Cocktails & Popcorn: February 10th, 2019. Did Trump Lay-off Pelosi’s Brussels NATO Weapons Shoppers In the Shutdown?

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

JUDICIARY: CHAIRMAN NADLER RELEASES FACT SHEET ON IMPACT OF TRUMP SHUTDOWN

Washington, D.C. –Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, released a fact sheet detailing the impact of the Trump Shutdown on immigration and border security, federal law enforcement, courts, as well as public health and safety.

The report states, “The Trump Shutdown has significantly impacted the federal government’s ability to enforce the law, provide civil justice, and promote public health and safety.  The shutdown burdens federal law enforcement officers working at the border, the very people responsible for handling the so-called ‘crisis’ underpinning President Trump’s demand for an expensive, ineffective border wall.  It has also impacted many other federal law enforcement agencies, undermining federal law enforcement efforts across the board, and making Americans less safe.  The shutdown has also begun to affect the federal judiciary’s ability to provide civil redress, impaired federal enforcement of civil rights laws, and stymied the federal rulemaking process responsible for writing and implementing public health and safety protections.” 

The full report is below. 

Immigration and Border Security

·         Immigration Judges:  The shutdown has caused the Department of Justice (DOJ) to furlough the majority of immigration judges, which is causing massive disruptions to the removal docket.  Our immigration courts are already facing a daunting backlog of more than 800,000 pending cases.  As judges remain furloughed, their cases are being rescheduled several years into the future, which negatively impacts both removal efforts and the ability for some immigrants to obtain relief.

·         E-Verify:  The online system for verifying the employment eligibility of employees is suspended for the duration of the shutdown.  This complicates the hiring process for many employers that use the system, and in some cases could lead to unauthorized employment.  Further, while the system is not mandatory nationwide, it is required for certain employers in many states, and it is unclear how such employers can comply with state laws while the E-verify system remains unavailable.

·         Impact on DHS Personnel:  During the shutdown, approximately 88 percent of Department of Homeland Security employees—including 53,000 TSA employees, 54,000 ICE officers, and 42,000 Coast Guard active duty members—are working without pay.  This includes the principal officers that are tasked with dealing with President Trump’s supposed “crisis.”

o   Customs and Border Protection:  Essential CBP officers continue to work without pay, including those in the Office of Field Operations, which operates and guards ports of entry across the country, and those in the Border Patrol, which protects our land borders between the ports of entry.

o   Immigration and Customs Enforcement:  Essential ICE officers also continue to work without pay, including those who engage in critical enforcement operations, those who operate detention centers, and those who conduct homeland security-related investigations.

o   Transportation and Safety Administration:  The shutdown has caused airport security lines to grow as TSA agents have grown tired of working without pay and begun to call in sick.  The longer the shutdown continues, the more that air travel is made vulnerable to attack and affected by delays. 

Federal Law Enforcement 

·         Impact on Federal Law Enforcement Personnel: Nearly 5,000 FBI employees, including some special agents, intelligence analysts, and support staff, have been furloughed.  The President of the FBI Agents Association warns that “operations are being hindered” and “This situation is not sustainable.”  The Trump shutdown has also jeopardized funding support for active investigations, such as payments to informants and evidence testing.  Additionally, many law enforcement officers with the U.S. Marshals Service, the Secret Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives are working without pay and without many of their support personnel. 

·         Federal Support for State and Local Governments: If the Trump shutdown continues, it will soon interrupt the DOJ’s administration and payment of funds for many public safety grants that provide assistance to many state and local governments.  These grant programs provide critical assistance to state and local law enforcement agencies, nonprofit organizations, and other justice-related initiatives that require federal funding to operate.  For example:

o   Domestic Violence Prevention: Under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), the DOJ funds programs that help prevent and respond to instances of domestic violence.  Some grant recipients have been notified by the Office on Violence Against Women that grant payments will be in jeopardy after January 18.  This possibility has already begun to threaten the operation of domestic violence shelters, many of which rely on federal funds on a monthly basis to pay their expenses and keep their doors open.

