This Week in Congress Wrap-Up

On Wednesday, the U.S. House passed H.R. 6729, the legislation giving the government new powers to see your financial records without a warrant, by a vote of 297-124. You can see the vote here.

The bill now moves to the Senate, so please sign your “No PATRIOT Act Expansion” petition to your U.S. Senators and Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell today. You can sign your petition here.

You can read more about this bill here.

Yesterday, the House passed the giant Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Defense Appropriations bill by a vote of 361-61. You can see the vote here.

As I wrote about on Tuesday, the bill had none of the new riders sought by pro-lifers, including one defunding Planned Parenthood. Other riders that were stored in the bill include:

• Prohibit funds to enforce the joint employer rule (read more about the rule here);

• Prohibit funds to enforce Obamacare;

• Eliminate the Center for Disease Control Climate Change program.

Read Veronique de Rugy on the spending bill here and Representative Justin Amash’s comments on the bill here.

Finally, the House passed H.Res 1082, a bill reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Authority by a vote of 398-23. You can see the vote here.

One provision of the bill requires a study before the increased use of biometric identifiers.

The bill also contains a provision giving the Homeland Security Department power to spy on Americans on their property without due process in the name of protecting us from drones.

The bill also reauthorizes the TSA for three years.

It also creates a Syria study group, provides $16 billion to the Community Block Grant disaster program, and creates a new International Finance Corporation to make loans to private sector businesses so they will invest in developing countries.