Praying for Our Leaders in Government
Executive Branch: Pray for the President and his Administration
President Biden has allotted $1.58 trillion of the $5.3 trillion in his proposed 2023 budget to support America’s defense and maintain economic growth. He stated the proposal also addresses inflation by lowering the federal deficit and costs for working families.
President Biden stated in his speech from Warsaw that Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power.” In response, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. has no strategy of regime change for Russia, “or anywhere else for that matter… it’s up to the Russian people.”
Pray for President Biden and those working closely with him as they determine both domestic and foreign policies.
Legislative Branch: Pray for Senators and Representatives in Congress
Legislation introduced by Representative Chris Stewart of Utah would prevent intelligence agencies like the CIA from spying on American citizens, a move he believes will resonate with both sides of the aisle. The legislation would add a section to the National Security Act of 1947 banning the intelligence community from conducting any activity that is not related to foreign intelligence or counterintelligence and would also clarify terms in the law that have been exploited.
Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio has requested that FBI Director Christopher Wray explain what is in an FBI internal audit that details violations of its own policies when conducting surveillance investigations. A recent report on the audit showed the FBI “violated agency rules at least 747 times in 8 months while conducting investigations involving politicians, candidates, religious groups, news media, and others.”
Pray for members of Congress in their role as overseers of the activities of the Executive Branch, including America’s intelligence agencies.
PRAY FOR CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES
Representative Michael Turner, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, has asked National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan for a briefing on President Biden’s two-hour phone call with President Xi Jinping, as China lends at least tacit support to Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. He said the committee has not received a briefing, which is within their purview, and the committee needs to be brought up to speed.
Pray that the White House and national security adviser Jake Sullivan would respond promptly to the Intelligence Committee’s request for a briefing.
Judicial Branch: Pray for Supreme Court Justices and Federal Judges
The Supreme Court sided with a Texas death row inmate seeking to have his pastor allowed to pray out loud and touch him during his execution. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion that Texas “appears to have long allowed prison chaplains to pray with inmates in the execution chamber, deciding to prohibit such prayer only in the last several years.”
A federal judge ordered an attorney and ally of former President Donald Trump to turn over a cache of documents to the House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot. Judge David Carter wrote that the attorney and President Trump likely “attempted to obstruct the Joint Session of Congress on January 6, 2021.”
Pray for Justices and judges to remain impartial when ruling on highly-charged politically-related cases.
