Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mike Thompson Representing the 5th District of CALIFORNIA

Davis, CA – Saturday, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) and Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry recognized the 2025 Student Leadership Council graduates at an end-of-year town hall and graduation ceremony hosted at the University of California, Davis. The event featured special guest speakers and a town hall hosted by Rep. Thompson. Graduates were able to ask questions and discuss any issues of importance to them and our community. Rep. Thompson then presented graduating students with certificates marking their achievement serving on the Council. Among the graduates were seven outstanding students from Lake County, sixteen from Napa County, eight from Solano County, five from Sonoma County and ten from Yolo County.

“I’m inspired by the passion and drive of the students graduating from Assembly Majority Leader Aguiar-Curry’s and my 2024–2025 Student Leadership Council,” said Rep. Thompson. “This year’s students brought incredible energy and ideas to the table—from tackling the climate crisis to gun violence prevention to protecting our democracy. It was an honor to host a town hall with them and hear their thoughtful perspectives firsthand. To our 2025 graduating student leaders: Congratulations! I can’t wait to see all you accomplish for our community and our country.” 

“I am incredibly proud of the collaboration with Congressman Thompson to give our future leaders an opportunity to experience the inner workings of government and learn how to become successful community members. Congratulations to all the students who are completing this program. I hope it has broadened their horizons and sparked their curiosity, inspiring them to dedicate their lives to improving their communities,” said Assembly Majority Leader Aguiar-Curry.

Rep. Thompson and Assembly Majority Leader Aguiar-Curry’s Student Leadership Council is an exciting program that allows local students to work directly with their elected officials and staff to develop leadership skills, learn how government works, and engage with our community. The Council is open to all high school students who live in California’s Fourth Congressional District or California’s Fourth Assembly District. Selected students meet several times a month over the course of a semester. 

Learn more about the Student Leadership Council here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mike Thompson Representing the 5th District of CALIFORNIA

Rutherford, CA – Friday, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) announced he nominated five local students who have since accepted offers to our nation’s military service academies, including the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the U.S. Air Force Academy. These prestigious appointments follow a highly competitive, months-long process led by Rep. Thompson’s office, which includes a comprehensive application, academic and personal evaluations, panel interviews, and final selection by the academies themselves.

“Each year, it’s a privilege to support the remarkable young individuals from our district who are selected to attend our nation’s prestigious military service academies,” said Rep. Thompson. “These appointments are reserved for those who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement, a strong commitment to community service, and excellence beyond the classroom. This year’s appointees have earned this honor through their hard work and dedication, and I extend my sincere congratulations to them on behalf of our entire district.”

Each year, local candidates are interviewed for a nomination to our nation’s service academies. Those nominated then must be offered an appointment by the academies. Appointees from the Fourth Congressional District were honored at a ceremony at St. Supery Winery in Rutherford. Biographies for each student are included below.

For the U.S. Military Academy at West Point:

Christopher Palchak

Davis, CA

Christopher attends Jesuit High School in Sacramento and has been on honor roll for all semesters of high school. He holds a GPA of 4.5. He is on the Track and Field Throws Team and was both Junior Varsity and Varsity captain. He has volunteered with Davis Community Meals since 2021. He is a member of 4H, raised goats and swine, and is a member of the Yolo Sportsman’s Association rifle team. He is inspired by his siblings; his sister is a 2024 graduate and has 3 siblings currently at the United States Military Academy (USMA).

Elliott Black-Holcroft

Davis, CA

Elliott currently attends Los Rios Community College and attended Davis Senior High School and graduated with a 3.8 GPA. He is enrolled in ROTC through CSU Sacramento. He was on the Varsity water polo team, and on the swimming team. He participated in the Davis Teen Leadership Council in 2023. He is inspired by his grandfather, a Vietnam Veteran and a professor at WestPoint.  

