Family Voices News
Washington Update March 16, 2022
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a budget! Late last week, the Senate passed a $1.5 trillion omnibus spending package (text; summary). The 2700 page bill combines 12 appropriations bills and will fund the federal government through the end of its fiscal year in September...
New Vaccine Findings Pose Tough Questions for Parents of Young Children (NYTimes, March 10, 2022)
The F.D.A. temporarily halted efforts to authorize the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for young children amid several unexpected findings. The coming weeks should bring clarity. Read more.
Washington Update March 9, 2022
It wouldn’t be a week in Washington if a deadline with a fiscal cliff wasn’t looming! As both chambers of Congress kick off the March legislative work session this week there is likely to be a lot of roaring as they deal with a March 11 government funding deadline, a...
White House Unveils COVID Plan Focused On People With Disabilities (Disability Scoop 2.28.2022)
2.28.2022 - Following criticism from disability advocates, the Biden administration is taking new steps to better address the needs of people with disabilities during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Read more.
CDC Adds IDD To List Of Conditions At Increased Risk From COVID-19 (Disability Scoop 3.7.2022)
3.7.2022 - Nearly two years into the pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is for the first time acknowledging that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities have an elevated risk of severe disease from COVID-19. Read more.
Disability Advocates Want CDC To Reinstate Indoor Mask Guidelines (Disability Scoop 3.7.2022)
3.7.2022 - Dozens of advocacy groups are calling for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to walk back major changes to its mask guidance arguing that the new recommendations are harmful to people with disabilities Read more.
Washington Update March 3, 2022
“If March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb.” As both chambers of Congress kick off the March legislative work session this week there is likely to be a lot of roaring as they deal with a March 11 government funding deadline, a lengthy list of...
Washington Update February 24, 2022
Congress is on recess this week for the President’s Day work period. The Senate will return on February 28th and the House will return on March 1st. Although they did not finalize a budget before the recess, they did pass a temporary continuing resolution until March...
Washington Update February 9, 2022
“Money is the opposite of the weather. Nobody talks about it, but everybody does something about it.” – Rebecca Johnson The Budget: Let’s hope that Congress is doing a lot of talking about the weather AND budget! As the February 18th deadline for the temporary...
Washington Update January 26, 2022
No Go on Voting Rights and Election Reforms While the legislation did not pass last week, there is a small group of Senators turning last week's discussions into momentum for a narrower bipartisan effort to reexamine the 1887 law that governs how Congress counts...