Praying for Our Leaders in Government
Executive Branch: Pray for the President and his Administration
President Biden envisions putting thousands to work addressing the effects of climate change with throwback FDR New Deal-style public service programs and the establishment of a Civilian Climate Corps. He foresees corps members weatherizing and retrofitting homes to make them more energy-efficient, managing forest lands to prevent wildfires, installing rooftop solar panels, and restoring coastal habitats.
The State Department is voicing concern over China’s rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal and has called upon Beijing to reduce its nuclear arms. Chinese officials have begun construction on roughly 100 new missile silos located in the western desert region of the country. The build-up, according to the State Department, raises questions of their intentions and reinforces the importance of pursuing practical measures to reduce nuclear risks.
Pray for the president and members of his administration working to direct both domestic and foreign policies.
Legislative Branch: Pray for Senators and Representatives in Congress
Senator Rob Portman of Ohio said unaccompanied migrant children face a greater risk of trafficking because of the way President Biden’s administration discharges children from government custody. The current immigration system allows the government to find sponsors for children who come over the border unaccompanied. The senator expressed apprehension over the danger this policy could be to the children. “While I am not aware of any wrongdoing yet, I am concerned… I would hope that HHS would share… the type of background checks, if any, that HHS completes before the federal employees arrive to care for the children.”
Senate Banking Committee Ranking Member Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania has identified four Federal Reserve Banks that have not responded to congressional oversight requests. He suggested this lack of transparency is allowing the central bank system to shift its research to that which is politically inclined.
Pray for members of Congress as they seek to provide oversight and guidance to other branches of the government.
Judicial Branch: Pray for Supreme Court Justices and Federal Judges
A federal judge said Google must face much of a lawsuit accusing the company of illegally recording and disseminating private conversations of people who accidentally trigger its voice-activated Voice Assistant on their smartphones.
The Supreme Court declined to hear a case challenging libel protections for journalists and media organizations, though Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch disagreed with the court’s action. The two justices questioned the 1964 protections amid a rapidly changing media environment increasingly rife with disinformation. They said, in separate opinions, that the Court should take a fresh look at its precedents that make it difficult for public figures to sue for defamation.
Pray for America’s judges and justices as they continually deal with the rapidly changing nature of American culture and technology.