For the U.S. Air Force Academy:

John Paul Baker

Woodland, CA

John attends Davis Senior High School. He has been on the Varsity Track (2022 and 2023) and Football (2024) teams, as well as Junior Varsity Basketball team (2023). He holds a GPA of 4.0 and was a recipient of the National African American Recognition Award in August of 2023, and was accepted into the United States Naval Academy (USNA) and United States Military Academy (USMA) Summer Leadership Camp. He spends his time volunteering at his local soup kitchen, and volunteering with his church. His brother also graduated from the United States Naval Academy.

Soren De Young 

Napa, CA

Soren attends Vintage High School. He is ranked 24^th in his class of 400. He is inspired by a long history of family service dating to his great-grandfather who served in World War II. He is a triple-sport athlete, playing on his high school Baseball, Wrestling, and Cross-Country teams. He is involved with Boy Scouts of America, including community service through this organization. He has his Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) student pilot license and is certified in CPR and First Aid.

Blake Fuchslin

Dixon, CA

Blake attends Davis Senior High School. He holds a GPA of 4.6 and ranks in the Top 30 of 650 students. He played Varsity Water Polo and Swim and lettered all three years. He was awarded the President’s Outstanding Academic Excellence award and USA Water Polo’s Outstanding Academic All-American in 2022. He is involved with Davis Community Club and Davis Empower Youth, including community service through both.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mike Thompson Representing the 5th District of CALIFORNIA

Bill Set to Rip Health Care from 14 Million People, Food Assistance from 9 Million People

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA)

SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-07) and Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-04) held a forum featuring testimony from local public safety experts, tax law experts, and health care providers to discuss how Congressional Republicans’ latest budget bill will impact Sacramento metro region residents.

Congressional Republicans’ bill, which passed the House of Representatives this month, will slash health care coverage for nearly 14 million people, cut nutrition benefits for nearly 11 million people, and raise energy costs for families by $110 per year in order to hand a tax break to the ultra-wealthy. 

“Republicans’ Big Ugly Bill is a disaster – targeting the most vulnerable among us to give tax breaks to the richest Americans,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “This bill rips away health care and nutrition assistance from millions of Americans and will have devastating consequences here in our region. That’s why we gathered a panel of local experts to explain exactly what is at stake for our communities. Programs like Medicaid and SNAP are lifelines – they allow our loved ones, friends, and neighbors to live healthy and fulfilling lives with dignity and independence. With the health and future of our constituents at risk, we will not back down. This battle is far from over.” 

“Simply put, this bill is a bad deal for the American people,” said Congressman Thompson. “My Republican colleagues are paying for these huge tax breaks for the wealthy by stripping health care away from nearly 14 million Americans, taking food assistance from 11 million people, and cutting green energy investments responsible for our manufacturing boom. This will add $5 trillion to our national debt and will impact everyone in our community. Hospitals and clinics will be forced to reduce services or shut down altogether, local food banks will have fewer resources, and families will pay more for their energy bills. This is unacceptable.” 

Representatives Thompson and Matsui were joined by local experts testifying to the negative impacts of this bill. Panelists included Dr. Darien Shanske, Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Law, UC Davis; Chief Chris Costamagna of the Sacramento Fire Department; Dr. Erika Roshanravan, Medical Director for CommuniCare+OLE; Kate Laddish, Medicaid beneficiary and Chair of Yolo County In-Home Supportive Services’ Advisory Committee; Diana Flores, Executive of Director Nutrition Services, Central Kitchen and Distribution Services for Sacramento City Unified School District; and Jessica Bartholow, Director of Government Relations for SEIU California.

BACKGROUND

H.R. 1 passed the House of Representatives 215-214 in May. Every Democrat and two Republicans voted “No.” Now, it is under consideration in the Senate. Watch a recording of today’s forum here.

                                                

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-07) and Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) led 15 lawmakers in a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy urging him to protect funding for the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Expansion Grant Program. CCBHCs provide lifesaving care to millions of Americans; however, a leaked draft of President Trump’s fiscal year 2026 budget called for the elimination of their funding. 

