THE DAILY WHIP: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2017
| HOUSE MEETS AT: | FIRST VOTE PREDICTED: | LAST VOTE PREDICTED: |
|---|---|---|
9:00 a.m.: Legislative Business | 10:15 – 10:30 a.m. | 10:30 – 11:15 a.m. |
Complete Consideration of H.R. 2792 – Control Unlawful Fugitive Felons Act of 2017 (Rep. Noem – Ways and Means) (One hour of debate). The Social Security Administration (SSA) is currently restricted from distributing any Social Security payments to those otherwise eligible if they are considered “fleeing felons.” Court cases helped settle the definition of what constituted a “crime of flight” in 2009 and 2010. Since that time, SSA has withheld benefits from those “fleeing to avoid prosecution, or custody or confinement after conviction” for a felony or violating a condition of probation or parole. The CUFF Act would return to an older, outdated definition for “fleeing felons” that would effectively cut off tens of thousands of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients with outdated or dormant warrants that law enforcement has no interest in pursuing. This change applies to SSI only, not to Social Security’s retirement or disability programs. SSI is a means tested federal income supplement primarily designed to help very low income older, blind, and disabled Americans meet basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter. As such, this change would directly impact the most vulnerable in our communities. This bill is being used as an offset for H.R. 2824which authorizes the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV) for five years. While MIECHV is a proven program that has provided over 2 million home visits to families in at-risk communities in order to help them improve their parenting skills and the lives of their children, it should not be paid for by taking money away from people with mental health issues, disabilities, and elderly individuals on the presumption of guilt. Upon passage of H.R. 2792, it will be added to H.R. 2824 and sent to the Senate as one package. The House passed H.R. 2824 on Tuesday. That vote can be found here. Bill Text for H.R. 2792: Background for H.R. 2792: Complete Consideration of H.R. 3823 – Disaster Tax Relief and Airport and Airway Extension Act (Rep. Brady (TX) – Ways and Means). This bill is largely similar to the bill that failed under suspension of the Rules on Monday of this week. That vote can be found here. This version of H.R. 3823 differs from the earlier version in that it fixes an omission that would have excluded residents of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands from receiving the limited disaster tax relief provided in the bill. The new version of the bill still includes extraneous provisions inserted by the Majority while omitting Democratic priorities. Notably, the Majority has still not provided a path forward to protect DREAMers from deportation. Due to President Trump’s elimination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, the future of over 800,000 young Americans hangs in the balance. While Congress wastes time adding Republican priorities to must pass legislation, thousands of young people are waiting and worrying about the prospect of being separated from their families and removed from the only country they have ever known. Members are urged to VOTE NO. Suspension (1 bill)
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| THE DAILY QUOTE |
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“President Donald Trump is heading to Indiana Wednesday to sell a tax-reform plan that glosses over one key question: Who loses?... The long-awaited proposal released Wednesday morning by the so-called Big Six is heavy on the GOP's tax cut desires and light when it comes to explaining whose taxes will have to go up to help control costs… It’s not that Republicans don’t necessarily know who they want to foot the bill for their plans. The game plan is to essentially launch a sneak attack on cherished tax breaks, in order to give opponents as little opportunity as possible to mount a counteroffensive.” - Politico 9/27/2017 |