The Respect for Marriage Act passed in the House last week, ensuring that, in the words of outgoing Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, “the federal government will never again stand in the way of marrying the person you love.” President Biden has said he will promptly sign the measure.
Meanwhile, jockeying over must-pass funding bills and other key legislation continues in the lame duck Congress. Funding for most federal agencies, including the Department of Education, runs out this Friday, Dec. 16.
We expect Congress to pass a one-week, short-term patch while continuing to pursue a funding deal that requires the support of at least 10 Republican senators. The current stalemate is part gamesmanship (the House flips to GOP control on Jan. 3) and part battle over how much to invest in two major types of programs—defense and non-defense.
Timing matters. Final FY2023 funding bills could be crafted by the 117th Congress in which Democrats control both the Senate and the House—or the 118th Congress in which Democrats control the Senate 51-49 and Republicans have a narrow House majority.
NEA President Becky Pringle has spoken directly with congressional leaders about our priorities. They include increased funding for federal education programs, especially those serving the students most in need; renewing the Child Tax Credit that cut the child poverty rate nearly in half; and passing the Electoral Count Reform Act to ensure that the electoral votes tallied by Congress accurately reflect the people’s vote in each state.
Email your senators and representative today!
Sincerely,
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.
JEER: 204 House Republicans voted against the Respect for Marriage Act, including 7 who supported it during an earlier vote in July: Reps. Brian Mast (FL), Dan Meuser (PA), Scott Perry (PA), Maria Elvira Salazar (FL), Cliff Bentz (OR), Mario Díaz-Balart (FL), and Jeff Van Drew (NJ).
