Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) released the following statement today on the passing of U.S. Representative Gerry Connolly (VA-11):

“A principled institutionalist, fierce advocate for Virginians, and my dear friend from across the Potomac, Rep. Gerry Connolly was taken from us far too early. I am praying for his family as they grieve this terrible loss – America’s loss.

“It was an honor to serve alongside Gerry in the Congress the past 16 years. He and I worked together closely to stand up for our region and our people, including our many federal workers. Never has that work been more important than the past few months amid the Trump Administration’s unprecedented purge of the federal civil service. Gerry met the moment.

“Many politicians today say they want to make government function more efficiently, transparently, and effectively. Gerry actually did it – from championing the historic Federal Information Technology Reform Act to holding Democratic and Republican administrations alike accountable as an influential leader on the House Oversight Committee.

“Gerry’s legacy as a pragmatic, intelligent, and honest leader and legislator is interwoven with our region but extends far beyond. Drawing on his past experience as a staffer on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he was an important voice on foreign affairs and a staunch advocate for human rights, foreign aid, and America’s alliances with democracies around the world. As President of NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly, he reaffirmed America’s commitment to the alliance and to our mutual security obligations under Article V. In the face of Vladimir Putin’s criminal, unprovoked invasion, Gerry helped ensure that NATO moved in lockstep to support Ukraine in its fight against fascism.

“Gerry lived a remarkable life of service. That it was cut short after his courageous battle with cancer ought to sadden every American. I grieve for him, as will so many others across the country and around the world. I wish strength to his wife, Smitty, and the rest of their family. May they take comfort in knowing that Gerry lives on in all that he accomplished to improve the lives of our people.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05), Ranking Member of the Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Appropriations Subcommittee, delivered opening remarks at the FSGG hearing on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Below is a video and transcript of his remarks:

Click here to watch a full video of his remarks.

“Thank you very much. Thank you. Mr. Carr, for being with us. We had a good conversation in my office. This probably won’t be as cordial as we were, but I’m very concerned. When Donald Trump spoke before the Congress in March, he said this: ‘I’ve stopped all government censorship and brought back free speech in America – it’s back,’ he said. Now, he also said during the campaign, to his supporters, ‘I am your retribution.’ You may remember that quote. That rang in my ears and gave me great concern.

“The FCC’s actions the past few months make it clear just how relevant those comments were. What was once an independent, impartial agency – not always – devoted to keeping Americans connected has become, in my view, to some degree ‘the speech police,’ another cudgel in the President’s culture war. Since Trump took office, the FCC has gone after private corporations over their DEI practices. Very frankly, in my view is, that may be a practice that he can impose on the federal government, but it is not a practice that he can impose, nor should he impose on the private sector whatever the views we may hold. The agency, in my opinion, has also targeted NPR, PBS, NBC, ABC, and CBS, and other networks, apparently, who are perceived unfavorably to the President and to his policies.

“The First Amendment, of course, is not intended to protect the president from the press. It is intended to protect the president – excuse me – the press against the government. Nor was the FCC established to act in the president’s interest, but rather in the public’s interest. Now more than ever, the American people are counting on the FCC to focus on its mission under law. Something we discussed in my office, however, was when he removed FTC commissioners, he did it because, quoting – or trying to quote – that the actions of those commissioners were incompatible with the priorities of the administration. Communications technologies that fall under the FCC’s purview are fundamental to everything in modern life. They shape our commerce, our education, our national security, our health care, and our elections.

