Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (District of Columbia)

The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability marked up and passed the bill yesterday.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (District of Columbia)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ahead of Equal Pay Day on March 25^th, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), the first woman to chair the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, introduced a bill to prohibit employers from asking for a job applicant’s salary history before making a job or salary offer.

Equal Pay Day marks the number of additional days women must work to earn what men earned the prior year. Workers from historically disadvantaged groups, including women, often start their careers with lower pay than their white male counterparts and can never catch up. While employers may not intend to discriminate, asking for prior pay information can have a discriminatory effect and reinforce the pay gap. This bill passed the House in the 116^th and 117^th Congresses.

“Equal Pay Day is an annual reminder that American women earn less than men for performing the same work,” Norton said. “The disparity often takes root in the interview process, before a job is even offered. The single question of salary history frequently disadvantages women and minorities, whose disproportionately lower salaries carry through their entire careers simply because wages at their first job were set unfairly because of their race or sex.”

Norton’s introductory statement follows.

Statement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on the

Introduction of the Salary History Question Prohibition Act of 2025

March 18, 2025

Today, I introduce the Salary History Question Prohibition Act of 2025, which would help reduce the gender and racial pay gap by prohibiting employers from asking job applicants for their salary history before making a job or salary offer.  Even though many employers may not intentionally discriminate against applicants based on gender or race, setting pay based on salary history can reinforce the pay gap.  Members of historically disadvantaged groups often start their careers with unfair and artificially low pay compared to their white male counterparts, and these disparities compound throughout their careers.  The House passed this bill as part of the Paycheck Fairness Act in the 116^th and 117^th Congresses.

There is much work to do to end the pay gap.  This bill represents a crucial step toward that goal. 

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman John Joyce (PA-13)

Washington, D.C. – Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13) and Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-3), have introduced the Information and Communication Technology Strategy Act, to combat the influence of foreign-made technology in our nation’s high-speed internet system. 

“As we continue to expand connectivity for Americans in rural communities, we also need to ensure that our national security is protected,” said Rep. John Joyce, M.D.“Fighting to protect our communications systems from malign influences, like the Chinese Communist Party, must be at the forefront of our policy making. I am proud to lead this legislation that takes a common sense step towards securing our internet infrastructure and cutting our reliance on Chinese companies.”

“Our bipartisan legislation is a step toward strengthening America’s information and communications technology (ICT) supply chains to ensure that our economy is not reliant on untrusted vendors,” said Rep. Susie Lee. “Businesses of all sizes, as well as education and healthcare industries, rely heavily on ICT, so it’s critical that America remains competitive in the sector.”

Background:

• The Information and Communication Technology Strategy Act authorizes a study by the U.S. Department of Commerce to investigate whether technologies from Chinese companies, like Huawei and ZTE, are part of our telecommunications network.
• This legislation also requires the Department of Commerce to provide an update to Congress on the resources necessary to fully source our broadband infrastructure domestically or from our allies.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman John Joyce (PA-13)

Washington, D.C. – Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13) released the following statement after President Donald J. Trump’s Joint Address to Congress: 

“For four long years, the American people suffered under the Biden Administration’s failed border policies. Who knew all it would take to fix the border was a new president?”  said Rep. John Joyce, M.D. “Tonight, President Trump shared a bold vision for the future of our nation. A vision that secures our border, restores the American dream, and allows us to drill baby drill. Under President Trump’s leadership, we will finally return to being a nation of prosperity and security again, and this is only the beginning.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman John Joyce (PA-13)

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13) released the following statement regarding his intention to introduce legislation, pursuant to the Congressional Review Act, to overturn the Biden Administration’s December 2024 decision to allow California to ban the sale of all new internal combustion vehicles:

“The Biden Administration’s 11^th hour decision to approve a de facto nationwide ban on the sale of gas-powered automobiles and hybrids is exactly why the Congressional Review Act exists,” said Congressman John Joyce, M.D.  “I have been fighting this battle to protect consumer freedom since 2022 – and I look forward to working with Chairman Guthrie and Chairman Capito to put an end to this impractical and unworkable mandate once and for all.”

Background:

• In December of 2024, the Biden Administration provided a waiver approving California’s EV mandate. 
• Due to California’s unique status in the Clean Air Act, sixteen other states, including Pennsylvania, have adopted California’s previous standards, affecting nearly 40% of the automobile market.
• In the 117^th Congress, Dr. Joyce led a letter to the Biden Administration with 168 cosigners relaying disapproval of California’s regulation.
• In the 118^th Congress, Dr. Joyce led H.R. 1435, the Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act, legislation to block electric vehicle mandates and protect consumer choice.
• This Congress, Dr. Joyce reintroduced the Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act to protect choice for American consumers.
• This month, at an Energy and Commerce Committee Energy Subcommittee hearing, Dr. Joyce challenged the validity of California’s waiver from the Environmental Protection Agency for their sweeping Electric Vehicle mandate and raised concerns about the lack of Congressional review or oversight.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman John Joyce (PA-13)

Washington, D.C. –Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13) and Congressman Don Davis (NC-01) have introduced H.R. 946, the Optimizing Research Progress Hope And New (ORPHAN) Cures Act, legislation that would accelerate the development of new life-saving cures and provide hope to millions Americans affected by rare diseases.

