• • CCUSA Presents the Washington Weekly
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Overview: The House and Senate were in session this week. On Wednesday, the House passed short-term legislation to raise the debt ceiling and keep the government funded when the fiscal year ends Sept. 30. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republicans vowed to block the bill arguing that Democrats could use the budget process - which requires just a 50-vote majority in the Senate - to raise the debt ceiling. The Senate is expected to vote on the CR next week. CCUSA wrote a letter to Congress in support of provisions in the CR that provide additional disaster relief and emergency spending for the resettlement of Afghan refugees. Budget reconciliation negotiations also continued in earnest this week.

Budget Reconciliation: The House missed its self-imposed Sept. 15 deadline to finalize the $3.5 trillion budget package. Throughout the week, House Democrats continued to negotiate with the Senate and President Biden, attempting to find a compromise to appease moderate Senators, such as Senators Manchin and Sinema, who have opposed the $3.5 trillion price tag. Next steps: House Budget Committee will meet on Saturday to markup the existing package but the budget panel is not able to make any binding changes. Changes will have to be made next week or later by the House Rules Committee or on the House floor. On the 'hard' infrastructure front, House Democrats reiterated their commitment to keep their promise to pass the bipartisan, Senate-approved infrastructure bill by Sept. 27 (or 28), putting it on a trajectory to reach President Biden's desk by Oct 1. Around 10 Republicans would likely vote for the bill. Progressive Democrats have indicated that they do not want the House to approve the bi-partisan infrastructure bill until the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill is passed. They fear passage of the reconciliation bill would be jeopardized if the infrastructure bill passes first. CCUSA wrote a letter stating its priorities in budget reconciliation including support for children, affordable housing, nutrition and healthcare. Immigration will not be included in the bill.

Click here for a summary of provisions we are watching - CCUSA's Budget Reconciliation Bill Summary.

Appropriations: Passing legislation to fund the government will also dominate the fall. This week, the House passed a continuing resolution (CR) funding bill to keep the government open until December to give them extra time to pass a full-year funding bill, which will include many priorities CCUSA supports.

Debt Ceiling: The Treasury Department has been using extraordinary measures to pay U.S. debts until the debt ceiling is raised. In a Sept. 8 letter, Secretary Janet Yellen told lawmakers those tools would likely run out in mid-October.

Child Tax Credit: There's still time to sign up for child tax credit payments and you don't need to pay taxes to receive the benefit. Click here to sign up with the easy tool.

Abortion Legislation: Today, the House passed H.R. 3577, the Women's Health Protection Act, 218 to 211.  The House passage signals a deterioration in the respect for life, both for women who may be experiencing a difficult pregnancy and children in the womb. The legislation, if it were to become law, would codify Roe and undermine the religious liberty protections afforded by the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) and could lead to disregarding federal and state conscience laws that protect the right of Catholic health care providers to decline to participate in abortion.

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Next Monday, Sept. 27, the Church celebrates the Memorial of Saint Vincent de Paul (1581 - 1660), which honors the life and service of the man we now call the "apostle to the poor." Ordained a priest in 1600, Vincent began pastoral duties and continued his studies. Later, an encounter with a dying servant prompted him to begin serving people who were without means and on the edges of society. He enlisted the help of wealthy people and began an order of priests - the Vincentians - who dedicated themselves to people outside the cities. He also established, with the help of Saint Louise de Marillac (the Daughters of Charity), groups of laywomen who tended to the needs of the poor and sick in their parishes.

Vincent told his co-workers: "You are the servant of the poor... They are your masters, and the more difficult they will be, the unjust and insulting, the more love you must give them. It is for your love alone that the poor will forgive you the bread you give them."

Vincent's example has inspired many people since the 17th century, and his dedication to those who are poor is shared by many organizations, Catholic Charities included. Perhaps his best known "disciple" is Blessed Frederic Ozanam, who, 200 years later, in 1833, formed the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Paris to continue caring for those who were poor, amid social and political storms not unlike those today.

Frederic opined: "The problem which divides people today is not a political problem, it is a social one. It is a matter of knowing who will get the upper hand, the spirit of selfishness or the spirit of sacrifice; whether society will go for ever increasing enjoyment and profit, or for everyone devoting themselves to the general good, and above all to the defense of the weakest." See Gordon, Mark. "The Society of St. Vincent de Paul: Ending poverty through systemic change." Aleteia. www.aleteia.org 15 Oct. 2014 Web. Accessed 27 Aug. 2015.

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Q. On Sept. 24, 1789, what important part of the U.S. government was established?

Please send your answers to [email protected]. 

Last week's question and answer:

Q. What important event in Catholic history happened on September 24, 1827, leading to the founding of a new female order? 

A. Mary Smith, from Rochester, N.Y., was the first to answer that on September 24, 1827, Catherine McAuley opened the first House of Mercy in Dublin, Ireland.  Catherine and two companions took their religious vows and returned to Baggot Street as the first Sisters of Mercy.  Today, the Sisters of Mercy are in 47 countries, working in a multitude of ministries with an ever-growing group of associates, volunteers and partners all continuing the spirit of Catherine McAuley. 

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