District of Columbia | September 20, 2021
Democrats Announce Plan to Avert a Shutdown and Suspend the Debt Ceiling in a Single Bill
District of Columbia | September 20, 2021
Congressional Democrats on Monday raised the stakes for the pending spending showdown, announcing they would attach a 15-month suspension of the federal debt limit to a stopgap funding bill that lawmakers must pass by the end of September to keep federal agencies open.
The move could complicate passage of the continuing resolution, as Republicans have been steadfast in their opposition to a debt ceiling hike or suspension and vowed to vote against any legislation that would do so. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the measure would fund federal agencies through the end of the year and suspend the debt limit through December 2022.
Pelosi and Schumer said in a joint statement the House would pass the legislation this week to “avoid a needless government shutdown that would harm American families and our economic recovery before the September 30th deadline.” The legislation will also include emergency funding to address responses to various natural disasters and the resettlement of Afghan evacuees. President Biden has asked for up to $30 billion for those issues as part of the continuing resolution.
The Democratic leaders said the measure would avoid both a shutdown and default on U.S. debt, noting many Republicans supported and President Trump signed into law a COVID-19 relief package that contributed to the current debt level. The Treasury Department has instituted “extraordinary measures” to avoid breaching that ceiling but it still expects to reach the limit some time in October… (Excerpts from the Government Executive)
District of Columbia | September 20, 2021
Democrats blocked from including immigration reform in party-line spending bill
District of Columbia | September 20, 2021
The Senate parliamentarian on Sunday rejected Democrats’ push to include a pathway to legal status in their social spending plan, a blow to the party’s efforts to enact immigration reform.
In the decision, a copy of which was obtained by POLITICO, the parliamentarian determined that the Democrats’ proposal is “by any standard a broad, new immigration policy” and that the policy change “substantially outweighs the budgetary impact of that change.”.. (Excerpt from Politico)
International | September 20, 2021
Pro-Kremlin party leads in early results in Russian election
International | September 20, 2021
Early results Sunday in Russia’s parliamentary election showed the dominant pro-Kremlin party well in the lead, but it was unclear if the party will retain the two-thirds majority of seats that allow it to change the constitution. The election is widely seen as an important part of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to cement his grip on power ahead of the 2024 presidential election, in which control of the State Duma, or parliament, will be key. Results from about 10% of the country’s polling stations gave the pro-Kremlin United Russia party 38% of the vote for the 225 deputies apportioned by party lists, according to the elections commission. Another 225 lawmakers will be chosen by individual races, and the elections commission said early results showed United Russia candidates leading in 130 of those single-constituency seats….(Excerpts from Politico)
International | September 20, 2021
Taliban Order Kabul Government Female Employees to Leave Workforce, Stay at Home
International | September 20, 2021
International | September 20, 2021
Xi and Putin pledge to co-operate on Afghanistan after Taliban takeover
International | September 20, 2021
China’s leader Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, his Russian counterpart, on Friday pledged to join forces in an effort to prevent violence and instability spilling over Afghanistan’s borders into the wider region. Speaking via video link at a joint regional security forum in Dushanbe, the Tajikistan capital, the two leaders announced plans to share intelligence and hold regular talks on Afghanistan following its takeover last month by the Taliban. The event marks the first ever joint meeting on Afghanistan of the China-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation — a Eurasian political and security forum, of which Russia is also a member — and the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization, a military alliance of some former Soviet states in the region…. (Excerpts from the Financial Times)
Texas | September 20, 2021
The truth behind the Texas bridge migrants
Texas | September 20, 2021
While the president took a long weekend relaxing at the beach in Delaware, another self-imposed crisis blew up in his face. The migrant shantytown under a concrete overpass in Del Rio, Texas, had ballooned to 15,000 souls, mainly Haitians. They were running out of food and water amid dangerously unsanitary conditions. With a pipeline of hundreds more flooding across the Rio Grande from Mexico every day, a humanitarian disaster was unfolding and the media were starting to pay attention. On Wednesday, 9,000 had arrived. By Saturday, 6,000 more had crossed the river with no impediment. The border was wide open. There wasn’t even a sign to stop them. They set up camp in the shade under the International Bridge and soon had overwhelmed the port-a-potties provided by authorities. They were sleeping on the ground under rough tents fashioned from sticks and trash bags, washing their clothes in the river. The garbage piled up, and some of the migrants took to crossing back into Mexico to buy supplies…. (Excerpts from the New York Post)