Under current federal law, a drug or treatment that receives approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat exclusively one rare disease – commonly known as an “orphan drug” – is eligible for certain incentives, including an exemption from Medicare’s drug negotiation program.  Unfortunately, those same incentives do not exist if an orphan drug receives FDA approval to treat two or more rare diseases.  This has the unintended effect of discouraging and disincentivizing American innovators from engaging in the expensive and time-intensive research necessary to determine if an orphan drug could cure or treat additional rare diseases.

The ORPHAN Cures Act would remedy these harmful, unintended consequences by honoring the intent of the Orphan Drug Act of 1983 and restoring proven, time-tested incentives to encourage the discovery of new cures for the narrow patient populations affected by rare diseases.

“Over 30 million Americans are affected by nearly 10,000 rare diseases– yet 95% of these rare diseases lack an FDA-approved treatment. We need to be doing more – not less – to bring new FDA-approved treatments to market for rare disease patients,” said Congressman John Joyce, M.D. “The ORPHAN Cures Act ensures that proven, critical R&D incentives are in place so the millions of Americans with rare diseases can continue to have hope for the future.”

“We must empower our innovators to continue developing lifesaving rare disease treatments,” said Congressman Don Davis. “By cutting red tape for researchers and scientists, Congress can help lay the foundation for the next generation of cures.”

“Life Sciences Pennsylvania applauds Congressman Joyce on the introduction of the ORPHAN CURES Act in the 119^th Congress,” said Christopher P. Molineaux, President and CEO of Life Sciences Pennsylvania.  “Dr. Joyce understands that the process of taking a rare disease medicine from research through development and approval for patients has many unique challenges.  With small patient populations, the development of medicines for rare diseases is significantly more difficult, costly, and risky than typical drug research and development. The ORPHAN CURES Act creates hope for the millions of patients living with a rare disease.”

“At Tigerlily Foundation, we stand firmly in support of the ORPHAN Cures Act, a vital step toward ensuring access to life-saving treatments for rare disease patients, including those needing care for rare diseases as results of their anti-cancer treatments. This legislation not only accelerates the development of innovative therapies but also addresses the unique challenges faced by patients who have long been overlooked. We believe every individual deserves the right to hope, healing, and health, and the ORPHAN Cures Act brings us closer to that vision. Together, we can create a future where no one is left behind in the fight for better care and cures,” said Maimah Karmo, President & CEO, Tigerlily Foundation

“On behalf of our LGMD2I/R9 community, CureLGMD2i fully supports the Orphan Cures Act (OCA), which will maintain existing incentives and boost research into new treatments for the 30 million Americans currently suffering from rare diseases. LGMD2I/R9 is an ultra rare and progressive muscle wasting disease that currently has no approved treatment. The OCA provides hope to our patient community by protecting the incentives for drug developers to continue working on a potential treatment for rare diseases like the LGMDs,” saidKelly Brazzo, Co-Founder and CEO of CureLGMD2i Foundation

“Rare disease medications are often brought to market as a second indication, because research is just too expensive for our small populations to do the initial expansive testing. Eliminating limiting the exemption to one rare disease, hope and treatment is unnecessarily taken away. This, and the removal of incentives for investing in rare disease research are devastating to the rare disease community. While we believe these were oversights in crafting the law, they must be corrected immediately. People’s lives are at stake. Eosinophilic & Rare Disease Cooperative strongly support the passage of the Orphan Cures Act. We are here to help in any way we can to move this legislation forward,” said Sarah Jones, Community Engagement, Eosinophilic & Rare Disease Cooperative

“With the growing role of genetics and genomics in cancer and other diseases, we are seeing more rare patient communities of under 200,000 who may benefit from a targeted treatment. Passage of the ORPHAN Cures Act is essential to encourage therapeutic innovation for these patients. Without it, the incentives established under the Orphan Drug Act are undermined, and some of our most vulnerable patients will suffer,” said Lisa Schlager, Vice President, Public Policy, FORCE: Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered

“The Save Rare Treatments Task Force thanks Congressmen Joyce and Davis for their bipartisan leadership in introducing the ORPHAN Cures Act. This vital legislation corrects an unintended consequence in law to ensure strong incentives for research and development of new medical treatments for rare disease,” said the Save Rare Treatments Task Force

For more information, you can find a one-pager here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman John Joyce (PA-13)

Washington, D.C. – Today, Reps. John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13), Scott Peters (CA-50), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1), and Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) reintroduced the Sustainable Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Services in the Home Act. This legislation would permanently give Medicare beneficiaries access to in-home cardiopulmonary rehabilitation services. 

“As a doctor, I understand that many patients recover and rehabilitate best from the safety of their own homes,”  said Rep. John Joyce, M.D. “By permanently expanding access to in-home cardiopulmonary care for Medicare beneficiaries, this legislation will improve outcomes and allow patients to receive the highest quality of care from the comfort of their homes.”

“The Sustainable Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Services in the Home Act will help seniors recover from major cardiac events at home and expand access to telehealth for those who might otherwise struggle to reach a doctor,”  said Rep. Scott Peters. “We know patients recover better when treated in familiar settings, like at home. We must continue working on solutions so Americans aren’t obligated to forego medical care or break the bank for burdensome hospital stays.”

“Medicare patients deserve the ability to access vital cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation services from the comfort and safety of their own homes. This not only enhances the likelihood of successful recovery but also contributes to an increase in life expectancy,”  said Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick. “Our bipartisan Sustainable Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Services in the Home Act delivers a common-sense, forward-looking solution for our seniors. By lowering hospital readmission rates for cardiac patients and expanding access to rehabilitation programs, this legislation takes a vital step toward improving health outcomes. It’s time to modernize Medicare guidelines and provide a long-overdue, sustainable pathway for supervised in-home care to benefit Americans nationwide.”

