Today is a fly-in day as both chambers of Congress are back in session in D.C. after the two-week Easter recess.
Here is what Congress will be taking on this week and what you may have missed during the recess period.
The Bipartisan Blockade of Title 42
A debate over immigration has reemerged at the forefront of our national political discourse, spurred on by the attempts of the Biden administration to lift Title 42.
Title 42 was originally created as part of the 1944 Public Health Service Act as a measure to curb public health crises. During the past two years of the COVID pandemic, it has been used to curb immigration at the southern border.
Members of Congress from both parties are pressuring the Biden administration to extend the public health measure. Republicans and Democrats are anxious that lifting the policy would create a rush on the southern border that the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection wouldn’t be able to handle. The policy is currently set to expire on May 23.
One Democrat who has expressed concerns over Biden lifting Title 42 is Henry Cuellar, whose district includes Laredo, Texas on the southern border. Cuellar told Fox News on Sunday that he recently spoke with people living near the border who are “very concerned” about the administration’s decision.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is set to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday. He is expected to face quite a few questions on the issue of Title 42 during the hearing.
Seeing the Effects of the Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Several members of Congress took time during the recess period to get a closer look at the Russia-Ukraine war by going to Poland and other European countries, such as Belgium, where NATO is headquartered.
Arizona Senator Mark Kelly (D) shared the following tweets from Europe last week.
At the start of the recess, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) led a bipartisan delegation to Brussels, Belgium, home to NATO headquarters.
Blocking Biden’s Gun Crackdown
On gun rights, congressional Republicans will be making a few efforts to thwart the aggressive gun control agenda announced by the Biden administration earlier this month. The administration has rolled out a new rule intending to crack down on “ghost guns.” Biden also nominated Steven Dettelbach to be the head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
A handful of senators led by Ted Cruz have announced that they will file legislation aimed at not letting the Biden administration expand current regulations on “ghost guns.”
The Senate has yet to set hearing dates and start Dettelbach down the path to confirmation.
Victoria Snitsar Churchill is a proud immigrant and naturalized U.S. citizen with a decade of experience in grassroots politics and community organizing.
Her writing has been featured in many online publications, including Campus Reform, The Daily Torch and The Daily Signal.
As an undergraduate at the University of Kansas, Victoria appeared in media outlets such as CBS News, TIME Magazine, The Washington Post Magazine, The Blaze and NRATV.
Victoria is also a former NCAA D1 student-athlete and Kansas College Republicans State Chair.
After moving eleven times in six years, Victoria resides in Arlington, Virginia and enjoys overpriced brunch on Sundays with her husband.