“In an increasingly digital world, the FCC needs to ensure that we don’t leave that behind. That means expanding – [referring to dais microphone] oh this is inconvenient – that means expanding affordable, reliable access to the internet and other crucial technology in both rural and urban areas. I represent urban and rural areas. We made a lot of progress toward closing the digital divide when the Affordable Connectivity Program funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – legislation I was proud to put on the Floor as Majority Leader. I heard directly from my constituents, Republicans and Democrats and Republican officials. I live in a county with five Republican county commissioners. They all urged me to continue that [program] because of the very positive impact it had on my district and in that rural county in which I live. Regrettably, my colleagues across the aisle allowed that program to expire last year, raising interest costs for the 23 million households that enrolled. I still haven’t seen any plan on how we fill that void. Worse, I’ve heard rumors that the FCC spectrum policy involves auctioning off or reducing bands, including the Citizens Broadband Radio Service, which could make it even harder for Americans to get connected.

“The FCC has a responsibility not only to help Americans access these opportunities, but also to protect them from potential perils. Every day, Americans experience robocalls and internet scam attempts that become more and more sophisticated. Their personal data falls prey to hackers and scammers. Americans need strong and savvy cops on the beat committed to cybersecurity and privacy. In my view, that is the role of the FCC.

“Chairman Carr, I thank you for coming in today, as I’ve said, but I want to be clear that I’m worried that the FCC, and so many other elements of government that ought to be independent, are, in the President’s words – not referring to anything that I’ve referred to – but weaponizing government. The FCC’s attacks on the press and the First Amendment are troubling. So, I look forward to hearing your testimony. I will honor the Chairman’s gavel, but it requires a lot of time to make sure the FCC is doing what the American people expect it to do. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11)

LIVINGSTON, NJ — Yesterday, Representative Mikie Sherrill attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for The Forum at Madison, a first-of-its-kind energy-efficient affordable housing project in New Jersey—which received over $2 million in Community Project Funding in FY2023.

These 44 rental apartments are not only affordable, they are also a landmark for clean energy in the Garden State. This is the first multi-family affordable housing development in New Jersey to meet Passive House and Net Zero Energy standards. That means lower utility bills for families, reduced carbon emissions, and a healthier, more resilient community.

“Projects like this don’t happen in a vacuum. They happen because of strong local leadership, deep collaboration, and a shared commitment to ensure families in our community have a place to call home,” said Rep. Sherrill. “’I’m proud that we were able to bring back New Jerseyans’ hard-earned tax dollars to secure funding for this Community Project. Housing that is affordable plays a crucial role in easing the financial burden on middle-class families, making it possible for them to keep more of what they’ve earned and invest in their futures.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Earl L Buddy Carter (GA-01)

Headline: Carter introduces bill to investigate the Biden cover-up

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) today introduced a bill creating a Select Committee to investigate the White House cover-up of former President Biden’s cognitive and physical health decline.

The bipartisan Select Committee will be responsible for issuing a report to Congress detailing President Biden’s cognitive and physical health decline and the potential concealment of information from the American public.  

“This is potentially the biggest political scandal of our lifetime, and the American people deserve to know the truth about who was really running the White House under Biden’s tenure as president. From using the autopen to pardon his own family members to likely concealing a cancer diagnosis, our government must restore trust with the public by fully investigating the former administration’s lies and getting to the bottom of one of the most consequential coverups in history,” said Rep. Carter.

Original Cosponsors include: Reps. Mark Alford (R-MO), John Rose (R-TN), Derrick Van Orden (R-WI), and Barry Moore (R-AL). 

Read the full bill text here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Dina Titus (1st District of Nevada)

Congresswoman Dina Titus today introduced the Labor Income Fairness and Transparency Act (LIFT Act) to raise the minimum wage and all Fair Labor Standards Act subminimum wages to $17 per hour over the next three years with annual increases after that, provide income protections for tipped workers, and expand the Earned Income Tax Credit to cover more workers.

“This legislation is a fair way to increase the take-home pay of both tipped employees and employees who do not receive tips, giving all hospitality and other workers a needed boost in meeting an increasing cost of living. It also will protect tipped workers from unjustified employer deductions from their tips,” Congresswoman Titus said. “These measures are necessary to help employees afford their rent, support their children, and pay their medical bills.”

