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On September 29th, 2023, longtime California Senator Dianne Feinstein passed away at the age of 90. First elected in a special election in 1992, she was serving out the final years of her fifth term before choosing to retire at the end of 2024. In the wake of her passing, California Governor Gavin Newsom was tasked with appointing a replacement to serve out the final 13 months of the term. On October 1st, he chose EMILY’S List President Laphonza Butler, meeting his promise of appointing a black woman to the seat as well as someone not currently running for the seat in 2024. Butler will be the first openly LGBTQ person to represent California in the U.S. Senate, as well as the third black woman to serve in the Senate in American history. This appointment also triggered a special election for the remaining two months of Senator Feinstein’s term, and will be held concurrently with the election for the full six-year term next November. To read a statement from President Biden on Senator Feinstein’s passing, click here. To read a statement from Vice President Harris, click here. To read a floor speech from California’s other senator, Alex Padilla, click here. To read a statement from Governor Newsom on his appointment of Laphonza Butler, click here. To read a statement from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, click here. To read a statement from House Democratic Chairman Pete Aguilar of California, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from Representative Darrell Issa of California, click here. Additionally, click here to read more about Senator Butler.
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On September 30th, 2023, The US Government averted shutdown through the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2024 and Other Extensions Act, HR 5860. This is a short-term funding bill passed by congress and signed by President Joe Biden. The bill supports funding for specific acts including The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2023, The Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2023, The Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2023, The Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2023 and more. On the contrary, HR 5860 does not include funding for Ukraine. The bill will ensure the Government remains open through November 17, 2023. To locate the bill description, specific funding details and how your representatives voted, click here. Firstly, to read a statement from President Joe Biden, click here. To read a statement from Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, click here. To read a statement from Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, click here. To read a statement from House Appropriations Chair and bill sponsor Kay Granger of Texas, click here. To read a statement from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, click here.
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On October 3rd, 2023, the House of Representatives voted to remove Kevin McCarthy of California from his position of Speaker of the House. The vote came from a motion to vacate, which can be brought up by any single member of the House and was introduced by Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida. Gaetz argued that the motion was necessary because Speaker McCarthy violated an agreement the two made when the latter became Speaker, and this violation occurred when McCarthy honored the deal he made with President Biden to keep the government open on September 30th. As a result, the motion was introduced and, in a vote of 216-210, McCarthy was removed. He is the first Speaker of the House in American history to be removed in this manner. In his place, Representative Patrick McHenry of North Carolina was appointed as Speaker Pro Tempore, a position created to serve as an “interim Speaker” until an election can be held. To see the motion, as well as how your representatives voted, click here. To read a statement from Representative Gaetz, click here. To read a statement from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, click here. To read a statement from Representative Tom Cole of Oklahoma, click here. To read a statement from Representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from Representative Matt Rosendale of Montana, click here. Additionally, to read more about Representative McHenry, click here.
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On October 7th, 2023 Hamas, a militant Palestinian group, invaded Israel through the Gaza Strip (which they currently govern). Initially a barrage of rockets from Hamas that killed over a thousand Israelis, the conflict quickly escalated, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu swiftly declaring war on Hamas. In the days following, thousands of Israelis and Palestinians have been killed, hundreds have been taken hostage by Hamas, and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been displaced. Israel has cut off food, water, and electricity to Gaza. For its part, the United States has condemned Hamas and pledged support for Israel in the wake of this attack. To read a statement from President Joe Biden, click here. To read a statement from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, click here. To read a statement from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, click here. To read a statement from Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from House Conference Chair Elise Stefanik of New York, click here.
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In the aftermath of last week’s successful vote to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the House Republican Conference met in private on Wednesday, October 11th, to nominate a new candidate for Speaker of the House. By a vote of 113 to 99, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana narrowly defeated House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio and is now the Republican Party’s choice for Speaker. As of this writing, there is no set date for the vote on Speaker, but it will come down to Scalise and the Democratic Caucus’ choice for Speaker, current Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York. To read a statement from Majority Leader Scalise, click here. To read a statement from Minority Leader Jeffries, click here. To read a statement from Representative Matt Cartwright of Pennsylvania, click here. To read a statement from Representative Bob Good of Virginia, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from Representative Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania, click here.
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On October 11th, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed a new rule to ban junk fees–hidden fees that might inflate the price of a hotel or flight reservation or some payment that isn’t charged up front. This new rule would require businesses that rely on junk fees to provide refunds to consumers or face a monetary penalty of up to $50,000. Like all agency rules, it will be published in the Federal Register, and Americans will be able to submit comments online for up to 60 days. To read a statement from President Joe Biden, click here. To read a statement from Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, click here. To read a statement from Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, click here. To read a statement from Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington State, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from Representative Blaine Luetkemeyer of Missouri, click here.
