Congressional Dish

This episode is dedicated to my family, friends, and neighbors in Boston.

The House passed two bills this week designed to prevent regulation enforcement; one prevents environmental reviews on certain hydro-power projects, the other prevents the National Labor Relations Board from functioning at all. A small conduit hydroelectic project[/caption] Links to Information in this Podcast Song: by (downloaded from ) Text of the bill: Song: Work Til You Die by (downloaded from ) Text of the bill: Representatives quoted in this episode:

Part 3 of the continuing resolution followed by a history of Trailblazer and ThinThread, the NSA's spying programs. *Forward to 28:20 to hear the Trailblazer vs. Thinthread (NSA spying) story* Executive Producer: Kevin B= Billion M= Million DIVISION E: VETERANS Title I—Department of Defense Construction (TOTAL: $10.6 B) $1.7 B: Army construction available until 2017 for "acquisition, construction, installation, and equipment of temporary or permanent public works, military installations, facilities, and real property… and host nation support" $1.5 B: Navy & Marine construction available until 2017 $323 M: Air Force construction available until 2017 $3.5 B: Defense-wide construction available until 2017 Includes $27 M for a new NATO headquarters $614 M: Army National Guard construction available until 2017 $42 M: Air National Guard construction available until 2017 $306 M: Army Reserve construction available until 2017 $50 M: Navy Reserve construction available until 2017 $11 M: Air Force Reserve construction available until 2017 $254 M: NATO construction of military facilities and installations available indefinitely $535 M: Army family housing, available until 2017 See Section 8058 () $480 M: Navy & Marines housing, available until 2017 $582 M: Air Force housing, available until 2017 $54 M: Defense-wide housing, available until 2017 $151 M: For chemical destruction, available until 2017 $536 M: Base closures, available indefinitely Section 101 No cost-plus contracts over $25,000 except in Alaska Section 105 No money can be used to buy land for more than it's worth except When it's negotiated by the Attorney General The value is less than $25,000 Defense Secretary says it's cool Section 109 No money can be used to pay property taxes in foreign nations Section 111 No money can be used for contracts over $500,000 for projects in Japan, a NATO member country, or a country bordering the Arabian Sea unless the contract goes to a US company or a partnership including US companies Section 126 No money can be used to expand the in Colorado Title II—Department of Veterans Affairs (TOTAL VETERANS BENEFITS: $127.5 B) $60.5 B: Veteran's benefits $12 B: Readjustment benefits $55 B: Veteran's medical care $2 B: Overseas Veterans Benefits Administration employee mail $3 B + reimbursements: IT upgrades Title III—Related agencies Title IV—Overseas contingency operations Title V—General provisions Section 503 No money can be used by the executive branch for any media productions designed to support or defeat Congressional legislation, except for media for a presentation to Congress itself. Section 509 No porn allowed. Section 511 No transfers out of Guantanamo Bay. Section 512 No first class travel for the executive branch. Section 513 Can't use illegal immigrants for construction work. Section 514 Can't contract with a corporation that's been convicted of a felony unless "agency" says it's cool Section 515 Can't contract with a corporation with unpaid taxes unless agency say's it's cool DIVISION F—ENERGY, FINANCIAL SERVICES, ENVIRONMENT, QUALITY OF LIFE, CONGRESS, FOREIGN AFFAIRS, HOUSING & TRANSPORTATION Title I—General Provisions Keeping the 2012 appropriations for the following departments () Department of the Interior Department of Energy Department of Treasury District of Columbia Environmental Protection Agency Department of Labor Department of Health and Human Services Department of Education Legislative Branch Department of State Department of Transportation Department of Housing and Urban Development Section 1104 None of these departments can start or resume a project that wasn't authorized during 2012 Section 1109 Extra money for: $40 M: Disabled coal miners $106 B: Medicaid grants to states $1 B: Child support enforcement $2 B: Foster care $19 B: Social Security Title II—Energy and Water Development Section 1203 1.8 B: Renewable energy and energy efficiency Section 1205 $7.5 B: Nuclear weapons activities Section 1206 Extra $110 M for "domestic uranium enrichment, research, development, and demonstration." Title III—Financial Services and General Government Title IV—Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Section 1401 Decrease Bureau of Land Management from $962 M to $951 M $0 for BLM construction $2.2 B: National Park Service $726 M: Wildland fire management Section 1405: Environmental Protection Agency (Total: $8 B) $785 M: Science and Technology $2.6 B: Environment Programs and Management $1.1 B: Hazardous Substance Superfund (lowered by $40 M) $3.5 B: State and Tribal Assistance Grants Section 1408 $1.5 B: Forest Service $2 B: Forest Service Wildland fire management Section 1412 Defunds the , which helped turn a military installation into a part in San Francisco Section 1416 (… agreed to by unanimous consent) Prohibits EPA from enforcing an on farms for the next 6 months Farm means "a facility on a tract of land devoted to the production of crops or raising of animals, including fish, which produced and sold, or normally would have produced and sold, $1,000 or more of agricultural products during a year." Compliance deadline is May 10, 2013 "Facilities' includes oil transportation pipelines. The rule forces facilities (NOT OIL COMPANIES) to: The oil spill prevention plan which EPA is prohibited from enforcing would have had to include: Quantity and type of oil that could be spilled Map of areas that would be affected by a spill Written commitment of manpower, equipment, and materials required to control and remove spilled oil Emergency response plan Get the plan certified by an engineer Put up containment and diversionary structures Report spills over 1,000 barrels Report multiple spills over 42 barrels that happened in the same 12 month period, including the cause of the failure Title V—Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Section 1502 $3.1 B: Unemployment insurance Section 1510 $2.3 B: Child Care block grant Section 1511 $33.5 M: Head Start Title VI—Legislative Branch Section 1601 $193,400 to Irene Hirano, widow of Senator Daniel K. Inouye Section 1605 $61 M: Fix the Capitol Dome Title VII—Department of State, Foreign Oper-ations, and Related Programs Section 1701 $2 B: International peacekeeping activities Section 1703 $3.1 B: International security assistance Section 1707 $1.2 B: Embassy security upgrades Title VIII—Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Section 1805 $2 B: Homeless grants DIVISION G—OTHER MATTERS Section 3001: Additional cuts Division A: 2.513% sequester cut Division B: 1.877% sequester cut Section 3002 Sequester lives Monsanto Protection Act Section 735 of Division A (Department of Agriculture) Section 411 of the Plant Protection Act prohibits regulated plant "pests", like weeds, that are somehow considered harmful if allowed to be freely grown in the United States. Anyone is allowed to petition to have a plant removed from the regulated list. If the Secretary of Agriculture chooses to regulate a plant that was previously unregulated, this bill says the Secretary "shall" "immediately grant temporary permits" which will authorize the movement, introduction, continued cultivation, or commercialization, while the petition is evaluated. Section 735 was slipped into the bill by Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri who has been given and other agribusiness giants. A pipeline capable of carrying 90,000 barrels of tar-sands oil per day burst near Mayflower, Arkansas, forcing the evacuation of 22 homes. FYI: The proposed Keystone XL pipeline would carry 800,000 barrels of tar-sands oil from Canada to the Texas coast. Trailblazer vs. ThinThread ... or listen to the podcast :) of former AT&T engineer turned whistleblower Mark Klein on Countdown with Keith Olbermann of former Deputy Attorney General James Comey testifying to the Senate in 2007 regarding the Bush Administration's attempt reauthorize their illegal spying program.

