Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressmen Steven Horsford (NV-04)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representatives Steven Horsford (NV-04) and Donald Norcross (NJ-01) today reintroduced the Securing Continued Healthcare for Our Operations and Logistics (SCHOOL) Professionals Act. 

The SCHOOL Professionals Act would fix a long-standing loophole that prevents contracted school custodians, bus drivers, security guards, nurses, cafeteria workers, and other essential support staff from accessing affordable healthcare coverage. 

The legislation comes on Clark County’s last day of school for the year.

“School support staff are a vital part of our education system – they deserve access to affordable healthcare for their hard work,” Congressman Horsford, Co-Chair of the Congressional Labor Caucus, said. “It’s time to end outdated regulatory loopholes that allow for winners and losers among the professionals who help our children learn. The fact is they are all winners, and the SCHOOL Professionals Act will be ensure they have access to the same benefits.”

“Our schools wouldn’t run without essential support staff, and these workers deserve access to affordable healthcare,” Congressman Norcross (NJ-01), Co-Chair of the Congressional Labor Caucus, said. “Today, I joined Congressman Horsford in introducing the SCHOOL Professionals Act to ensure that all school employees who work full-time schedules receive this essential benefit. Whether they are employed by the school district or an outside contractor, these workers are doing the same job and deserve the same rights.”

“The Nevada State Education Association supports the Securing Continued Healthcare for Our Operations and Logistics Professionals (SCHOOL Professionals) Act because it closes a harmful loophole that denies school-based contract workers, such as bus drivers and cafeteria staff, access to the employer-sponsored health coverage they would otherwise earn through full-time service,” Nevada State Education AssociationPresident Dawn Etcheverry said. “These professionals are essential to the functioning of our schools and deserve the same health protections as their directly employed peers. This legislation restores fairness and dignity to the jobs of thousands of workers who support students every day. We urge swift passage of this important bill.”

“For years, a bureaucratic error in the Affordable Care Act has prevented thousands of custodians, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and nurses from accessing the same health care that their colleagues in the classroom receive,” Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien said. “Every worker involved in the education of our children should have reliable access to health care. The Teamsters are proud to support the SCHOOL Professionals Act, which would right this egregious wrong and ensure that all school workers get the care and benefits they need and deserve.”

Currently, employees of private companies contracted by school districts are subject to a 12-month calendar for determining full-time status, unlike their counterparts directly employed by educational institutions who are evaluated on a nine-month school year basis. This discrepancy has left many contracted workers without employer-sponsored health benefits despite their full-time work schedules during the school year. 

This legislation would align the healthcare benefit requirements for contracted employees with those of direct school employees, ensuring that all workers who support educational institutions have access to the same affordable healthcare coverage. 

The SCHOOL Professionals Act is cosponsored by Labor Caucus Co-Chairs Congressman Mark Pocan (WI-02) and Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-06). It is endorsed by the Nevada State Education Association, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the National Education Association, and the American Federation of Teachers. 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressmen Steven Horsford (NV-04)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Steven Horsford (NV-04) today voted against the Republican budget reconciliation bill that cuts deeply from programs working Americans rely on in order to fund tax giveaways to the billionaires and corporations. The bill, which adds nearly $4 trillion to the national debt, passed by a narrow party line margin. It now goes to the U.S. Senate where Republicans have already expressed opposition.

“The way Congressional Republicans conduct business in the dead of night matches the way they approach policy that harms their own constituents – it’s absolutely asinine,” Rep. Horsford said. “Nevadans deserve a government that prioritizes public health, food security, community safety, education and a dignified retirement for all who earn it. Instead, Republicans just stiffed the Silver State, and every state, with a bill to pay off their billionaire campaign donors and corporate backers.” 

Nevada will be hit particularly hard if the Republican bill becomes law. Medicaid cuts alone could impact 811,000 residents in the Silver State, which will have to either add $6.7 billion to the state budget, or kick hundreds of thousands of people off their coverage. 