·         Federal Prison System: The shutdown has severely undermined the operations of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP), the agency responsible for the administration of federal prisons. 

o   Prison Safety:  Corrections officers—many of whom face daily the possibility of injury—are currently working without pay, and despite being deemed “essential” many are not showing up for work by calling in sick.  As a result of staffing shortfalls, many remaining corrections officers are working double shifts, and other prison employees—such as secretaries, janitors, and teachers are providing security, even though it is not normally their primary responsibility.

o   Prisoner Rehabilitation: The shutdown has interrupted implementation of various programs that benefit prisoners, and which ultimately enhance public safety.  It may also delay BOP’s implementation of the FIRST STEP Act, a major bipartisan legislative achievement enacted in December that would help to reduce recidivism by prisoners returning to their communities.

Courts and Administration of Justice

·         Federal Courts Face Possible Disruption Due to Funding Shortfalls After Jan. 25, 2019:  According to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO), the Judicial Branch continues to operate by using court fee balances and other “no year” funds, but may only be able to so through Jan. 25, 2019.  The AO has asked courts to delay or defer non-critical expenses, such as new hires and non-case related travel in order to stretch available funds.  If the funds are exhausted, courts could begin to furlough workers as each determines which staff must continue to work unpaid “to support its mission critical work.”

·         The Efficient Administration of Justice Could Become Arbitrary and Depend on Where a Civil Case is Filed: If the AO runs out of funds, it will be up to each court to determine how to schedule and prioritize matters it must be involved in—such as hearings and trials—based on the availability of limited resources and unpaid staff. Depending upon case load and the general nature of their docket, some courts could be more affected than others. For example, the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit—–which handles many cases involving the federal government—–is already warning the public, that if funds are exhausted on Jan. 25, “the federal courts face serious disruption.”      

·         Justice Delayed is Justice Denied: While the chance of serious disruption to the federal courts will only grow as the shutdown continues, it is already impeding the effective and timely administration of civil justice at the federal level.  For instance:

o   Civil Cases Involving the U.S. Government: At the request of the Department of Justice (DOJ), some federal courts have already suspended, postponed, or are holding in abeyance civil cases to which the federal government is a party.  The shutdown is now delaying all federal civil cases to which the federal government is a party, “including discrimination cases, whistleblower cases, disciplinary cases and retaliation actions taken against federal employees.”

o   Employment Discrimination Claims: The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)—the agency responsible for enforcing federal civil rights laws barring discrimination in private and government employment based on race, sex, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity—is currently shutdown.  This has a significant impact on victims of employment discrimination. All mediations scheduled to occur during the shutdown have been cancelled.  And the EEOC has also sought to suspend all currently pending litigation.

·         Federal Defender Services: AO operations includes the federal public defender offices responsible for providing a legal defense to indigent defendants.  Federal defenders, many of whom already face daunting caseloads, now face the prospect of being furloughed or continuing to work without pay after Jan. 25, 2019, which may undermine indigent defendants’ Six Amendment right to effective assistance of counsel.

Public Health and Safety

·         Federal Laws and Regulations Protecting the Public May Go Unimplemented and Unenforced:  Thousands of federal workers have been furloughed across multiple federal agencies responsible for writing and implementing regulations designed to protect public health, safety, consumer rights, and the environment.   

·         Disruptions to the Federal Rulemaking Process:  The Trump shutdown has affected operations at the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA)—which plays a pivotal role in the federal rulemaking process reviewing draft regulations before they are released to the public.  OIRA has only issued vague statements regarding which ongoing reviews of regulatory action have been affected by the shutdown, contributing to public confusion. 

o   Public Notice and Comment: The three main websites providing for online public participation in rulemaking—federalregister.gov, regulations.gov, and reginfo.gov—are impaired. The Trump Administration has yet to clearly announce whether agency officials are accepting or considering requests for agency action or public comment during the shutdown.  

