Debate and disagreements on issues are both common and necessary in a representative government. But in too many instances this week the old partisan refrains were echoed in such a full throttled manner that it left me wondering if there is any chance for an agreeable resolution to these issues.
READ MORE from Serious Issues Demand Thoughtful Consideration
I had to fly recently. In the process of making polite pre-flight conversation with my neighbor, she asked me the question, “What do you do?” When I informed her that I’m Goodwill’s senior director for government affairs and public policy, she looked quizzically at me and then asked, “What does Goodwill® need lobbyists for?” It’s a fair and frequently-asked question. So why does Goodwill engage in advocacy and what do we advocate for?
The Senate will soon bring up S. 192, the Older Americans Act (OAA), for a vote. If you have already contacted your senators we thank you. You’ve helped to move this key legislation for America’s lowest income seniors. If not, Goodwill® supports this bipartisan legislation and we urge you to take just a couple of minutes to ask your senators to support S. 192.
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When the president announced his next to last budget on Monday he laid down a blueprint designed to draw sharp distinctions from the new GOP controlled Congress, but also looks for common ground on some policies. For example, the budget calls for tax increases on the wealthiest Americans while seeking to boost defense spending. The budget proposes ending the sequester, something the bipartisan Murray-Ryan budget deal accomplished for two years, but it also called for increases in non-defense domestic spending increases.
READ MORE from President Releases FY 2016 Budget, Battles with Congress Loom
Maybe it’s their abysmal approval ratings, or that the last Congress was rated the least productive ever, or perhaps it was the election results. No matter the reason, this Congress is pushing ahead at a brisk pace, for Congress anyway.
President Obama fulfilled his constitutional requirement to address the nation earlier this week with the annual State of the Union. The pundits will weigh in on whether or not the policies laid out will be achievable in a Republican-controlled Congress. The economists will debate what can be paid for and how. The journalists will count how many times the crowd clapped and stood. As an advocate, I looked for the programs that impact Goodwill® and the people we serve.
READ MORE from Goodwill® Reacts to State of the Union Address
Jobs. Workers. Helping people get ahead. These are all issues central to our mission here at Goodwill®. But some might ask: what about those individuals who came to the United States desperate for work even if it meant risking all? The U.S. House of Representatives gave its answer this past Wednesday: no.
READ MORE from House Hostility Boils Over on Immigration Amendments
This week, the new 114th Congress convened with Republicans in control of both chambers for the first time since 2007. One of the first items on the House’s agenda is a bill to approve a pipeline that is estimated to have the potential to create more than 40,000 jobs. The bill in question is the Keystone Pipeline, a source of controversy; yet, it got me thinking about another pipeline of particular importance to American businesses, employers and workers – the talent pipeline.
READ MORE from New Congress Should Get the Talent Pipeline Flowing
The start of 2015 provides an opportunity for us to strongly declare what changes we will make and how we will start anew. The same holds true for Congress. This year marks the beginning of a new session and 58 new lawmakers looking to resolve to make changes.
READ MORE from Resolve to Help People in Your Community by Supporting Goodwill®
This week, I saw a 15 minute video on YouTube, called Humans Need Not Apply. In summary, the video postulates that we are experiencing a “robot revolution,” wherein advancement in automation that performs physical labor and make decisions could profoundly impact a wide range of occupations representing approximately 45 percent of our workforce.
The 113th Congress comes to a close this week and lawmakers are probably just as happy as the American public to put the last two years behind them and start anew. A recent Gallup poll reported that Congressional approval ratings are just one point higher than last year at 15 percent. Under this Congress we’ve seen a government shutdown and the invocation of the nuclear option (a Senate procedure allowing a rule or precedent to be overridden). However, there were some moments worth celebrating, particularly during the second session of the Congress this year.
READ MORE from What Has the 113th Congress Accomplished This Year?
Negotiations over the $1.1 trillion spending bill for FY 2015 continue despite snags over everything from trucking regulations and pension funding to terrorism insurance and the Dodd-Frank law that tightened financial regulations in the wake of the financial meltdown that helped trigger the Great Recession.
READ MORE from Congress Lurches to the Finish Line with FY 2015 Budget Baton
