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July 1, 2023

Raising the Debt Ceiling, Protecting Air Travel and Repealing the Iraq AUMF

Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (HR 3746) – This Act represents a compromise reached by House Republicans and President Biden. Republicans negotiated concessions in exchange for voting to raise the debt ceiling to maintain solvency of the federal government. These concessions included universal cuts to federal spending, the suspension of student loan repayments that began during the pandemic, additional work requirements for some Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients, and suspending the current $31.4 trillion debt ceiling until 2025.The bill was introduced by Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) on May 29. The legislation was passed in the House on May 31, in the Senate on June 1, and signed into law on June 2 – just in time to avert the global financial crisis it would have triggered by June 5.

NOTAM Improvement Act of 2023 (HR 346) – This bill was introduced in the House by Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN) on Jan. 12. This Act instructs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to establish a federal NOTAM system (notice to air missions, as required by international or domestic law) as well as an accompanying task force. The task force is directed to evaluate existing regulations, policies, systems and international standards relating to NOTAMs; determine best practices; and make recommendations to improve the publication and delivery of NOTAM information. This bill passed in the House on Jan. 25, passed with changes in the Senate on May 9, finalized in the House on May 22 and was signed by the president on June 3.

A bill to amend the Tariff Act of 1930 to protect personally identifiable information, and for other purposes (S 758) – This bill would require the Treasury Department to removepersonal traveler information, such as Social Security and passport numbers, from transportation manifests before they become accessible to the public. The bipartisan bill was introduced by Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) on March 9and passed in the Senate on the same day. It is presently under review in the House.

A bill to repeal the authorizations for use of military force against Iraq (S 316) – The purpose of this bipartisan bill is to repeal a decades-old AUMF (Authorization for Use of Military Force) against Iraq. This repeal restores Congress’ constitutional responsibility to undertake the traditional process for approving the use of military force. The bill was introduced on Feb. 9 by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and was co-sponsored by 31 Democrats, 12 Republicans and three Independents. The bill passed in the Senate on March 29 and is currently under consideration in the House.

Administrative False Claims Act of 2023 (S 659) – Introduced by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) on March 6, this bill would modify the current provisions of fraud committed against the federal government. The current maximum fraud claim is $150,000; the bill would raise that limit to $1 million, as well as enable the federal government to recoup expenses related to the investigation and prosecution of each case. The Senate passed the bill on March 30 before sending it to the House, where it awaits a vote.


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