July 24, 2020

Weekly Wrap Up

Week 30 (July 19)

This week, the House continued to fight against hate and injustice by passing legislation to remove the bust of Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, Confederate statues, and other reminders of slavery and segregation from the U.S. Capitol.
 
Additionally, on the House floor this week, Congress passed the bipartisan FY2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), to strengthen America’s security and maintain military readiness; the NO BAN Act, to prevent the president from abusing his authority to restrict the entry of non-citizens into the United States on a discriminatory basis; and the Access to Counsel Act, to ensure that certain individuals who are subjected to prolonged inspection by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at ports of entry have a meaningful opportunity to communicate with counsel and other interested parties.
 
The House also passed the Great American Outdoors Act to invest in our national parks and public lands and support American conservation long into the future.
 
Lastly, the House passed an appropriations minibus containing four FY2021 bills: State-Foreign Operations, Agriculture-Rural Development-FDA, Interior-Environment, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs. The minibus makes robust investments to safeguard our national security, support our troops and veterans, advance American values and interests, protect the environment, preserve our treasured lands, expand opportunity for Native Americans and Americans in rural areas, and improve global health.

This Week’s Work 

This week, Congressman Correa:

  • Questioned FEMA’s preparedness during a Homeland Security Committee hearing on our nation’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

  • Worked to hold future presidents accountable, by passing two oversight and accountability bills out of the House Judiciary Committee.

This Week’s Votes

This week, the House passed: 

H.R. 6395 –  William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (NDAA) – Authorizes $732 billion in discretionary spending for our national defense for FY 2021.

  • Creates a Pandemic Preparedness and Resilience National Security Fund, directing $1 billion to proactively increase the country’s ability to prepare for and respond to future pandemics.

  • Authorizes a 3 percent pay increase for service men and women.

  • Invests in key military infrastructure and provides crucial support to training and sustainment activities that continue to enhance military operations.

  • Requires DOD to change the names of all military bases and infrastructure named for individuals who served in the Confederacy within one year.

  • Prohibits the public display of the Confederate flag on Department of Defense installations.

  • Creates a more diverse military by creating a Special Investigator to investigate racial disparities in the Military Justice System and establishes Chief Diversity Officers throughout the military.

H.R. 7608 – State, Foreign Operations, Agriculture, Rural Development, Interior, Environment, Military Construction, and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2021.

Division A (State-Foreign Operations) provides $65.87 billion in funding for the Department of State, the United States Agency for International Development, and other international programs and activities.

  • Includes $10.018 billion in emergency funding for coronavirus preparedness, response, and relief globally.

  • Provides $47.85 billion in base discretionary funding for the State Department, USAID, commissions and related agencies under the jurisdiction of the subcommittee.

  • Rejects the administration’s proposed cuts that would endanger national security and diminish America’s global standing. This includes specifically restoring funding for the World Health Organization, which President Trump has threatened to cut off. 

Division B (Agriculture-Rural Development-FDA) provides $153 billion in both discretionary and mandatory funding, which prioritizes important agricultural and food programs and services.

  • Provides a total of more than $4.214 billion for rural development programs, which help create an environment for economic growth by providing business and housing opportunities and building sustainable rural infrastructure for the modern economy.

  • Invests over $1.025 billion, an increase of $435 million above the FY 2020 enacted level, in the expansion of broadband service to provide economic development opportunities and improved education and healthcare services.

  • Includes funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and child nutrition programs.

Division C (Interior-Environment) provides $36.76 billion in regular appropriations to fund programs within the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other related agencies, including the Indian Health Service.

  • Includes $15 billion in emergency supplemental appropriations for critical infrastructure.

  • Provides a total of $13.83 billion in appropriations for the Department of the Interior (DOI).

  • Provides a total of $9.38 billion in for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

Division D (Military Construction and Veterans Affairs) provides $250.9 billion in both discretionary and mandatory funding for military personnel, bolstering resources for military families, and providing robust funding for veterans’ benefits, healthcare, and other programs.

  • Provides a total of $10.1 billion, not including overseas contingency operations funding, for military construction.

  • Provides a total of $104.8 billion in discretionary appropriations for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

  • Provides an additional $350 million to Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) for military construction projects in countries with ongoing U.S. operations and the European Deterrence Initiative to combat Russian aggression.

H.R.7573 – Removes certain statues of individuals in the United States Capitol who supported the Confederate States of America, white supremacy, or slavery.

  • Removes all statues of individuals who voluntarily served the Confederate States of America.

  • Directs the Architect of the Capitol to replace the bust of Roger Brooke Taney in the Old Supreme Court Chamber of the United States Capitol with a bust of Thurgood Marshall. 

  • Removes certain statues of individuals who supported white supremacy, including Charles B. Aycock, John C. Calhoun, James P. Clarke, and John C. Breckinridge.

  • Returns statues to the States, Smithsonian Institution, or Architect of the Capitol and Joint Committee on the Library.

H.R.2214 – NO BAN Act (National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants Act) – Stops executive overreach by preventing the president from abusing his authority to restrict the entry of non-citizens into the United States. 

  • Repeals several of President Trump’s section 212(f)-based executive actions, including the original Muslim ban.

  • Prohibits religious discrimination in immigration-related decisions.

  • Ensures that any suspension or restriction on immigration is based on specific and credible facts, is narrowly tailored, specifies a duration, and includes waivers.

H.R.5581 – Access to Counsel Act of 2020 – Ensures persons who present themselves at the border, airports, or other points of entry have a meaningful opportunity to communicate with counsel and other interested parties.

  • Amends section 235 of the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to ensure individuals with valid travel documents can communicate with counsel and other interested parties, if subjected to secondary inspection by CBP for at least an hour.
  • Permits counsel and interested parties to appear in person at the port of entry but also gives DHS and CBP discretion to determine how the consultation occurs.

H.R.7092 – Great American Outdoors Act – Establishes the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund to support deferred maintenance projects on federal lands.

  • Provides permanent, dedicated funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), the nation’s premier recreation and preservation support program.

  • Addresses the $12 billion maintenance backlog in our national parks and public lands.

Catch Us In The News

What We’re Reading

Looking Ahead

Next week, Congressman Correa will continue to hold the Department of Justice accountable and will be joining an emergency hearing to investigate the Department of Homeland Security’s actions in Portland and other metropolitan areas around the country. 

Check back next week to learn more about how Congressman Correa is fighting for Orange County.