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February 6, 2026


 

Overview: Congress passed a spending bill to keep government funds flowing until September 30, 2026. However, funds for the Department of Homeland Security received only a two-week extension to allow members to negotiate new terms for ICE and CBP engagement with individuals and communities in light of the violence and unrest in Minneapolis the past several weeks.

CCUSA President and CEO Kerry Alys Robinson met with members of Congress this week. She advocated across the aisle for just, humane policies affecting materially poor and vulnerable people served by the 169 Catholic Charities agencies across the nation.

Economy: In the week ending January 31, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims ([link removed]) was 231,000, an increase of 22,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 209,000. The 4-week moving average was 212,250, an increase of 6,000 from the previous week's unrevised average of 206,250.

Child Care and Development Fund: CCUSA submitted comments on the proposed rule titled "Restoring Flexibility in the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF)." CCUSA recognizes the importance of state and territorial flexibility in administering block grant programs and acknowledges that some provisions of the March 2024 CCDF final rule presented implementation challenges. However, the proposed rollbacks could weaken key safeguards that promote affordability, provider stability, and equitable access to child care for families with the greatest needs. Read the full comments here ([link removed]).

Migration/Immigration: Join federal policy experts from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC), Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA), and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) when they provide an update on the immigration landscape, February 10, 2026, at 3 p.m. Learn more about what each organization is tracking and opportunities for engagement in this area. Time will be provided for attendees to ask questions. Register here ([link removed]).

 

Thus says the LORD: Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked when you see them, and do not turn your back on your own. Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am! If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech; if you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday. Isaiah 58:7-10, First reading for the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, February 8, 2026.

 

Q. St. Josephine Bakhita, whose feast day is February 8, joined which religious order after being freed from slavery?

Please send your answers to The Canticle of Simeon ([link removed]).

 

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