“As we continue to address the challenges of heart disease in our communities, ensuring access to critical rehabilitation services is essential,”  said Rep. Jimmy Panetta. “This bipartisan legislation builds on the innovative care models developed during the pandemic to ensure that patients can safely recover and rehabilitate from home.  By expanding access to these proven, life-saving programs, we can reduce the burden on our healthcare system and prioritize the health and well-being of seniors.”

Background:

• Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, resulting in the death of more than 600,000 Americans each year. 
• Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation has been shown to drastically lower the risk of rehospitalization and death.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) temporarily allowed certain in-home, virtual cardiopulmonary rehab programs to be reimbursed.
• This temporary policy expired in 2023, causing patients throughout the country to lose access to needed care, particularly in rural areas.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)

Wide-Ranging Discussion Covered Future of Progressivism, Harm of Musk-Trump Agenda, and How Democrats Should Fight Back

Video (YouTube)

CAMBRIDGE – This week at the King Open School in Cambridge, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) joined Joshua Miller of the Boston Globe for a live, fireside chat about the news of the day, the Trump administration’s latest actions, and the future of progressivism in the United States. In the wide-ranging discussion titled “What do we do now? A conversation with Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley,” Rep. Pressley discussed her personal journey in politics, the harm of the Musk-Trump agenda, and how Democrats can and must fight back.

The full conversation can be watched here and highlights are available below (edited lightly for clarity).

On Rep. Pressley’s parents and upbringing:

REP. PRESSLEY: I grew up raised in a single parented household with the righteous role-modeling of a mother who was a proud Democrat, a super voter. Just to give you a little insight into my upbringing, my mother never read me stories about anyone coming to save me. She read me the speeches of Barbara Jordan and Shirley Chisholm. So, I get it honest. And she, you know, taught me early on that to be Black is something beautiful and to be proud of, but that I was being born into a struggle, and she had an expectation that I would do my part in that struggle, in the work of liberation for Black and all marginalized people.

So two other quick things I would say that really informed the work that I do from my origin story.  I grew up on public transportation. It’s one of the reasons why I’m so passionate about transit justice. It truly is at the intersection of everything. My father is a brilliant man who battled substance use disorder and a heroin addiction and cycled in and out of the criminal legal system, and it was incredibly destabilizing, and there was great shame and stigma that I carried about that not understanding at the time that it was a disease. But my father, while incarcerated, attained two advanced degrees, came out, attained his PhD, and went on to become a college professor, a dean of a college, and a published author. And so, by my father’s example, that is why I’m so passionate about family reunification and those bonds and re-entry programs and Second Chance Pell Grants – recognizing that there are so many brilliant people whose gifts are dying on the vine that are unjustly incarcerated because my father should have been met with culturally competent on-demand care, not incarceration.

And now as for my mother, in addition to the ways in which she poured into me – reading the speeches of Barbara Jordan and Shirley Chisholm, being a tenants rights organizer through the Urban League of Chicago – I also had an incredible education with a front row seat into the indignities and injustices that my mother experienced as a Black woman and because I’m an only child, and it was really just sort of me and my mom versus the world. You know, it takes a lot of children to grow up and become an adult to see the humanity in their parent. I was there for my mother’s heart breaks. I was there for her hardship. I was a latch key kid home alone as young as five years old, and she would say, “You cannot tell anyone you were here alone, because they will take you away from me.” But she couldn’t afford childcare, right? I was also there when my mother was battling uterine fibroids, and the healthcare system would delegitimize her pain. She was forced into a radical hysterectomy when she did not need it, and I also remember the day she collapsed on the street because she returned to work too early and had not fully recovered.

And so, I saw the ways in which a broken government and broken systems and policy violence were showing up in my mother’s life every day. And so as far as my education, your parents are your first teacher. So, both through the consciousness of my parents and through the landscape that they navigated, I received an incredible education.

On Rep. Pressley’s journey in politics:

REP. PRESSLEY: I came here in 1992 to attend Boston University, so school is what brought me here. I like to say Chicago is the city that raised me, and Boston is the city that changed me. You know, it was in Boston that I sort of better crystallized my purpose, the contribution I wanted to make in the world.

And I was very active on campus, Student Government President, President of my College. I was charged with organizing a Martin Luther King Day celebration at Boston University. It was called a day on, not off, because it always bothered me that people treated it as an extended weekend, and because I had seen how many people worked for so long to make that a holiday.

So I said, I’m going to invite Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy II and Congressman Barney Frank to this event. And I said, I believe in the – I’m an Aquarius, so I’m really into manifestation. And I said, I am going to get an internship with one of them. So, they both came into the room, and I’m just going to tell the truth, because I’ve said it to his face: Barney Frank scared the shit out of me. He was a complete curmudgeon. And I just was like, he’s brilliant. I love everything he’s doing on banking. That’s a no go. Okay. And so, you know, Congressman Joseph P Kennedy II greeted me with a “Hiya, pal!” and I said, this is the way I’m going. And my mother, who was very politically astute, had taught me all the work that Congressman Kennedy was doing on redlining. And so I approached him, and I said, I’d like to intern in your office. I secured this internship in his Roxbury satellite office. I showed up with a briefcase from Goodwill that was permanently locked. I never figured out that – I never figured out that combination. But I thought it was important to look the part. Ladies, do y’all remember a store called Hit or Miss? Okay, so I went to Hit or Miss, got my first little work situation, walked in with that permanently locked attaché case, landed that internship, and that internship changed the trajectory of my life.

