Catholics working to address the nation’s fentanyl problem told OSV News a new congressional report naming China — and blaming its government — as the key source of the drug is important but old news, and that healing rising rates of addiction ultimately demands divine assistance.
U.S. Congress
‘Power of prayer’ behind passage of U.S. aid to Ukraine bill, say Ukrainian Catholics
Ukrainian Catholics in the U.S. are breathing a sigh of relief and prayers of gratitude, after a bill for aid to Ukraine cleared the House of Representatives following months of delay, political infighting and even openly anti-Ukrainian sentiment among some lawmakers.
Foreign aid deal passes House after months of negotiations
A bipartisan coalition the U.S. House of Representatives, led by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., voted April 20 to approve a $95 billion package providing aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan and other U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific region, over the objections of some far-right lawmakers who indicated they would attempt to remove Johnson from his role over the deal.
Spending bill grants PEPFAR one-year extension
The U.S. government’s global effort to combat HIV/AIDS was granted a one-year extension in the government funding package Congress is expected to approve, ending an impasse over the program’s reauthorization — for now.
In boisterous State of the Union, Biden calls for Ukraine aid, abortion law and immigration reforms
In his third State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, Biden said “this is no ordinary moment” in U.S. history.
As Ukraine aid stalls and a city falls, an archbishop warns Catholics are in Russia’s crosshairs
As an emergency bill to replenish dwindling ammunition and supplies for Ukraine’s forces languishes in the U.S. House, Metropolitan Archbishop Borys A. Gudziak of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia warned that failing to support Ukraine as Russia’s war machine relentlessly presses its attack will have a vast impact on religious freedom in the region as well as on global security.
Lawmakers demand investigation, autopsies of 5 aborted babies rescued by jailed Catholic activist
In a stunning development for Catholic pro-life activist Lauren Handy, the scheduled destruction of five unborn babies’ corpses she recovered from a Washington abortion clinic in 2022 has been indefinitely delayed with the expectation they will finally be autopsied.
Senate approves bill with uncertain future in House as Ukraine hangs in the balance
The Senate passed an approximately $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, following months of a stalemate amid growing divisions within the Republican Party over the role of the United States on the global stage.
Senate advances national security supplemental bill with aid for Ukraine, Israel
The Senate voted Feb. 8 to proceed with debate on a bill that would provide military and humanitarian aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, among other measures.
Amid congressional impasse, Catholic immigration advocates seek ‘humane and just solutions’
As congressional lawmakers appear to be at an impasse on immigration as a bipartisan border deal failed in the Senate and House Republicans failed to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Catholic immigration advocates will continue to pursue “humane and just solutions,” one such advocate told OSV News.
Experts: Spending priorities, rising debt make the federal budget a ‘moral document’
For those Catholics actively ministering to the poor, congressional spending and saving priorities — when measured against the concerns of Catholic social teaching — might appear imbalanced.
Social media CEOs grilled over child exploitation: ‘You have a product that’s killing people’
The Senate Judiciary Committee Jan. 31 grilled the CEOs of major social media companies on how they respond to child sexual exploitation on their platforms.