Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ron Estes (R-Kansas)

U.S. Congressman Ron Estes (R-Kansas) joined NTD’s Capitol Report to discuss China’s restrictions on rare earth exports, President Trump’s meeting with Xi Jinping, and more. Watch the interview on YouTube and Rumble.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ron Estes (R-Kansas)

U.S. Congressman Ron Estes (R-Kansas) joined The Voice of Reason with Andy Hooser to discuss the ongoing Schumer Shutdown, how Democrats are using the government shutdown as “leverage,” and their out-of-touch demands to reopen the government. Watch the interview on YouTube and Rumble.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)

WASHINGTON — Read “Travel Industry Sounds Alarm Over Government Shutdown,” in today’s Wall Street Journal:

Hundreds of travel businesses, including casinos, hotels and convention bureaus, are asking Congress to end the monthlong government shutdown by immediately passing a straightforward spending bill, citing worries about the holiday travel season.

The letter signed by nearly 500 companies and groups adds to the pressure on Democrats to give up their drive for a broader deal before voting to reopen the government. Since the shutdown started Oct. 1, government workers including air-traffic controllers and passenger screeners have gone without pay, leading to delays and safety concerns.

Americans “expect and deserve a fully functioning federal government during the peak holiday travel season,” the travel entities wrote in a letter led by the U.S. Travel Association and sent to the Republican and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate. “Congress must act without delay to pass a clean continuing resolution to reopen the government immediately and ensure full federal operations are restored in advance of the Thanksgiving travel period.”

Senate Democrats since September have blocked a GOP measure funding the government through Nov. 21, attempting to force Republicans to extend certain subsidies that help 22 million people pay for health insurance. Senate Republicans have said that they will discuss the subsidies only after Democrats agree to reopen the government. The subsidies would add an estimated $350 billion to the federal deficit over a decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

The travel-industry letter was signed mostly by small businesses and groups that promote travel. But it was also signed by giants including MGM Resorts International, Hilton, Omni Hotels and Resorts, Delaware North and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

The busiest air-travel day last year was the Sunday after Thanksgiving, with more than three million travelers in the skies, according to data from the Transportation Security Administration. Travel plans are typically locked in far in advance, causing anxiety about whether travelers will be willing to make plans with the uncertainty of the shutdown in the background.

“A continued shutdown is likely to significantly suppress travel demand and spending, creating a real threat to American workers, businesses, and the overall economy,” the letter said.

Last week, airline chief executives met at the White House with Vice President JD Vance and called on the Senate to pass a so-called continuing resolution that passed the House on Sept. 19.

“It is time to pass a clean CR, use that as the opportunity to get into a room behind closed doors and negotiate hard,” United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said.

Before that, the nation’s largest federal labor union went public with a call for Congress to pass the same bill.

Conversations about ending the government shutdown continued among senators over the weekend, according to one aide, and senators have been growing more optimistic about finding a way out of the shutdown. But the optimism that swept through the Senate last week still hasn’t resulted in a deal.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23)

“America faces a dire Republican healthcare crisis, and now – despite having the power to avoid it – President Trump has plunged America into a potential hunger crisis,” said Wasserman Schultz. “Rather than sit down with Democrats to negotiate a plan to get us out of this mess, Trump is intentionally making it as painful as possible.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)

WASHINGTON — On Day 34 of the Democrat Shutdown, Speaker Johnson hosted a press conference alongside House GOP Leadership to dismantle Congressional Democrats’ most flagrant lies about their government shutdown. Speaker Johnson also addressed Democrats fear of the Far-Left radicals in their own party.

“What is outrageous to us is that they have gone onto the Senate floor and they have voted no. They have voted to close the government,” Speaker Johnson said. “And then they have gone out to the hall, to the nearest camera they can find, and they look into the lens and say, ‘Republicans are shutting down the government…’ It’s the most extreme example of gaslighting in the history of American politics.”

Watch Speaker Johnson’s full remarks here.