Part 2 of the Continuing Resolution which funds the government until September 30th. In this section, we look at the funding for the Defense Department and the Department of Homeland Security. B= Billion M= Million DIVISION C: DEFENSE DEPARTMENT (TOTAL FUNDING: $597,086,714,000) Title I—Military Personnel $127.5 B: Total funding Title II—Operation and Maintenance $173 B: Total funding Title III—Procurement $100 B: Total funding Public funding for private procurements In every category: "Expansion of public and private plants including the land necessary" "Procurement and installation of equipment, appliances, and machine tools in public and private plants" "contractor-owned equipment lay-away" = no interest is charged Shipbuilding and Conversion, Navy No money can be used to construct ships in foreign shipyards Title IV—Research, Development, Test and Evaluation $70 B: Total funding Title V—Revolving and Management Funds $1.5 B: Defense Working Capital Funds Title VI—Other Department of Defense Programs $32.7 B: Health programs $1.1 B: Drug rehab programs for military personnel $350 M: Inspector General Title VII—Related agencies Title VIII—General provisions Section 8001 No money can be used for publicity or propaganda Section 8002 Laws prohibiting employment of non-citizens doesn't apply to the Department of Defense Salary increases for foreigners can't be more than civilian DoD employees get or more than the person's home country provides, whichever is higher This doesn't apply to Turkish citizens working for the Defense Department. Section 8020 No money can be used for national or international political or psychological activities Section 8024 No money can be used to by steel plates which were not produced in the U.S. or Canada Section 8026 DoD may contract out depot maintenance activities to private firms if done in a competitive way The Bush administration's procedure was known as an will not be used Became in 2007 Walter Reed was privatized in 2006 to IAP Worldwide Services, which was owned by a capital management company headed by Bush's former Treasury Secretary, John Snow. The company itself was headed by former high ranking executives from KBR, the Halliburton subsidiary. 2004: The Army it would be more cost-effective to do the work in-house Immediately after taking control of Walter Reed, the company cut staff from 180 workers to 100. The A-76 process seemed to favor the private sector and allowed inherently governmental functions to be transferred to the private sector Section 8035 If someone puts a label saying "Made in America" on a product that wasn't, that person may be prohibited from contracting with the Defense Department. Section 8039 No money can be used to contract a Defense Department function that is currently done by government employees unless: A price competition is performed The private contractor would be less expensive by at least 10% or $10 M The contractor doesn't skimp on employee health insurance coverage in order to win the bid This doesn't apply to depot maintenance $23.5 B appropriated for depot maintenance, which is over $811 M more than requested. Section 8044 No money can go towards reducing the staff at medical treatment facilities below levels from September 30, 2003 Section 8047 Defense Department can only purchase supercomputers that are made in the United States, unless they want something that isn't available here Section 8050 No Defense Department funds can go towards paying a contractor bonus that is more than 100% of that person's salary or a bonus that's part of a merger Section 8054 The Defense Department can upgrade the heating system at the Kaiserslautern Military Community in Germany as long as the new system uses United States coal Section 8057 Defense Department can't train any foreign security forces that have committed human rights abuses, but this can be waived by the Defense Secretary in "extraordinary circumstances" Section 8058 No funds can be used for repairs or maintenance to military family housing units Section 8063 No funds can be used to transfer armor piercing weapons to any non-governmental entity Section 8065 Defense Department money spent on stocking or selling alcohol on military bases needs to go to locally produced beer and wine. Applies to bases in States "which are not contiguous with another State." Section 8070 $479,736,000 for Israel $211 M for Iron Dome Missile defense ($0 requested) Section 8076 No money can go towards developing nuclear armed missile interceptors Section 8079 No money will be available for using foreign intelligence that wasn't lawfully collected "Information pertaining to United States' persons shall only be handled in accordance with protections provided in the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution as implemented through Executive Order 12333 says data will be collected using procedures established by the head of the Intelligence Community and approved by the Attorney General. Section 8083 No money can go towards transferring the MQ-1C Gray Eagle drone out of the Army's control is an upgrade to the Predator drone and has been able to fire Hellfire missiles since 2010 Section 8097 No funds can go towards a contract with a company that forces its employees to resolve sexual assault or other disputes through arbitration. This goes for their subcontractors too. Section 8098 No money can go to ACORN. Section 8109 No money can go towards the transfer of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed or any other prisoner held in Guantanamo Bay. Section 8110 No money can go towards transferring a prisoner from Guantanamo Bay to their home country - or any other country- unless the Defense Secretary tells Congress 30 days prior. Notice must confirm that the government of receiving country: Is not a "state sponsor of terrorism" Has agreed to make sure the person can't threaten the United States in the future Will give any information about this person to the United States when requested Exceptions It's ordered to be done by a court or tribunal A pre-trial agreement has been made in a military commissions case before this bill became law The Secretary will take "alternative actions" (which are undefined) The transfer is in the U.S. national security interests Section 8111 No money can be used to construct or modify a prison inside the United States for the purpose of housing Guantanamo Bay detainees Upgrades can be made to Guantanamo Bay Section 8112 No money can be used to enter into a contract with a corporation with unpaid Federal taxes… unless the "agency" says it's cool. Section 8113 No money can be used to enter into a contract with corporation that's been convicted of a felony… unless the "agency" says it's cool. Section 8118 "The Secretary of the Air Force shall obligate and expend funds previously appropriated for the procurement of RQ-4B Global Hawk and C-27J Spartan aircraft for the purposes for which such funds were originally appropriated." RQ-4B Global Hawks overfunded compared to request by $107 million C-27J Spartan: Budget request $0, given $137,863,000 Section 8119 The next warship will be named after Senator Ted Stevens Section 8120 No funds can be used to retire the C-23 Sherpa aircraft. The C-27J aircraft, funded in section 8118, was selected to replace the C-23 Sherpa in 2007. Budget request: $0, given $10,300,000 to retain 8 planes, down from 23 in 2008 Title IX—Overseas contingency operations (Global War on Terror) $87 B: Total funding $5 B: Training Afghanistani soldiers $325 M: Afghanistan infrastructure $10 M: Inspector General Section 9007 No money can "establish" a military installation for the purpose of a permanent stationing of U.S. Armed Forces in Iraq. No money can be used to exercise U.S. control over any oil resource in Iraq No money can be used to "establish" any military installation for permanent stationing in Afghanistan Section 9012 $508 M: Security assistance teams, life support, transportation, personal security, facilities renovation, and construction. Section 9014 No money can go to Pakistan unless they: Cooperate in the US in counter terror efforts against Al Qaeda and others Do not interfere in Afghanistan Dismantle IED netowrks