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Following our last update on the election for the next Speaker of the House, on the night of October 12th, 2023, Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana withdrew his candidacy for Speaker. In our previous research update, we noted that Scalise had won the Republican Conference’s nomination for Speaker, albeit narrowly. In the wake of this announcement, House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio revived his candidacy and, on October 13th, won the Conference nomination on a vote of 124-81, beating Representative Austin Scott of Georgia. On October 17th, Speaker Pro Tempore McHenry called a vote for Speaker, and lost the first round to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries by a vote of 212-200 (a speaker needs a majority of the full house, in this case 217 votes), losing 20 of his fellow Republicans. The following day, he again lost to Jeffries by a similar vote of 212-199. As of writing, Jordan canceled a third vote and instead the House will seek to empower the Speaker Pro Tempore until a new Speaker can be chosen. To read a statement from Representative Jordan, click here. To read a statement from Representative Jeffries, click here. To read a statement from Representative Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey, click here. To read a statement from Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa, click here. To read a statement from Representative Scalise, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from Representative Elise Stefanik of New York, click here.
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On October 17th, 2023, President Joe Biden visited Israel for a few hours to speak with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders about their ongoing war with Hamas, which we outlined in our research report last week. During the visit, Biden, who is the first president to visit Israel during war time, was able to secure $100 million in humanitarian aid (through the United Nations) to war-torn Gaza and the West Bank, which is the current center of the conflict. His other objective of the trip, to meet with King Abdullah II of Jordan, President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi of Egypt, and Palestinian Authority Leader Mahmoud Abbas in order to contain the conflict in Gaza, was canceled in the aftermath of a bombing of a hospital in Gaza that killed over 400 Palestinians. To read remarks by President Biden during his meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, click here. To read a statement from Secretary Antony Blinken, click here. To read a statement from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, click here.
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On October 18th, 2023, S J Res 32 joint resolution was passed, stating congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection relating to "Small Business Lending Under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act”. This joint resolution was resolved by both the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress, passing by a Yea-Nay vote of 53-44. Ultimately, this rule shall have no force or further effect. Firstly, to read the bill text and see how your representatives voted click here. To read a statement from Representative of Louisiana and bill sponsor John N. Kennedy, click here. To read a statement from Representative Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, click here. To read a statement from Representative Sherrod Brown of Ohio, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from Representative Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, click here.
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On October 19th 2023, the United States Senate passed a resolution standing with Israel against terrorism, in response to the October 7th attack on the country from Hamas. It was passed unanimously, 97-0. After the election of Speaker Johnson on October 25th, the House of Representatives also passed a resolution “to stand with Israel in its right to defend itself against Hamas and other terrorists.” It was passed by a vote of 412-10. To read the Senate resolution, click here. To read the House resolution, click here. To read a statement from President Biden, click here. To read a statement from Senate President Pro Tempore, Patty Murray of Washington State, click here. To read a statement from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, click here. To read a statement from Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from Senator Shelly Moore Capito of West Virginia, click here.
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Following up on the last two research reports where we discussed the race to replace Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House, on October 25th the United States House of Representatives finally elected Representative Mike Johnson of Louisiana for the role. Johnson, who won the nomination late the previous night, was able to win the Speakership over House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York by a vote of 220-209, with all Republicans and all Democrats voting for their party’s leader. Johnson, who was first elected to represent Louisiana’s fourth district in 2016 and previously served as Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference, was the fourth Republican nominee for Speaker, following Steve Scalise, Jim Jordan, and Tom Emmer. To learn more about the new Speaker, click here. To read a statement from Speaker Johnson, click here. To read a statement from President Biden, click here. To read remarks from Minority Leader Jeffries, click here. To read a statement from Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, click here. To read Johnson’s nomination speech by Representative Elise Stefanik of New York, click here. To read a statement from House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from House Minority Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, click here.
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On the evening of October 25th, the United Auto Workers and the Ford Motor Company reached a tentative labor contract agreement, potentially ending part of the auto workers strike that started six weeks ago. The agreement, which includes a 25% general wage increase over the course of four years with an immediate 11% increase in wages, still needs to be approved by the 57,000 members of the union. To read a statement from President Biden, click here. To read a statement from Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su, click here. To read a statement from Representative Debbie Dingell of Michigan, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from Representative Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, click here.
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