Praying for Our Leaders in Government
Executive Branch: Pray for the President and his Administration
Attorney General Merrick Garland said he is reviewing the Justice Department’s federal death penalty policies and he expects to issue a statement when his review is complete. “I’m concerned about disparate impact on black Americans,” he said.
The Federal Housing Administration is relaxing the way it assesses student-loan debt when weighing eligibility for homebuying assistance as President Biden’s administration pushes to help lower-income borrowers and narrow the gap in home ownership for minorities.
Pray for all levels of the administration as they look to reduce or eliminate inequities in government policies.
Legislative Branch: Pray for Senators and Representatives in Congress
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said it is time to add dental and medical coverage to Medicare. “There is a gaping hole in Medicare that leaves out dental, vision, and hearing coverage. This is a serious problem.” He said he is working with the president and others to include the expansion of Medicare in the 2022 budget.
Over 200 rabbis have encouraged Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi of California to take action with regard to Representative Ilhan Omar’s anti-Semitic comments on American Jews and to remove her from her position on the House Foreign Affairs Committee over her response to the Israeli-Palestinian situation. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, also of California, is moving forward with a privileged resolution to strip Omar of her committee post. Speaker Pelosi has defended Omar’s remarks.
Pray for members of both houses of Congress as they face the challenges of legislative procedures, policies, and philosophical differences.
Judicial Branch: Pray for Supreme Court Justices and Federal Judges
A federal judge in Florida ruled that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s coronavirus-era sailing orders were an overreach of power, issuing a preliminary injunction temporarily barring the CDC from enforcing the guidelines against cruise ships.
The Supreme Court rejected a challenge to the Affordable Care Act, leaving intact the 2010 healthcare law. The challenge sought to dismantle the law on technical arguments after Congress reduced the tax penalty for failing to carry health insurance to zero dollars. Writing for the 7-2 decision, Justice Stephen Breyer said, “We do not reach these questions on the Act’s validity. Texas and the other plaintiffs in this suit lack the standing necessary to raise them.”
Pray for America’s judges as they make rulings that affect Americans’ health and well-being.