Prevent the spread of nuclear information and material Issue visa's quickly to United State's officials working on counter terrorism Give humanitarian organizations access to their prisoners The Defense Secretary can waive these requirements & can submit the reasons in classified form DIVISION D—HOMELAND SECURITY (TOTAL FUNDING: $47 B) Title I—Departmental management and operations $1 B: Total funding Title II—Security, enforcement, and investigations U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and Immigration $15.5 B: Total funding Border Patrol Must maintain at least 21,370 full time agents $515 M available for drones & marine vessels Immigration $5.4 B: Total funding Must maintain at least 34,000 detention beds $2.7 B: For detention and deportations TSA (Transportation Security Administration) $7 B: Total funding $4 B: Screening operations $1 B: Federal air marshals Staffing limited to 46,000 employees 9 months after passage, procedures for a Known Crewmember pilot program need to be submitted to Congress Coast Guard $10 B: Total funding Includes $1.4 B for retiree benefits Secret Service $1.6 B: Total funding Title III—Protection, preparedness, response, and recovery Infrastructure Protection & Information Security $1.1 B: Funding available until September 30, 2014 Federal Protective Service Funded by user fees Must have at least 1,371 staffers, 1,007 police officers/special agents Office of Biometric Identity $232 M: Total funding program fingerprints and photographs every non-US citizen who enters the country. Federal, state, and local officers have access to the data The program is supposed to "collect biometrics" from non-U.S. citizens at their gates Accenture is the at the time they were first given the contract, was registered in Bermuda - a tax haven country. It's now headquartered in Ireland- known for their low corporate tax rate- even though it's operational headquarters are in Chicago and NYC. Office of Health Affairs $133 M: BioWatch Created after the 2001 anthrax attacks and announced in Bush's 2003 State of the Union (1:36:50 on CSPAN) Sensors in EPA air filters designed to detect airborne pathogens in Philadelphia, NYC, DC, San Diego, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, St. Louis, Houston, and Los Angeles. The system is designed to alert the Centers for Disease Control and the FBI of any significant dangers Has and no evacuations have ever been ordered or medicines distributed due to a positive reading on this system Has already cost $1 B, an upgrade would cost $3.1 B; they've begun the between three contractors FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) $3.5 B: FEMA operations $7 B: Disaster relief fund National Flood Insurance Fund $171 M that will be funded by insurance premiums Salaries, flood mitigation efforts, and flood insurance operations, flood plain mapping Funding caps: $132 M cap on operating expenses $120 M cap on flood mitigation efforts $1 B + cap on commissions and taxes of agents National Pre-disaster Mitigation Fund $25 M available until expended Emergency Food and Shelter $120 M available until expended Title IV—Research and development, training, and services United States Citizenship and Immigration Services $112 M: E-Verify program Internet system that checks to make sure an employee is legally allowed to work in the United States Title V—General provisions Section 516 No Circular A-76 competitions allowed for services provided by immigration officers, contact representatives, and investigative assistants Section 522 No money can go towards reorganizing the Department of Homeland Security Section 525 Extends authority of the Department of Homeland Security to carry out prototype projects related to weapons or weapons systems that may be bought or created by the Department of Defense Section 529 No money can go towards reducing staff at the Coast Guard Section 530 No money can go toward preventing a non-seller from bringing prescription drugs that are less than a 90 day supply Section 533 No money can go towards planning, testing, or developing a national identification card Section 534 The TSA Administrator can except certain airports from using the E-Verify program as long as they tell Congress that no security risks will result Section 538 Can't transfer Khalid Sheik Mohammad or any other detainee out of Guantanamo Bay Section 539 No first class travel for DHS employees Section 540 DHS employees can't be punished for using protective equipment like respirators, gloves, etc. Section 544 6 months after bill signed, TSA must tell Congress if all air cargo is being screened, and if not, when it will be Section 545 In developing screening procedures, DHS Secretary will make sure the procedures "take into consideration such passengers' and crews' privacy and civil liberties consistent with applicable laws, regulations, and guidance." Section 551 DHS can sell detention facilities as long as there are at least 34,000 beds available for immigrant detainees Section 554 No money for ACORN Section 558 $202 M: Establish a "Federal Network Security" program, which includes a "continuous monitoring and diagnostics program" The software can't give DHS any personally identifiable information or communications between employees of other agencies The software needs to be installed in accordance with privacy laws Exempted: Congress, Judicial Branch, Defense Department, CIA, and NSA Section 559 No porn allowed on government networks Section 567 No money can go towards creating a Public Advocate position within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Public Advocate: In NYC, acts as a "watchdog", speaks to government officials on behalf of the public

Part 1 of a two part series on the continuing resolution that will fund the government until the end of September. In this episode, we examine the funding for the Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Justice, and science related appropriations. B = billion M = million DIVISION A: AGRICULTURE, FOOD & DRUG ADMINISTRATION Totals Grand total of division: 139 B for 2013 ($137 B in 2012) ($144 B requested) Food and Drug Administration (FDA): $4 B in 2013 Food Stamps: $77 B for 2013 ($80 B in 2013) ($82 B requested) All domestic food programs: $105 B for 3013 ($106 B in 2012) ($109 B requested) Subject to 2.513% sequester cut TITLE I - Agricultural Programs Extension Activities People eligible for taxpayer food: States, DC, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, Micronesia, the Northern Marianas, and American Samoa Food Safety & Inspection Must have at least 148 inspectors Hazardous Waste Management: LIMITED to $5 M for site investigations and cleanup expenses TITLE II- Conservation Programs $831 M: water & soil conservation including water management to prevent floods Title III—Rural Development Programs Rural Electrification and Telecommunications Loans Program Account $2 B limit: Loans for construction or purchase of fossil fuel burning electric plants that use carbon sequestration systems. TITLE IV—Domestic Food Programs Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) $7 B available until September 30, 2014 Commodity Assistance Program $1.3 M yearly until 2023: Planting and agricultural maintenance programs for Marshall islands because our nuclear test '' exposed them to radiation in 1954. TITLE V—Foreign Assistance and Related Programs Food for Peace Program $1.5 B grants available until whenever TITLE VI—Related Agency and Food and Drug Administration Food and Drug Administration $887 M for food safety inspectors TITLE VII—General provisions Section 721 Prohibits funding the salaries or expenses of people to carry out the "The is to extend the service life of the dams and bring them into compliance with applicable safety and performance standards, or to decommission the dams so they no longer pose a threat to life and property." Section 725 Prohibits funding for the salary or expenses of a person who prepares or submits language into the President's budget proposal that assumes revenues or money from fees that have not been passed into law. The person would be paid if they submit, along with the revenue language, a corresponding cut