Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (1st District of Washington)

Today, Representative Suzan DelBene (WA-01) joined the entire Washington Congressional delegation in urging President Donald Trump to approve Governor Bob Ferguson’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration for Public Assistance to help repair damage from December’s historic flooding. Preliminary damage assessments performed in partnership with FEMA over the past two months estimate damage totaling $182.3 million. This is the second of two Major Disaster Declaration requests from Governor Ferguson.

“As members of the Washington state delegation, we write in support of Washington state’s February 17 request for a Major Disaster Declaration for Public Assistance due to devastating flood damages incurred from December 5 through 22. We implore you to approve the request for assistance as quickly as possible,” the delegation wrote in a letter to Trump. “The surge of rain in Washington state strained the state’s aging infrastructure, resulting in several levee breaches, leaving residents vulnerable to dangerous floods. In the middle of the night, residents of the city of Pacific were forced to quickly evacuate after a levee failed along the White River. While state and county officials have worked quickly to reinforce the breached sections, these are short-term solutions that leave our communities at risk of future extreme weather events.”

From early to mid-December 2025, severe storms and devastating flooding battered Washington state, threatening critical infrastructure as well as lives, property, businesses, and livestock across the state. The flooding caused severe damage that wreaked havoc in communities across Washington and is among the most devastating natural disasters to ever hit the state.

“An initial damage assessment revealed extensive and widespread damage to critical infrastructure and local economies. Highway 2, one of the two major year-round connections between eastern and western Washington state through the Cascade Mountains, suffered several washouts of the roadway which temporarily closed access along the corridor. Extensive repairs led by the Washington State Department of Transportation allowed for a partial reopening, but 14 miles of the highway in Tumwater Canyon will remain closed for months. The only available local detour has been reduced to one-lane due to slope failures, and any cross-state detour to I-90 would add several hours per trip. Thousands of residents and businesses call the Highway 2 corridor home and are negatively impacted by the damage of these storms, not to mention the hundreds of farmers and producers that rely on Highway 2 as a gateway to access the seaports along Puget Sound,” the lawmakers continued.

Joining DelBene in the letter to President Trump were Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Representatives Rick Larsen (WA-02), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03), Dan Newhouse (WA-04), Michael Baumgartner (WA-05), Emily Randall (WA-06), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Kim Schrier (WA-08), Adam Smith (WA-09), and Marilyn Strickland (WA-10).

“This extreme weather event has put significant stress on Washington state’s infrastructure, emergency response teams, and communities across the state. Throughout this crisis, state, local, Tribal, and federal first responders have stepped up and worked tirelessly to keep our communities secure,” they concluded. “We are incredibly grateful for their diligent work and careful coordination to keep Washingtonians safe and informed throughout this disaster.”

If FEMA approves Public Assistance as part of the major disaster declaration, Washington will qualify for grant funding up to 20 percent of the total damage assessment – in this case, a maximum of $36.6 million. Last month, the Washington delegation supported Governor Ferguson’s request for federal Individual Assistance to aid survivors. That application is pending.

Back in December 2025, Representative DelBene supported Washington state’s entire Congressional delegation in a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to approve Governor Ferguson’s request for an expedited Emergency Declaration for the devastating storms and severe flooding hitting Washington state—that request was approved. 

The full letter is available here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (1st District of Washington)

Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) released the following statement on the U.S. Supreme Court’s tariff case decision:

“Today’s decision is a win for American families struggling under the high prices caused by President Trump’s tariffs and an important step toward stopping Trump’s senseless trade wars.

“The president is not a king. These tariffs were always illegal. The court validated today that Congress – not an unchecked president – has the constitutional authority over trade policy.

“Republicans in Congress could have easily ended this economic crisis by standing up for their communities. Instead, they chose to bend the knee to Trump while families, small businesses, and farmers suffered from higher prices.

“The administration has promised to use other avenues to maintain these illegal tariffs. Congress must step up to put an end to this chaos and protect our economy.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jason Crow (CO-06)

AURORA — Congressman Jason Crow (CO-06) released the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Donald Trump’s reckless tariff policy: 

“Donald Trump’s tariffs are a tax on every American. They’ve raised costs on Colorado families, threatened small businesses, and hit working Americans the hardest.

“Today’s decision reaffirms what the Constitution has said all along: these tariffs are illegal and unconstitutional. The ruling is a relief for working families that Donald Trump has turned his back on, and it sends a message to this President that he is not king. 

“Trump, J.D. Vance, and Republicans said they would lower prices. But instead they cut health care, passed tax giveaways for the richest Americans, and have protected the corrupt elite.

“Our country’s leaders should be focused on making life better for working people. I’ll continue fighting to make life more affordable for Coloradans.”