Now, I should say, at that time, internships were unpaid, and most interns were the kids of donors. And so I’m so grateful that we have, now, through a lot of organizing, changed that to open it up so there’s no gate keeping, and all of our interns are paid a living wage.

So I was a student at Boston University, started as an intern for Congressman Kennedy. Ultimately, I was hired, and I became a constituent services Social Security liaison, advocating for our most vulnerable, our seniors, our veterans. Then I went on to work for United States Senator John Kerry for 11 years, and then served on the Boston City Council for eight years.

I’m not new to this, I’m true to this – and I’ve been doing this work of electoral politics and movement building, the work of freedom that my mother demanded of me for a very long time. So thank you to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for changing my life. It is also here where I found the love of my life, who is from Cambridge. So thank you Cambridge for the gift of my fine ass husband. But it was, it was here that I found the love of my life, put down roots, grew a family as well. 

On the Republican government budget bill:

JOSHUA: I want to talk about Democrats who seem very split, speaking of fight like hell, who seem very split between the House and the Senate these days, between the vanguard and the old guard. Why is there this split, and which of these two constituencies do you think will win out? And the context for this is the Senate passed the government funding bill that every single Democratic Representative, but one, voted against in the House. And the Senate, Chuck Schumer – I’ll let you describe what happened and how you see it. 

REP. PRESSLEY: Does anyone know what the word trifling means? It was trifling, it was outrageous, it was a betrayal. And this goes right back to the point I was making earlier, that when Democrats have the power, no matter how limiting your tools are in this moment, you have to leverage and exhaust every single one of them – because the American people are exhausted, and we need to be exhaustive.

The reason why there isn’t a narrative that the Democrats are out there fighting like hell is exactly because of reasons like that. Chuck Schumer stood with me and others in front of the Department of Treasury for, for an agitation, a mobilization effort, and linked arms with us and said, “We will win.” Not like that, Chuck – no, we won’t. No, we won’t.

So again, the other thing is that [Republicans] presented a false narrative that there were two options: this Republican manufactured shutdown, because that’s exactly what it was – they’re the reason we were on the brink of a shutdown which no one wanted – or this dangerous spending bill that is going to be a tsunami of hurt that everyone is going to feel. And that’s inaccurate. That was a false choice, because the Democrats had a 30-day stopgap spending bill that was on the table that we were ready to vote for.

JOSHUA: So you think Democrats had leverage that they did not use?

REP. PRESSLEY: Absolutely, and I don’t know how you win any fight when you started out by ceding ground. But I want you to know this is what I mean, because I hold myself accountable. When this vote was going down, or, you know, hours before it, and I was on the phone myself and my colleagues, we were calling Democratic senators and saying, “Hold the line.” I went on television and appealed to them as well. And I said, if you don’t want to listen to me, listen to your constituents. Listen to the appeals and cries of your constituents.

Y’all, the Massachusetts 7th Congressional District is an incredible district and one of the most unequal in the country. I have 220,000 Medicaid recipients in my district. 30% of the people the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are Medicaid recipients. So this is a denial of health care. People will get sicker, and people will die. I’m not being hyperbolic. Those are the facts. So you’re supposed to do everything.

The problem is that there was a false narrative that was presented that the choice was between this Republican rip off to cause harm to the people this country, to pat the pockets of billionaires, or this Republican manufactured shutdown. And that’s not true. So again, I’m very unhappy and very worried about the fallout of this.

Now you asked about the generational divide and that kind of thing. So two things. Again, I worked for Senator John Kerry 11 years. John Kerry was best friends with John McCain. This is not your grandma’s Republican Party, and I think that there are some Democrats that are still stuck in an old frame of bipartisanship being the goal. And I’m not a dolt, I understand the legislative process and why we need some of them again, appealing to people of conscience. I will sit at the table and work with anyone who is serious about progress and about the safety, the preservation and the health of our shared constituents, but so far, they have proven that they are unserious.

Bipartisanship is not the goal. The goal is justice. The goal is impact. And there are some people, again in their punditry and analysis of the election outcome, who have said the country sent a message that they want to see bipartisanship. Well, again, I reject that, but let’s say that were true, that was a partisan bad faith spending bill the Democrats had no input on that, and that’s exactly why it should have been stopped and rejected while we continued the work of negotiating for a bipartisan compromise.

So I want to say that there’s some Democrats that are stuck in an old frame. And then secondly, I ran for Congress because – and was elected under Trump’s first occupancy – and I ran because I felt the time demanded activist leadership, that it was not going to be enough to just vote the right way, that we were going to have to agitate, we were going to have to organize, we were going to have to resist, and that’s the moment we find ourselves in now.

How Democrats can fight the Musk-Trump agenda:

JOSHUA: Just in the last few days, the administration seemingly defied a direct federal court order. President Trump called for the judge’s impeachment. He said he no longer considers some pardons issued by Joe Biden to be valid. Definitely pressure testing the system in a big way. And I’m wondering because your constituent asks – what can you substantively do as a Member of Congress in the minority party in a not seeming to be so co-equal branch of government. In the face of all of it, what can you do? And what are you doing?

REP. PRESSLEY: Fight like hell.