The members write, “Eliminating the CCBHC program would immediately disrupt these critical services, potentially leading to increased, more costly hospitalization rates and exacerbating homelessness. Such cuts would reverse the significant progress that has been made in ameliorating the opioid crisis and in building a more efficient and comprehensive mental health and substance use care system. These cuts would also put our most vulnerable populations, such as veterans and those in rural communities, at risk. 

“From the start, CCBHCs have been a bipartisan effort. The clear evidence of CCBHCs’ effectiveness and related cost savings makes this a wise investment for our country.”

 CCBHCs offer a broad range of critical mental health and substance use care services to meet individuals’ needs in their community and include requirements to provide tailored community-based services for our veterans. 

Today, more than 500 CCBHCs operate across 46 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. These centers provide comprehensive behavioral health care to over 3 million Americans annually. In the past year alone, CCBHCs hired 11,000 new staff positions, strengthening our country’s workforce.

 The letter is also signed by Representatives Sharice Davids (KS-03), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Eric Sorensen (IL-17), Paul Tonko (NY-21), Stephen Lynch (MA-08), Timothy Kennedy (NY-26), Linda Sánchez (CA-38), Gabe Vasquez (NM-02), Danny Davis (IL-07), Dwight Evans (PA-03), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), John Mannion (NY-22), and Nanette Barragán (CA-44). It is endorsed by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the American Psychiatric Association (APA). 

The full text of the letter is HERE and below: 

Dear Secretary Kennedy,

We write to express our strong opposition to the reported elimination of the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Expansion Grant program in President Trump’s fiscal year (FY) 2026 budget proposal. While the President’s recent “skinny budget” does not explicitly mention Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs), it proposes severe cuts to behavioral health programs. Moreover, a leaked early draft of the budget from April reportedly called for eliminating the program entirely. Such an elimination would severely worsen the nation’s ongoing mental health and substance use crisis at a crucial moment when demand for these critical and lifesaving services is increasing. 

Since FY 2018, the CCBHC Expansion Grant program has helped make the CCBHC model of care available to Americans by providing comprehensive and integrated behavioral health services to millions of children, families, and adults across our country. These centers offer a broad range of critical mental health and substance use care services to meet individuals’ needs in their community and include requirements to provide tailored community-based services for our veterans. CCBHCs offer comprehensive behavioral health services all at one location, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, while adhering to rigorous federal criteria and utilizing evidence-based practices for high-quality care.

Today, more than 500 CCBHCs operate across 46 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, and provide comprehensive behavioral health care to over 3 million Americans annually. In the past year alone, CCBHCs hired 11,000 new staff positions, strengthening our country’s workforce. 

CCBHCs are also key to ameliorating chronic disease in our country. People with serious mental illness and substance use conditions experience disproportionately higher rates of chronic disease, and CCBHCs are designed to support improved coordination with and access to primary care. CCBHCs screen for weight/BMI, blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and other chronic disease indicators.

Providing effective care in local communities has also helped to decrease the use of more costly levels of care. Studies have shown that people who receive care at a CCBHC experience a 55 percent reduction in hospitalization, a 31 percent reduction in homelessness, and a 60 percent reduction in time in jails. In fact, CCBHCs have been shown to provide savings for law enforcement due to their collaborative work with law enforcement agencies.

Additionally, 87 percent of CCBHCs provide Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) directly, with the remainder of centers making this care available through partnerships with MOUD providers, which has been a significant tool in addressing the ongoing opioid epidemic and providing treatment that leads to long-term recovery. 

Eliminating the CCBHC program would immediately disrupt these critical services, potentially leading to increased, more costly hospitalization rates and exacerbating homelessness. Such cuts would reverse the significant progress that has been made in ameliorating the opioid crisis and in building a more efficient and comprehensive mental health and substance use care system. These cuts would also put our most vulnerable populations, such as veterans and those in rural communities, at risk. 

