In Context: The Justice of Forgetting

Believers in Jesus understand that justice-impacted individuals are not limited to those who have been to prison. We're all guilty before God. It is by the justice of God that “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

We do well to have more compassion and less condemnation for those who are returning to society. They need to work. Finding a job isn't easy, and it's harder still for those with a criminal past. The pattern against them in our culture is so strong that many turn to entrepreneurship to create work for themselves.

One study, discussed with the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee this week, found that returning citizens start businesses at a higher rate than Americans who have never been incarcerated, and as entrepreneurs they earn more and have lower recidivism rates than employees.

Weekly Congress Update

Daily Digests – House • Senate — Prayers — Committee Reports

Senate passes $280B semiconductor and science bill aimed at China (H.R. 4346) • Biden cheers • House GOP moved to oppose in rebuke to Manchin deal • McCarthy rails against chips bill, Democrats in extensive floor speech (Full Speech) • House passes • bill on way to Biden’s desk • 24 House Republicans supported, Why • How the ‘chips-plus’ bill grew by nearly 1,000 pages, chips away at America’s economic freedom, Serves Up Pork to Semiconductor Manufacturers

Senate — Daily Leader Remarks • Actions begun, passed, declined

Veterans toxic exposure bill delayed as cloture attempt rejected (S. 3373) • Veterans’ groups lash out • Vets stage sit-in at Capitol • opposition delays, but likely won’t thwart, veterans' healthcare bill

House — Weekly Leader Colloquy • Bills • Actions passed

House passes bill awarding Congressional Gold Medal to Americans who died in Benghazi attack (H.R. 310)

House passes bill to research cognitive effects of coronavirus (H.R. 7180)

Gaetz among 20 House Republicans who voted against anti-human trafficking bill (H.R. 6552)

Congress’ vote on Delphi pensions bailout shows problem with putting unions above law (H.R. 6929)

House passes cyber bill aimed to protect energy sectors (H.R. 7569)

House passes bill to expand COVID-era telehealth services (H.R. 4040)

House passes bill to ban assault weapons (H.R. 1808) • These are the House lawmakers who bucked their parties on assault weapons ban

Bill restricting Big Cat ownership, made famous by ‘Tiger King,’ passes House (H.R. 263) • has shot at becoming law

House passes 48-bill wildfire-protection package (H.R. 5118)

In Context: Data Collection

It has been a heated Congressional work period this month, especially with reaction to Supreme Court opinions. It's important to remember while bills become law in sprints, laws are applied over much longer periods of time.

An underlying theme emerging this week was data collection.

Weekly Congress Update

Daily Digests – House • Senate — Prayers — Committee Reports

Senate — Daily Leader Remarks • Actions begun, passed, declined

Senate confirms Childs, possible future Supreme Court pick, to DC Circuit (64-34)

Senate votes to proceed to bill to help semi-conductor industry (H.R. 4346)

House — Weekly Leader Colloquy • Bills • Actions passed

House approves resolution supporting Finland, Sweden joining NATO; 18 Republicans vote ‘no’ (H.Res. 1130)

House passes bill codifying same-sex marriage (H.R. 8404) in wake of abortion ruling • Biden backs bill • White House urges Senate to pass • House-Passed ‘Respect for Marriage Act’ About Complying With Wokeness • Freedom Caucus lobbies against same-sex marriage bill despite chair voting for it

House approves Missouri’s Gateway Arch to be illuminated in colors of Ukrainian flag (H.R. 7002)

House approves over $400 billion of government funding in ‘minibus’ package (H.R. 8294)

House passes bill to protect access to contraceptives (H.R. 8373) • Bill Text, Floor Debate • bill could include abortion, denies conscience rights, and enshrines abortion funding

The Right to Contraception Act (H.R. 8373) could include abortion, denies conscience rights, and enshrines abortion funding

Thursday, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 8373, the Right to Contraception Act, 228-195.

This bill exceeds contraception.

In Section 5(a)(1), this bill states that it supersedes and applies to federal and state law “whether adopted before or after this Act.” It would be used to promote chemical abortion, further entrench taxpayer funding of abortion providers, and erode conscience protections for health care providers.