The LIFT Act would protect the incomes of tipped workers by requiring employers to provide a notice of tips received by an employee each day they work. It would prohibit managers from withholding tips to cover the cost of processing a tip. It would increase civil penalties for tip violations to equal those for other violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

The LIFT Act also prohibits Wage and Hour investigators at the Department of Labor from being subjected to reductions in force, establishes a grant program for states and localities to improve enforcement and compliance with wage laws, and creates a Department of Labor National Advisory Committee on the Hospitality Industry.

Further, benefiting all families, the LIFT Act would permanently extend changes to the Earned Income Tax Credit made by Congress during the COVID pandemic. These include increasing the maximum credit amount for workers without children, increasing the income threshold for earning the credit, and expanding the age range for eligible workers for those without children to include those 19-24 and over 65. It would also raise the maximum EITC for workers without children from $530 to $1,500, and the income cap for these adults to qualify from about $16,000 to at least $21,000.

“The Earned Income Tax Credit was changed to provide needed relief for workers who have not benefitted as much as they should have from the credit,” Congresswoman Titus said. “Making these changes permanent will make a big difference in the lives of millions of lower-paid American workers.”

The LIFT Act has been endorsed by One Fair Wage.

“Cutting taxes on tips might make for a good soundbite, but on its own, it’s a hollow fix that ignores the real crisis: wages so low that two-thirds of restaurant workers don’t even earn enough to pay federal income taxes,” said Saru Jayaraman, Cofounder and President of One Fair Wage. “In a time of skyrocketing costs, workers are drowning and need more than political gimmicks—they need a raise. Tips should be a bonus, not a substitute for a living wage. By ending all subminimum wages and requiring that all workers be paid a full livable wage with tips on top, the LIFT Act addresses what working people need most: a fair wage, a level playing field, and the dignity that comes with being able to provide for their families.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (9th District of Illinois)

EVANSTON – Today, U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (IL-09) released the following statement in recognition of Memorial Day:

“Today, on Memorial Day, we come together as Americans to recognize the brave men and women who answered the call of duty and lost their lives fighting to protect our nation and its ideals. These heroes made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure our nation’s freedom.

“We will never forget those who lost their lives in battle, those who are missing in action, and those who are prisoners of war. We grieve with their families and continue to offer our unwavering support.

“In paying tribute to our fallen heroes, we must recommit to supporting our active-duty military personnel, our veterans, and their families. Not only do they deserve our respect, but they also deserve to know that we have their backs. We owe them an enormous debt and must ensure that they receive the health care, education, housing, and other benefits they have earned. Any veteran or active-duty military personnel in need of assistance, please reach out to my office.

“Today and every day, let us all pay homage to the bravery and sacrifice of our fallen service members. We are free because they were brave.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Josh Harder (CA-10)

WASHINGTON – Today, during National Police Week, Rep. Josh Harder (CA-09) and David Valadao(CA-21) introduced bipartisan legislation to tackle high early retirement rates in law enforcement by increasing benefits for officers. The Providing Child Care for Police Officers Act expands child care benefits and invests in new child care facilities to hire and retain more working parents in law enforcement.

Child care shortages hit law enforcement hard:

“This is a no-brainer – keeping our families safe starts by recruiting and retaining top-tier police officers,” said Rep. Harder. “Making sure our officers have access to quality, affordable child care means we increase the pool of talented, diverse recruits and keeps officers on the streets protecting our communities.”

How this legislation hires and retains more working parents in law enforcement:

• Expands child care benefits to new and existing officers through a $24 million pilot program to supply grants to law enforcement agencies.
• Builds new child care facilities by authorizing local agencies to construct or operate new centers for police departments’ exclusive use.
• Prioritizes small agencies by setting aside 20% of the total grant funding for police departments employing fewer than 200 officers. 

