June 26, 2020

Inside this issue

• CCUSA Presents the Washington Weekly

  CCUSA Presents the Washington Weekly  
  This week in Washington, lawmakers continued their push to pass policing reforms and additional coronavirus aid, and the Supreme Court ruled on another immigration case.

Police Reform

The House and Senate continued working on passing police reforms through each of their chambers. On Wednesday, the Senate planned on voting on their police reform bill, the JUSTICE Act, but Democrats threatened to filibuster the bill over concerns the bill was not assembled with their input and did not go far enough to curb excessive force by law enforcement. The bill did not receive the votes to advance, and it is unclear if the Senate will edit their legislation and try another vote.

On Thursday, it was the House's turn to try and pass their police reform bill, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Since the House is able to pass bills through their chamber by a simple majority, the measure passed the House on almost party lines, 236 to 181, with three Republicans voting in favor of the measure.

The impasse in the Senate has eliminated the possibility of a swift response to passing a reform bill, and it is unclear whether the Senate is willing to take up a measure again with the need for an additional coronavirus aid package looming.  The House will be home in district next week and the Senate the following week. When both chambers return to Washington it is expected that negotiations will begin on an additional coronavirus aid package expected before the August recess.

Economy

In May, the House passed the HEROES Act, a $3 trillion aid package. The Senate is still deciding what will be included in their bill. Initially, signals pointed to the Senate having a narrowly tailored bill focused on jobs and schools. As increasing coronavirus cases force some states to pause their reopening plans, there is some discussion about widening the scope of the Senate proposal. A potential factor in the Senate bill is the report on the upcoming jobs report from the Department of Labor (DOL).

This week saw another 1.5 million people file for first-time unemployment claims. This marks the 14th consecutive week more than one million people filed for unemployment assistance. The DOL report showed that continuing claims were 19.5 million down from 20.5 million from the previous report. The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program, for gig workers and independent contractors, saw 728,120 claims filed this past week. The total number of unemployment claims was 30.5 million as of June 6.

As the economy continues to teeter and nonprofits are being called on to ramp up their services to meet the growing need, a bipartisan group of senators has introduced a bill that would expand tax incentives for charitable giving. Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.) introduced the bill, S. 4032, along with Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Mike Lee (R-Uath), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.). The bill would allow individuals who don't itemize the opportunity to access a charitable deduction of up to one third the standard deduction.

Catholic Charities USA President and CEO, Sister Donna Markham, said of the legislation, "The spread of COVID-19 in this country and the resulting increase in unemployment and food insecurity has increased the demand for Catholic Charities' services. Expanding the charitable tax deduction will reinvigorate our nation's generosity for responding to community needs. It fosters the culture of generosity that our country was built on."

Immigration

The Supreme Court handed down another critical opinion regarding immigration. In the case of Department of Homeland Security v. Thuraissigiam, they ruled in favor of President Trump's increased efforts to speed up deportations of asylum seekers. The central question in the case was whether newly arrived asylum seekers have a right to challenge their expedited removal (deportation) in federal court with a petition for habeas corpus to review any legal or constitutional errors the asylum officer may have made. In a 7-to-2 decision, the majority explained that, because habeas review in 1789 was available only for those seeking to be released from federal custody, Thuraissigiam could not use habeas as a means to request an immigration remedy to remain in the United States. The majority also said that asylum claims threaten to overwhelm the immigration system and that Congress could pass a law to change the role of federal courts in summary determinations.

Faith and the Common Good Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you. 
1 Peter 5:7

A Prayer for Hope and Peace
Heavenly father, I am your humble servant,
I come before you today in need of hope.
I need hope for a calm and joyful future.
I need hope for love and kindness.
I pray for peace and safety.
Some say that the sky is at its
darkest just before the light.
I pray that this is true, for today seems stormy and dim.
I need your light, Lord, in every way.
I pray to be filled with your light.
Help me to walk in your light, and live
my life in faith and service.
In your name I pray, Amen.
 
Trivia Which state first recognized the 4th of July as a holiday?

Please send your answers to [email protected]
 
Last week's question was, "What important document was signed on June 26, 1945?"

Sandra, Gingras, OFM was the first to answer with, "On June 26, 1945, 50 nations signed the United Nations Charter.  The Charter, which consisted of a preamble and 19 chapters divided into 111 articles, called for the U.N. to maintain international peace and security, promote social progress and better standards of life, strengthen international law, and promote the expansion of human rights. Sounds like something my friend, St. Francis of Assisi would gladly draft and sign." Please share the weekly with your friends, family and networks so that we can build a movement of solidarity for those most in need!

You can also access advocacy opportunities through our advocacy and policy page.

Stay connected with our work to end poverty, follow us on Twitter at @CCharitiesUSA.

If you would like to help further Catholic Charities' commitment to alleviating, reducing, and preventing poverty you can contribute here.  

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