Vague, Broad Definition of Contraception May Include Chemical Abortion Drugs
Vague definitions could easily be interpreted to include the chemical abortion drug mifepristone. (While contraception is marketed to prevent pregnancy, chemical abortion drugs like mifepristone are intended to kill the child of a woman known to be pregnant).

In Section 2(2) of the manager’s amendment, the definition of “contraceptive” means “any drug, device, or biological product intended for use in the prevention of pregnancy, whether specifically intended to prevent pregnancy or for other health needs, that is legally marketed under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act…”

This definition does not require that the medication must be officially approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States as a method of contraception. It creates a right to any drug or device that prevents pregnancy, explicitly not limited to FDA-approved forms of contraception.

Congress This Week

This week

• Primetime Jan. 6 hearing
• House to vote on bill protecting access to contraceptives (H.R. 8373)
• Senate to vote on bill to bolster semiconductor industry
• Talks continue on budget reconciliation bill

House set to vote on proposal that would codify same-sex marriage into federal law (H.R. 8404) • The legislation, named the Respect for Marriage Act, was introduced by a group of mostly Democratic lawmakers on Monday. If enacted, the bill would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, the 1996 law that defined marriage for federal purposes as the union of one man and one woman. The bill would also alter the federal definition of marriage to include same-sex unions. 

Ukraine’s first lady to address Congress this week • She met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday. • On Tuesday, Zelenska will deliver remarks at the Victims of Communism Museum in Washington and accept the Dissident Human Rights Award on behalf of the people of Ukraine. • Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska will address Congress on Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced on Monday. The first lady will deliver remarks in the congressional auditorium of the Capitol Visitor Center and all members of the House and Senate are invited.

Republicans ready grenades against Democrats’ dwindling dream bill • “Senate Republicans will raise their own objections this week as Democrats scramble to address the West Virginia Democrat’s further narrowing of their party-line bill. The GOP is readying arguments before the Senate’s nonpartisan rules arbiter in a bid to eject more items from the ever-slimmer package Democrats once called Build Back Better. … This week’s wonky faceoff before the Senate parliamentarian is likely to be substantially quicker and less painful for the majority party now that Manchin has sworn off tax hikes, which Republicans were ready to protest as unworkable under the chamber’s rules. But even the central piece that remains after Manchin’s latest ultimatum — policy to lower prescription drug prices — is at risk of dwindling further under the Republican onslaught.”

In Context: Identifying Tentacles

The first full week Congress was in session after the Dobbs decision overturning Roe has been unusually full of material ripe for commentary. A few notes have been added on three items in the weekly update. For this space, there is a larger trend emerging that is worth noting.

Committees held multiple post-Roe hearings this week. One of the more viral moments came between UC Berkeley School of Law Professor Khiara M. Bridges and Senator Hawley of Missouri. 

A more substantive policy point came later in her written testimony:

Weekly Congress Update

Daily Digests – House • Senate — Prayers

Date and Issue No.	Digest	Senate	House	Extensions	Entire Issue
July 15, 2022 - No. 117	D786-788	--	H6627-6681	E739-745	1 MB PDF
July 14, 2022 - No. 116	D757-784	S3285-3318	H6511-6625	E729-737	3 MB PDF
July 13, 2022 - No. 115	D742-756	S3245-3284	H5979-6509	E721-728	1—6 MB PDF  |  2—3 MB PDF
July 12, 2022 - No. 114	D733-740	S3217-3244	H5947-5977	E711-719	2 MB PDF
July 11, 2022 - No. 113	D725-732	S3187-3215	H5943-5946	E705-709	1 MB PDF

Senate — Daily Leader Remarks • Actions begun, passed, declined

Senate confirms Steve Dettelbach to head ATF, first Senate-confirmed ATF director since 2015 • Why Did Two Republicans Just Save Biden’s ATF Nominee?

