Category: Advocate

With a few hours to spare, Congress narrowly avoided shutting down the federal government after passing a continuing resolution to keep the government open until December 3rd.  Lawmakers hope that the extension will given them ample time to pass the twelve appropriations bills, some of which have passed the House, but none have passed the Senate.  Continuing resolutions have become the norm, with Congress enacting one or more in all but three of the last 44 fiscal years. 

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This year’s National Voter Registration Day is on Tuesday, September 28. While there are no federal-level races on the ballot this year, this doesn’t mean upcoming elections don’t matter.

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The House Committees have finished marking up their portions of the reconciliation bill, a $3.5 trillion measure investing in components of President Biden’s American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan.  Using reconciliation will allow the bill to pass with a simple majority and avoid a filibuster, however not every Democrat is onboard. Fighting within the party exists over the cost of the package and provisions related to taxation, drug pricing and climate change among others. 

READ MORE from The Reconciliation Bill Moves Closer to Reality      

I was going to blog about the partisan markup held by the House Education and Labor Committee as they write their portion of the reconciliation bill. As noted in previous updates, the reconciliation measure will include investments in human infrastructure including workforce development and job training, childcare, free community college, paid leave and more – all of which could not garner bipartisan support in the infrastructure bill.

READ MORE from A Moment of Reflection

The U.S. Senate recently passed a resolution designating September as "National Workforce Development Month." It’s a time to recognize the important contributions that local workforce stakeholders, including community-based organizations like Goodwill®, provide in support of job seekers and career advancers, particularly those who have faced employment challenges because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The House of Representatives returned to Washington, DC for a moment during their summer recess for a crucial vote on the budget resolution. The budget resolution which already passed the Senate, sets the stage to allow committees to move forward with crafting the reconciliation package which will include investments outlined in President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda.

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After a flurry of activity in the Senate, both chambers are now in recess for the time being.  The Senate recently passed a bipartisan infrastructure package, followed by the partisan passage of the budget resolution which only received support from Democrats.  Keep reading to learn the key items of interest to Goodwill® and the people we serve.

READ MORE from Halftime in Congress

by Laura Walling, Senior Director of Government Relations, Goodwill Industries International The Senate spent most of the week reviewing the 2,700-page infrastructure proposal and debating amendments. They will work through the weekend before taking a vote on final passage likely early next week. Some issues remain unresolved, including a pending amendment would allow state and

READ MORE from Senate Moves Closer to Voting on the Infrastructure Bill

Racing to Recess A looming vacation always provides great motivation to get work done. This statement holds true for Congress as well as lawmakers prepare for the August recess. The Senate passed a procedural vote on a bipartisan infrastructure package with 17 Republicans joining 50 Democrats to move the bill forward, although this does not mean they will all support the final bill.

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Congressional leaders continue to discuss the components of a forthcoming reconciliation bill that will include components of President Biden’s American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan that won’t be covered by the bipartisan infrastructure framework.

READ MORE from Urge Congress to Support Investments in Workforce Development

Congressional leaders have agreed upon a $3.5 trillion cap for a forthcoming reconciliation bill that will include components of President Biden’s American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan that won’t be covered by the bipartisan infrastructure framework. In his initial proposal, the President called for $100 billion for workforce development activities over the next ten years.

READ MORE from Take Action to Support Investments in Workforce Development

As lawmakers return from a July 4th recess, deadlines loom that will make for a busy summer. Suspension of the debt ceiling is set to expire July 31 and there is not a clear path forward as to whether Congress will let it expire or extend the suspension. The debt ceiling is the maximum amount of money the government can borrow to pay for its bills.

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