that would go into effect if the suggested revenue is not enacted by the time the 2014 Appropriations conference begins. Section 732 No money can go towards a contract with a corporation that has been convicted of a felony in the previous 2 years, unless the contract officer says it's not necessary to protect the government. Section 733 No money can go towards a contract that hasn't paid all their Federal taxes, unless the agency says it's not necessary to protect the government. Section 735 Section 411 of the Plant Protection Act prohibits regulated plant "pests", like weeds, that are somehow considered harmful if allowed to be freely grown in the United States. Anyone is allowed to petition to have a plant removed from the regulated list. If the Secretary of Agriculture chooses to regulate a plant that was previously unregulated, this bill says the Secretary "shall" "immediately grant temporary permits" which will authorize the movement, introduction, continued cultivation, or commercialization, while the petition is evaluated. Section 736 No money will be allowed to pay for "mitigation" associated with on the White Salmon River in Washington state on October 26, 2011. "Mitigation" according to FEMA: "Mitigation is the effort to reduce loss of life and property by lessening the impact of disasters. Mitigation is taking action now- before the next disaster- to reduce human and financial consequences later… Without mitigation actions, we jeopardize our safety, financial security, and self-reliance." Section 742 Prohibits any money from going towards implementing proposed and some existing regulations in the poultry market. Regulations prohibited: Terms eliminated "Tournament system": Methods used by poultry dealers to calculate the payment rate to poultry farmers by comparing one one farmer's performance with another's. "Additional capital investment": $25,000 or more paid by the poultry or pig farmer beyond his initial investment for expanding facilities. "Competitive injury": When conduct distorts competition in the marketplace "Likelihood of competitive injury": When their's reason to believe a competitive injury is likely to occur. Examples: When a dealer kills competition through large-scale exclusive dealings When a poultry/pig dealer raises competitor's costs When a dealer lowers amounts paid to the farmers below market value When a dealer impairs a farmer's ability to compete with other farmers When a dealer impairs a farmer's ability to get their full payment from their sales in the marketplace Applicability of Regulations (these people would be exempted) Poultry dealers - buy and sell the poultry from farmers List of actions that would not be allowed by regulation Being deceitful in poultry market contracts Retaliatory actions -including intimidation or disadvantage- by a dealer against a farmer in response to anything said or written by that farmer A refusal to give farmer the statistical information & data used to determine the compensation paid to him by the dealer An action or attempt to limit a farmer's rights in a contract, including: Right to a trial by jury (arbitration ok if voluntarily agreed to) Right to damages Rights to attorney fees awards Right to fair trial location Paying a premium or applying a discount on the payment to a pig farmer without documenting the reason and cost justification Ending a contract with a poultry/pig farmer for no reason other than an allegation of wrong doing. The violation must be reported to the authorities for it to be grounds for termination. A business practice designed to mislead farmers A contract that causes a competitive injury Eliminated Rules Packers and dealers would have to submit a copy of their contracts to the Grain Inspection, Packers, & Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) within 10 days. Packers, purchasers, and dealers would have to tell GIPSA when their contracts are dead. The contracts would be available to the public on the internet. Trade secrets, confidential business information, & personal information would not be made public. Confidential business information of packers and dealers would have to be given to GIPSA. Tournament System: All farmers growing the same type and kind of poultry would have to paid at the same rate. There would be a minimum required payment. A dealer would have to notify the farmer of the cancellation of an order 90 days in advance. DIVISION B— COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE TITLE I—Department of Commerce Subject to 1.877% sequester cut International Trade Administration $483 M: Promoting American corporations abroad NOAA: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration $3 B: Total funding $926 M: National Weather Service $1.8 B: Weather Satellite Systems, money spent between GOES-R (weather forecasting) and JPSS (replacement of dying satellites) projects $10.8 B estimated total cost : $11.9 B estimated total cost Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery $65 M available until September 30, 2014: salmon conservation in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, , California, and Alaska. States must match 33% of the Federal funds. Section 109 Orders monthly reports to Congress on the reason for all official travel to China by Commerce department employees. TITLE II—Department of Justice FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigations $8 B: Total funding ATF: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives $1 B: Total funding No money can go towards paying the salary or expenses of a government employee who works on implementing regulations that limit importation of "curios or relics" Original firearms that are over 50 years old Museum quality collector's items Bizarre, rare, or historical firearms No money will be allowed to implement a law requiring a physical inventory of any firearms manufacturer, dealer, or importer. Federal Prison System $6.8 B: Total funding Office on Violence Against Women $416 M: Total funding Juvenile Justice Programs $280 M: Total funding Section 202 No funds can pay for an abortion, unless the life of the mother is endangered If this is declared unconstitutional, this will be null and void Section 203 No funds can be used to force someone to perform or help someone get an abortion Section 204 An individual can refuse to do so, but the the prisons must provide "escort services" to a female inmate to an outside clinic where she can get an abortion. Section 209 No funds can be used to purchase recreational electronics for inmates Funds can be used to purchase electronics for inmate training, religious, or education programs. Section 212 No funds can be used to plan, implement, or finish a public-private contract competition for work performed by government prison employees Competitions would create detailed comparisons of the costs associated with either a private prison contract or a public prison contract Section 217: Response to Fast & the Furious No money can go towards giving firearms to members of drug cartels unless law enforcement personnel continuously monitor or control the firearm at all times TITLE III—Science NASA $18 B: Total funding $4 B: Space exploration $4 B: Space operations $5 B: Science National Science Foundation $6 B: Total funding Provides 20% of Federal research done in colleges & universities TITLE IV—Related agencies TITLE V—General provisions Section 501 No money can go towards "publicity or propaganda" Section 505 No more than $500,000 or 10% (whichever is less) can go towards privatizing functions currently performed by the government… unless Congress is notified Section 509 No money can go towards promoting tobacco products or to try to get a foreign country to loosen their regulations on the marketing of tobacco, unless the restrictions are unfairly applied. Section 516 No money can be used to buy information technology unless the FBI, or other appropriate agency, has assessed the risks of cyber-spying or sabotage, especially if parts of the system are produced by China. Section 517 No one is allowed to torture. Section 528 No money can go towards first class air travel, unless no coach fares are available or when a disability demands it