Judiciary Impact of Trump S... by on Scribd

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Cocktails & Popcorn: Trump Caves In For Nancy Pelosi - Upon Her Return From Her NATO DAVOS Side Trip

"все видели тебя, Нэнси"

Well, it seems Nancy's DAVOS side trip went well, but hey, what do I know?

I definitely know the world stage is being set for Act III, or is this Act IV?

It does not matter, I just want to watch Nancy, and her rogue ass crew, while I eat my popcorn, sipping on my flute of Russian champagne, here, in Detroit.

Trump Bows to Democrats, Temporarily Ends Shutdown Without Wall

(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump agreed to re-open the federal government for about three weeks without any guarantee Congress would provide money for his proposed border wall, his top campaign promise, capitulating to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Trump agreed Friday to a deal hastily negotiated by lawmakers after the 35-day shutdown, the longest in modern U.S. history, began to seriously impact air travel. Earlier in the day, LaGuardia Airport in New York was briefly closed due to a shortage of air traffic controllers, exacerbating flight delays across the country.

Under terms of the agreement, Trump will sign a short-term spending bill through Feb. 15 and Congress will immediately begin negotiating border security legislation.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the chamber will vote “immediately” on the deal. House passage also is required and could happen immediately unless a member objects. In that case, House members would have to return to Washington for a floor vote.

The president threatened that if a final deal doesn’t include money for a wall, he would either shut down the government again or declare a national emergency that he says would allow him to begin construction without congressional approval.

“We really have no choice but to build a powerful wall or steel barrier,” Trump told reporters in the White House Rose Garden. “If we don’t get a fair deal from Congress the government will either shut down on Feb. 15 again or I will use the powers afforded to me under the laws and the Constitution of the United States to address this emergency.”

Negotiations in the Senate restarted Thursday after the chamber rejected rival plans from Trump and Democrats to fund the government. Trump had refused to end the shutdown until he received $5.7 billion for a border wall and Democrats had refused to negotiate with him on wall funding as long as the shutdown continued.

The temporary funding deal came together Thursday in a meeting between Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and McConnell, according to a Democratic aide. McConnell said there would need to be a down payment on the wall -- terms that Schumer rejected.

Schumer then suggested a short-term funding measure to reopen government followed by a House-Senate conference committee on a funding bill that would focus on border security, according to the aide.

McConnell took the proposal to the White House, the aide said. Schumer and McConnell spoke several times by phone on Friday to discuss how to pass the temporary funding measure, and Schumer spoke with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was on the same page, according to the aide.

Some of Trump’s most conservative supporters turned on him after he announced the deal, including author Ann Coulter, who called him a “wimp” in a tweet, and Breitbart News, which published a headline noting the government would re-open but there would be “no wall.”

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Trump Helps Pelosi Celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

The bus was idling outside the Rayburn Building when Trump denied military aircraft in an executive missive to U.S. Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.

Nancy can focus on her Voting Rights agenda since her overseas trip is cancelled this weekend in honor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday.

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Nancy!

#sayhisname 

President @realDonaldTrump’s letter to @SpeakerPelosi concerning her upcoming travel pic.twitter.com/TtBCvwp080

— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) January 17, 2019

President Trump's Final... by on Scribd

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

DOJ: Merry Christmas from the U.S. Department of Justice - No Press Releases During The Great Government Shutdown Of 2018

What better way to go dark in a major, covert investigation than a federal government shutdown.

Merry Christmas from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Due to the lapse in appropriations, Department of Justice websites will not be regularly updated. The Department’s essential law enforcement and national security functions will continue. Please refer to the Department of Justice’s contingency plan for more information.

For updates, you can always check back with me.

Fiscal Year 2019 DOJ Contin... by on Scribd

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Congressman Conyers Argues to Extend, Not Cut, Nutrition Assistance Benefits

(WASHINGTON) – Today, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) went to the House Floor to discuss his legislation H.R. 3108, the “Extend Not Cut SNAP Benefits Act.” This legislation comes on the heels of House Republicans voting to cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program by $40 billion. He said:

U.S. Representative
John Conyers, Jr.

