Monday is January 6. Why should you care about that otherwise completely obvious statement? Well, January 6 marks the return of Congress!
Monday is the day when the upper chamber will hold its final vote to confirm Janet Yellen as the first female Federal Reserve Chair. It’s also the day when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he will hold a procedural vote on a three-month extension of the unemployment benefits that expired on December 28th, 2013. The House won’t be getting back to work until Tuesday, and by the looks of it, the Republican leadership has no clear plans to vote on unemployment insurance. Not Tuesday, not Wednesday, not any day in January for that matter. So, what else will Congress get to work on when they get back to the Beltway next week? The details are a bit hazy, but one thing’s for sure, they’ll be working on getting re-elected.
On Sunday’s Melissa Harris-Perry, we’re going over the hot-button issues facing Congress in the upcoming year and how both parties plan to tackle them.
Back in 2009, President Obama became the first sitting US president to make ending homelessness for veterans a stated priority. A few months later, Veterans Administration Secretary Eric Shinseki laid out the blueprint for accomplishing the president’s goal. As 2013 came to a close last month, Phoenix, AZ became the first city to end chronic homelessness amongst its veteran population. Now all eyes are on a nearby state which set out in 2005 to end chronic homelessness and to significantly reduce overall homelessness by 2015. And it looks to be working! Has a solution to homelessness been struck, and if so, will other cities/states follow suit?
If you look at a map of single-party controlled states, the United States is becoming more and more partisan. As it stands, 37 states are currently governed by the same party that has control of the state legislature. In 23 states, Republicans are the controlling party, whereas Democrats control 14 states. This pattern is leading to weighty legislative consequences when it comes to everything from reproductive rights to worker’s rights. Don’t miss our segment on “one-party rule.”
We’ll also be talking all things Florida. From its upcoming gubernatorial race to an update on the fight to repeal the controversial Stand Your Ground law, host Melissa Harris-Perry and her guests will discuss why Florida always seems to be the state to watch.
And for all of the loyal fans of Disney's Doc McStuffins, we’ve got some big news to share!
Be sure to read what we’ve linked above, and watch Melissa Harris-Perry Sunday at 10 a.m. EST on MSNBC! Also, don’t forget to join us on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #nerdland.