December 22

This week in MORE POWER:
Biden Supplemental Pushed to 2024
Government Surveillance
Avoiding Flight Disruptions
Tribal Land Rights Progress
Senate Natural Disaster Bills

This week, the Senate returned to D.C. after originally planning to be home for the holiday recess. They voted on bills Monday and Tuesday, then headed back to their districts. The House went home last week.

Biden Supplemental Pushed to 2024

Negotiations between Senate Republicans and Democrats on President Biden’s $106B security funding request for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and the U.S-Mexico border will continue into 2024. Though the Senate extended their time in D.C., they did not come to an agreement on the bill. In a joint statement, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, (D-NY) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, (R-KY) said negotiations will continue into the new year. They hope to hold a vote on a bill that all parties can agree on in early January. Have a view on this that you would like to share?

Sign in to Contact Your Reps Here

Government Surveillance

Last week, Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which included a temporary extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) through the Spring. FISA contains the controversial program known as Section 702 that the FBI has used for warrantless data collection on Americans, including members of Congress, January 6th insurrectionists, and Black Lives Matter protestors.

The FISA program will expire on April 19, unless Congress reauthorizes it. Both chambers have their own version of a bill to do just that. The House bill FISA Reform and Reauthorization Act aims to reform section 702 and protect Americans from warrantless surveillance by the federal government. The Senate bill is 10 pages shorter but it has the same aims, as both Democrats and Republicans want to reform section 702.

Civil liberties groups like the Brennan Center for Justice have already come out against it, calling the bill “the biggest expansion of American government surveillance since the Patriot Act” and noting that members of Congress get special treatment that everyday Americans don’t receive.

Sign In To Read About The Bill and Take Action

Keeping Americans Flying

This week, the Senate passed the Airport and Airway Extension Act, sending it to the President for his signature, which would make it law. The House passed the bill earlier in the month before they left D.C. for the holiday break. The bill extends Congress’ deadline to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) into the spring. That means airlines can’t blame any holiday travel delays on the federal government.

Each chamber of Congress has its own bill to fully reauthorize the FAA. The House passed the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act this summer, and the Senate introduced the FAA Reauthorization Act, which includes mandated passenger compensation for canceled flights that the House bill does not. Congress now has until March 8 to reauthorize the FAA and avoid immediate and significant disruptions to air travel. You can use the links above to read about the bills, and take action.

Tribal Land Rights Progress

This week, the Senate passed two bills that restore tribal rights to lands in Oregon that had been taken away by the federal government: the Grand Ronde Reservation Act Amendment and the Siletz Reservation Act. Once the president signs these bills into law, the Grande Ronde and Siletz tribes will be able to determine how to use their lands and can now profit from development on these lands.

Senate Natural Disaster Bills

There have been many news stories and viral clips on climate change related weather events like floods and wildfires this year. Because this Congress is divided, bills on emergency management and clean-up of natural disasters are some of the only ones that passed. The Senate continued the trend this week by passing three bills on the topic:

The Disaster Contract Improvement Act would provide more collaboration, oversight, and accountability on debris removal contracts among all levels of government.
The NWR Modernization Act and National Weather Service Communications Improvement Act would improve the ability of the National Weather Services to provide staff communications as well as radio connectivity to weather information.

You can use the links above to read about the bills, and take action.