October 15, 2021

Inside this issue

• CCUSA Presents the Washington Weekly
• Faith and the Common Good
• Trivia
• Connections

  CCUSA Presents the Washington Weekly  
 
Overview: The president signed legislation last night to increase the debt limit after the legislation passed the House, 219-206. The increase prevents immediate default, but the debt ceiling still must be resolved two months from now. Weekly initial unemployment insurance claims dropped below 300,000 for the first time since March 2020. CCUSA sent a letter urging Congress to prioritize poor and vulnerable people and to pay special attention to the importance of affordable housing and the Child Tax Credit in their ongoing negotiations on the budget reconciliation bill.

Economy: "In the week ending October 9, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial [unemployment insurance] claims was 293,000, a decrease of 36,000 from the previous week's revised level. This is the lowest level for initial claims since March 14, 2020, when it was 256,000.." (Source)

Budget reconciliation: Negotiations about what provisions to include in a budget reconciliation package continue among the Democratic caucus. The original price tag for the bill was $3.5 trillion but the current amount being considered is closer to $2 trillion. The discussions have focused on what programs to keep, which ones to eliminate, and how precisely to pay for them. (Source: Bloomberg) CCUSA sent a letter yesterday to Congress urging members to prioritize the needs of people struggling with low incomes and poverty, with a special emphasis on affordable housing and the Child Tax Credit. Other priorities include child care, EITC, paid family leave, and the protection of life. These and other items were also mentioned in a previous letter sent to Congress in August 2021. Regarding the Senate-passed bipartisan infrastructure bill containing $550 billion in new spending, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) set Oct. 31 as the target date for the House to approve. It's the same day when the weeks-long funding extension for federal highway programs expires. (Source: Politico)

Debt ceiling: The president signed legislation that increases the debt limit in order to delay the debt ceiling deadline until December. The bill raises the debt limit by $480 billion through Dec. 3. Raising the debt ceiling does not authorize new spending; the move raises money to pay for expenses that the government has previously authorized. (Source: Politico)

Rental assistance: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau offers a web-based tool for users to find help with rent and utilities. Access the tool here.

Child Tax Credit: There is still time to sign up for child tax credit payments before the Nov. 17 deadline and you do not need to pay taxes to receive the benefit. Click here to sign up with the easy tool.
 
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  Faith and the Common Good  
 
Today the Church celebrates the Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus (1515-1582), virgin and doctor of the Church. Saint Teresa had a childhood that, perhaps, would resonate with many other people. Her parents, loving and good people, still struggled in their relationship, making Teresa feel caught between them at times. She considered being married or becoming a nun, choosing the latter in a sincere desire to dedicate herself to God. However, the convent had many of the same distractions and temptations as the world outside. At first, she neglected prayer and then, when she made the effort to pray, she found it difficult. Yet her fidelity to prayer was blessed by God, and Teresa passed on to us through her writings many aids for our own efforts. She discovered that prayer, essentially, is a relationship with God and requires time to be with him. More important than what we say is the love and desire we have for God. Her prayer led her to begin a reform of her order, the Carmelites, which was met with hostility. She founded the Discalced Carmelites and in 1970 was declared a doctor of the Church for her writings on prayer, which include The Way of Perfection (1583) and The Interior Castle (1588). (Source)
 
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  Trivia  
 
Q. What is the most common use of a "tetramorph" in Christian art?

Please send your answers to [email protected]. 

Last week's question and answer:

Q. What tragic event began on October 8, 1871?

A. Donna Ashton from Catholic Charities Trenton was the first to answer "the great Chicago Fire." Donna remembers singing a song when she was a child about Mrs. O'Leary's cow starting the fire. "On October 8, 1871, flames spark in the Chicago barn of Patrick and Catherine O'Leary, igniting a two-day blaze that kills between 200 and 300 people, destroys 17,450 buildings, leaves 100,000 homeless and causes an estimated $200 million (in 1871 dollars; roughly $4 billion in 2021 dollars) in damages."
 
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  Connections  
 
Please share the weekly with your friends, family and networks so that we can build a movement of solidarity for those most in need!

You can also access advocacy opportunities through our advocacy and policy page.

Stay connected with our work to end poverty, follow us on Twitter at @CCharitiesUSA.

If you would like to help further Catholic Charities' commitment to alleviating, reducing, and preventing poverty you can contribute here.
 
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