“On November 1^st, households participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will see their monthly benefit sharply reduced.  The temporary benefit boost provided for in the 2009 American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) is scheduled to expire next month, leaving many American’s unsure of how they will put food on the table.  The November 1^st cut will aggravate the problem of hunger in our nation, and make it that much harder for millions of Americans—fathers and mothers, children, veterans and active duty military to provide for their loved ones.

“The benefit increase passed in the depths of the Great Recession has provided Americans—both directly and indirectly—with substantial benefits.  Low-income families who face unemployment and underemployment are provided a critical way to bridge the financial barriers they face.  Americans who are employed in adequate paying jobs are able to remain so because of the boost to the economy; $9 are added to the GDP for every $5 in SNAP benefits that the program provides.

“These cuts will come at a moment when Americans are ill-prepared to afford them.  The loss of SNAP will not just mean empty tables for Thanksgiving for millions; it will mean a weaker economy, even as the effects of our prolonged shutdown and debt ceiling brinksmanship continues to erode economic progress.  This cut in benefits simply pushes the American economy into a vicious cycle which we cannot afford at this time.

“I am urging my colleagues to avoid exacerbating the effects of this government shutdown and the potential default of government debts—by calling on them to support H.R. 3108, the ‘Extend Not Cut SNAP Benefits Act.’  H.R. 3108 provides for a one year extension of the 13% benefits increase contained in ARRA through the 2014 Fiscal Year.

“In 2011, SNAP lifted 4.7 million Americans above the poverty line, including 2.1 million children.  Without an extension of the 2009 Recovery Act’s temporary boost to SNAP, our economy will be worse off and our children will face hunger they certainly do not deserve.”

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

What Price Justice?

By John Conyers, Jr.

As the government budget gridlock grinds on, there has been considerable attention concerning its financial impact, with the sequester calculated as costing the economy more than 1.5 million jobs and the government shutdown estimated as costing the economy more than $150 million per day. However, few commentators have focused on the effect the sequester and the government shutdown are having on our constitutional obligation to do justice.

U.S. Representative
John Conyers, Jr.

As the senior Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, that was the question posed at a forum I convened this week with some of the nation's leading experts on law and justice -- including the president of the American Bar Association, a retired federal judge, former Congressional and Justice Department staff, and representatives of public and legal defenders and non-profits.

We learned that the cost of the sequester and shutdown on the Department of Justice and the federal courts is grave and growing each and every day. The Department of Justice's funding was reduced last year by more than $1.6 billion, which has hindered their efforts to combat violent crime, to fund critical grant programs like Community Oriented Policing Services and Violence Against Women, to pursue financial fraud, and to prevent terrorism. As Scott Lilly, a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress told us, the sequester means it is a good time to be a terrorist, a foreign intelligence officer, or to engage in consumer fraud.

The FBI and Bureau of Prisons are being hit particularly hard. At the FBI, new agents are no longer being trained, many investigations are not being opened on a timely basis, and criminal cases are being closed prematurely. We've even been told that agents are not being reimbursed for putting gas in their cars. In the coming months, as the toll of sequester accumulates, critical functions at the Bureau of Prisons will be stretched well beyond their limits, with possible physical harm to guards and even prison riots on the horizon.

According to James Silkenat, the President of the American Bar Association, our independent court system is very close to collapse as a result of the cumulative impact of the sequester and shutdown. Because federal judicial salaries are exempt from reduction, the cut backs for the rest of the court system are even more onerous. Among other things, the federal judiciary has been forced to curtail critical programs that supervise individuals in the community awaiting trial and that monitor those who have served their time and subsequently are released from prison on parole, which potentially jeopardizes public safety.

Beyond the specific impacts on funding and caseload, the sequester and shutdown are having an even more insidious effect on some of our nation's most sacred legal obligations. It is a shocking irony that 50 years after the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Gideon v. Wainwright -- guaranteeing indigent criminal defendants the right to counsel -- we are shirking this core constitutional commitment.