In Nevada’s 4^th Congressional District alone, 241,668 people receive medical coverage through Medicaid. The latest estimates are that more than 21,000 of them will lose coverage, along with more than 5,000 who will lose the coverage they now have from the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Horsford offered an amendment to extend a tax credit to lower ACA healthcare premiums across America, including nearly 100,000 Nevadans. House Republicans rejected the amendment on a party-line vote. 

Additionally, SNAP food assistance cuts could impact 109,000 Nevadans, including 33,000 people in the 4^th Congressional District. 

The bill adds nearly $4 trillion to the national debt to help pay for tax cuts to the ultra-wealthy: 60 percent of the tax benefits will go to the top 20 percent of households. Meanwhile, due to Trump’s blanket tariffs, households will lose $2,800. 

“The cruelty of this bill is spelled out in staggering numbers, but it isn’t law yet,” Rep. Horsford continued. “The power in American democracy has always been with the people, and now more than ever, lawmakers need a reminder of who they work for.” 

Rep. Horsford raised alarms early about Republican budget plans, devoting his annual address to the Nevada State Legislature on February 19, 2025 to the threat of Medicaid cuts as the Republican budget took shape.

Over the past three months, he has worked with constituents, advocates, and lawmakers to elevate the real-world harm the cuts would inflict on Nevadans, and published an op-ed warning that Republicans were closer than ever to making the cuts a reality. 

When the bill came up for consideration in the Ways and Means Committee that Horsford serves on, he led committee Democrats in submitting amendments that would benefit working class Americans. During the nearly 18-hour meeting that lasted through the night on May 13, 2025, Republicans voted down every single one of the 38 amendments offered. 

Horsford continued his opposition in the House Rules Committee, testifying during a middle-of-the-night hearing about the bill’s failure to address key issues affecting Nevadans, including housing and veterans support. 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressmen Steven Horsford (NV-04)

Bipartisan Support Proves the Only Reason to Make Policy Political is to Play Politics with It

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressmen Steven Horsford (NV-04)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Steven Horsford (NV-04) released the following statement after news broke Sunday that former President Joe Biden was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer.

“My thoughts are with President Biden and his entire family during this very difficult time,” Rep. Horsford said. “Through nearly 55 years of public service, the former President has shown every American what perseverance over adversity looks like. We know the grit that Joe Biden is made of, and we know he will fight this diagnosis with the grace he has brought to every challenge in his life.”

Beginning in 2016, then-Vice President Joe Biden spearheaded a Cancer Moonshot “to eliminate cancer as we know it”. The initiative, which came one year after the loss of Biden’s son Beau to brain cancer, brought together patients, advocates, researchers, and clinicians to address cancer with the resources available across government, academia, and the private sector. President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot is credited with expanding prevention drives, developing new technologies to characterize tumors and test treatments, and redoubling efforts to understand the leading causes of childhood cancers, and much more.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03)

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03) released the following statement after voting against the House Republican budget reconciliation bill that takes away healthcare and nutrition assistance from working families to give tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans: 

“House Republicans have waged war against healthcare and hungry families. 
 
“Last night and into the early morning, they rammed a budget bill through the House that takes money away from working families, the sick, poor, and seniors, and gives it to the wealthiest Americans for tax breaks. I voted no. 
 
“House Republicans passed the largest cuts to Medicaid in history and the most severe reduction to SNAP in decades. 
 
“Thousands of Nevadans and millions of Americans will lose healthcare, hungry children and seniors won’t get the food they need, hospitals and nursing homes will shutdown, and trillions will be added to our national debt. 
 
“I’m disgusted and I hope Senate Republicans see the devastation of this bill and vote against it.” 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03)

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03) released the following statement on the Amodei land grab proposal being removed from the House Republican budget reconciliation bill: 

“My amendment to protect Nevada’s water has been included by Republican leadership in their budget reconciliation bill, and after our pressure campaign, the Amodei land grab proposal has been removed.  

“This is a huge win for Nevada’s and the Southwest’s water security.  

“I’m happy that my Republican colleagues, led by Rep. Zinke, acknowledged that it would wrongfully change the way federal lands are managed. They stood their ground, and we were able to stop the unprecedented Amodei proposal.” 

