Overview: This week, both the House and Senate were in session. On Thursday, Congress averted a government shutdown when both chambers voted to pass a stopgap bill to extend funding through Feb. 18. Lawmakers also continued to negotiate amendments to the annual National Defense Authorization Act. The Senate is also concentrated on gaining support to pass the Build Back Better Act, a $1.75 trillion social and climate spending budget reconciliation bill that Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is aiming to vote on before Christmas. This week, additional court rulings temporarily halted the administration's vaccine mandates. The vaccine mandate for larger (over 100) employers and the mandate for health workers have been temporarily halted across all states, while the federal contractor mandate has been temporarily halted by a Kentucky-based federal judge for federal contractors in Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. Build Back Better budget reconciliation bill: The future of the House-passed Build Back Better climate and safety net spending package still remains uncertain in the Senate. (Here's a summary of what's included in the House-passed bill.) The bill would require full support by Democrats to pass under the special budget reconciliation rules. Senator Manchin (D-WV) has raised concerns about passing the spending bill amid high inflation and has issues with provisions on paid leave, Medicare expansion and methane emissions. Senate Majority Leader Schumer may put the bill on the floor the week of Dec. 13. Economy: On Thursday, the Department of Labor reported that in the week ending Nov. 27, unemployment insurance weekly claims was 222,000, an increase of 28,000 from the previous week. The number remains near pre-pandemic levels after plummeting to a 52-year low before the Thanksgiving holiday. Employers added 210,000 jobs last month, the Labor Department reported Friday, well below the half-million gain that had been expected. The unemployment rate fell to 4.2 percent from 4.6 percent. Funding the government and national debt: Funding for the government was set to expire Dec. 3. and the debt ceiling will be exhausted Dec. 15, according to Treasury Secretary Yellen. Congress averted a government shutdown Thursday evening when both chambers voted to pass a stopgap bill to extend funding through Feb. 18 after party leaders brokered a deal to take a vote banning vaccine mandates that ultimately failed. The funding bill includes almost no changes to existing funding or policy except an additional $7 billion in spending to support the resettlement of Afghan refugees. (The Hill) Regarding the debt ceiling, Republicans and Democrats are at odds about who should shoulder responsibility for raising the debt cap. (CNBC) Covid-19 vaccination mandates: The administration's vaccine mandates for larger employers and health workers have been temporarily halted across all states and the federal contractor mandate has been temporarily halted in KY, OH and TN. For employers with over 100 employees, OSHA issued a rule on Nov. 5 that requires vaccines of all employees (or testing) starting Dec. 5. On Nov. 12, the U.S. Court of Appeals halted the OSHA vaccine mandate on the grounds that it exceeded OSHA's authority and OSHA subsequently suspended enforcement of its rule. On Nov. 16, the 34 cases challenging the OSHA larger employer vaccine mandate were sent to the Sixth Circuit which will issue a ruling on whether the OSHA mandate is legally valid. For health employers, the Biden administration's OSHA COVID Healthcare ETS was temporarily halted on Nov. 30 by a Louisiana-based federal judge, effectively blocking a vaccine mandate for health workers across the country at hospitals that receive federal funding. For federal contractors, on Nov. 30, the administration's vaccine mandate was temporarily halted by a Kentucky-based federal judge in Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. |
