Welcome back to the Weekly QuizCap. We can’t wait for Christmas. And to get us all in the holiday spirit we have compiled a holiday themed QuizCap!
Before they head out the door for the holidays, Congress is busy passing lots of last second legislation. The most significant of which is the First Step Act, a criminal justice reform bill. What does the bill do?
The bill passed with an overwhelming bipartisan majority in the House and Senate (87-12) and President Trump is expected to sign it soon.
The Senate passed the Innovations in Mentoring, Training, and Apprenticeships Act, which would direct the National Science Foundation to “provide grants for research about STEM education approaches and the STEM-related workforce.” How many federal STEM programs are already in existence?
The federal government spent nearly $3 billion on these programs in 2016. This is an improvement from the 209 that existed in 2010.
The House and Senate both passed the Museum and Library Services Act of 2018 – which reauthorizes the Institute of Museum and Library Services. What did the IMLS fund in its 2018 grant cycle?
Hmmm, maybe a little less last second legislating and a little more oversight is in order.
You know what Congress has not passed yet? A bill to keep the entire government open. How many cabinet agencies will go through a partial shutdown if Congress fails to reach an agreement by Friday at midnight?
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, State, Interior, Agriculture, Treasury, Commerce, Homeland Security and Justice would all be impacted. About 345,000 federal employees (41 percent of employees at unfunded agencies) could be subject to furloughs.
True or false: Congress already passed funding for their own offices and would not be impacted if they fail to reach an agreement by Friday at midnight.
The legislative branch appropriations bill already passed in September. Pain for thee, but not for me. Really makes you wonder how the bipartisan budget reform committee could not agree to a single change to this structurally broken system.
Whether there is a partial shutdown or not, Americans will be more excited about Christmas than the grinches in DC. How many Americans celebrate the Christmas holiday?
Nine in ten Americans celebrate Christmas, though the role of its religious roots is declining. Specifically, only 32% of millennials celebrate it as a religious holiday.
Where did the modern-day Christmas tree come from?
The modern Christmas tree originated in Germany in the 16th century, made popular in England by Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, who was German.
Who is credited with creating the current image of Santa Claus?
Thomas Nast was a political cartoonist who created the image in 1863 from Clement Clark Moore’s 1822 poem, “A Visit from Saint Nicholas.” Nast is also credited for creating the Republican elephant and the Democratic donkey.
Christmas has a giant impact on the American economy. How much, on average, do Americans spend during the Christmas season?
According to the National Retail Federation, Americans will spend around $700 billion and spend the equivalent of at least an entire paycheck! Budgeting is for next year.
Online shopping is huge nowadays with advances in supply chain management. How many packages does the United States Postal Service expect to deliver this holiday season?
Almost 1 billion! They also estimate they will deliver about 15 billion pieces of mail during the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Strange they’re going on 12 years of financial loss. If only Congress could do something…
What President was the first to have a Christmas party in the White House?
The first White House Christmas party was held in 1800 by the Second President, John Adams.
This year, First Lady Melania Trump selected “American Treasures” as the theme for the official White House Christmas tree. Who was the first First Lady to start the tradition?
In 1961, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy selected the “Nutcracker Suite” as the first official theme.
What did Congress do this week to deal with the $21 trillion national debt or the massive $100 trillion unfunded liabilities?
The federal reserve did raise interest rates, making the delay in solving our major debt issues even more expensive.
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