THE LONG GAME: Spending deadlines loom; GOP members try to distance themselves from IVF ruling
Following the Presidents’ Day recess, lawmakers return to Washington this week to face a fast-approaching deadline to fund the government. According to the terms of the temporary spending bill, under which the government is currently operating, Congress will need to pass four appropriations bills to avert a partial government shutdown that would begin on March 1. A second deadline looms on March 8, when the second (and larger) amount of funding runs out. Far-right members continue to push for riders to appropriations bills on hot-button social issues. Members of the House Freedom Caucus said last week that they will continue to push for riders that would, among other things, defund Planned Parenthood and zero-out the salary of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. If such riders are not included in the spending measures, they would push for a bill to impose across-the-board cuts. Even so, there is a shrinking appetite for another short-term Continuing Resolution. Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN), the House Whip, told Bloomberg News last week that "you're not going to get another continuing resolution out of our conference."
Republicans on Capitol Hill were put on the defensive last week after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that embryos are people, putting IVF treatments at risk in that state. The Alabama ruling stems from the 2022 Dobbs decision, long sought by conservatives, that overturned Roe v. Wade. The Alabama case brings extra scrutiny to legislative efforts by the GOP that promote the idea that life begins at conception. In the current Congress, 124 Republican lawmakers, including Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), have co-sponsored a bill introduced by Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV) to grant equal protection under the 14th amendment to an embryo from the moment of fertilization. Now, GOP members are scrambling to distance themselves from this and similar proposals, and—their previous positions notwithstanding-- are even said to be weighing bills to explicitly protect IVF.
Washington Watch is published weekly when Congress is in session. Published monthly during extended recess or adjournment.
Spotlight on Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico financial institutions no longer on Treasury Department’s money laundering list
The U.S. Treasury Department this month removed international financial entities operating in Puerto Rico from its list of “vulnerabilities and risks” to federal efforts aimed at stopping money laundering and combatting the financing of terrorism, El Nuevo Día reports. The development should be of particular benefit to the Island’s credit unions. In recent years, several financial entities operating in Puerto Rico have been investigated for having allegedly engaged in money laundering or fraudulent acts. However, in its recent National Money Laundering Risk Assessment Report, the Treasury Department found that international banking entities (IBEs), international financial institutions (IFEs), and credit unions no longer pose a risk. The move was welcomed by the Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions (OCIF), which for the past three years has worked to ensure that Puerto Rico’s financial entities comply with applicable rules and regulations. “It is impossible to overstate the importance of this positive change in the U.S. Treasury’s assessment of these Puerto Rican financial entities and, by extension, the island’s entire financial and banking system,” said Natalia Zequeira Díaz, the commissioner of the OCIF.
Judge of Puerto Rican ancestry nominated for appeals court
Federal Judge Nancy Maldonado has been nominated by President Biden to serve on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. She currently sits on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. If confirmed, she would become the first Hispanic to serve on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, which reviews decisions by district courts in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. Maldonado’s father was born in Puerto Rico and emigrated to Utah before starting a business in Chicago. She is a graduate of Columbia Law School and Harvard University.
Puerto Rico looks to New York for immigrants with work permits
To address worker shortages and help in ongoing reconstruction efforts, the government of Puerto Rico is currently working with officials from the State of New York to identify immigrants with work permits who would be interested in moving to the Island. According to local press, discussions on the issue have been led by Puerto Rico Secretary of State Omar J. Marrero and New York Secretary of State Robert Rodríguez. “We are designing a pilot project to present to the two governors so we can implement it... The idea would be to use the private sector as an ally, with professional organizations in Puerto Rico and New York,” said Marrero. Additionally, the Puerto Rican governor’s office has requested that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grant special visas to bring workers from Latin America to Puerto Rico for a period of 18 months. Officials concede that DHS has yet to be receptive to that proposal.
View From The White House
President Biden last week signed an executive order and unveiled a new rule aimed at protecting the nation’s ports from cyber-attacks and giving the Coast Guard the authority to respond if a port facility is targeted by hackers.
The Biden Administration placed sanctions on more than 500 Russian officials on Friday in response to the death of Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny and coinciding with the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The White House announced that President Biden will visit the U.S.-Mexico border area on Thursday during a visit to Brownsville, Texas where he will meet with border patrol agents and call for Congress to act on border security.
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