Section 530 No money can be used to transfer or release Khalid Sheikh Mohammed or anyone else who has been held since June 24, 2009 in Guantanamo Bay Section 531 No money can be used to prepare a facility in the United States for the detention of Guantanamo Bay detainees. Upgrades can be made to Guantanamo Bay Section 532 No money can go to Section 533 Funds should go towards energy star light bulbs Section 535 NASA is not allowed to work with China or a Chinese owned company unless specifically authorized to do so in a future law. Exception if there is no risk of transfer of national security or economic security data, if the Chinese person has no involvement in civil rights abuses, and if NASA submits a written explanation to Congress. Section 536 No funds can go towards moving the census from the Department of Commerce to the Executive Office of the President Section 538 No funds can be used to pay the salaries of a person who denies or fails to act on a application to import a shotgun if the law was followed and the same model shotgun had not been denied importation prior to January 1, 2011. Ban was implemented because military shotguns including semi-automatics were being imported. Ban only allowed shotguns that were suitable for sporting purposes. Section 539 No funds can be used to create or maintain a computer network that doesn't have pornography blockers installed, unless the network is used for criminal investigations Section 540 No money can go towards a contract with a corporation convicted of a felony in the previous two year, unless the agency says that this isn't necessary to protect the government. Section 541 No money can go towards a corporation with unpaid Federal taxes, unless the agency says this is unnecessary to protect the government. Section 543 No money can go towards the political science program at the National Science Foundation, except for research projects that promote national security or the economic interests of the United States. Previous studies have been on collective bargaining, campaigns, elections, electoral choice, our electoral system, citizen involvement in democracy, lobbying, partisanship, etc… Next week: Department of Defense, Veterans Administration, Department of Homeland Security, and all other parts of government that will be continued at the 2012 funding levels.

Low-lights of the Ryan budget are described after we run down the bills passed by the House this week. We also look into an eighteen-year emergency continued this week by President Obama. The banks currently have to send out a notice regarding their privacy policies every year. This bill would change the law so the banks only have to send the privacy notices out when they change their privacy policies. The privacy policies will be posted online. This bill extends the the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program, which is welfare, through the end of this calendar year. The bill also prohibits the Obama administration from following through with a plan to give states waivers which would allow them to operate their own welfare programs, so long as there is a proven 20% increase in the number of welfare recipients who find work. This bill would effectively make sure the Federal government has a one-size-fits all approach to welfare. [caption id="" align="alignright" width="159"] Grandma Foxx of North Carolina sponsored the SKILLS Act[/caption] Would be effective for fiscal year 2014 Most significant effect: It would change the make up of local boards that decide how our taxpayer money would be spent on welfare-to-work and job training programs. The local boards would effectively be in corporate control. Currently: The boards are already required to be a majority of people from the business community, specifically business owners. This bill would change it so that a 2/3 majority of the boards would be business owners. Also, the seat for representatives from labor organizations would be eliminated. The boards are required to come up with a plan for the states on how they run their work programs, including how the state will spend taxpayer money. The boards would also be able to award government funded contracts to the entities that provide training services. It would effectively allow businesses to tell states how to govern. It also prohibits the government job training centers from competing with private employment agencies. The bill would also consolidate 35 different programs into one giant program. The bill would order an accounting of the number of federal workers who administer job training programs and within one year, fire all the federal workers whose positions were gobbled up in the merge. President Obama and the Senate Democrats have already said they don't support it; it won't become law. Ignored Subpoenas Ted Poe (TX) informed Congress that he intends to ignore a subpoena sent by Orly Taitz, a lawyer from Rancho Santa Margarita, CA. Orly Taitz is part of the Defend our Freedoms Foundation and her website proclaims to be the "". Taitz filed a temporary restraining order to prohibit President Obama's inauguration because they claim that he's using a fake social security number and his birth certificate is forged. US Attorney's filed an opposition on behalf of Congress to stop Taitz's restraining order. Now she's sending subpoena's to members of Congress to try to get them to say they didn't support the US Attorney's effort to squash her restraining order against the President. Ted Poe's response: "After consultation with the Office of Gen-eral Counsel, I have determined under Rule VIII that the subpoena seeks information that is not ‘‘material and relevant'' and that it is not ‘‘consistent with the privileges and rights of the House.'' Accordingly, I intend to move to quash the subpoena. God and Texas, TED POE" Another subpoena was ignored this week by the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. The subpoena was issued for a criminal trial being prosecuted by the US District Court for the District of Arizona. The stated reason the subpoena was ignored was because the "documents sought are not material and relevant" and that subpoena is not consistent with the privileges and rights of the House." No more information could be found. National Emergencies Act automatically ends a National Emergency after 90 days unless the President informs Congress that the emergency needs to continue. President Clinton signed an that puts sanctions on Iran's nationalized oil industry. The sanctions prohibit any United States citizen or company from entering into a contract to develop Iran's oil resources, either by physically managing the development or financing it. President Clinton after Iran opened their petroleum resources to foreign investment, allowing our corporations to get their invested money back, but not take home profits. Obama Emergency Notification sent to Congress on March 12, 2013: "The actions and policies of the Government of Iran are contrary to the interests of the United St ates in the region and continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. For these reasons, I have deter-mined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency declared with respect to Iran and to maintain in force comprehensive sanctions against Iran to deal with this threat." Taxes * Change the tax structure from seven brackets to two. The rate for poor people would be 10% * Repeal the Alternative Minimum Tax * Lower the top tax rate to 25% for individuals and corporations Education * Remove regulations in higher education to allow more online classes * Freezes cap on Pell grants for college at $5,645 per year (currently $5,500) * "Eliminate ineffective & duplicative federal education programs. Health Care * Repeal ObamaCare bit by bit * Repeal the Federal expansion of Medicaid (100% paid by Fed gov't, down to 90% in 2016) * Repeal the health-care exchanges * Repeal the entire health-care law. * Want to make sure that "not a penny goes toward implementing the new law." * Ban on denial of coverage due to pre-existing conditions would remain illegal. * Choice program that would allow workers to devote their employer's health-coverage contribution to