It’s official! Democrats have elected new leaders for the 118th Congress that convenes January 3. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY) will be the first Black member to lead either party or chamber. Minority Whip Katherine Clark (MA) and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (CA) round out the team.
With bipartisan support, the Senate passed the Respect for Marriage Act to ensure married same-sex and interracial couples enjoy the same legal recognition and protections as other married couples. Now headed back to the House for a final vote, the bill is expected to pass and become law by year’s end.
The rest of the lame duck session is slowly coming together and could extend until the holidays due to jockeying over must-pass legislation, including final FY2023 funding bills.
Federal funding for education has declined by $7 billion over the last decade (after adjusting for inflation), so we’re pushing for the largest possible increase.
Other NEA priorities include the enhanced Child Tax Credit that cut the child poverty rate nearly in half last year, the Electoral Count Reform Act, and the Assault Weapons Ban.
Email your senators and representative today!
Marc Egan
Government Relations Director
National Education Association
The 117th Congress must finish its work with a comprehensive FY2023 funding bill that prioritizes education to ensure equal opportunity—particularly in Black, brown and rural communities.
Restore the enhanced Child Tax Credit that cut child poverty nearly in half last year, make it fully refundable, and provide monthly payments to help working families make ends meet.
This bill would ensure that the electoral votes tallied by Congress accurately reflect the people’s vote and clarify that the vice president’s role is strictly ministerial: presiding over the counting of ballots in his or her capacity as president of the Senate.
Deaths from mass shootings fell during the decade the federal ban on assault weapons was in place and have risen sharply since it expired—further proof these weapons of war have no place on the streets of a civilized society.
CHEER: Republican Sens. Susan Collins (ME), Rob Portman (OH), Thom Tillis (NC), Roy Blunt (MO), Richard Burr (NC), Shelley Moore Capito (WV), Cynthia Lummis (WY), Lisa Murkowski (AK), Mitt Romney (UT), Dan Sullivan (AK), Todd Young (IN), and Joni Ernst (IA) joined Democrats to pass the Respect for Marriage Act by a vote of 61-36.