On Democrats lying about their votes to shut down the government:

The obviously false claim from the Democrats is that Republicans have closed the government. I’ve heard them say this myself. You’ve all seen it in interviews. They’re blaming the shutdown on the Republicans, and it is patently absurd. The next slide will show you the simple fact, the obvious fact that everyone can see, it is Republicans who have voted to open the government 14 times. Now, remember how this came about. Back on September 19, in the House, Republicans voted to open the government, to pass the clean continuing resolution to keep everything in operation. Every Democrat, except one, in the House voted to close the government, but we still passed it because we have the majority. And so we sent that bill over to the Senate. And on 13 different occasions, 13 times, the Democrats have voted to close the government. Republicans voted yes every time to open it. Republicans and the Senate and the House voted to keep the lights on, to pay service members and our troops who are in harm’s way, Border Patrol agents, TSA, air traffic controllers, all federal workers.

They voted to ensure that women, infants, and children nutrition programs continue and that SNAP benefits continue to go to the American families who are in need. But by contrast, the Democrats have voted no every single time. And what is outrageous to us is that they have gone onto the Senate floor and they have voted no. They have voted to close the government. And then they have gone out to the hall, to the nearest camera they can find, and they look into the lens and say, “Republicans are shutting down the government.” It makes no sense. It’s the most extreme example of gaslighting in the history of American politics. And many in the media have allowed them to get away with that.

On the false claim that Democrats are “fighting for health care”:

False claim number three, Democrats are fighting for health care. You’ve heard this over and over and over. Let me say something very simply about this false claim. It is the Democrats who created Obamacare. It is the Democrats who did that without any Republican votes. It’s the Democrats who, by extension, have cost the American taxpayers and people who have health insurance have made their costs skyrocket. It is their policies that made that happen. And so instead of reforming it, the Democrats don’t reform Obamacare, they want to subsidize it. They want to spend more taxpayer dollars. That, by the way, goes mostly to insurance companies, which makes the cost rise further. That’s the Democrats plan. When they passed Obamacare in 2010, they called it the Affordable Care Act. We know the truth is exactly the opposite.

By some estimates, premiums have risen 60% in many categories since they passed that bill into law. Now, the fact is, the opposite. Republicans are the ones fighting to save health care. Why? It’s not just talking points to us. We do this, we have ideas and we have already implemented ideas and measures to reduce costs, increase access and quality, and eliminate fraud, waste and abuse. Now, why do we say it’s not just a talking point? Why do we say the Republican Party is the only one advancing commonsense reform solutions? Because we’ve proven it. We did that in the big beautiful bill, the Working Families Tax Cut. We took a look at Medicaid, and we took on that challenge. We took action to reduce fraud, waste, and abuse in Medicaid. We got able-bodied young men without dependents off the program. We got illegal aliens off the program, and we saved $185 billion, just to start. We got millions of ineligible enrollees off the program, and it preserved it, it strengthened Medicaid for the people who rely upon it, which is the elderly, disabled, and young pregnant women. No, it’s not about health care. That is a false claim, and everybody knows it. Everyone in America, and certainly everybody in this room understands that this is about something else. That what this is about is about fear. The Schumer Shutdown was never about health care. That’s a distraction. It’s a red herring, as we say in debate club. Okay? This is about fear and what is the fear, the resolution on the COVID-era Obamacare subsidy issue was always going to be slated for debate in October, November, and December. Everybody knows that, and every Democrat knows that it’s an issue that’s too complex to be solved on a short-term funding measure like a CR.

On Democrats running scared from their Far-Left base:

This is about fear. Everybody in the country is watching the elections that’ll happen tomorrow. You got big elections in New Jersey and Virginia, the governor’s races and attorney general’s races, et cetera. But all that, the attention is focused primarily on New York City. Why? Because the fear that Mamdani and all that he represents will be risen to power, that he’ll be elected the mayor of America’s largest city, the, the once cradle of capitalism, that we’re going have a Marxist, a communist, running the largest city now. This terrifies the establishment old guard Democrats in Washington, and the leaders of both chambers are among those most terrified. They’re both from New York. Leader Hakeem Jeffries is the Democrat in the House and Leader Schumer in the Senate. They’re both from New York and they’re terrified. You’ve watched their actions carefully. Many of you have not reported on it enough.