From the start, CCBHCs have been a bipartisan effort. The clear evidence of CCBHCs’ effectiveness and related cost savings makes this a wise investment for our country. We therefore urge the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure funding for CCBHCs is protected and can continue to provide critical and lifesaving care to millions of Americans.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Gregory W Meeks (5th District of New York)

Washington, D.C. – Today, Representative Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY), Ranking Member of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, and U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement on the State Department reorganization:

“The proposed changes to the State Department—and effectively USAID—we received this morning will be carefully weighed against the real costs to American security and leadership. As Russia and China open new embassies and recruit aggressively to increase their diplomatic presence, President Trump and Secretary Rubio are proposing significant cuts to an already strained and limited U.S. diplomatic corps. When America retreats – as it has under President Trump – China and Russia fill the void.

“We welcome reforms where needed, but they must be done with a scalpel, not a chainsaw. This proposal hands over Afghan allies who fought side-by-side with our military to the Taliban. It guts programs meant to protect brave democracy defenders living in fear. It haphazardly moves what is left of our once prominent foreign assistance programs to Department entities with no experience dealing with such programs and accounts. It proposes the firing of thousands of national security experts without cause. Taken together, these moves significantly undercut America’s role in the world and open the door for adversaries to threaten our safety and prosperity. And we cannot ignore that the gutting of foreign assistance earlier this year occurred without Congress, with utter disregard and in violation of federal law and the constitution.

“We will be scrutinizing these proposed reforms, and in no way believe one notification is enough.American jobs, lives, and national security are at stake. We look forward to Secretary Rubio coming before our Committees and engaging with Congress on the future of the State Department if he is serious about making the case for this proposal.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Gregory W Meeks (5th District of New York)

Washington, D.C. – Representatives Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Sara Jacobs, Ranking Member of the Africa Subcommittee, today sent a letter requesting the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) conduct a comprehensive review of the financial costs and strategic consequences of the Trump administration’s unlawful effort to subsume USAID into the State Department, and terminate thousands of State and USAID contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements. This review is critical for Congress to understand the costs of the Trump administration’s reckless termination of foreign assistance to the American taxpayer and to understand how these actions, which were taken without Congressional approval, may impact U.S. interests.

Full text of the letter is below. A PDF is available here.

Dear Mr. Dodaro,

We are gravely concerned that the Trump Administration’s illegal dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and cancellation and termination of thousands of State and USAID contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements since January 20, 2025, has come at great direct and strategic cost to the U.S. Government (USG) in terms of U.S. global influence, money, and ability to conduct oversight of U.S. taxpayer-funded programs.

It is vital for Congress to understand the full cost of these actions, including whether any savings have been realized or are expected in the future. The Trump Administration has indicated it will imminently transfer some USAID authorities and programs to the State Department; however, it is not clear that the State Department will have the capacity – including staff with the necessary skills and expertise – to execute these authorities and oversee these programs. As such, we request that GAO examine:
 

1. The cost to the USG of canceling or terminating existing contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements at USAID and the State Department, both for overall department/agency operations and those associated with foreign aid programs, or litigation of the cancelations or terminations. What are the associated cost savings, both estimated and realized?
2. The extent to which the State Department retains the capacity (including the proper workforce) to oversee the contracts, grants, or agreements for remaining foreign aid programs. To what extent is State taking steps to ensure adequate staff, with the appropriate skills and expertise, are available to perform monitoring and evaluation of the remaining foreign aid programs?
3. The firing and hiring authorities and personnel process(es) the USG has used or will use to terminate USAID employees and what authorities and personnel process(es) are available to be used if USAID employees are rehired to perform similar functions at the State Department. What are the costs associated with terminating all USAID employees and possibly rehiring some of them at the State Department?
4. The scope and nature of the impact of canceling foreign aid programs on U.S. foreign policy. To what extent and how does canceling these programs affect the USG’s influence and soft power around the world?