Last fiscal year the public defenders program -- funded by the federal courts -- incurred a 10 percent cut in needed funding resulting in over 17,000 furlough days. This year will be even worse, with the likely result being more wrongful convictions. As A.J. Kramer, the Federal Public Defender for the District of Columbia reminded us, the sequester and shutdown will ultimately cost the federal government far more money in the long term as appeals and retrials are processed for these defendants.

At the same time, the needless shutdown is eviscerating our commitment to civil rights, with over 70 percent of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division staff currently furloughed. That means the laws that protect the right to vote, protect access to fair housing, and prevent discrimination against the disabled are being largely unenforced. The nation celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech this summer, but now we are ignoring Dr. King's basic teachings of fairness and equality by allowing the shutdown -- and its devastating consequences for civil rights enforcement -- to continue.

Our courts, as a co-equal branch of government and the crown jewel of our democracy, deserve better. Indigent defendants did nothing to create the sequester, yet they are at risk of having their constitutional rights violated each and every day that this manufactured political crisis is allowed to fester. The victims of rape and abuse may know little of the Tea Party and political ultimatums, but they are being victimized yet again by the mindless shutdown.

Sequestration, government shutdown, and default are not mere political games, but involve real people, with real costs -- both practical and constitutional.

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Conyers Urges Boehner to Call for Immediate Vote on Lifting the Debt Ceiling

New Analysis Shows Default’s Cost on Michigan Families

(WASHINGTON) – Today, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) called for protecting American families from the cost of a dangerous Republican default by taking long-term action on the debt limit.  The need for action is highlighted by a new analysis by Ways and Means Committee Democrats that shows the consequences families in Michigan would face under a Republican default. Republican members of Congress have increasingly voiced skepticism that failing to raise the debt ceiling would be harmful for the American economy, despite warnings from economists and financial leaders throughout the world as the U.S. draws closer to the date a default might occur. The new analysis shows the damaging consequences of default on mortgage rates, retirement savings, Social Security, veterans’ disability and pensions, student loans and Medicare. A debt limit increase simply allows Treasury to pay the bills for spending Congress has already approved and does not add one cent to the debt. Republicans must stop holding hostage the full faith and credit of the United States.

U.S. Representative
John Conyers, Jr.

“Defaulting would put an enormous financial strain on American families, from higher interest rates for mortgages and credit cards to lost retirement savings to delayed Social Security payments, particularly here in Michigan,” said Conyers.

“Economists of all political stripes are warning about the potential consequences of default. With just days left, I call on Republicans in the House and Senate to start taking that prospect seriously and stop playing political games with the full faith and credit of the United States and the livelihoods of American families.”

The new analysis shows that mortgage rates could rise dramatically during a default, pushing up overall home loan costs. Retirement savings are expected to fall significantly, potentially costing the average person in Michigan a drop of $15,000 in 401(k) assets and almost $23,000 in IRA assets just as they did in July and August 2011, when Republicans pushed the U.S. to the brink of default. 2,061,941 Social Security recipients here in Michigan may not get their monthly checks and 77,675 disabled veterans may not get their pensions as the Treasury Department is unable to borrow. Student loans will cost significantly more. And doctors and hospitals may not get paid for treating patients with Medicare.

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Conyers Signs Petition to Reopen the Government, Calls on Republicans to Sign On

(WASHINGTON) – Today, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) announced that he signed on to a petition to reopen the government. This special congressional procedure, known as a discharge petition, allows a majority of members to bypass Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and force an up or down vote on a bill to reopen the government. The federal government has been closed since October 1, 2013, and Republican leaders have repeatedly refused requests from Democrats and some Republicans to pass a funding resolution without controversial items and reopen the federal government. After signing on to the discharge petition, Rep. Conyers issued the following statement: 

U.S. Representative
John Conyers, Jr.

“With no end in sight to this government shutdown that is harming citizens across the country, I joined with my colleagues to sign onto the discharge petition that will allow a vote on a bill to immediately reopen the government,” said Conyers.

