The House was in session from Monday through Thursday. The Senate was also in session and considered nominations.
In a normal election year, this would have been one of the last weeks of session before Congress adjourned so members could go home and campaign. But 2020 is not a normal year.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has announced she will keep the House in session until there is a deal on a coronavirus spending bill. However, this does not mean the House will actually be in session and voting every week until a deal is reached. Instead, the House is likely to be in pro forma session most of those days. This is where the House gavels in for five minutes and does not take any votes. A pro forma session only requires one or two members to actually be in D.C. So, representatives can be on the campaign trail while Pelosi talks to the national media about how Democrats are staying in DC to work on a coronavirus spending deal.
Pelosi’s announcement shows the Democrats think they have a winning issue on spending another $3 trillion on a coronavirus spending bill. Hopefully, the Republican Senate and the Trump Administration will hold firm and not grant Pelosi’s wish for a $3 trillion bill.
This week, the House considered HR 2639. This bill would create a new grant program in the Department of Education to “promote diversity.”
In other words, it spends taxpayer money on social engineering, thus expanding federal control of schools.
Instead of wasting money on these types of schemes, Congress should shut down the Department of Education and use the savings to expand education savings accounts, so parents have control over their education dollars and thus, control their child’s education. This would improve education for all children.
The bill passed the House by a vote of 248-167. You can see the vote here.
The House also considered HR 2574. This bill would create a new federal action against recipients of federal education grants for policies that have a “disparate impact” on different races or nationalities. Those found guilty of having policies that have a “disparate impact” will face the same penalties given to those who intentionally discriminate.
The bill also requires the Department of Education to appoint at least one “compliance officer” to make sure the new law is being enforced. The department must also appoint a Special Assistant for Equity and Inclusion.
This is another waste of money to promote a leftist agenda. It also sets a dangerous precedent by punishing those who did not intend to violate the law the same as those who did and further divides individuals by race. Race-based classifications imposed by government have no place in a free society.
The bill passed by a vote of 232-188. You can see the vote here.
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