April 12th

This week in MORE POWER:

Spy Program Gets a Green Light

Come for Ukraine, Stay for the Flowers

More Student Loan Forgiveness

Tax Bill Stalled in the Final Hour

Impeachment Driving a Wedge in Congress

Spy Program Gets a Green Light

Today, the House reauthorized a controversial government spy program, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), allowing intelligence agencies to collect communications from foreign targets without a warrant. It was set to expire next week and the reauthorization bill faced resistance from both Republicans and Democrats. Speaker Mike Johnson made concessions to appease holdouts, shortening the extension period for the surveillance power and offering a separate vote on legislation preventing data brokers from selling consumer information to law enforcement. However, the bill does not include a warrant requirement for searches related to Americans' data collected under the program, a change backed by privacy advocates. The Senate is expected to vote on the bill next week before the program expires on April 19, even though some Republicans in the House are trying to further stall the effort by using procedural votes to force a re-vote on the entire bill.

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Come for Ukraine, Stay for the Flowers

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and top U.S. defense officials are stressing the urgency of providing military aid to Ukraine to prevent losing the war to Russia. House Speaker Mike Johnson faces pressure from both parties to put a Ukraine aid bill on the floor, but some GOP hardliners warn this could jeopardize his speakership. Despite ongoing negotiations, there has been little progress internally, with discussions centering on whether to adopt the Senate's $95 billion foreign aid package, which includes $60 billion in aid for Ukraine. Support for Ukraine aid has increased among Americans since last November, according to a Gallup poll released today. More than a third of respondents, 36%, said they believe the U.S. is not doing enough to help Ukraine in its war against Russia. An equal percentage said the U.S. is doing too much to aid Kyiv more than two years after Moscow invaded Ukraine.

This week, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida addressed Congress to urge them to send funding to Ukraine. In his speech, he reassured the American people that Japan would also aid the effort and considers itself the U.S.’s closest ally. Of course, what made the rounds on social media was that he pledged to send us more cherry blossom trees.

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More Student Loan Forgiveness

The Biden administration announced the cancellation of an additional $7.4 billion in student loan debt for 277,000 borrowers, using existing forgiveness programs. The administration has now authorized the cancellation of $153 billion in student loan debt for nearly 4.3 million people, around 9% of all outstanding federal student loan debt. Critics, particularly Republicans, argue that Biden's student loan forgiveness initiatives transfer costs to taxpayers and circumvent the Supreme Court. Republican-led states have sued over the income-driven repayment plan, known as SAVE, which offers generous terms for low-income borrowers. The plan has seen significant enrollment, with nearly 8 million borrowers enrolled and about 360,000 people having their debt canceled. Biden's original attempt at a sweeping student loan forgiveness program was struck down by the Supreme Court, but his administration has pursued other avenues to provide relief.

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Tax Bill Stalled in the Final Hour

Tax day is April 15 and Senate Republicans are moving closer to blocking a bipartisan bill that would expand the child tax credit and provide breaks for businesses. The $78 billion Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 passed the House with strong bipartisan support, 357-70. It faces hurdles in the Senate due to demands for major revisions from key Republicans. Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) have expressed skepticism about the bill's chances of passing without substantial changes, like spending cuts to fund the child tax credit expansion. The demands pose challenges, as they risk fracturing the bipartisan coalition that enabled the bill's passage in the House. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats are eager to pass the legislation, which could benefit millions of children in low-income households.

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Impeachment Driving a Wedge in Congress

House Speaker Mike Johnson will delay sending articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the Senate until next week. Senate Democrats, controlling the chamber, were expected to swiftly dismiss or table the impeachment articles, but Republicans insist on a full Senate trial focused on Mayorkas' handling of border security. Some Republicans have threatened to block all Senate business if a full trial isn't held. Despite the delay, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer reaffirmed the Senate's readiness to proceed quickly with the trial. The delay provides Republicans with additional time to debate the articles and criticize the Democrats' handling of the matter.

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