“Our Central Valley police departments continue to face staffing shortages, and we need real solutions to support the people who put their lives on the line to keep us safe,” said Rep. Valadao. “By making child care more accessible for officers working long, irregular hours, this bipartisan bill reduces a major barrier for working parents in law enforcement and helps improve public safety in our communities.”

“Access to quality, reliable childcare is essential to recruitment and retention of the best, most representative police force we can have,” said Rep. Peters. “Our officers go out every day and ensure our children are safe — the least we can do is make sure there is someone to watch their kids when they are on duty. San Diego is leading the way to expand childcare opportunities for police officers, and I am working to support those efforts at the federal level.” 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH)

Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) joined Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander (NH-02), Senator Jeanne Shaheen, and Senator Maggie Hassan in sending a letter to Education Secretary Linda E. McMahon and the Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought demanding the Administration deliver the federal funding allocated to New Hampshire’s TRIO programs. 

TRIO programs provide support to individuals from low-income backgrounds, students who would be the first person in their families to earn a college degree, students with disabilities, and other students to attend college. From personalized tutoring to personal mentoring and advising, to assistance applying for and identifying funding options, TRIO programs make a real difference in a student’s ability to attend and complete college. 

“The TRIO Programs are a cornerstone of our nation’s commitment to educational access and upward mobility,” the delegation wrote.“The ongoing delay in issuing GANs is already having real-world consequences in our home state of New Hampshire. We are particularly concerned about the damage being caused by the Department’s delayed notification to the University of New Hampshire’s (UNH) Upward Bound program. UNH’s program is slated to begin June 1. They only have enough carryover funding for roughly one month before they would need to lay off staff and shutter a program that has had such a significant positive impact on the lives of so many Granite Staters. We urge you to act without further delay to ensure that TRIO programs can operate on schedule and provide the services that New Hampshire’s students and those across the country are counting on.” 

“TRIO programs provide academic tutoring, personal counseling, mentoring, financial guidance, summer academies, and other supports necessary to help economically disadvantaged students enter college and graduate,” said Joshua Gagnon, President, NH Educational Opportunity Association. “We know that TRIO works – students who participate in Upward Bound are more than twice as likely to earn a bachelor’s degree by age 24 than their peers. If grant notices are not received by June 1, over 14,000 students nationally – including 114 students in NH – could miss out on this life-changing educational opportunity.”

Read the delegation’s full letter here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH)

**The bipartisan bill would model proven programs like Manchester’s ACERT to allow local entities to receive grant funding to address adverse childhood experiences associated with exposure to trauma**

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH)

Following Congressman Chris Pappas’s (NH-01), Co-Chair of the Congressional Maple Caucus, call for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to reinstate grants delivered by the Acer Access and Development Program (Acer), funding for the Acer program has been released.

“Acer provides important resources for strengthening the domestic maple syrup industry. I’m pleased that the Acer grants have been unfrozen, but our producers worked tirelessly this season. They should not have been left uncertain about whether they would receive funds that they were promised,” said Congressman Pappas. “We can’t ignore this recurring theme from the current administration in freezing or revoking funds for our communities that will have lasting negative impacts. We can work responsibly to reduce government waste and fraud without holding back the resources New Hampshire small businesses need.”

Acer provides essential support to the maple syrup industry in the Northeast and Upper Midwest, and freezing these grants as the administration places tariffs on Canada, one of the U.S.’s closest allies, put the livelihoods of maple producers at risk. Much of the equipment used to produce syrup and other maple products is manufactured in Canada, and tariffs will raise prices in an unsustainable manner for New Hampshire’s maple producers. 

Background: 

Congressman Pappas leads the Fighting Budget Waste Act, which was the first bill he introduced in the 119th Congress. This bipartisan bill will save taxpayer dollars by requiring the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to consider the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) annual report on federal programs with fragmented, overlapping, or duplicative goals from the prior year to address problems with those programs and reduce costs.

Congressman Pappas is a small business owner and a former member of the House Small Business Committee.