Praying for Our Leaders in Government
Executive Branch: Pray for the President and his Administration
The Department of Education has issued the new Student Tuition and Transparency System (STATS) and Earnings Accountability rule intended to ensure federal student loans support graduate earnings. The rule will require undergraduate programs to demonstrate that graduates will earn more than typical high school graduates. Graduate programs will have to demonstrate that their degree holders earn more than those with bachelor’s degrees. Under Secretary Nicholas Kent said, “If a program cannot show that it leaves its graduates financially better off than if they had never enrolled, it should not be underwritten by federal taxpayers.”
Pray for Secretary McMahon, Under Secretary Kent, and U.S. education officials as they seek to reduce the rates of federal student loan default and delinquency.
Legislative Branch: Pray for Senators and Representatives in Congress
In the wake of the Supreme Court decision overturning President Trump’s executive order to restrict birthright citizenship under the Fourteenth Amendment, several federal legislators are proposing laws to implement similar measures. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky proposed a constitutional amendment to exclude noncitizen parents from birthright citizenship for their children. Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee is proposing the Ban Birth Tourism Act, which would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit the issuance of nonimmigrant visas to foreign nationals whose infants would otherwise acquire U.S. citizenship at birth. Representative Andy Ogles of Tennessee proposed the Anchors Away Act to ban pregnant foreign nationals from exploiting the legal loophole to gain U.S. citizenship after childbirth. Senator Tim Scott is also working on legislation to prohibit U.S. citizenship for newborns whose mothers are on a tourist visa.
Pray for representatives and senators as they propose various legislation to protect the nation and eliminate opportunities for “birth tourism.”
PRAY FOR CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES
The Senate Appropriations Committee is facing an even party split, potentially stalling federal funding legislation, as Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky remains hospitalized after a health emergency over three weeks ago. Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota and Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming each announced they had “substantive” conversations with Senator McConnell this week and that the convalescing senator was “fully engaged.”
Pray for committee and party leaders as they set agendas for hearings, markups, and legislative advancement.
Judicial Branch: Pray for Supreme Court Justices and Federal Judges
A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled against the termination of intelligence officers by the acting Director of National Intelligence, finding the firings illegal because they did not permit possible appeals or reassignments. The decision was made just after the Supreme Court determined the president could remove certain employees from the Executive Branch.
Pray for federal judges to be discerning in their interpretation of the Constitution and federal laws.
