Welcome to, Thursday, September 23rd, honeys and agaves...

House Democrats voted to advance a stopgap funding bill that includes a suspension of the debt limit until mid-December 2022, setting up a Senate showdown with Republicans. 

Republicans have signaled for months that they oppose the debt limit hike and argue Democrats should raise it on their own through reconciliation. The standoff comes ahead of a September 30th deadline to fund the government and avoid a partial government shutdown.

GOP lawmakers have argued that Democrats should use the budget reconciliation process to raise the debt limit, given that they’re already using it to advance a partisan $3.5 trillion spending plan.

Democrats would prefer to not use reconciliation because they would likely have to specify a dollar amount for the new debt limit (the national debt is currently about $28.7 trillion). A suspension of the debt limit - as proposed in the House Democrats’ bill - would allow the federal government to rack up an indefinite amount of debt incurred through December 16, 2022. 

Should Democrats raise the debt limit via reconciliation if there's no Republican support?

Havana Sound Machine

The HAVANA Act of 2021 would authorize the CIA, Dept. of State, and other agencies to provide payments to agency personnel who incur brain injuries from hostilities while on assignment.

“Havana syndrome” is a mysterious illness that first emerged in Cuba in 2016. The first cases were among CIA officers so they were kept secret, but more recent cases have included diplomatic personnel from the State Dept. at outposts around the world. The personnel and family members reported a wide range of symptoms, including hearing noises ranging from a low hum or buzzing to “piercing squeals” along with intense pressure in the skull, a feeling of heat or pressure, or dizziness and fatigue for months. It’s unclear what caused the symptoms, although officials from CIA and State Dept. believe they may have been the result of an attack that used pulses of high-powered microwaves.

Both the House and Senate have passed the Havana Act.

Should the gov’t provide payments to people suffering from ‘Havana Syndrome’?

24-hour Youth Climate Strike in Los Angeles Sept 24-25

On September 25th, thousands of climate strikes will take place across the world, including a 24-Hour Youth Climate Strike in Los Angeles.

Per NooWorld:

"The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report released last month demonstrated that we have even less time than we previously thought, making it even more urgent that our politicians take comprehensive action on the crisis immediately. We will be targeting Big Oil in this action and demanding freedom from fossil fuels."

Want to RSVP? Find out more info? Click here.

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And, In The End...

Hello, good bis,

—Josh Herman

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