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

Headline: Carter statement on SCOTUS tariff ruling

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) today released the following statement after the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled against the President’s legal authority to enact global tariffs: 

“The Supreme Court just undercut the President’s ability to defend American workers. President Donald Trump was elected to fight unfair trade and stop the United States from being ripped off. I’m outraged by this decision; it’s clearly judicial overreach.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)

“Once again, the Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress are siding with chemical companies and choosing corporate profits over Americans’ health—while paying lip service to the ‘Make America Healthy Again’ movement. This Farm Bill is a gift to Big Chemical, plain and simple. It delivers exactly what giants like Bayer have spent years lobbying for: blanket immunity from lawsuits and the power to gut the state warning label laws that protect families, farmers, and children,” Pingree said. “This provision would handcuff states and local communities when federal regulators drag their feet or bow to industry pressure, and it would slam the courthouse doors on people who’ve been poisoned and harmed. I have fought this industry-written language before, and I won. I am ready to fight it again. Public health, local control, and accountability are not bargaining chips, and they should never be sacrificed to shield polluters from responsibility.”

The U.S. Supreme Court also recently agreed to take up an appeal by the manufacturer of Roundup, supported by the Trump Administration, over lawsuits that allege it failed to warn consumers about the product’s dangers. 

Pesticides in the United States are regulated under a combination of federal, state, and local laws. Debates over state and local authority to regulate pesticide use have been litigated for decades, particularly in cases involving widely used chemicals such as Roundup and paraquat, which have been linked to serious health harms. Many states, cities, and counties have adopted measures to restrict pesticide spraying near schools, homes, and public spaces, citing the heightened vulnerability of children to toxic exposure and risks to brain development, reproduction, and long-term health.

Seven states—Maine, Alaska, Hawaii, Maryland, Utah, Nevada, and Vermont—do not preempt local governments from regulating pesticide use within their jurisdictions. In Maine alone, there are more than 30 state and local regulations related to pesticide use and warning requirements that would be undermined or preempted under this Republican pesticide provision in the Farm Bill.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (12th District of Michigan)

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-06) today released the following statement on the Supreme Court of the United States ruling to strike down President Donald Trump’s far-reaching, global tariffs.

“The conservative Supreme Court’s decision today striking down President Trump’s sweeping global tariffs underscores what I’ve been saying, that trade policy cannot be chaotic. Tariffs are a tool in the toolbox, but they must be used strategically in ways that strengthen, not weaken, American manufacturing and supply chains. Trump’s tariffs were sold as a lifeline for manufacturing. Instead, they were a hidden tax on working families, squeezing small businesses and creating uncertainty, which only hurt our communities.

“We must be supporting our domestic industry, especially our auto industry and its workforce, and bringing capacity home so that we’re not dependent on our foreign adversaries in a time of global uncertainty. Across-the-board tariffs risk harming the very workers and companies we seek to protect, disrupting integrated supply chains, and pushing investment offshore. Our workers and businesses need predictable trade policy that levels the playing field with nations that play by the rules, that protects American jobs and innovation, and that reaffirms our commitments to our closest allies. I believe this ruling should be a moment for Congress and the Administration to work together on clear, targeted authorities grounded in law, so that we advance our industries and U.S. competitiveness and security globally.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Joaquin Castro (20th District of Texas)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)

TACOMA, WA — U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Ranking Member of the Immigration, Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Committee, released the following statement after being forced to wait for hours and initially denied access to speak with detained people at the Northwest ICE Processing Center, despite giving eight days’ notice of her intent to conduct an oversight visit and securing privacy release forms for specific detained people. 

“Today, despite giving eight days’ notice of my visit to the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, I was denied the ability to meet with detained people—either on the general population floor or even with those for whom I had obtained privacy release forms. In addition, when I said that I didn’t need the detention facility tour since I had been there many times, but instead wanted to run through a list of questions with the top staff who were there, I was told that I was only approved for a ‘tour’ not for a ‘meeting’.  After hours of waiting and going on a ‘tour’ simply so I could ask my questions and get very few answers, I then refused to leave until I could meet with one of the individuals for whom I had a privacy waiver for and whose attorney was there waiting for me to meet with them. I was finally told I could speak with him as part of the public visitation rather than in a private attorney room, as I’ve done in the past as a Member of Congress. I had a heartbreaking visit with this individual, who is the sole caregiver for his 8-year-old U.S. citizen daughter and has serious medical issues himself. He has been hospitalized in the emergency room three times since being detained on January 11, and is still experiencing serious pain and medical issues for his condition which are not yet resolved.

“While we waited, we also spoke to a number of attorneys who were visiting their clients.  We heard that they often are made to wait 4 or 5 hours to see their clients; that there are only 7 attorney rooms for its current population of about 1,300 detainees and even then the attorneys are made to wait even when the rooms are empty; and we heard numerous complaints of inadequate medical treatment, overcrowding, and inedible food. 

“I am simply outraged that Kristi Noem’s DHS continues to try and block me and other Members of Congress from speaking with detained people and conducting meaningful oversight. This only makes me more certain that DHS and these private for-profit contractors have a lot to hide as they incarcerate around 70,000 people every single night. Since Trump came into office, ICE has reported that 38 people have died in ICE custody. This is unacceptable. On top of that, ICE’s own statistics are that 85 percent of people incarcerated in these for-profit facilities have committed no crime.  

“I will continue to come back, continue to insist on performing my official responsibilities and fight like hell to get real oversight and to put an end to this abusive behavior.”

Jayapal demanded answers from Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Todd Lyons about conditions at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in December.

Issues: Immigration

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Levin (CA-49)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Sean Casten (IL-06)