THE LONG GAME: Jan. 6th panel begins work this week; Appropriations bills on House floor
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced the appointment of Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) to the special committee created to investigate the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol. The move comes after she rejected two of Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s picks for the committee: Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN). Both Jordan and Banks had echoed former President Donald Trump’s lies about the 2020 election and voted to block certification of President Biden’s victory. Pelosi had previously selected Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY)-- who, like Kinzinger, was one of ten Republicans to vote for Trump’s impeachment-- to the panel. McCarthy has reportedly threatened to strip any other GOP members of their committee assignments if they participate in the panel’s work. The committee is scheduled to begin its work this week. Today members will hear testimony from four police officers who helped fend off the rioters who stormed the Capitol.
Congress will begin in earnest its efforts to pass appropriations bills this week, with the House scheduled to take up a package that combines seven different bills into one. The Labor-HHS-Education, Agriculture, Energy-Water, Financial Services, Interior-Environment, Military Construction-VA and Transportation-HUD bill calls for $617 billion in funding for FY 2022. That accounts for approximately 40 percent of operating budgets for federal agencies for the fiscal year that begins October 1. The bill also includes some key policy changes, among them the removal of the Hyde Amendment, which for more than 40 years has barred federal spending on abortion services, with exceptions for rape, incest or to save the life of the mother. The pace of action has been slower in the Senate, where mark-ups have not yet been held, raising the likelihood that a Continuing Resolution will be required to keep the government operating.
Washington Watch is published weekly when Congress is in session. Published monthly during extended recess or adjournment.
Spotlight on Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico coronavirus statistics for July 26
According to the Puerto Rico Health Department, 281,462 people are believed to have been infected with COVID-19, an increase of 2,604 since July 19. This points to another sharp increase in the rate of new cases, as the increase between July 12 (when the total was 276,844) and July 19 was 2,014. The death toll is currently 2,568, with 7 of those registered in the last week. Comparatively, 6 people died from the virus between July 12 and July 19.
On Friday, July 23, 2021, the Health Department once again changed the way it recorded cases. On its new COVID information dashboard, the Department no longer displays suspicious cases (as determined by serological, non-diagnostic testing) which at last count accounted for 137,262 of all recorded COVID cases in Puerto Rico. Still tracked are confirmed cases (as determined by molecular diagnostic testing) and probable cases (as determined by antigen testing); as of today, the cumulative number of confirmed cases since the virus arrived on the Island is 125,564 and the number of probable cases is 18,636.
There are an estimated 2.8 million people in Puerto Rico who are eligible for the vaccine: 74.6 percent of that population has been partially vaccinated, while 65.2 percent has been fully vaccinated. As with the mainland United States, the loosening of safety measures, combined with the incomplete vaccination of the Island, has resulted in considerable lost ground in the battle against COVID. Positivity rates are on the increase, even as the amount of testing itself increases. Some entities have begun once again strengthening restrictions; for example, schools will require students to be vaccinated and masked, making Puerto Rico the only place in the U.S. where vaccinations will be required at schools.
White House Puerto Rico Working Group holds its first meeting
Recently revived by President Biden, the White House Puerto Rico Working Group held its first meeting last week, with the aim of facilitating the Island’s reconstruction. Attendees at the meeting included ten members of President Biden's Cabinet and four deputy agency secretaries, according to the White House. The meeting was led by Julie Chávez Rodríguez, White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs; Brian Deese, director of the National Economic Council; and Susan Rice, director of the Domestic Public Policy Council.
According to the White House’s statement on the matter, the Working Group’s inaugural meeting was spent discussing President Biden’s plans for Puerto Rico following the crises brought on by the 2017 hurricanes and the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were also briefed by the Treasury Department, HUD, and FEMA on their efforts to develop a strategy for Puerto Rico’s recovery.
Among the topics not discussed at the meeting was status, which is not considered one of the Working Group’s priorities. "We don't have jurisdiction on status, but we do have jurisdiction on the billions of dollars that have gone to the Island," said Gretchen Sierra-Zorita, the White House's associate director for Puerto Rico and the territories.
Truckers strike to obtain cargo rate increase
Puerto Rico's truckers spent two days on strike last week seeking increased cargo rates, which are set by the Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTOP) and have not increased (except for adjustments for inflation) since 2005. A 35 percent increase in rates had been set last year, but was placed on hold after being challenged in the courts. The strike ended on July 22 when a temporary agreement was reached between La Fortaleza and the Frente Amplio de Camioneros, the union representing the truckers, calling for implementation of the previously-blocked 35 percent rate increase.
However, not present during the final negotiations was the Financial Oversight and Management Board (FOMB), which considered the rates to run counter to its existing financial plan. “The [Pierluisi] Administration failed in its responsibility to protect the economy…and proceeded to implement a regulation that is categorically outside the bounds of Puerto Rican law and the fiscal plan,” said FOMB member Antonio Medina in an interview with El Nuevo Día.” The government, meanwhile, has vowed to defend the increase.
Puerto Rico government announces rent assistance program for COVID victims
Acting Governor Omar Marrero announced last week that $325 million in federal funds would be available for rent and utility assistance for residents affected during the pandemic, under a new Rent Assistance Program. The program would cover up to fifteen months of overdue rent, or fifteen months of overdue power or water bills, dating back to April 2020.
The program is available to those who have had their income reduced due to COVID, lost their jobs, or are up to five months behind on rent or utility payments due to the pandemic. Priority will be given to those who have received unemployment insurance paychecks 90 days before their application, as well as families whose income is below 80 percent of the median income of their area of residence.
View From The White House
The Biden Administration announced that it was placing sanctions on the head of Cuba’s armed forces and on a special brigade of the nation’s Interior Ministry for its role in the crackdown that followed anti-government protests.
President Biden said Sunday that “there must be a pathway to citizenship” for Dreamers, but it “remains to be seen” whether such a provision will be part of the $3.5 trillion budget package that Democrats hope to pass through reconciliation.
The Department of Homeland Security announced Friday that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection was canceling two contracts to construct a 31-mile section of border wall along the Rio Grande near Laredo, Texas.
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