purchase a health plan that works for them.. if their employer allows it. Medicare * For people born in 1959 or later, Medicare would be privatized. You would have to choose between private plans or a fee for service, go bankrupt if you get really sick, plan. Taxpayer money in the form of a voucher would pay for the private insurance for people whose savings has been drained. * Medicare would have exchanges, just like the ones that would be defunded for the rest of us. * Seniors would get gov't money only for the "second-least-expensive private plan or fee-for-service" plan, whichever costs less. If the senior wants a better plan, they pay the difference out of pocket. Prohibiting Lawsuits * Limits on noneconomic and punitive damages in medical liability lawsuits. Retirement *  Make federal workers pay more towards their pensions so that their benefits come closer to sucking as much as the private sector * "The CBO estimated that, on average, federal employees make 16% more in total compensation than their private-sector counterparts. This reform would begin to rectify that imbalance." Federal Workforce Cuts * Reduce the federal workforce by 10% by 2015. * Reduce the federal workforce "not through layoffs, but via a gradual, sensible attrition policy." Energy * Defund renewable projects; "The budget aims to roll back federal interventional and corporate-welfare spending across energy sectors." * Open the Outer Continental Shelf to oil drilling * Sell off "millions of acres federal land" to oil & gas companies. "The federal government owns nearly one-third of the land in the country… substantial volumes of oil and gas are known to lie under these government lands." * Prohibit the government from buying land. Right now, proceeds from land sales need to go towards buying other parcels of land. The Ryan budget would take 70% of that and put it towards deficit reduction. * "The sale of billions of dollars' worth of federal assets would… remove economic distortions by reducing public ownership." * Limit the amount of money the Department of Interior could collect from the fire sale to $60 million per year. Transportation * Eliminate funding for high-speed rail projects * "High speed rail and other new intercity rail projects should be pursued only if they can be established as self-supporting commercial services" Defense * $560.2 billion for 2014, $6 trillion over the next decade = spending increases. * "It is approximately $500 billion more than will be available absent changes in the Budget Control Act. Our security is the federal government's top priority. The budget must reflect that fact."

We take a close look at the Violence Against Women Act re-authorization as the President signs it into law. We also look at the continuing resolution passed by the House, which funds defense while leaving the rest of the government in chaos. Was signed by the President! This one is law. President Obama signs VAWA on March 7, 2013 Definition Changes Adds stalking and date rape to the list of offenses. Includes cyber stalking in the definition of stalking. Replaces "spouses" with "parties' Indian Affairs Adds "sex trafficking" and "stalking" to eligible grant programs for Indian women Allows Indian tribes to have jurisdiction over domestic violence crimes unless neither the victim or defendant are Indians. Includes D.C., Indian tribes, and Puerto Rico in the grant funding (decreases funding) Immigrants Allows children to stay in U.S. on their victimized parent's U Visa even if they turn 21 while the VISA is pending New Programs Grants for training programs for law enforcement and medical personnel Funding for pro-bono legal assistance for victims Protects the confidentiality of child victims of domestic violence or sexual assault Protects students from violence stemming from their immigrant status and gender identity Grants for elder abuse training; Defines "elder" as someone over the age of 50 Prevents victims from being evicted from public housing because they were involved in a domestic violence incident, however, the violent person can be evicted. Public housing authorities will need to transfer victims to new housing if their safety is at risk and they request the transfer. Orders an audit of unprocessed DNA evidence for sexual assault crimes that haven't passed the statute of limitations. Program ends 12/31/18. Prohibits any lobbying activity in relation to DNA audit grants and prohibits violators from receiving a grant for at least 5 years. 6 months after President Obama signs the bill, DHS has to publish final standards for the punishment of sexual assault in immigrant prisons, including private prisons. Prevents marriage brokers from providing information on minors Penalty Changes Penalty for assault with intent to murder is limited to 20 years and a fine Penalty for assault by attempted suffocation limited to 10 years and a fine… suffocation is regardless of intent or visible injury Report Comptroller General of the United States will issue a report to Congress in two years on the use of foreign labor contractors by U.S. employers. It will include the role of labor recruiters that provide low-wage foreigners to companies, the effectiveness of current regulators enforcement of laws already on the books, describe the jobs the foreigners are doing and how many of them are here, and identify abuses of foreigners including use of fees and debts. Funding Deletes ‘‘non- profit, non-governmental victim services or-ganizations,'' or "non-profit, private" programs and replaces it with ‘‘victim service providers, staff from population specific organizations,' in a couple of sections; but not all. Prohibits grants from going to non-profits with offshore tax havens Prohibits more than $20,000 of grant money from going towards conferences Vast majority of funding going DOWN Human Trafficking Title 12: Secretary of State will establish a fund (amount unknown) to give to foreign governments to prevent human trafficking. Orders them to come up with a strategy and suggest ways for oversight; very broad. Qualifying gov'ts need to have high prevalence of trafficking and a "demonstrated political motivation" to address it. Funding can be terminated if State determines the country is doing things contrary to our national interest or doesn't "adhere to it's responsibilities" under the agreement. Issues four grants up to $2 million each for combatting sex trafficking of minors. One of the grants needs to go to a small state with less than 5 million people. Most of the money needs to go towards residential care of minor victims of sex trafficking. Overhead can't exceed 3%. Recipients need to match the grant for every year they get the gov't money and their match percentage goes up every year the grant is renewed, topping out at 50% on their third year. Program good for four years. Decreases funding by half, from 20 to 10 million for law enforcement grants for trafficking. Increases funding for victims in other countries from 12.5 million to 14.5 million/year Right now, we are in the middle of two crisis': The sequester is one, an unfunded government that would have to shut down on March 27th is the other. This bill does nothing to solve the sequester. In fact, it expressly keeps it in place. Two of the 12 appropriations categories are funded until the end of the year in the responsible appropriations way in this bill. The other 10 are funded as a continuing resolution, that keeps the funding at old chaotic levels. The House did real work on the Defense appropriations; the Senate is going to change everything on the domestic side as this bill has a real chance of becoming law. In the defense section of the bill, I looked at what items were dramatically over-funded in comparison to what was requested by President Obama and the military. Fighter Jets Boeing would be given $605 million more than was requested for 11 new airplanes. Boeing/Northrup are the electronic warfare version of the Boeing F/A-18E/F. They would be given $45 million for 15 new aircraft. Budget request from the military for this item: $0. $0 request, given $45 million for 15 new aircraft Ships/Submarines General Dynamics would be given $778 million more than