Lee worked with House Republicans to have Amodei’s proposal removed in a Republican leadership manager’s amendment.  

Parcels of land marked for sale in Amodei’s proposal lined up with the public land that Utah has been targeting for its Lake Powell Pipeline. If this land were sold and the pipeline were built, it could divert 28 billion gallons of water each year from Lake Powell and the Colorado River to communities in southern Utah, away from Nevada and the other Basin states. 

For decades, federal law has ensured that proceeds from land sales in southern Nevada stay in Nevada. Amodei’s proposal would have sent these proceeds to the federal government to subsidize Republicans’ reckless spending and billionaire tax cuts.  

Amodei doesn’t represent any part of Clark County, and his proposal was not supported by the county government or any member of Nevada’s federal delegation elected by the voters of Clark County.  

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03)

Utah Land Sale Could be Used for Controversial Pipeline to Take Water Away from Nevada

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03)

Includes Utah Land Sale Which Could be Used for Controversial Pipeline to Take Water from Colorado River

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03)

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03) sent a letterto Congressman Mark Amodei (NV-02) urging him to immediately withdraw his reckless Clark County public land sale proposal that sends proceeds of Nevada public land sales to Washington to pay for House Republicans’ tax-breaks-for-billionaires bill.

For decades, federal law has ensured that proceeds from land sales in southern Nevada stay in Nevada. Amodei’s proposal — which was added to Republican-led legislation last week without the consent or collaboration of the Clark County Commission or any member of Nevada’s federal delegation elected by the voters of Clark County — would instead send these proceeds to the federal government.

Lee’s initial response to Amodei’s dead of night surprise amendment can be found here.

“Prior to the surprise introduction of your 33-page proposal, you failed to collaborate or consult with — or even alert — any member of Nevada’s federal delegation elected by the voters of Clark County,” wrote Congresswoman Lee. “Further, you acted against the wishes — and without the consent — of Clark County itself, a fact that you acknowledged in real time under questioning by House Natural Resources Committee Democrats during the markup of your proposal last Tuesday night.”

Lee continued, “For decades, the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA) has ensured that proceeds from the sales of federal land in Clark County stay in Nevada. Your proposal would instead send Nevada’s dollars to Washington to subsidize Republicans’ reckless spending and billionaire tax cuts.”

Full text of the letter can be found here and below: 

May 13, 2025

The Honorable Mark Amodei

United States House of Representatives

104 Cannon House Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Congressman Amodei:

As a member of Nevada’s congressional delegation who represents Clark County, I urge you to immediately move to strip the reckless Clark County public land sale provisions that you advanced as “pay-fors” in House Republicans’ tax-breaks-for-billionaires bill under the cover of darkness last week. 

While I have additional concerns with your proposal in full, including how the Utah provisions you included could affect the integrity and future operations of the Colorado River System, I want to underscore the following four concerns in particular, which make the Clark County provisions completely unworkable:

No Collaboration: Prior to the surprise introduction of your 33-page proposal, you failed to collaborate or consult with — or even alert — any member of Nevada’s federal delegation elected by the voters of Clark County. 

No Consent: Further, you acted against the wishes — and without the consent — of Clark County itself, a fact that you acknowledged in real time under questioning by House Natural Resources Committee Democrats during the markup of your proposal last Tuesday night. A spokesperson for the Board of County Commissioners has since reaffirmed that your proposal “does not reflect the Board’s priorities to facilitate responsible future development, especially as it relates to environmental conservation, water and public infrastructure.”

No Consistency: For decades, the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA) has ensured that proceeds from the sales of federal land in Clark County stay in Nevada. Your proposal would instead send Nevada’s dollars to Washington to subsidize Republicans’ reckless spending and billionaire tax cuts.

No Clarity: Finally, because of the last-minute, late-night introduction of your proposal — which was apparently timed at the direction of the Republican House Natural Resources Committee chairman, presumably to prevent the proposal from receiving unwanted scrutiny in the light of day — key components of the proposal are still unclear. This includes even something as basic as precisely how many acres of public land you intend to sell off.