“This shutdown is hurting my constituents in Michigan and threatening our economic recovery. I urge my Republican colleagues to come together in the spirit of bipartisanship to end this crisis by signing onto the discharge petition.”

The government shutdown has hurt the middle class and our economy, and will get worse as it continues.  Costing taxpayers up to $300 million a day, it has stopped critical loans to small businesses and slowed the processing of veterans disability claims. The shutdown has prevented NIH from taking new patients and halted life-saving medical research and stalled much-needed housing loans for American families.

The discharge petition for H. Res. 372 would allow an up or down vote on a clean continuing resolution, providing funding through November 15 at a compromise level requested by Speaker Boehner. This discharge petition only needs a majority of House members to sign on and does not require any action by the Republican leadership.

Discharge petitions have been proven successful in the past in bringing up legislation for consideration.  

·         According to a Congressional Research Service study, seven discharge petitions have received 218 signatures over the last 30 years. And in all seven cases, the majority party agreed to bring the measure to the House floor.

·         12 measures were allowed to be brought to the House floor even before the discharge petition reached the full 218 signatures. 

You can see which Members of Congress have signed onto the discharge petition in real time by visiting the House Clerk’s office here: http://clerk.house.gov/113/lrc/pd/petitions/DisPet0005.xml

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Conyers Asks Speaker to End the Government Shudtdown to Ensure the Provision of Justice to All Americans

House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) sent the following letter to House Speaker John Boehner asking that he end the government shutdown in light of its devastating impacts on the ability of the federal court system and the U.S. Department of Justice to serve the American public:

Letter from Conyers Asks Speaker to End the Government Shudtdown to Ensure the Provision of Justice to All... by Beverly Tran

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Conyers Condemns Threats to Judiciary at Forum on the Government Shutdown and Sequestration

(WASHINGTON) – Yesterday, Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) and Democratic Members of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee held a forum on the impact of the government shutdown and sequestration on the provision of justice in the United States. Participants in the forum were: James R. Silkenat, President of the American Bar Association; the Honorable W. Royal Furgeson, Jr., a retired Federal District Judge and Dean of UNT Dallas College of Law; A. J. Kramer, the Federal Public Defender for the District of Columbia; Robert Kengle, Co-Director of the Voting Rights Project at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; Don Saunders, the Vice President of Civil Legal Services with the National Legal Aid & Defender Association; Nan Aron, the President of the Alliance for Justice; Scott Lilly, a Senior Fellow with the Center for American Progress; and Diane Moyer, a Board Member of the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence and Policy Director of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape. Following the forum, Rep. Conyers issued the following statement:

U.S. Representative
John Conyers, Jr.

“As we enter week two of the government shutdown, after more than six months of indiscriminate spending cuts imposed by sequestration, we find our Nation’s justice system to be in a perilous place. The financial impact of these events on the Department of Justice and the federal courts is grave and growing each day. The Justice Department’s budget was reduced by more than $1.6 billion in the last year alone, the FBI has not been able to train new agents, and funding for critical grant programs, such as those for Violence Against Women, has been curtailed. It is for these reasons that I convened a Judiciary Committee forum examining the impact of the twin crises of sequestration and the government shutdown on the provision of justice,” said Conyers.

“At the forum, we heard testimony from expert panelists that highlighted how damaging these fiscal cuts have been on the Judiciary. James Silkenat, the President of the American Bar Association, stated that our independent court system is close to collapse because of the cumulative impact of the sequester and the government shutdown. Among other concerns he cited, the federal judiciary has had to cutback essential programs that oversee individuals in the community awaiting trial and monitor those who already served their time and subsequently are released from prison on parole, potentially jeopardizing public safety.

               

“The Federal Public Defender for the District of Columbia, A. J. Kramer, noted how ironic it was that on the 50^th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Gideon v. Wainwright - guaranteeing the right to counsel to indigent criminal defendants - we are not living up to this central constitutional commitment. The public defenders program has already suffered a 10% cut in critical funding, leading to 17,000 furlough days for counsels and a likely uptick in wrongful convictions. And, with 70% of their staff furloughed, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is unable to carry out its legal duties to combat discrimination, protect voting rights, and ensure fair housing access.