You know, I keep returning to the words of Cecile Richards – daughter of you know, the great Ann Richards, Governor of Texas – leader of Planned Parenthood. I co-chair the House’s Reproductive Freedom Caucus. And when she was in the throes of her cancer fight, she was still out there organizing and fighting, and people said, “What are you doing here?” And she said, “There will come a time where the question will be asked, ‘What did you do when everything was at stake for the country?’” And she said, “the only acceptable answer will be everything that I could.”

And so I keep returning to that, because the strategy of this hostile White House administration in the midst of an active hostile government takeover is to overwhelm. It is to shock and awe. It is to get you to believe that these proposals, most of which are lawless, are inevitable, and in that overwhelm, that you will concede and that you will be resigned to a mindset of indifference and of inaction. That is the strategy. When we say that their strategy is to flood the zone, that is why these executive orders are coming out fast and furious. They mean to overwhelm us. They mean to suppress any organizing. They mean to suppress any outcry or resistance, which is why Donald Trump has now instructed them to not even do town halls.

So as part of our strategy, what’s happening now? Democrats are doing town halls in Republican districts to say that I will come here and be accountable to you, be accessible to you.

But the Republicans, it bothers me, because people keep asking me, do you see any opportunities for bipartisanship? Are we in the same reality? Where is there a party for bipartisanship? They are operating, Republicans in the House as cowards, complicit cowards, in wholesale harm to our shared constituents. They are operating as a cult. So no, I don’t see any opportunities. Because people that define government efficiency by making people hungrier, poor and sicker are not my kind of people.

So the Democrats, our defensive strategy is litigation, and we are winning a number of court cases. The second is legislation. So you take, for example, Elon Musk, unelected billionaire, his little grubby hands all over our data. We introduce the Taxpayer Data Protection Act. We just need three Republicans, and we can move legislation. Their majority in the House is just [three] Republicans, so we’re just appealing to them as people of conscience, do the right thing by the people who elected you and not operate with this fealty and loyalty to Donald Trump and cowering under his politics of retribution.

So our strategy is litigation, which again, we’re winning a number of the cases. Our defensive strategy – legislation and agitation and organizing. And as a member of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, I’ve been conducting real time oversight by showing up and resisting and agitating in the face of these dangerous and draconian proposals from dismantling our federal agencies to the unjust massive firing of our dedicated federal workers.

Why Democrats lost the 2024 election:

JOSHUA: You’ve been a Member of Congress now for six years, and this is not your first time as a progressive Democratic Representative during a Trump administration. But a lot more of the country voted for him this time around, and even in your district, one of the very most progressive, he did better last year than in 2020. Why do you think Donald Trump picked up more votes here and across the country in just about every group with voters knowing who he is?

REP. PRESSLEY: The reason why this isn’t an easy question is because we don’t all agree about why we lost. So what I see happening in real time. And I worry about is that Democrats will reflexively say: you know what, we need to moderate our aspirations. They’ll buy into this shallow punditry that we lost on social issues. I reject that categorically.

I believe we lost because it was more important to a lot of people to preserve white supremacy. And they were very skilled at advancing othering and a scarcity mindset. And so people knew that harm would come if they believed even a third of what was laid out in Project 2025, which was not a blueprint. It is a playbook which we see playing out in real time, but they just thought that they would be exempt from the harm.

And then I imagine there are people who believed what he told them, that he was going to lower the cost of prescription drugs and groceries and housing. So for people who did vote for Trump, I know no one gave him a mandate to operate with what I would consider the godlessness, the lawlessness and the callousness that he is in this moment. No one gave him that mandate.

And then I’m going to say another reason why I believe he won and we lost, Democrats, and we need to remedy this quickly. In my opinion, [Democrats] are afraid of power, and when you operate with scared power, it’s like having no power at all. We have had the House, we have had the Senate, we have had the White House, and we reserve the filibuster. We did not restore voting rights. We did not pass George Floyd Justice in Policing, and so many of the things that I could name. Donald Trump, even if he is just about moving fast and breaking things – he is transparent about the fact that he wants the power, he wants to amass the power, he wants to wield the power, he wants to manipulate, abuse, and exploit the power, but he wants the power – and in order for us to effectively rebuild this party and this coalition of voters, we have to also offer an affirmative – so that, I have to say, come back home and let’s, let’s rebuild this party. Because we need to get the gavel. We need to be back in power. Because when we have the power, we are going to do what, right?

I know Democrats have always had the better policies. We know that we have a messaging problem. The Republicans have played the long game of building a mass communications ecosystem that they have put money behind. They had a long game of not just the Supreme Court that they’ve enlisted as co-conspirators in their extremist march, but they also went after federal judgeships, district judgeships. And so to quote my brilliant Chief of Staff, Sarah Groh – Democrats don’t need any more policies. We need more strategy.

So yeah, I think we have to be unapologetic in the pursuit of power, and this is not the time to moderate our aspirations. This is not the time to play small. Democrats win when we deliver, when people feel the impact of our policies. Not because they read it in a press release, but because their life is improved by a permanent Child Tax Credit, by affordable and accessible child care, by access to fresh and healthy foods. Democrats win when you feel the impact of our policy.

So in my mind, we should go as far and as deep as the hurt. This is not the time to moderate.

And then finally, I’ll say, in this moment, as I try to distill a path forward, I find it helpful to look back and to look at movements and to look at earlier chapters in the Civil Rights Movement, which we are still very much in, to be clear. And what I have gleaned from studying those earlier chapters in the Civil Rights Movement is that every movement needs three things. You need imagination. So we’re doing radical work, but you have you need a radical dream. You need a North Star. Secondly, strategy. So you need imagination. You need strategy. And here’s the hard one, stamina. You need stamina. So those are just some of the things that I’ve been reflecting on.

