Saturday, August 27, 2022

Student Loans, Monkey Pox

Chairman Palmer Denounces Biden's Student Loan Bailout Plan
Source: U.S. Representative Gary Palmer (R-AL, 6th)
August 24, 2022
“The decision by the Biden Administration to write-off $300 billion of student loan debt this year will make the inflation crisis worse,” said Chairman Palmer. “This is an incredibly insensitive decision that almost entirely benefits higher wage earners who attended college at the expense of everyone else who either paid for their college educations or never attended college. This vote-buying scheme should further expose the fact that Democrats are not the least bit concerned that 61 percent of American households are now living paycheck-to-paycheck. Even Democrat economists like Larry Summers have warned that families all across America are struggling to make ends meet, including senior citizens and others on fixed incomes, and adding another $300 billion in federal spending this year will only make their situations worse.”
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Padilla Joins Local Leaders in San Francisco to Advocate for Additional Monkeypox Vaccines and Equitable Distribution
Source: Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA)
August 25, 2022
“One of the lessons we learned from the COVID pandemic was that a sustained period of limited vaccine availability early in a public health crisis is a recipe for disaster,”said Senator Padilla. “But, unlike COVID, we already have an approved vaccine ready to deploy against Monkeypox. That is why I’ve called on HHS and the CDC to ramp up their efforts to increase vaccine access, and I’ll continue working to ensure that all resources from the federal government are equitably distributed to all corners of California.”
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Tuesday, August 9, 2022

Inflation Reduction Act, Chalking Tires, Learning Loss

Rep. Ilhan Omar Statement in Support of Inflation Reduction Act
Source: U.S. Representative Lihan Omar (D-MN, 6th)
August 8, 2022
“The Inflation Reduction Act is a historic bill. With the Senate’s passage, we are one step closer to passing the biggest climate bill ever, lowering drug prices, taxing wealthy corporations, and more. The bill includes a much needed tax on corporate buybacks of their own stocks, averts a benefits cliff by extending health care subsidies for 3 years, allows Medicare to negotiate drug prices, and would reduce carbon emissions by roughly 40 percent by 2030.
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Oxfam hails passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in the Senate
Source: OxFam America
August 8, 2022
We are pleased to see the Senate finally take much needed action on climate change, taxes, and healthcare, and we especially praise historic investments to combat climate change. While this legislation is far from perfect, as it makes damaging concessions at the behest of the fossil fuel industry and ignores the care crisis in this country, it does show that government can move the ball forward on key issues. We join activists across the country celebrating this passage, and urge the House of Representatives to quickly pass it as well, and for President Biden to sign it into law.
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Federal Court Finds Tire Chalking Unconstitutional, Orders Payment for Each Swipe of the Chalk
Source: Outside Legal Counsel
August 8, 2022
On August 8, 2022, the US Federal District Court in Bay City, Michigan issued its long-awaited decision and final judgment in the legal challenge to 'tire chalking' - the practice of surreptitiously placing chalk on the tires of privately-owned vehicles (without a valid warrant or consent) to gather information about the movement (or non-movements) of publicly parked vehicles. Federal Judge Thomas L. Ludington today held and confirmed that tire chalking is unconstitutional.
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Owens Introduces Bill to Empower Parents to Solve the Learning Loss Crisis
Source: U.S. Representative Burgess Owens (R-UT, 4th)
August 8, 2022
“As pandemic learning loss continues to crush the academic progress of millions of students across the country, only 7% of the so-called solution – $122 billion in American Rescue Plan funding – has been spent,” said Rep. Owens. “Not only is our nation falling behind as a leader in education, but our one-size-fits-all system is leaving our most vulnerable kids behind and pushing parents out of the driver’s seat. I am proud to introduce the RECOVER Act with Senator Scott to bring parents off the sidelines of their kid’s education by allowing states to reallocate billions in unspent dollars so that low-income students can receive the targeted support they need to reach their God-given potential.”
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