requested. These submarines are built in two locations, which makes the submarines more expensive but the program is designed to keep both shipyards in operation. Location #1: General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, CT. The Representative in Groton, CT is Joe Courtney; his are General Dynamics and Northrup Grumman. Location #2: Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Company. The Representative in Newport News, VA is Rob Wittman; he is on the Armed Services Committee & his is Northrup Grumman. --- Northrup Grumman would be constructed at Huntington Ingalls Industries in Newport News, VA for $263 million. Budget request for this item: $0. The Representative in Newport News, VA is Rob Wittman; he sits on the Armed Services Committee and his is Northrup Grumman. --- would be ordered for $1 billion. No one requested this ship. DDG-51 Destroyers are built in either Bath, ME by General Dynamic's Bath Iron Works or in Newport News, VA by Huntington Ingalls Industries (formerly Northrup Grumman). Lockheed is the lead contractor for the DDG-51 combat system Lockheed Martin [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="525"] C-130 Bad-ass Cargo Plane[/caption] Lockheed Martin military transport planes would be given $180 million. Budget request: $0. --- Lockheed Martin would be given $130 million more than requested for 2 additional planes. --- Lockheed would be given $126 million more than requested for 2 extra planes. --- Lockheed also given $126 million more than requested for 2 extra planes. --- C-130 planes are manufactured in Marietta, GA and that it's "the longest continuously operating aircraft production line in history." The Representative in Marietta, GA is Phil Gingrey. Phil Gingrey's . --- , manufactured by an Italian company but whose engines and systems are produced by Lockheed Martin, would be given $138 million. Budget request: $0. Drones Northrup Grumman would be given $107 million more than requested in order to increase the fleet to 21 drones. Pentagon was unimpressed with the RQ-4 Global Hawk's performance after deploying them to Japan after the earthquake/tsunami and after they were used in Libya. March 2012: they will put the 14 Global Hawks they already have into storage, and 4 under construction would go directing into the "bone-yard" Northrup to block the cuts. Global Hawk's are produced in Palmdale, CA. The Representative for that district is Buck McKeon, Chairman of the Armed Services Committee. Buck McKeon's : Lockheed Martin General Dynamics Northrup Grumman General Atomics Boeing [caption id="" align="alignright" width="327"] MQ-9 Reaper Predator Drone[/caption] --- General Atomics would be given $155 million more than requested so the Air Force can order twelve more. Then Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force about the predator drones: "We've moved from using UAVs primarily in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance roles before Operation Iraqi Freedom, to a true hunter-killer role with the Reaper." Missile Defense Systems Raytheon's would be given $300 million more than requested to increase the program. --- would be over-funded by $189 million to buy 17 additional Raytheon SM-3 interceptors, which are ship-based missile interceptors designed to shoot down short & intermediate range ballistic missiles and have been used to shoot down satellites. Israel [caption id="" align="alignright" width="360"] Emanuel Yellin[/caption] Israel's would be given $211 million. Budget request: $0. Iron Dome manufactured by a Israel-owned defense technology company, but U.S. is trying to get a co-production deal like they have on their other missile defense system which is co-produced by Boeing are the "other" missile defense programs partnered with Boeing. David's sling is a third missile defense system for Israel that partners with Raytheon. The Upper Tier/Arrow and David's Sling missile programs together were given $169 million more than requested. Total in unrequested money given to Israel for missile defense: $380 million. Miscellaneous Appropriations which "aims to develop a system to deliver a precision conventional weapon strike anywhere in the world within one hour" overfunded by $90 million. --- , which is supposed to funnel Department of Defense contracts to small businesses was given $250 million. Budget Request: $0. --- $5+ billion for the Afghanistan security forces (all of it requested). --- "Miscellaneous equipment" would be given to every branch of the military. Total = $1.5 billion. None of these funds were requested. Creepy Spy Sh*t Camp Williams in Utah - location of the was given $191,414,000 (all of it requested). Total Classified Programs: $31,309,229,000 = $900 million more than was requested. Good News Over-funded medical research by $635 million. Things that will be studied include: substance abuse alzheimers autism breast cancer gulf war illness lung cancer MS ovarian cancer prostate cancer traumatic brain injuries vision AIDS prevention Net totals appropriated to Defense: $622 billion was spent in 2012 $597 billion requested for 2013 $598 billion given in this bill … More than requested

No one really tried to avert the sequester, the House of Representatives travels in style, and something good actually happened this week in Congress.   Sequester Here is a rundown of what kind of effort each division of Congress put forth to try to avert the sequester. Senate Democrats offered Freezes the sequester, keeping the budget the same for 2013. Lowers the spending caps from the Budget Control Act, totaling $39 billion in future spending (not a cut) Eliminates direct payments to farmers for peanuts, sugarcane, and sugar beets Protects other agricultural programs by making them mandatory spending, extending their funding, or exempting them from sequestration. Increases taxes on earnings over $1,000,000 to 30% starting in 2014 Eliminates tax deductions for business expenses relating to moving a business out of the United States Defines bitumen products (tar sands) as oil so that it can be taxed as oil This bill failed to pass the Senate; Republicans don't like it. Senate Republicans offered Gives the President until March 15th to create a sequester replacement plan Caps defense cuts at $42.7 billion Prohibits amendments to the the President's bill when it comes up for a vote in Congress Enacts the President's cuts if there is no Congressional vote of disapproval This bill failed to pass the Senate; Senators were uncomfortable giving the President the authority to do Congress' job. House Democrats wanted to vote on Cancels the 2013 sequester Repeals a 2% sequester cut to veteran's medical care Eliminates direct payments to farmers for wheat, corn, barley, oats, cotton, long grain rice, medium grain rice, soybeans, and peanuts. Eliminates tax deductions for oil and natural gas companies Increases taxes on earnings over $1,000,000 to 30% starting in 2014. The House Republicans leadership wouldn't allow this bill to come up for a vote. House Republicans... did nothing. House Committee Travel Report, Oct 1 - Dec 31 2012 Examples of airfare we paid to send our Representatives on trips: $15,037 to send Todd Platts (R-PA) to India/Afghanistan for 4 days. Orbitz: $6,800 $19,743 to send Steven Pearce (R-NM) to Egypt/England for 4 days. Orbitz: $3,400 We paid similar costs per person for him to bring along 3 staff members. $8,023 to send Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) on a weekend trip to Germany. Staff member on same trip flew for $1,821. $10,200 each for Robert Wittman (R-VA), Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam delegate) and two staff members to spend 3 days in Taiwan and Japan. Orbitz: $1,900 per person. $13,575 for Bill Flores (R-TX) to go on the same trip on the same days $21,063 to fly Duncan Hunter (R-CA) to Afghanistan for a day. Orbitz: $8,800. Military transportation: Free. Total spent on House of Representatives travel in 3 months: $855,743.25 Good News: Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Passes Congress ... Despite an attempt by House Republicans to eliminate protections for lesbians, immigrants, Native Americans, and college students.