Hakeem Jeffries had to ultimately, finally, he was forced to endorse Mamdani, and he’s terrified that he now owns the results of that. Chuck Schumer has been dancing around the issue, but he knows he’s darned if he does, darned if he doesn’t, they’re both terrified. And so that is the fear. This is a fact, and you should print it this way. Schumer and Jeffries and their colleagues fear political retribution from the Far-Left activists in their party more than they fear the consequences of keeping the government closed for weeks on end. They fear that personally for their own political future, and they care more about that than they care about SNAP benefits flowing to hungry families, about air traffic controllers being paid so they can keep the sky safe, Border Patrol, troops, and all the rest. It pales in comparison, and this is a simple summary that is a simple fact. It is extremism on the Left that is the direct cause of American suffering right now.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)

WASHINGTON — On Day 33 of the Democrat Shutdown, Speaker Johnson joined Shannon Bream on Fox News Sunday to discuss how, despite the real pain they have caused for working families around the country, Democrats shamefully continue to treat the government shutdown as “leverage.”

“This is not about winning a political contest here. Real people are losing; the American people are hurting,” Speaker Johnson said. “Democrats have voted 14 times now to keep the government closed. 14 times.”

Watch Speaker Johnson’s full interview here.

On Democrats treating the suffering of American families as “leverage”:

Just 24 hours before that [poll] came out, CNN of all places had a big story about how Republicans are winning the shutdown battle. But we reject all of this. This is not about winning a political contest here. Real people are losing; the American people are hurting. Democrats have voted 14 times now to keep the government closed. 14 times. They had the opportunity to have SNAP benefits flow, to let air traffic controllers be paid, to take care of all these problems and pay the troops. And they said no. And it is a fact that no one can dispute. They shut the government down over restoring free healthcare to illegal aliens as part of their $1.5 trillion wild partisan wish list. They’re playing games and real people are suffering because of it.

You have all the unions now coming out against them. You have the major airlines in the country; you have every segment of the population and hardworking Americans who will be going without. You have 42 million recipients of SNAP that are in jeopardy right now. You have the women, infants, and children nutrition program that President Trump and the White House have heroically funded thus far is running out of money. And of course, the troops, I mean, we’ve gotten them paid now for two cycles, but that money is not inexhaustible and it’s running out. And so increasingly the American people will be feeling the pain. And after we pass that threshold of the first of this month, it gets very real for more and more people.

On Democrats refusing to fund SNAP then blaming Republicans for the consequences:

It’s absolutely absurd. They are accusing the Republicans and the President of doing exactly what they are doing. Remember, don’t get lost in the facts, Republicans have voted 14 times to open the government. Democrats have voted 14 times to close it. Who’s playing games here? We have a clean, simple continuing resolution, no partisan gimmicks or tricks at all. It’s 24 pages in length. It would keep everything going. The President is bending over backwards to take care of the American people, and it’s the Democrats who are quite literally using the people as leverage. 

I can quote you Senator, after House Member on the Democrat side in the last two weeks who have said the quiet parts out loud, from Whitehouse, to Coons to Katherine Clark, the number two Democrat in the House. Bernie Sanders, they’ve all said this is their leverage, their leverage for what? So, they can show that they’re fighting President Trump to the Far Left because they’re worried about the Marxists rising Democrat Party. We see it in New York City and elsewhere. And because they actually want, and they’ve argued and they put on paper, they want illegal aliens to receive taxpayer-funded benefits. Again, that is a fact. They’ve never changed it. They’ve never pulled back from that. Everybody can see the stark contrast between two parties right now, and only one is fighting for the people. And that’s a Republican party.

