopen schools

House Passes Partisan Pro-Union Bill Decried By Business Groups. Here’s What’s In It (H.R. 842) • Imposes a version of California’s job-killing law Assembly Bill 5 (AB5) on the entire nation • Puts 57 Million Jobs in Jeopardy

House chaplain criticizes lawmakers during prayer over failure to unite against pandemic (Prayer) • Sounded more contrite later in the week, citing Psalm 19 (Prayer)

House Passes $1.9 Trillion COVD-19 Relief Bill (H.R. 1319) • No Republicans support

Pro-Life implications of Senate changes to the American Rescue Plan (H.R. 1319) • Bill Makes Americans Fund Abortions • Funding ‘Unprecedented’ • abortion industry ‘slush fund’ • undermines retirement plans • How Much of Biden’s $1.9T ‘Rescue Plan’ Actually Combats the Virus • Joe Biden Signs COVID Bill With the Greatest Expansion of Abortion Funding in a Decade

House Passes Two Gun Control Bills To Delay Gun Sales, Create National Gun Registry — H.R. 8, H.R. 1446

Pro-Life implications of Senate changes to the American Rescue Plan (H.R. 1319)

After passing the House two weeks ago, the Senate modified the American Rescue Plan and sent it back to the House last week. The following are among the changes made by the Senate:

The provisions below increases the amount of funding available in the bill that is not Hyde protected:

Section 9911: Appropriates $8.5 billion for the Provider Relief Fund. This funding lacks Hyde protections, so it could be used to directly pay for abortions. It could also be used to bail out abortion providers like Planned Parenthood.

Section 9501: Increases the COBRA subsidy available in this bill to 100% of the premium. Currently, individuals who lose their jobs are eligible to continue their employer-based health insurance for 18 months, but they must pay 102% of the total premium. The House-passed bill required the federal government to cover 85% of the premium through September 30, 2021. The Senate-passed bill increases this subsidy to 100%. Many employer-based health care plans include coverage for elective abortion, and there is no protection in place to prevent taxpayer dollars from covering those plans.