The government in action
To keep readers
informed, the ICO will begin publishing significant events and actions of the
past week of the legislative, executive and judicial branches of the federal
government. To contact elected officials about these events or any others, see
the box on p. 13.
Monday, Jan.
23
á Trump reinstated the global gag
order, which forbids foreign nongovernmental organizations that receive certain
U.S. aid from talking to clients about abortion.
á HR610, a bill to distribute
funds for elementary and secondary education in the form of vouchers for
eligible students and to repeal a rule on nutrition standards in schools was
introduced in Congress.
Tuesday, Jan.
24
á The EPA and USDA were ordered
to stop communicating with the public through social media or the press and to
stop publishing their data, papers or research unless cleared with Trump
transition personnel.
á HR7, a bill that would prohibit
federal funding not only to abortion service providers, but to any insurance
coverage that provides abortion coverage, went to the floor of the House for a
vote. Does not apply to cases of rape or incest or when the life of the woman
is endangered.
á HR621, a bill to direct the
Secretary of the Interior to sell certain Federal lands in Arizona, Colorado,
Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming,
previously identified as suitable for disposal and for other purposes
introduced in Congress.
á HR622, a bill to terminate the
law enforcement functions of the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land
Management and to provide grants to states for the enforcement of Federal law
on Federal land introduced in Congress.
á HR669. A bill to prohibit the
conduct of a first-use nuclear strike absent a declaration of war by Congress
introduced in Congress.
á HR673, a bill to prohibit
United States contributions to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the Green
Climate Fund introduced in Congress.
á HR674, a bill to require each
agency to repeal or revise one or more existing regulations before issuing a
new regulation introduced in Congress.
Wednesday,
Jan. 25
á Trump signed an executive order
to begin building a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border that would cost an
estimated $20 billion to $35 billon. Congress must still appropriate funds.
á Trump signed an executive order
that threatens to cut off federal funding to so-called Òsanctuary cities.Ó
Thursday,
Jan. 26
á Vice President Mike Pence told
congressional Republicans that the administration will initiate a Òfull
evaluation of voting rolls in America, the overall integrity of our voting
system in the wake of this past election.Ó
Friday, Jan.
27
á Trump closed the nationÕs
borders to refugees from around the world, ordering families fleeing Syria be
indefinitely blocked from entering the United States and temporarily suspending
entry from several predominantly Muslim countries.
á HR707, a bill to permit Medicare eligible seniors to receive a voucher for a
health savings account, for premiums for a high deductible health insurance
plan, or both instead of regular Medicare benefits and suspending Medicare late
enrollment penalties between ages 65 and 70 introduced in Congress.
á HR714, a bill to provide for
the legitimate use of medicinal marijuana in accordance with the laws of the
various States.
á HR715, a bill to provide for
the rescheduling of marijuana, the medical use of marijuana in accordance with
State law, and the exclusion of cannabidiol from the definition of marijuana
introduced in Congress.
á HR717, a bill to amend the
Endangered Species Act to require review of the economic cost of adding a
species to the list of endangered species or threatened species introduced in
Congress.
Saturday,
Jan. 28
á
Refugees are detained at the airport; green card and visa holders
blocked from getting on flights to the U.S.
á A
late night ruling from federal judges stays part of TrumpÕs immigration ban.
Sunday, Jan.
29
á National Security Council is
reorganized putting Steve Bannon, TrumpÕs Chief Political Strategist and Senior
Counselor, and Reince Priebus, Chief of Staff, on the Principals Committee. The
Director of National Intelligence and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are
demoted to only attending meetings where issues pertaining to them directly are
to be discussed.