Per recent reporting by E&E News:

While Republicans had suggested the sales would amount to a few thousand acres,

advocates and Democrats have said that in analyzing the amendment it could be 500,000 acres in total — or more.

A spokesperson for the Natural Resources Committee said they did not have exact

figures. An Amodei spokesperson explained, after this story originally published, that the amendment involved 449,174 acres but that actions involving 356,100 acres would not amount to a net change in federal ownership.

I ask that you act as quickly to remove the Clark County public land sale provisions as you acted to rashly add these provisions to Republicans’ tax-breaks-for-billionaires legislation in the first place.

The sooner that you agree to end this unfortunate — and entirely unnecessary — episode in the history of Nevada and the Nevada delegation, the better for us all.

Sincerely,

Susie Lee

Member of Congress

CC: 

The Honorable Bruce Westerman, Chairman, House Committee on Natural Resources

The Honorable Jared Huffman, Ranking Member, House Committee on Natural Resources

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Dan Meuser (PA-9)

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Dan Meuser (PA-09) today applauded President Donald J. Trump for successfully negotiating a record investment and record job creation for Pennsylvania and America’s steel industry through a landmark partnership between the United States of America, U.S. Steel, and Nippon Steel.

The agreement will keep U.S. Steel’s headquarters in Pittsburgh, generate at least 70,000 family-sustaining American jobs, and inject $14 billion into the U.S. economy—the largest steel-sector commitment in Pennsylvania’s history.

Congressman Meuser’s tireless efforts included meeting repeatedly with Local 2227 Steelworkers to gather shop‑floor priorities; conducting rigorous oversight and vocal opposition when the Biden Administration attempted to block this historic investment; engaging colleagues across Capitol Hill to build bipartisan momentum; conferring directly with Nippon Steel executives to guarantee America‑First terms; coordinating personally with U.S. Steel President & CEO Dave Burritt to arrange high‑level discussions in Washington; and directly with the White House and President Trump—an America‑First blueprint the Dealmaker‑in‑Chief embraced to secure record investment and record jobs for Pennsylvania and the nation.

“President Trump has reinvigorated American manufacturing. Today he has truly proven himself to be the Man of Steel,” said Congressman Meuser. “Keeping U.S. Steel here at home protects Pennsylvania jobs, fuels a modern manufacturing revival from Pittsburgh to the Mon Valley, and sends an unmistakable message that Made in the USA is back for good. I knew that once President Trump brought his great business acumen to the table, and saw the opportunity for our country, he would secure the best deal possible. With 70,000 new jobs on the way and billions of dollars flowing into our communities, Pennsylvania is ready to lead the steel industry once again. It’s enough to make me become a Steelers fan!”

Congressman French Hill (AR-02) said, “The merger of Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel will greatly benefit many of our steel-producing states like Pennsylvania, Indiana, Michigan, and my home state of Arkansas. Foreign direct investment is a vote of confidence in our country, and in my view, this deal is an important win for President Trump. I thank my colleague and friend Rep. Dan Meuser for his leadership and commend his longstanding support for this important merger.”

David B. Burritt, President and CEO, U.S. Steel said, “Congressman Meuser’s support and advocacy over the past year has been invaluable. His leadership on behalf of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is deeply appreciated by the U.S. Steel team.”

Key Highlights of the President’s Announcement

• U.S. Steel Headquarters to Stay in Pittsburgh – safeguarding legacy jobs and local supply chains.
• Strategic Partnership with Nippon Steel – combining advanced technology with American innovation.
• 70,000 New, Family-Sustaining Jobs – the largest single-investment jobs surge in Pennsylvania history.
• $14 Billion Economic Impact – majority of spending and hiring to occur over the next 14 months.
• Nationwide Manufacturing Revival – benefits extending from Pennsylvania to Arkansas, Minnesota, and Indiana.
• Strengthened National Security – President Trump’s tariff policies ensure American steel remains the backbone of critical infrastructure and defense production.

Congressman Meuser hails and will be joining the President’s plan to celebrate the milestone at a rally on Friday, May 30, at the U.S. Steel facility in Pittsburgh, calling it “a fitting tribute to the men and women whose skill and determination will forge the next chapter of American leadership.”

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