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Frustration continues to reign in Washington as the federal government shutdown (or slimdown, as Fox News is calling it) enters its second week.
Various House Republican proposals to open certain parts of the government (such as cancer research funding, National Parks, and financing for veterans' services) while leaving others closed have all failed to gain traction in the Democratic-controlled Senate, as well as presidential veto threats. While there are plans for votes on more of these "minibills" this week, they remain unlikely to succeed.
There was some good news over the weekend, however, for many of the furloughed workers in Washington: Secretary Chuck Hagel recalled nearly all of the 350,000 civilian employees of the Defense Department. This comprises a significant chunk of the approximately 800,000 federal employees who have been ordered to stay home as a result of the shutdown.
The endgame to this crisis is not clear, but hopefully it'll be over by the time next week's "On the Agenda" post is up!
Meanwhile, here's what our Washington Legislative Office is up to this week. Of course, some activities may be re-scheduled or postponed if the shutdown continues.
Monday, October 7th
Guantanamo
While we anticipate future consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) later in the fall, we plan to send a coalition sign on letter to the President on Monday reminding him of commitments made in the late spring to continue transfers out of Guantanamo and to appoint an envoy to manage the closure of the detention facility.
Tuesday, October 8th
Cybersecurity
Politico is hosting an event titled "Cyber7: The Seven Key Questions Diving the Cybersecurity Agenda."
School Discipline/Corporal Punishment
Senior Legislative Counsel Deborah Vagins has been invited to testify before a U.S. Virgin Islands legislative committee to provide expertise on a proposed ban on corporal punishment and to provide a federal advocacy prospective.
Wednesday, October 9th
NSA Surveillance
The Cato Institute will hold a day long symposium titled, "NSA Surveillance: What We Know; What to Do About It." Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Reps. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) and Justin Amash (R-Mich.) are scheduled to be keynote speakers. The ACLU's Jameel Jaffer, Chris Soghoian, and Michelle Richardson will also speak on panels throughout the day.
Thursday, October 10th
Immigration
CAMBIO will hold a briefing on "Worker Protections in Immigration Reform," featuring Ana Avendaño from the AFL-CIO, Shellion Parris from the Jamaican Workers for Change, and Jennifer Rosenbaum from the National Guestworker Alliance. Professor Jennifer Gordon from Fordham University School of Law will moderate the panel.
Women's Rights/Employment
The Women's Bureau at the Department of Labor is hosting a symposium on working women to mark the 50th Anniversary of "American Women: Report on the President's Commission on the Status of Women, 1963."
Friday, October 11th
Reproductive Rights
Policy Counsel Sarah Lipton-Lubet will speak on a panel at a conference titled, "Beyond Roe: Reproductive Justice in a Changing World" at Rutgers School of Law.
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