The Committee would also like to understand the likely implications for the State Department’s facilities and operations from the termination of USAID employees and/or the cancelation of foreign assistance programs, including how the State Department is dealing with excess goods and materials and excess facilities around the world as a result of these terminations and cancelations. In particular, we would also like to know how the State Department plans to determine its staffing needs and strategically align its facilities to support new staffing patterns.

Given these interests, we request GAO address the following questions:

1. What is the process for dealing with excess property (goods and materials) as a result of canceled foreign aid programs? What costs are associated with moving, managing, or disposal of excess property? To what extent are goods and materials being sold, reused, or otherwise disposed of? What are estimated cost savings, if any? How much funding will this return to the U.S. Treasury?
2. How much office space will USAID vacate because of staffing reductions or program cancelations? What are the State Department’s plans to reuse or dispose of this space? What are the costs and estimated cost savings of these efforts?
3. How many overseas housing unit leases will the State Department terminate as a result of USAID or other staff reductions? How many will the State Department take over? What are the costs and potential cost savings associated with these terminations or assumption of leases?
4. What are the State Department’s plans for reusing, repurposing, or disposing of vacant or underutilized space at embassies and consulates that are to be downsized or closed as a result of the closure of USAID? What are the costs and estimated cost savings of these efforts?

Thank you for your prompt attention to this request.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Gregory W Meeks (5th District of New York)

Washington, D.C. – Representatives Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Zoe Lofgren, Ranking Member of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick raising concerns over reports that the Department of Commerce may withdraw from critical multilateral agreements aimed at restricting access to critical technologies, like semiconductors and semiconductor manufacturing equipment (SME). The Members warned Secretary Lutnick that abandoning coordinating efforts with partners would make it harder to prevent the People’s Republic of China (PRC) from accessing cutting-edge technology and undermine America’s national security. 
 
The full text of the letter can be found below. A PDF copy of the letter can be found here.  

Dear Secretary Lutnick,

We are concerned by recent reports indicating the Department of Commerce may seek to pull back from critical multilateral agreements and engagements with allies and partners that are designed to coordinate policies to restrict the People’s Republic of China (PRC) from accessing cutting-edge technologies. While it’s important to prevent U.S. technology from powering the PRC’s military, a coordinated approach with partners and allies is necessary in critical technology areas such as advanced semiconductors and semiconductor manufacturing equipment (SME), to prevent the PRC from developing critical capabilities that are detrimental to our national security. 

To ensure the United States continues to outpace the PRC on semiconductors and SME, we have worked on a bipartisan basis to facilitate a domestic innovation and manufacturing ecosystem while controlling our adversary’s ability to access advanced technologies. We helped to pass the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, sweeping legislation that sought to reinvigorate U.S. leadership in science and technology and included an investment of $52.7 billion designed to help reshore U.S. semiconductor manufacturing capacity. We also recognize the need for a defensive strategy to protect our economic and national security. Both the Trump and Biden Administrations have placed restrictions on PRC entities from purchasing certain high-end semiconductor chips and SME technologies.  We believe these export controls were necessary and remain so.

However, U.S. export controls alone are not sufficient because other countries also manufacture advanced semiconductors and associated equipment and tools that they can sell to the PRC. While the previous administration achieved some success with multilateral agreements with the Netherlands and Japan on certain SME controls,  those controls would have been far more successful in constraining the PRC if they were coordinated from the start. To this day these trilateral controls remain misaligned in key ways, from a lack of end use controls to different approaches to the denial of licensing.

We recognize that organizing these coalitions can be challenging, but working with allies and partners achieves real results. The United States assembled a coalition of nearly 40 nations to coordinate controls against Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. We urge you to continue to engage with our partners and allies to build a similar coalition focused on the PRC. This can only be accomplished through direct and sustained diplomacy, which while not always as fast as we would like, is the only effective option in the long competition with the PRC.

