Overview: The Senate and House were not in session this week and will return on March 24.
Economy: In the week ending March 15, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims was 223,000, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 220,000 to 221,000. The 4-week moving average was 227,000, an increase of 750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 226,000 to 226,250.
Call to action: As reported by Politico, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) suspended this week millions of dollars in deliveries to food banks (apparently as a result of recent executive orders), according to food bank leaders in six states. Previously, the USDA allocated $500 million in deliveries to food banks for fiscal year 2025 through the Emergency Food Assistance Program. The food bank leaders said many of those orders have been canceled. The halting of these deliveries comes after the USDA separately cut two other food programs last week, ending more than $1 billion in planned federal spending for schools and food banks to purchase from local farmers. The collective cuts are expected to make it more difficult for food banks to meet families' needs. Washington Weekly readers may want to reach out to their members of Congress.
Town halls: We have attached to this message a list of upcoming town hall meetings hosted by members of Congress. This is a great way to have your voice heard. Please reach out to your member for more details. You can use CCUSA's "Find Your Elected Officials" tool.