On the Trump Administration’s actions to protect the homeland from narco-terrorists:

We had a gang of eight briefing with the Secretary of State himself about a week and a half ago. You had Republicans and Democrats there, the top leaders on both sides in intelligence and in elected leadership. We have exquisite intelligence about these strikes, and I can’t get into the classified parts, but that information is well known. It is very reliable. And what the President and the Administration are doing is protecting the homeland. That’s one of his number one responsibilities. 

I like what Secretary Hegseth said at the opening, “Narco-terrorists will be treated like Al-Qaeda.” We have to do that. They’re bringing in huge amounts, tons of illegal narcotics into the country, and it is killing Americans. Remember, fentanyl alone was a leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 49 in the four years of the Biden Administration. We finally have a President who is strong enough to stop that and to protect the people. And one of these boats, Shannon, could kill potentially tens of thousands of Americans. This is serious business. They’re taking it seriously and Congress will continue to have oversight. We’ll have more of these hearings, but thus far, the intelligence that we have is very reliable.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Raul Ruiz (36th District of California)

RIVERSIDE, CA – Inland Empire Representatives Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-25), Pete Aguilar (CA-33), Mark Takano (CA-39), and Norma Torres (CA-35) call out the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for actions that intimidate voters and undermine confidence in California’s free and fair elections. The DOJ recently announced plans to send federal election monitors to polling sites in five California counties ahead of the November 4, 2025, Statewide Special Election, a move the lawmakers say is unnecessary and unjustified.

The Inland Empire Representatives joined 41 California Democrats urging the DOJ to respect the state’s election system and refrain from actions that intimidate voters or suppress participation. In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, the lawmakers stressed the importance of protecting California’s transparent and secure voting process, noting that the DOJ has provided no evidence of federal law violations in the state’s elections.

“California’s elections are secure, transparent, and fair. Any attempt to intimidate, harass, or mislead voters is unacceptable. Every Californian has the right to cast their ballot freely, privately, and without fear, and they can be confident their vote will count. False claims meant to sow doubt are a threat to democracy, and we will continue to protect the integrity of our elections.” — Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-25)

 “In an effort to intimidate voters and undermine confidence in California’s Statewide Special Election on November 4th, Donald Trump is directing his Department of Justice to unnecessarily send federal monitors to the state. Let’s be clear: California elections are free and fair, and voters should feel safe going to the polls or mailing in their ballots. I’m confident Californians will make their voices loud and clear in just a few days.” — Congressman Pete Aguilar (CA-33)

“California knows how to run elections. We have one of the most transparent and secure systems in the country, and millions of Californians vote safely every year. I welcome fair observation from the Department of Justice, but not interference or intimidation. Donald Trump and his cronies are just looking for an excuse to suppress turnout, but I’m confident Californians will make their voices heard in this upcoming special election for Prop 50.” — Congressman Mark Takano (CA-39)

“There is no justification for the DOJ to intimidate Inland Empire voters with unnecessary federal monitors. California’s elections are safe, secure, and fair. Donald Trump and the Republican Party continue spreading lies to undermine trust, both here and across the nation. We saw the deadly consequences of those lies on January 6, when a President refused to accept the results of a fair election. Their goal is clear: to sow distrust, suppress votes, and silence Californians, especially Latino communities in Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire. DOJ’s actions are an attack on our democracy, and I will not stand by while Californians’ right to vote is threatened.” — Congresswoman Norma Torres (CA-35)

California operates one of the most transparent and secure election systems in the nation. Every registered voter automatically receives a mail-in ballot, and each ballot includes a voter-verifiable paper trail, allowing voters to confirm that their vote has been received and counted. Voting machines are thoroughly tested and audited to ensure accuracy and security. In the November 2024 election, more than 16.1 million Californians voted, representing over 71 percent of registered voters, far above the national average.

The Inland Empire delegation emphasized that Californians should feel safe and confident voting by mail, at drop boxes, or in person on Election Day. They encouraged voters to make a plan and to use official resources to track their ballots and find polling places: https://WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov.