“Indigent defendants, federal judges, and the entirety of the federal judiciary did nothing to create this crisis, yet they must bear the brunt of the sequester and government shutdown on their budgets and constitutional obligations. Our courts, as a co-equal branch of government that is essential to our system of checks and balances, deserve better. After suffering through a manufactured crisis for far too long, we must act now to rescind the sequester and re-open the government.”

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Congressman Conyers Urges Up or Down Vote in House to End the Shutdown

 (WASHINGTON) – Friday, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.), joined by 199 Democrats, sent a letterto House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) demanding a vote on legislation that would end the shutdown, fund the government, and open the entire federal government immediately. Today, Congressman Conyers issued the following statement about the need for an immediate vote on the Senate-passed continuing resolution: 

U.S. Representative
John Conyers, Jr. 

“Today marks the seventh day of the government shutdown and yet House Republicans continue to take our nation on their dangerous, ideological path that’s threatening job growth, leaving families with less security and our country with less certainty and stability. Our message is clear: we demand a vote to end the shutdown and reopen our government so Americans can move on with their lives,” said Conyers.

Since the shutdown, House Democrats have tried seven times to bring up a vote on the Senate-passed continuing resolution, which would fund government at levels passed by both chambers of Congress and end the shutdown immediately. However, House Republicans blocked a vote on each of the Democrats’ measures.

“House Republicans continue to drag out this damaging shutdown by holding votes on a cynical, piecemeal approach to funding government,” said Conyers. “This is no way to govern and no way to run the largest economy in the world. Markets around the globe are reacting poorly to Congress’ inability to agree on this matter. It is time for House Republicans to drop the political games and join Democrats to bring a vote to the floor immediately to end the shutdown and get our government working again for the American people.”

This unnecessary shutdown is having a devastating impact on our economy, costing more than $300 million in taxpayer dollars a day, halting much-needed loans to small businesses, and forcing roughly 800,000 federal employees that work hard to make our nation a safer and better place to live to be furloughed.

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Conyers Announces New Participants in Forum Examining the Impact of the Government Shutdown & Sequestration on the Provision of Justice

(WASHINGTON) – Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) and Democratic Members of the House Judiciary Committee announced they will be holding a forum on the impact of the federal shutdown and sequestration on the provision of justice in the U.S. on Tuesday, October 8, at 2 pm.  Participants will include  some of the Nation’s leading experts on justice-related issues.  The Forum will be held in the Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2237.

Further information about the event is detailed below:

What:	Forum Examining the Impact of the Government Shutdown and Sequestration on the Provision of Justice
Who:	Hosts: Ø  Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) – Ranking Member, House Judiciary Committee Ø  Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) – Ranking Member, Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice Ø  Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-Va.) – Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations Ø  Congressman Melvin L. Watt (D-N.C.) – Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet Ø  Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) – Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security Ø  Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) Ø  Congressman Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) – Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law Ø  Congressman Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (D-Ga.) Ø  Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-Calif.) Ø  Congressman Theodore E. “Ted” Deutch (D-Fla.) Ø  Congressman Luis V. Gutierrez (D-Ill.) Ø  Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) Ø  Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) Participants: Ø  James R. Silkenat – President, American Bar Association Ø  The Honorable W. Royal Furgeson, Jr. – Retired Federal District Judge, Dean of UNT Dallas College of Law Ø  A. J. Kramer – Federal Public Defender for the District of Columbia Ø  Robert Kengle – Co-Director, Voting Rights Project, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Ø  Don Saunders – Vice President of Civil Legal Services, National Legal Aid & Defender Association Ø  Nan Aron – President, Alliance for Justice Ø  Scott Lilly – Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress Ø  Diane Moyer – Board Member of the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence and Policy Director of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape
When:	Tuesday, October 8th, 2:00 p.m.
Where:	Rayburn House Office Building Room 2237

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©