Wednesday, October 16, 2013

CFRW: LEGISLATIVE ALERT

Good morning,

Well, the games in Washington continue. There is much talk going on in Washington with much of it seeming to be in code. Initials are used for everything. I wonder how many people know what this all means.

CR - Continuing Resolution: This is a type of appropriations legislation used by Congress to fund government agencies if a formal appropriations bill has not been signed into law by the end of the Congressional fiscal year. A continuing resolution must be passed by both Houses of Congress and the President or passed with a majority large enough to override a Presidential veto.

Debt Ceiling: This is the upper limit set on the amount of money that the government may borrow.

Debt Ceiling Suspension: A suspension means that the current debt limit is maintained and the government continues to borrow. When the end date of the suspension is reached, the money the government borrowed during the suspension is added to the debt limit and that is the new debt ceiling figure. Raising the debt ceiling by a dollar amount may curb potential spending because if that happens everyone will know by what exact amount the borrowing authority of the Treasury has been raised as opposed to a guessing game.

On his radio show, Mark Levin gave his opinion of why there is such a difficult time to get an agreement in Washington. He stated that President Obama is aiming to seize the power of the purse from Congress and take away their ability to control funding in the government. He describes it as a coup by the Executive to limit the power of all other branches so there are no checks and balances. Obama will set spending levels and veto any bills that fall short of his demands as he threatens to single handedly push the nation into a default.

It would be a great thing, in my opinion, if the Republicans in Congress, openly challenged the President and the Democrats on what they are really doing. More importantly, the Republicans need to get this information out to the general public. President Obama has not given an inch.

I have learned that many Democrats are calling our Republican office holders and pushing the President's and Senate Democrat’s agenda. My suggestion is that Republican Women call Senate Democrat offices a nd push an agenda of passing legislation that funds the various parts of the government as Congressional Republicans have done.

Barbara Boxer CA (202) 224-3553 Fax (202) 224-0454
Diane Feinstein CA (202) 224-3841 Fax (202) 228-3954
Harry Reid NV (202) 224-3542 Fax (202) 224-7327
Charles Schumer NY (202) 224-6542 Fax (202) 228-3027
Patty Murray WA (202) 224-2621 Fax (202) 224-0238
Richard Durbin IL (202) 224-2152 Fax (202) 228-0400

Of course, call Republicans to offer support in urging them to stay strong.

Thank you for all your work,
Edelweiss Geary
Legislative Issues Chair
CFRW - Northern Division