Voters in California have the right to cast their ballots free from intimidation, coercion, or interference under both state and federal law. No one can threaten, harass, or obstruct a voter to influence their choice or prevent them from voting. Every eligible voter is entitled to a private, secure voting experience, with access to assistance if needed, without fear of discrimination or suppression. Protections under laws like the Voting Rights Act ensure that all Californians, regardless of race, ethnicity, language, or disability, can participate safely and confidently in the electoral process.

The four Inland Empire members reaffirmed their support for California’s election officials and encouraged residents to vote early, by mail, or in person on Election Day.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

Yesterday, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on WISN’s UPFRONT and highlighted the Democratic agenda to push back against the chaos, confusion and cruelty being visited on Wisconsinites and the American people because of the Republican healthcare crisis.

MATT SMITH: We’ll get to it all. We begin with the Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Mr. Leader, good to see you. Welcome to the show. Thank you so much.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Thank you so much for having me on.

MATT SMITH: Let’s begin here. Both sides, as you well know, are seeming incredibly dug in at this point. More Wisconsinites now starting to feel the impact. How much pain are you allowing for this to go before Democrats would ever consider supporting now a clean funding resolution?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, our view from the very beginning, as Democrats, has been we want to reopen the government. We want to enact a bipartisan spending agreement that actually meets the needs of the people of Wisconsin and the people of this great country, while at the same time decisively addressing the Republican healthcare crisis, where we’ve seen Republicans enact the largest cut to Medicaid in American history. We know hospitals and nursing homes and community-based health centers are closing all across the country because of what happened in that One Big Ugly Bill and now, unfortunately, Republicans are refusing to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits and that’s going to result in tens of millions of Americans, including many people throughout Wisconsin, experiencing dramatically increased healthcare premiums that will be unaffordable.

MATT SMITH: So to negotiate that point blank, is there any scenario you would back a clean funding resolution?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, we’ve said from the beginning that a bipartisan spending bill requires Republicans to sit down with Democrats to reopen the government. But unfortunately, during this shutdown, Republicans have actually refused to have a conversation with us as Democrats, and all we’ve asked for is to try to find common ground so we can improve the lives of the American people in an environment where the cost of living has been way too high for far too many people. We know that Donald Trump promised to lower the high cost of living on day one, but unfortunately, costs aren’t going down, they’re going up. These are issues that the American people understandably want the Congress to address, but in order for that to happen, we have to enter into a bipartisan negotiation.

MATT SMITH: So no scenario you would support a clean funding resolution?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, in our view, a clean spending bill requires Republicans drop their [effort] to continue to gut the healthcare of the American people. 

GERRON JORDAN: So, Leader, your goal is to bring Republicans to the table here to extend Obamacare subsidies. Is it fair to say that at this point that strategy is just not working?

LEADER JEFFRIES: I think it’s fair to say that tens of millions of people across the country who have been receiving notices over the last few weeks consistently have communicated with the Congress—this is both Democrats and Republicans across the country—making it clear that we need to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of the most conservative Republicans in the Congress, has made clear that this is a real issue. It’s going to impact her constituents. We know, in fact, that the five states that will be most impacted by the Republican refusal to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits are Republican-held states. That’s West Virginia, Wyoming, Alaska, Tennessee and Mississippi. 45 percent of the people throughout the country who receive Affordable Care Act tax credits are actually registered Republicans. Only 35 percent are Democrats and 20 percent Independents. So this is not a partisan fight for us. It’s a fight for the people of Wisconsin and a fight for the people of the United States of America. Working-class people, middle-class people and everyday Americans.

GERRON JORDAN: This past week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said most people on Obamacare would still have access to plans that cost $50 a month or less, even if the enhanced subsidies aren’t extended. Is that reasonable for you?