How everyday people can stay engaged:

JOSHUA: We got 37 pages worth of constituent questions from your constituents. So I want to get to a few of them, and a big theme of them, of the hundreds of questions that came in was that people are scared and they’re angry and they’re looking to you, asking, what can they do to push back? What specifically can they do? People wrote in and said they used to feel like they could call their representative, they could call their senator, and it would make a difference. They don’t believe that anymore. What can they do to pushback? 

REP. PRESSLEY: Yeah, okay. First, I never want to dissuade you from calling, because even when you feel that it’s not impactful – it is. And I think you should call in two ways. First, if you reject something that we’re doing, make it known. But this is the part that doesn’t always happen. If you agree with something we’re doing, affirm that, because when you do that, it fortifies that member to continue taking those stances and doing those things. And other colleagues take note. Okay, so I want to encourage you to both express what you disagree with, but also affirm what you do agree with.

Then, educate yourself. There’s so much mis- and dis-information. Again, they’ve got an anti-freedom agenda. They want to control what you read, what media you access. They want to perpetuate lies and propaganda. So, educate yourself. That is huge, because the country is getting a civics lesson on steroids in real time. The fear that you talk about, the fear that I hear from constituents who are telling their child what to do if they come home and they’re not there whose house they should go to instead. Elders that are carrying all their medications around in case they are deported. People afraid to go to medical appointments, to work, their places of worship, children not going to school. The fear is palpable. It is real, and it is justifiable – and even when these lawless executive actions have been introduced and they’ve been beaten back, there’s still a chilling effect. So even if that executive action does not become law, people are moving as if it is. And that’s why educating yourself is so very important.

The third thing is, I keep returning to the pandemic and the things that we stood up in that moment, infrastructure, mutual aid, rapid response. These are the sorts of things that we need to stand up in this time. Get to know your neighbors. Dr. King posed that urgent question in one of his final writings – Where do we go from here: Chaos or Community? Well, we’re in a moment of chaos, cruelty and callousness, and we have to choose community every single time to fortify ourselves, to strategize, to take care of one another, mutual aid. So those are some of the things I would offer sort of at a macro, but also at a micro. 

How we can remain hopeful:

JOSHUA: My final question for you tonight, Congresswoman, what gives you hope?

REP. PRESSLEY: Okay, what gives me hope? There’s an affirmation that one of my siblings in the movement gifted me during Trump’s first occupancy. And I say it every single day, and I want to give it to you because it is in this room, it is in this movement, that I find hope. We have to continue to choose community. It’s how we fortify one another. And as I said, we need to keep the imagination so it’s not just about radical work. It’s about radical dreaming, and it is about radical love, and we’re going to need community in this room and our neighbors more than ever before.

So the affirmation I want to leave with you is the following: “I choose the discipline of hope over the ease of cynicism. I choose the discipline of hope over the ease of cynicism. And I choose fortitude over fatalism.”

So I leave that with you, and I will just say – in the midst of this constitutional crisis, this civil rights crisis, where they’re coming to roll back gains and progress, and they’re coming for every single one of our rights – my appeal to you, I beg of you, is to not give them your joy too.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)

Pressley Has Led Efforts in Congress to Halt Terminations and Protect Federal Workers

Massachusetts is Home to Over 46,000 Dedicated Federal Employees

Text of Letter (PDF)

BOSTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) led her colleagues in the Massachusetts congressional delegation in a letter to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) sharply criticizing and demanding answers about the impact of the Musk-Trump Administration’s mass firings of federal workers in Massachusetts. Congresswoman Pressley has led efforts in Congress to halt terminations and protect federal workers, and her letter comes as Elon Musk’s “DOGE” initiative continues its unjust and unlawful terminations of federal workers across the country, threatening the over 46,000 federal employees serving in Massachusetts.

“Our Commonwealth is home to more than 46,000 federal employees who play an essential role in safeguarding the health, safety, and economic well-being of Massachusetts. These indiscriminate cuts threaten the core functioning of critical federal services and will harm our constituents,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter to Acting OPM Director Charles Ezell. “We request that you provide detailed and complete information regarding federal employees in Massachusetts who have been terminated, placed on leave, transferred, or subjected to a reduction in force (RIF) as part of this purge.”

In their letter, the lawmakers outlined the harmful attacks on federal workers that the Administration has taken since January 20, 2025, including offering employees a so-called “deferred resignation,” indiscriminately terminating federal employees in their probationary period, and ordering mass layoffs across the federal government under the guise of “efficiency.” The lawmakers also noted that every Department of Education employee in the Boston regional office has been fired, while nearly 10,000 employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs in Massachusetts now face threats from downsizing efforts.

“The Administration’s executive overreach undermines federal agencies, including in critical areas of disaster preparedness, public health, public safety, and national security,” the lawmakers continued. “These attacks on public servants and the communities they support are unacceptable, and our constituents deserve better.”

The lawmakers requested OPM provide the following information by April 4, 2025:

• The number of federal employees in Massachusetts since January 20, 2025, that have been terminated, placed on administrated leave, taken early retirement, or been subject to a RIF broken down by agency, county, congressional district, GS level, and average length of federal service;
• The number of veterans who held positions with the federal government in Massachusetts since January 20, 2025, that have been terminated, placed on administrated leave, taken early retirement, or been subject to a RIF broken down by agency, county, congressional district, GS level, and average length of federal service;
• The number of federal employees in Massachusetts that have accepted the Administration’s “deferred resignation” offer broken down by agency, county, congressional district, GS level, and average length of federal service; and
• A detailed plan explaining how OPM will work with agencies and our state government to ensure that RIFs do not result in delays or disruptions to programs and benefits, including but not limited to Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid.

