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Dueling deadlines mark another frantic week in Washington.
Lawmakers continue discussions around another coronavirus aid package and omnibus spending package. Many of the aid provisions in the CARES Act are scheduled to expire at the end of the year if Congress does not act. A government shutdown looms over the country unless Congress can pass a spending deal before the December 11th deadline. Congressional leaders spoke yesterday regarding a potential stimulus deal. This was the first discussion around a coronavirus aid deal since the November elections. The conversations were framed around a potential $900 billion deal, but program specific details around that potential package have not been released. Another aid avenue could involve placing some provisions in a stopgap end of the year spending package.
Congress has one week to come to some consensus around a spending package if the government is to remain open. They will need to pass either an omnibus, which would include all 12 of the fiscal 2021 funding bills, or a continuing resolution (CR) that would hold spending levels at FY20 levels. House and Senate Appropriations committees are continuing talks on a larger funding package. Last month they agreed to top-line funding figures, but specific program allocations and report language negotiations are ongoing. Federal action is critical as coronavirus cases continue to spike across the country and hamper the economy.
On December 3rd the US reported at least 216,548 new coronavirus cases and 2,857 deaths. Cases are increasing at a rate of one million every six days as the US hit 14 million cases just six days after recording 13 million infections. Six days before that there were 12 million; another six days before that the US was at 11 million. It was reported yesterday that the US reported a record high of 100,667 of COVID-19 hospitalizations. The spikes continue to stretch the capacity of hospital systems. As cases increase, the economy continues to feel the effects of the coronavirus.
The Labor Department reported nearly 714,000 people filed initial unemployment claims last week. This marks the first drop in three weeks with 836,000 claims filed last week. The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program saw almost 289,000 new claims filed last week, a program set to expire at the end of the month. As unemployment remains at record high levels and some states reimplement social distancing restrictions on businesses it becomes paramount for federal action to provide assistance for the millions of people struggling.
Urge Congress to provide immediate relief. Please tell your Senators and Representatives to support Catholic Charities agencies and the clients they serve.
Faith and the Common Good
On December 6, the church celebrates the Feast of St. Nicholas or also referred to as Saint Nicholas Day. St. Nicholas, the 4th-century bishop of Myra, is the patron saint of Russia and Greece, of a number of cities, and of sailors and children, among many other groups, and was noted for his generosity. Saint Nicholas was a famously giving figure, caring for children in need, struggling families, and the ill. He was also known to leave coins in people's shoes and give surprise gifts throughout his lifetime.
On the eve of St. Nicholas' Day, children leave a shoe or a boot in front of the fireplace or the front door, hoping to wake up to it filled with gifts from Saint Nicholas. Often Candy Canes shaped like bishop's or shepherd's staffs are given out as a reminder of the care St. Nicholas had for people.
Prayer to Saint Nicholas
O good Saint Nicholas, you who are the joy of the children, put in my heart the spirit of childhood, of which the Gospel speaks, and teach me to seed happiness around me. You, whose feast prepares us for Christmas, open my faith to the mystery of God made man. You, good bishop and shepherd, help me to find my place in the Church and inspire the Church to be faithful to the gospel. O good Saint Nicholas, patron of children, sailors, and the helpless, watch over those who pray to Jesus, your Lord and theirs, as well as over those who humble themselves before you. Bring us all in reverence to the Holy Child of Bethlehem, where true joy and peace are found. Amen.
Trivia
According to the Constitution, what must occur on the Monday after the second Wednesday in December of presidential election years?
Please send your answers to socialpolicy@catholiccharitiesusa.org
On November 20, the trivia question was, "In December 1955, which two labor organizations merged to form one organization?"
Len Marabella of Catholic Charities of Santa Rosa was the first to answer that in December 1955, the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) formed the AFL-CIO and was the culmination of a process that occurred in each of the two organizations for a number of years. The convergence derived its distinctive work from the quirks of influential individuals. The merger had multiple meanings in regard to the strength and purpose of the U.S. labor movement in the twentieth century.
Catholic social teaching on the rights of workers, and their right to organize in labor unions, has been clear, consistent, and explicit for many years. Working unions were endorsed by Pope Leo XIII in Rerum Novarum in 1891.
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