The Commerce Department has an opportunity to demonstrate strength and support the U.S. manufacturing base by coordinating more plurilateral controls, not less. With Russia stalling progress in the four large multilateral regimes, we urge you to seek out small coalitions of countries that have market-share in particular critical technology sectors. In the case of semiconductors, for instance, we should be broadening coordination beyond Japan and the Netherlands to include South Korea, Taiwan, and others. Initiatives and fora, such as the Multilateral Action on Sensitive Technologies (MAST) and the U.S.-E.U. Trade and Technology Council (TTC), can help advance such coordination while furthering U.S. global leadership and interests on standards development, technology transfer, trade, and many other multinational issues.

We are worried that if the United States goes it alone or attempts to bully our partners, they will increasingly hedge to the PRC instead of working with the United States. Disengaging from multilateral dialogues and initiatives could provide an excuse for key governments not to cooperate with our controls. In response to President Trump’s tariffs, President Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission has called for strengthening European-PRC relations.  In March, the Dutch company ASML announced it would be building a facility in China—a decision that runs counter to U.S. interests and could only have been made with European government support.  Last month, the PRC engaged in its first multilateral economic dialogue with Japan and South Korea in five years—seeking a regional partnership among the three nations to weather the trade policies of the United States.

Finally, we caution against a unilateral approach that overly relies upon the foreign direct product rule (FDPR) to extend U.S. jurisdiction to foreign-produced items. While the Department should continue to exercise this authority as a last resort, abuse of the rule may further weaken our standing with allies and partners and result in the removal of U.S. suppliers from major global supply chains in the long run, which would be disastrous for our economy and our ability to outcompete the PRC on critical technologies. A better path would be to coordinate controls with other partners and help them build enforcement capacity, so the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) does not have to monitor and police millions of transactions alone. We would be willing partners in ensuring that BIS has the tools and resources to make U.S. controls more effective.

We are deeply concerned about the harms that will occur to U.S. interests if the United States walks away from multilateral approaches. We urge the Department to continue multistakeholder dialogues to bring our allies along in aligning their export controls with ours, using appropriate leverage available to you. Given the critical importance of this matter to both domestic and foreign affairs, we request that you provide us answers to the following questions by June 5, 2025:

• What is the Department’s current policy with regards to participation in multilateral councils and forums, including MAST, TTC, multilateral agreements, and plurilateral agreements such as the U.S.-Japan-South Korea trilateral agreement?
• What steps is the Department taking to coordinate with our allies and partners on export controls on critical technologies, such as semiconductors and SME?
• To what extent will the Department continue to take into account foreign availability as it designs and coordinates its controls?
• What additional staffing, resources, or authorities does the Department need to more effectively coordinate with partners on controls on technology entering the PRC market?

We would appreciate a briefing from your staff to better understand how you are approaching these questions.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Gregory W Meeks (5th District of New York)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Gregory W Meeks (5th District of New York)

Queens, N.Y. – Today, Rep. Gregory W. Meeks (NY-05) released the following statement after the death of former Congressman and mentor Charles B. Rangel. 

“Today, New York City and the country mourn the passing of Congressman Charles B. Rangel – the Lion of Lenox Avenue. A pioneering leader, devoted public servant and staunch advocate for justice. For more than four decades, he represented the people of Harlem with unmatched passion, becoming one of the most influential voices in Congress. 

“Rangel, a decorated war veteran, earned a Purple Heart and Bronze Star due to his bravery in the Korean War. The same determination for justice and progress was shown during his time as a federal prosecutor. 

“In Congress, Rangel broke barriers by being a founding Member of the Congressional Black Caucus and serving as the first Black Chair of the Ways and Means Committee. He also created the historic Rangel Program at the U.S. Department of State to ensure that Foreign Service represented the diversity of our country. 

“Rangel opened doors for future generations of leaders. He was my mentor, dear friend, and an overall special human being who will be greatly missed. I send my condolences to his family, friends and everyone inspired by his remarkable legacy. May he rest in peace and may his life’s work continue to guide and uplift the nation.”

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