Joining Congresswoman Pressley in sending this letter are Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA), along with Representatives Richard E. Neal (MA-01), James P. McGovern (MA-02), Stephen F. Lynch (MA-08), William Keating (MA-09), Katherine Clark (MA-05), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Lori Trahan (MA-03), and Jake Auchincloss (MA-04).

A copy of the letter is available here.

Last month, Rep. Pressley led 85 lawmakers in writing to the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) urging OSC to ensure all unfairly fired civil servants are immediately rehired and protected from greater abuse, and she has applauded numerous court rulings mandating their reinstatement.

Congresswoman Pressley was also proud to welcome Claire Bergstresser, an Everett constituent, dedicated public servant, AFGE union member, and terminated HUD worker as her guest to the presidential joint address to Congress.

Congresswoman Pressley has been a leading voice in Congress speaking out against Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s unprecedented assault on our democracy and federal agencies, and she has been a steadfast advocate for protecting the essential services that federal workers and agencies provide.

• On March 11, 2025, Rep. Pressley spoke out against the U.S. Department of Education’s mass layoffs of over 1,300 workers, which effectively guts the agency.
• On March 11, 2025, Rep. Pressley voted against Republicans’ shameful government budget bill, which would harm vulnerable families and provide a blank check for Elon Musk and Donald Trump to continue their unprecedented assault on our democracy. She later issued a statement condemning its final passage in the Senate.
• On March 11, 2025, Rep. Pressley joined 13 of her colleagues on a letter to the Department of Homeland Security demanding answers and the immediate release of Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil, whose illegal abduction is an attack on his constitutional right to free speech and due process.
• On March 4, 2025, Rep. Pressley walked out of the House chamber in protest during Donald Trump’s presidential joint address to Congress.
• On March 4, 2025, Rep. Pressley welcomed Claire Bergstresser, an Everett constituent, dedicated public servant, AFGE union member, and former HUD worker who was unjustly terminated as part of Musk and Trump’s assault on federal agencies as her guest to the presidential joint address to Congress.
• On February 28, 2025, Rep. Pressley led 85 lawmakers in a letter urging the Office of Special Counsel to immediate reinstate and expand protections for all unfairly fired federal workers.
• On February 28, 2025, Rep. Pressley joined over 200 Democrats in filing an amicus brief defending the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau before a U.S. District Court.
• On February 26, 2025, in a House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Pressley discussed what true government efficiency looks like and denounced Elon Musk and Donald Trump for utilizing DOGE to gut the essential services that keep people safe, fed, and housed.
• On February 25, 2025, in a House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Pressley condemned Elon Musk’s abuse of government efficiency through the fraudulent Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
• On February 25, 2025, Rep. Pressley delivered a floor speech in which she railed against Republicans’ cruel budget resolution that would slash Medicaid by nearly $1 trillion.
• On February 20, 2025, Rep. Pressley and her Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs issued a statement condemning the Trump Administration’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti.
• On February 13, 2025, in a House Financial Services Committee hearing, Rep. Pressley emphasized the critical role of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in safeguarding consumers and sharply criticized Donald Trump and Elon Musk for halting the critical work of the agency.
• On February 10, 2025, Rep. Pressley rallied with Senator Elizabeth Warren, Ranking Member Maxine Waters, and advocates to protest Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s unlawful takeover of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
• On February 11, 2025, in a House Financial Services Committee hearing, Rep. Pressley criticized the Trump-Musk administration for halting the critical work of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) with crypto scams on the rise.
• On February 10, 2025, Rep. Pressley issued a statement slamming the Trump Administration’s harmful cuts to National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding to support hospitals, universities, and research institutions conducting lifesaving research.
• On February 10, 2025, as Trump and Musk threaten to dismantle the essential work of the U.S. Department of Education, Rep.  Pressley delivered a powerful floor speech to affirm the role of public education in American democracy.
• On February 6, 2025, in a House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Pressley delivered a powerful rebuke of Republicans’ efforts to gut diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and eliminate essential services for vulnerable communities.
• On February 5, 2025, Rep. Pressley rallied outside the U.S. Department of Treasury to protest Elon Musk’s unlawful assault on federal agencies and our democracy.
• On January 30, 2025, Rep. Pressley slammed Donald Trump for blaming the tragic plane crash at Reagan National Airport, which killed over 60 people, including some families from Massachusetts, on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
• In January 2025, Rep. Pressley issued a statement slamming Trump’s illegal freeze on federal grants and loans and its harmful impact on vulnerable communities.
• On January 23, 2025, Rep. Pressley delivered an impassioned floor speech condemning Republicans’ cruel anti-abortion bill that criminalizes providers and denies families care.
• On January 23, 2025, Rep. Pressley joined her colleagues to reintroduce the Neighbors Not Enemies Act, a bill to repeal an outdated law that has been used to target innocent immigrants without due process rights.
• On January 22, 2025, Rep. Pressley issued a statement condemning the Trump Administration’s harmful executive actions on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)

“Despicable and unlawful behavior from a man who wants to be king and wants to harm everyone who calls this country home. It is an assault on students and educators that will undermine public education, threaten civil rights, and harm our most vulnerable students in Massachusetts and across America.”