Michael Barr confirmed as Fed vice chairman for supervision in bipartisan vote

GOP senator blocks bill to protect interstate travel for abortion (S. 4504) • Democratic Senators attempt unanimous consent passage of S. 4504, Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act, a bill related to abortion and traveling across state lines • Senator Daines spoke in opposition • Senator Lankford objected, noting “there is another bill that is actually being discussed that would literally—if you are a pregnancy resource center dealing with crisis pregnancies, if you don't perform abortions, they would call that misinformation. In the other bill that is being discussed right now, they would fine you $100,000. I can't even begin to explain my emotion when I think, if you take the life of a child, there is pressure to say: We want Federal funding to take the life of a child. If you protect the life of a child, we are going to fine you $100,000. … So while there is conversation about how to put a piece of legislation out that may very well protect individuals who are being trafficked to go to other States to get an abortion or all kinds of other issues that are there, I come back to the most basic thing: There is a child in this conversation”

House — Weekly Leader Colloquy • Bills • Actions passed

House passes bill expanding care for vets exposed to toxins, Compromise veterans bill heads back to Senate (S. 3373)

House passes active shooter alert system following failed vote last month (H.R. 6538) • one Democrat voted against

House passes annual defense policy bill, $839 billion, more than Biden's request (H.R. 7900) • Defense bill becomes battleground for culture wars • agrees to measure to identify, monitor white supremacy in military, law enforcement (H.Amdt. 262) • adopts amendment giving DC mayor authority over city’s national guard (H.Amdt. 260) • approves amendment to create system for reporting UFOs (Amendment No. 156 in H.Rept. 117-405)

House passes bills enforcing abortion access following Roe reversal (H.R. 8296—Floor Debate; H.R. 8297—Floor Debate) • On the latter, House Republicans offered a motion to recommit that would have brought to the floor for a vote the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act (H.R. 2223, S. 109), a bill to create new federal crimes related to transporting a minor across state lines for an abortion. The motion failed 209-219. As passed, H.R. 8297 • Fails to protect vulnerable individuals transported across state lines by abusers to receive abortions: Section 2(a)(4) • Preempts state laws restricting the use of chemical abortion drugs: Section 2(a)(5) • Protects late-term abortionists evading pro-life state laws and pro-patient regulations: Section 2(a)(1)

House passes bill to temporarily suspend tariffs on baby formula imports (H.R. 8351)

In Context: Roe has fallen; its deception has not

The Supreme Court's opinion returning of abortion to the States was released the day after Congress was last in session. The two intervening weeks have revealed much about Democratic party priorities: abortion, abortion, abortion.

Abortion 1: Committee spending
The week before last was a House Committee Work Week, and Democrats made spending on abortion a priority.

Abortion 2: Floor votes next week
House leaders have already scheduled two more abortion votes on bills (H.R. 8296, H.R. 8297), one of which they've already voted on in a previous form. (That bill, H.R. 3755, went far beyond “codifying Roe.” The House passed it 218-211 and the Senate has voted on it, 46-48, and their own version, S. 4132, 49-51. The new House version, H.R. 8296, updates the findings of H.R. 3755 acknowledging that Roe has been overruled.)

Abortion 3: Committee hearings next week on Dobbs, Post-Roe America

• Senate Judiciary, 7/12 (Committee page)
  
• Senate HELP, 7/13 (Committee page)
  
• House Judiciary, 7/14 (Committee page)
  
• House Oversight, 7/13
  

These actions are right in their eyes and in the eyes of much of the American people, and that perceived rightness is based on deception. Roe was based on lies that need to be answered with truth.

Weekly Congress Update

National Security

Democrats pitch immigration issues on must-pass defense bill — H.R. 7900


Foreign Policy

Members decry assassination of ex-Japanese leader Abe • Hill mourns Abe

Weekly Congress Update

Daily Digests – House • Senate — Prayers — Committee Reports


Foreign Policy

Congressional Delegation to Madrid for NATO talks

Congress faces abortion questions abroad


Federal Spending

House spending bills spread around $8 billion worth of earmarks

Pro-Life Committee Update

Pro-Life Committee Update

Three House Committee markups were held this week with pro-life implications: