Praying for Our Leaders in Government
Executive Branch: Pray for the President and his Administration
Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said President Biden’s administration is calling for an increase in oil supply to help increase the amount of America’s petroleum reserve. “Since oil is traded on a global market, there have been about 1.5 million barrels per day pulled off that market because of Putin’s invasion,” she said, adding that the administration does not want to take any Russian oil because they do not want to finance the ongoing war.
The Interior Department’s Bureau of Reclamation announced that it is delaying a planned release of water from Lake Powell as a measure against a drought that has dropped the reservoir’s water to unprecedented levels. They said they will hold back nearly 480,000 acre-feet of water in the reservoir on the Colorado River which is currently at an all-time low.
Pray for administration officials to consider re-building America’s domestic energy production, even if only temporarily during these times of inflation.
Legislative Branch: Pray for Senators and Representatives in Congress
Senator John Cornyn of Texas introduced a bill that expands personal protection for Supreme Court justices and their families after groups staged protests at the homes of six of the justices this week over the court’s anticipated majority to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Tina Smith of Minnesota raised questions about a plan by Fidelity Investments to let investors put bitcoin in their 401(k)s in a letter to the company’s CEO, stating that crypto might be too risky an investment for retirement savers.
Pray for legislators determined to codify Roe v. Wade and for those who oppose such action as divisions in Congress grow deeper setting up voter challenges for the midterm elections.
PRAY FOR CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES
Minority members of the House Oversight Committee sent a letter to the Justice Department requesting an investigation into the leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v. Wade. The letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland says the leak “represents one of the most fundamental and troubling breaches of Supreme Court ‘confidentiality and secrecy’ in its history.”
Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee scrutinized Visa and Mastercard swipe fees on merchants, costs they say are passed down to consumers amid surging inflation. During a hearing with executives of the two major credit card companies, Chairman Dick Durbin of Illinois called for new rules to inject competition into the credit card industry and prevent “unreasonable” fees.
Pray for committee members as they investigate aspects of the national economy and draft bills.
Judicial Branch: Pray for Supreme Court Justices and Federal Judges
The White House denounced violent protests and vandalism Monday and demanded that judges be able to “do their jobs without concern for their personal safety” as demonstrators over the weekend extended from churches to the homes of Supreme Court justices amid fallout following the release of a draft opinion signaling the high court’s intent to overturn Roe v. Wade.
In several courts across the country, cases are being debated to decide whether school officials should be required to tell parents if their child identifies as LGBTQ. These federal and state cases are likely to create further legal and legislative battles involving controversial questions surrounding student gender identity, the scope of parental rights, and the limits of school authority.
Pray for the protection of the Supreme Court justices and their families, and for those guilty of inciting the harassment activities to be held accountable for this federal felony.
