This update gives a summary of developments in immigration policy in Congress, by the Obama administration, and at the state level. Topics include:
Melissa Engle/MCC
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Posted by emilywh
U.S. Air Force photo
Forty-one members of Congress have signed a letter to the “super committee,” the Joint Select Committee for Deficit Reduction, calling for reductions to the Pentagon budget. The letter states:
In the ten years since the 9/11 attacks, spending on defense and security has increased 96% and totaled almost $8 trillion. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost $1.36 trillion, and taken the lives of over six thousand men and women while leaving over thirty thousand wounded. In the same time frame, the base budget for the Pentagon has mushroomed to $5.6 trillion…..
Read the full letter and see the list of signers here.
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Posted by Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach
Argemiro Joaquin Maza Contreras was forced from his home in 2000 by violence. (MCC Photo/Silas Crews)
On Monday, October 3, President Obama sent three long-pending trade agreements to Congress, which are expected to pass in both the House and Senate. The trade deals with Colombia, South Korea, and Panama were delayed due to disagreement over the Trade Adjustment Assistance, a measure that would provide assistance to American workers displaced by the agreements. While President Obama and others claim that the FTAs would increase US exports and create thousands of jobs for Americans, the passage of the agreement would have dire consequences for the Colombian people, labor leaders, who have suffered human rights violations, and small farmers who are struggling to make a living.
The MCC Washington Office has advocated for stopping passage of the Colombia Free Trade Agreement due to its potential impact on Colombian small farmers and potential increase in violence against labor leaders and minority groups.
Leave a Comment » | Action Alerts, Global Economic Justice, Latin America/Caribbean, Legislative Updates | Tagged: Colombia, Colombia FTA | Permalink
Posted by Heather Sell
A non-wonky guide to the Budget Control Act’s sweeping push to cut federal spending (and maybe increase revenue, too?).
Webinar, Thursday, August 18, 1:00pm EST. (1 hour 15 minutes long)
If you are concerned about health care, jobs, hunger, services for seniors, children, or people with disabilities, housing, rebuilding communities, reducing poverty…well – if you’re concerned about pretty much any of the problems facing this nation, you need to know about the new Budget Control Act. Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Civil Rights, Events, Issues, Legislative Updates, U.S. Economic Justice, Uncategorized | Tagged: budget | Permalink
Posted by Christina Warner
Nathan Toews writes about the effects of cluster bombs for Third Way Cafe:
Outha Sidakham demonstrates how he uses a metal detector to find ordinance, then marks it with a stake to later detonate. (MCC Photo/Jenna Stoltzfus)
The cluster bomb is a weapon that continues to cause thousands of
civilian casualties decades after its use. With unexploded munitions lying hidden in the ground people find themselves falling victim while going about daily activities.In 2010 an international treaty known as the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) took effect. While the United States has not yet agreed to the treaty, a bill has been introduced in the U.S. Congress known as the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act
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Posted by Patricia Kisare
Debate on the defense appropriations bill continues today on the floor of the House of Representatives.
Call your representative now in support of amendments to reduce Pentagon spending.
More information is available here.
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Posted by Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach
This update (in English and Spanish) gives a summary of developments in immigration policy in Congress, by the Obama administration, and at the state level. Topics include the DREAM Act, a bill to make the e-Verify program mandatory, comprehensive immigration reform, bills on the border, Haiti deportations and temporary protected status, unjust immigration raids, President Obama’s immigration speech, and the mixed bag of immigration policy at the state level.
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Posted by Tammy Alexander
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