Private Catholic schools will be eligible for federal pandemic aid through the COVID-19 relief bill approved by Congress yesterday, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops confirmed today. Congress has approved $82 billion for public and private K-12 schools, and the vast majority of those federal dollars will go to a $54.3 billion fund for public…Read More
With nearly all U.S. House and Senate races decided, Congress will be sharply divided the next two years—possibly undermining the viability of extreme pro-abortion policies. A Senate majority will hinge upon two Jan. 5 runoff elections in Georgia. Republicans would only need one of these seats to keep the Senate, but if Democrats sweep both…Read More
In a largely-unreported-but-hope-inspiring victory for pro-life Americans, the number of pro-life women in the U.S. House of Representatives will more than double in the new Congress. The 2020 election resulted in 16 — and counting — pro-life female candidates elected to the House for the first time; 11 more incumbents held their seats, with three…Read More
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on Wednesday urged the Trump administration to resume negotiations for further COVID-19 financial relief, after President Trump reportedly ordered negotiations to cease Tuesday. The bishops on Oct. 7 urged reconsideration “in light of the acute needs of millions of Americans for immediate assistance.” “In this moment of crisis, let…Read More
As the Senate is expected to consider a pared-down coronavirus relief package this week, the U.S. bishops’ conference is calling for immediate and substantial aid. The head of the U.S. bishops’ domestic justice committee, Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City, called on Congress to pass a bill “that meets the urgent needs of the nation.”…Read More
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has signaled that a prohibition on federal funding for abortion will be excluded from spending bills next year if Democrats retain a majority in the House of Representatives, setting the state for the end of a 44-year-old bipartisan agreement on abortion funding. The Los Angeles Times reported on Friday that Speaker Pelosi…Read More
U.S. Senator James Lankford is leading a bipartisan group of Senators hoping to expand the federal tax deduction for charitable giving. The bill is called the Universal Giving Pandemic Response Act. It expands the above-the-line deduction for donations to non-profits, houses of worship, religious organizations and charities. “Nonprofits uphold Americans in our times of greatest…Read More
As Congress considers additional COVID relief efforts in the coming weeks, it should focus especially on the needs of the poor and vulnerable, said the head of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development. “As Congress turns once more to considering additional relief related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the focus should be…Read More
More than 130 members of Congress are asking the Supreme Court to allow states to defund Planned Parenthood. In an amicus brief filed at the Supreme Court on Wednesday, 108 representatives and 29 senators argued that states should have the flexibility to determine qualified Medicaid providers. They urged the Supreme Court to hear South Carolina’s…Read More
U.S. Reps. Kendra Horn and Tom Cole will self-quarantine for two weeks because they had contact with fellow House members who tested positive for COVID-19. Horn, D-Oklahoma City, and Cole, R-Moore, said they were taking the advice of the House attending physician. Both said on Thursday they had no symptoms and felt fine. Horn had…Read More