Watch Pressley Uplift Essential Federal Role in Education on House Floor

BOSTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) issued the following statement condemning Trump’s expected and unlawful executive action to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. Last month, Congresswoman Pressley delivered a floor speech in which she affirmed the essential federal role in public education and our democracy.

“The federal role in education is both essential and clear. For decades, the federal government has provided essential funding to our schools and our students. Federal dollars and programs address teacher shortages, administer financial aid, support students with disabilities, collect data on disparities, enforce civil rights protections, keep the lights on in our public schools, and so much more. That is the federal role. Dictating what can be taught, gutting essential programs, tearing books off the shelves of school libraries, and using the bully pulpit to attack our kids and taunt their race, gender, or who they love as Donald Trump is trying to do here is clearly not the federal role.

“This latest executive action is despicable and unlawful behavior from a man who wants to be king and wants to harm everyone who calls this country home. It is an assault on students and educators that will undermine public education, threaten civil rights, and harm our most vulnerable students in Massachusetts and across America.

“Congress created the Department of Education and only Congress can abolish it. We will fight this every step of the way, in the courts and in community. Every child deserves a free and fair public education—that is foundational to our democracy and the American dream.”

Full video of Congresswoman Pressley’s February floor speech is available here.

Congresswoman Pressley has been leading voice in Congress speaking out against Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s unprecedented assault on our democracy and federal agencies, and she has been a steadfast advocate for protecting the essential services that federal workers and agencies provide.

• On March 11, 2025, Rep. Pressley spoke out against the U.S. Department of Education’s mass layoffs of over 1,300 workers, which effectively guts the agency.
• On March 11, 2025, Rep. Pressley voted against Republicans’ shameful government budget bill, which would harm vulnerable families and provide a blank check for Elon Musk and Donald Trump to continue their unprecedented assault on our democracy. She later issued a statement condemning its final passage in the Senate.
• On March 11, 2025, Rep. Pressley joined 13 of her colleagues on a letter to the Department of Homeland Security demanding answers and the immediate release of Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil, whose illegal abduction is an attack on his constitutional right to free speech and due process.
• On March 4, 2025, Rep. Pressley walked out of the House chamber in protest during Donald Trump’s presidential joint address to Congress.
• On March 4, 2025, Rep. Pressley welcomed Claire Bergstresser, an Everett constituent, dedicated public servant, AFGE union member, and former HUD worker who was unjustly terminated as part of Musk and Trump’s assault on federal agencies, as her guest to the presidential joint address to Congress.
• On February 28, 2025, Rep. Pressley led 85 lawmakers in a letter urging the Office of Special Counsel to immediate reinstate and expand protections for all unfairly fired federal workers.
• On February 28, 2025, Rep. Pressley joined over 200 Democrats in filing an amicus brief defending the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau before a U.S. District Court.
• On February 26, 2025, in a House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Pressley discussed what true government efficiency looks like and denounced Elon Musk and Donald Trump for utilizing DOGE to gut the essential services that keep people safe, fed, and housed.
• On February 25, 2025, in a House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Pressley condemned Elon Musk’s abuse of government efficiency through the fraudulent Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
• On February 25, 2025, Rep. Pressley delivered a floor speech in which she railed against Republicans’ cruel budget resolution that would slash Medicaid by nearly $1 trillion.
• On February 20, 2025, Rep. Pressley and her Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs issued a statement condemning the Trump Administration’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti.
• On February 13, 2025, in a House Financial Services Committee hearing, Rep. Pressley emphasized the critical role of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in safeguarding consumers and sharply criticized Donald Trump and Elon Musk for halting the critical work of the agency.
• On February 10, 2025, Rep. Pressley rallied with Senator Elizabeth Warren, Ranking Member Maxine Waters, and advocates to protest Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s unlawful takeover of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
• On February 11, 2025, in a House Financial Services Committee hearing, Rep. Pressley criticized the Trump-Musk administration for halting the critical work of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) with crypto scams on the rise.
• On February 10, 2025, Rep. Pressley issued a statement slamming the Trump Administration’s harmful cuts to National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding to support hospitals, universities, and research institutions conducting lifesaving research.
• On February 10, 2025, as Trump and Musk threaten to dismantle the essential work of the U.S. Department of Education, Rep.  Pressley delivered a powerful floor speech to affirm the role of public education in American democracy.
• On February 6, 2025, in a House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Pressley delivered a powerful rebuke of Republicans’ efforts to gut diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and eliminate essential services for vulnerable communities.
• On February 5, 2025, Rep. Pressley rallied outside the U.S. Department of Treasury to protest Elon Musk’s unlawful assault on federal agencies and our democracy.
• On January 30, 2025, Rep. Pressley slammed Donald Trump for blaming the tragic plane crash at Reagan National Airport, which killed over 60 people, including some families from Massachusetts, on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
• In January 2025, Rep. Pressley issued a statement slamming Trump’s illegal freeze on federal grants and loans and its harmful impact on vulnerable communities.
• On January 23, 2025, Rep. Pressley delivered an impassioned floor speech condemning Republicans’ cruel anti-abortion bill that criminalizes providers and denies families care.
• On January 23, 2025, Rep. Pressley joined her colleagues to reintroduce the Neighbors Not Enemies Act, a bill to repeal an outdated law that has been used to target innocent immigrants without due process rights.
• On January 22, 2025, Rep. Pressley issued a statement condemning the Trump Administration’s harmful executive actions on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

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