House Republicans tried hard during their week off to label the huge March 1 cuts as "the President's sequester", but was President Obama really the cause? We go back to August 1, 2011, the day sequester was born, to see who was celebrating the cuts and how they passed the House. August 1, 2011: The House of Representatives passed the . The Budget Control Act: Raised the debt ceiling for 18 months, allowing the United States to pay its bills until the fiscal cliff crisis in January 2013. Mandated a vote on the Tea Party's Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Enacted spending caps until 2021 designed to reduce the debt by $1.2 trillion. Stopped graduate students from getting student loans from the government. Created the SuperCommittee tasked with agreeing on $1.2 trillion of additional government cuts. Created across-the-board, percentage based cuts - 50% to discretionary spending and 50% to defense spending- to take a effect if the SuperCommittee failed. This is "sequester". So far, we know that if if the sequester goes into effect on March 1... Air traffic controller offices will be closed across the country. Defense Department will s. Active duty members are protected from cuts. , not by law but by choice. Unemployed people can expect a people will lose their jobs. People mentioned in the podcast: @BillTaylor2: Came up with "sequester finger-pointing week". Funny Boston dude. : A conversational, educational, and funny podcast I just discovered and enjoy. Give 'em a try. New episode next week! Congress comes back from vacation. Will they stop the sequester?

Hydropower and veterans get some love from the House this week, while churches get taxpayer money and Federal workers get screwed… again. * Fast Tracks licensing for hydro-power generation on existing dams. * Passed with 0 No votes. * Only 3% of the 80,000 dams in the U.S. currently generate electricity Federal grants will be awarded to States to streamline State requirements and procedures for veterans who were military emergency medical technicians while serving in the Armed Forces to meet certification, licensing, and other requirements applicable to becoming an emergency medical technician in their State. The State must show they have a shortage of emergency medical technicians to be eligible for the money. Funding: $1,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2014 through 2018.'' $5,000 per state, per year. and have shortages of emergency medical personnel; in fact, many of our emergency services are volunteer. Re-categorizes houses of worship, regardless of which religion, as public buildings on par with community centers, museums, homeless shelters, etc. in order to allow churches, synagogues, and other religious buildings access to cash grants to repair, restore, or rebuild buildings used for a primarily religious purpose. Problems: Direct government funding of religious buildings is unconstitutional under the First Amendment. Supreme Court ruling on State grants for maintaining religious schools: "If the State may not erect buildings in which religious activities are to take place, it may not maintain such buildings or renovate them when they fall into disrepair." Religious buildings are not available for use by the general public. Prayer and worship are not essential government functions. Bill never went through committee process. No amendments were allowed. Religious buildings have access to FEMA money and SBA loans Religions don't pay taxes. Passed the House, with 72 voting No. The 72 were an interesting mix of liberal and Tea Party Congressmen. Eliminates the pay increase that was promised to Federal workers via an Obama Executive order because they have been given no cost of living adjustment in 2 years. Freezes Congressional pay until December, even though it's already frozen through October because of the They spent two days on this bill even though the sequester takes effect March 1. JIM MCGOVERN (MA) "The Republicans are going to go on vacation tomorrow. We're not going to be back for a week, and then we'll have 4 legislative days left to deal with this thing called ‘‘sequestration.'' On March 1, all of these across-the-board cuts go into play. And guess what? We're going to lose at least 750,000 jobs. That's not my estimate. That's what the head of OMB says. There will be 750,000 Americans unemployed because of their inaction. Guess what? What are these people going to do? They're going to have to look for employment. They're going to be without work. It's going to slow down our economic growth. Give me a break. There should be some urgency here." range from 750,000 at the low end and over 2 million at the high end. ROB WOODALL (GA) Here we are at midnight on sequestration day, saying, Hey, let's do it. Folks, let's do it. Let's do it. Back in May, we passed a bill here. Let's do it with the bill we passed in August to solve the fiscal cliff. Let's do it with the one we passed in September. Let's do it with the one we passed in December. What did the House's sequester-solving bills do? Reduced food funding Defunded health insurance exchanges Repealed the part of Wall Street reform that provides for the orderly break up of criminal banks Eliminated the program that lets homeowners renegotiate their mortgage rates Limited medical injury lawsuits Put a $250,000 cap on punitive damages (a cap the jury would be prohibited by law from knowing about) Deleted all defense cuts from the sequester How might the sequester be avoided? Chris Van Hollen of Maryland has a bill that the House leadershiop won't allow a vote on. The Senate: An agreement made that will allow votes on sequester replacement bills - one from D's, one from R's - on Monday or Tuesday, Fed 25 or 26, after their vacation. Department of Defense Excess Weapons Going to States  Defense Property Disposal Service established in 1972. Responsible for disposal and sale of surplus and excess defense equipment and supplies. Half of their extra goodies go to the foreign military sales program. Operates in 16 countries with field offices in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kuwait appropriated $250 million per year for equipment ("excess defense articles") in Afghanistan, but there are no caps in 2013 and 2014. Other half of the extra military gear is available to other government agencies. (Section 1072) broadened the categories of sate and local organizations that would be eligible for surplus military equipment to include state and local law enforcement, firefighting, homeland security, and EMS. 2011: State police forces were given . on military gear that is being transferred to States. Since 9/11 - total grants given to police to buy military equipment have totaled $34 billion - passed in 1878, limits the powers of the Federal government in using federal military to enforce State laws.