More Stuff in the News 7-13-15 (3)

President Obama has announced that he will accelerate the drawdown of 40,000 troops. “President Obama’s decision to accelerate the drawdown of 40,000 active-duty Army troops is a dangerous and unwise gamble—one that America cannot afford to take. From Russian aggression in Ukraine to the Islamic State’s barbaric rampage across the Middle East, the threats we face today are more dangerous than ever. And we’re on the brink of reaching a deal that would allow the world’s biggest state sponsor of terrorism to maintain their nuclear program. In light of the concessions we’ve already made in these negotiations, the ayatollahs in Iran who lead chants of “Death to America!” are likely celebrating this news today," said Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) on Thursday. Senator Ted Cruz (R - TX) added: "Our national priorities, our global and economic influence, and the foremost Constitutional responsibility of homeland security are all supported by our military capabilities -- and the truth of the matter is that this President’s policies have made our need for our military ever greater."

The Pentagon reported that 99 servicemembers took their own lives from January through March, including 57 active component servicemembers, 15 reserve servicemembers, and 27 National Guard Members. The Pentagon report comes days after a study was published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry analyzing nearly 10,000 suicide attempts among almost 1 million active-duty servicemembers during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq from 2004-2009. The study found that suicide attempts by active-duty servicemembers during the Afghanistan and Iraq wars were most common in newer enlisted servicemembers who had not been deployed. Last year, according to the Pentagon in new adjusted numbers, 442 servicemembers took their own lives last year, including 273 active component servicemembers, 79 reserve servicemembers, and 90 National Guard members. In 2014, for the third straight year, more servicemembers were lost to suicide than in combat.

The Senate unanimously approved an amendment offered by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) to the Every Child Achieves Act that would eliminate barriers to children receiving assistance from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) homeless assistance programs. Current HUD regulations require homeless children and families to be certified as homeless before they can receive assistance, but obtaining that certification is overly burdensome. Homeless children and families are constantly on the move. They are frequently unable to provide documentation of their whereabouts or proof that they will only be staying at their current location, whether it be a motel or friend’s couch, temporarily. The amendment adopted by the Senate would allow school personnel to certify that children are homeless and eligible for HUD services by writing a letter on their behalf. This would make it easier for homeless children to receive the services they are already eligible for. Of course, a copy of that letter will go to CPS.

The U.S. Senate unanimously passed S. 1359 – The E-Warranty Act of 2015. The bill, sponsored by U.S. Senators Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) would modernize warranty requirements and allow manufacturers to save paper and printing costs by posting warranties online. The bill was passed unanimously out of the Commerce Committee in May.

U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) is pressing for new legislation that would update our tax code to reflect the Supreme Court's recent landmark decision on marriage equality. The bill, led by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and backed by the entire Senate Democratic Caucus, sets new precedent by removing gender-specific references to marriage, establishing dignity and recognition for LGBT Americans in the tax code. Introduction of the Equal Dignity for Married Taxpayers Act follows the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on June 26, 2015 that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marriage, striking down state-level bans on such marriages. The bill ensures that the nation's tax law properly reflects the landmark civil rights decision, offering equal treatment to all married taxpayers.