On the Radar

Abortion 'Gag Rule'

Taxpayer-funded family planning clinics must immediately stop referring women for abortions, the Health and Human Services department said Monday.

HHS notified clinics on Monday that it will begin enforcing the ban on abortion referrals. It will also require clinics to maintain separate finances from facilities that provide abortions.

"Ending the connection between abortion and family planning is a victory for common-sense health care," Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life, said in a statement.

The National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association - which represents many Title X-funded organizations – condemned the administration’s abrupt decision to begin enforcing the abortion “gag rule.”

"It comes without any guidance or due diligence informing providers what steps would constitute compliance with the requirements in this sweeping new regulation," said Clare Coleman, the group's president.

Should taxpayer-funded clinics be allowed to refer women for abortions?

Hey, Google, Should You Be Investigated for Treason?

President Trump said he will “take a look” at investigating Google for treason after investor Peter Thiel claimed the company had been infiltrated by Chinese agents and was working with Beijing.

Thiel, who sits on Facebook’s board, told the National Conservatism Conference over the weekend that the FBI and CIA need to ask three questions of Google:

1. "Number one, how many foreign intelligence agencies have infiltrated your Manhattan Project for AI?
2. "Number two, does Google's senior management consider itself to have been thoroughly infiltrated by Chinese intelligence?
3. "Number three, is it because they consider themselves to be so thoroughly infiltrated that they have engaged in the seemingly treasonous decision to work with the Chinese military and not with the US military... because they are making the sort of bad, short-term rationalistic [decision] that if the technology doesn't go out the front door, it gets stolen out the backdoor anyway?"

Should Google be investigated for treason?

Under the Radar

Cutting Census Funding

Texas officials have decided not to spend any money, or make statewide plans, for the 2020 constitutionally mandated headcount. As NPR noted, this is “despite the fact that the state experienced massive population growth in the past decade.”

Other states, such as California, are spending millions to ensure they get a more accurate head count of their residents. The Golden State is investing at least $154 million in the 2020 census.

In November, Texas Rep. César Blanco (D-El Paso) introduced legislation to create a statewide complete-count committee. It never received a hearing or any Republican cosponsors. Budget riders allocating $100 million for census outreach also failed.

James Dickey, the Texas Republican party’s chairman, told Texas Monthly that he supports complete-count committees as long as they’re run by “citizen volunteers.”

“[The] overriding message for everyone should be to answer the survey completely and correctly," Dickey said.

Should more states restrict funds for the 2020 census?

Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act

The second-most bipartisan bill in the House faces an uncertain future after Democrats voted last week to remove its eligibility for consideration on the “Consensus Calendar.” 

The Consensus Calendar was created under the House rules for the 116th Congress. It allows bills which have at least 290 cosponsors but haven’t been reported out of committee to get a vote on the House floor after they’ve maintained at least 290 cosponsors for 25 legislative days.

The Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act was the first bill to qualify for consideration on the Consensus Calendar and is cosponsored by 365 lawmakers, including 202 Democrats and 163 Republicans. It would allow surviving spouses and beneficiaries of fallen servicemembers to receive full benefits from the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuity and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC). Under current law, a provision referred to as the “widow’s tax” reduces SBP benefits by the amount of DIC benefits received.

Should the Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act go back on the Consensus Calendar?

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