LEADER JEFFRIES: That’s a stone-cold lie and the American people know it because they are receiving notices as we speak indicating that if the Affordable Care Act tax credits expire, their premiums are going to increase in some cases by a thousand or two thousand dollars per month. So this is not a debatable issue and Republican Members of Congress including Derrick Van Orden are hearing from their own constituents that something needs to be done to address this issue. And unfortunately, Republicans have refused to extend these Affordable Care Act tax credits when more than 90% of the people who receive them make about $63,000 or less. This is a fight for working-class Americans in Wisconsin and throughout the country.

GERRON JORDAN: When do you plan to talk with Speaker Johnson next or any Senate leaders?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Speaker Johnson and I had a brief conversation yesterday. We reiterated our openness as Democrats to sit down with him or any Republican, anytime, anyplace, either at the Capitol or we’ll go back to the White House in order to negotiate a bipartisan spending agreement that reopens the government, that ends this, you know, Trump shutdown.

MATT SMITH: If you get that meeting in the coming days with the President or Republican leaders, what are you prepared to concede in negotiations?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, again, you know, everything is on the table and as we’ve indicated, as House Democrats, we look forward to considering anything that emerged from the Senate in good faith in a bipartisan way, as long as it actually is designed to improve the quality of life of the American people in three areas: their health, their public safety and our economic well-being in terms of driving down the high cost of living in Wisconsin and throughout America.

MATT SMITH: So why not just reopen the government, then negotiate healthcare?

LEADER JEFFRIES: I think the problem with Republicans is that they’ve repeatedly failed to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. They voted against it multiple times throughout this year while at the same period of time enacting the One Big Ugly Bill, which put into place the largest cut to Medicaid in American history. And it’s also important to remember on this healthcare issue that Republicans have voted more than 70 times since 2010 to repeal the Affordable Care Act. And so, I think it’s reasonable to conclude that if Republicans decided that the wealthiest people in this country, that their billionaire donors, should benefit from permanent tax breaks, that at this moment in time where the Affordable Care Act tax credits are about to expire, that working-class Americans, middle-class Americans and everyday Americans in Wisconsin and throughout the country should have a similar level of certainty, particularly as we approach open enrollment or are in the open enrollment period and the reality of these massive healthcare premium increases is going to hit people like a rock.

MATT SMITH: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Mr. Leader, thank you so much for your time. We appreciate it.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Thank you very much.

Full interview can be watched here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green Ohio)

Today, Congressman Bob Latta (OH-5) welcomed and personally led a U.S. Capitol tour for the Seneca County Veterans Honor Bus, which included 24 veterans from Seneca County, Ohio.

During the ongoing government shutdown, many federal operations, including public Capitol tours, are suspended until the government reopens. However, Members of Congress are still permitted to lead tours themselves, allowing visitors and students to continue experiencing the U.S. Capitol. Last week, Congressman Latta led two Capitol tours for Marion Local Schools and Coldwater Middle School in Mercer County. On Tuesday, Congressman Latta led two tours for Fort Recovery Middle School and Antwerp Middle School and on Thursday, Congressman Latta led two tours for Willard High School and Upper Sandusky Middle School. This is Congressman Latta’s seventh Capitol tour he has led since the government shutdown that began on October 1, 2025. 

The Seneca County Honor Bus is a proud local tradition that brings veterans from Seneca County, Ohio, to Washington, DC. The committee works year-round to raise funds so veterans can visit the nation’s memorials and pay tribute to their fellow service members. Launched in 2019, this is the program’s sixth trip to the nation’s capital.

“It was an honor to welcome our veterans from Seneca County here to Washington, DC and to lead them through the halls of the U.S. Capitol for a personal tour. Their service has protected our freedoms and future, it’s a privilege to show my gratitude in person and to share this meaningful experience with them,” Latta said. 

“When we organize these Veteran bus tours, we start out as strangers but end the journey as family and friends. Mission 6 is deeply grateful to Congressman Latta for personally leading our tour of the Capitol. It was truly a highlight of the trip, and we were inspired by his passion and impressed by his deep knowledge of the Capitol’s history,” said Jenn Pahl, Tour Director for the Seneca County Honor Bus. 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA)

U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, is working on potential health care solutions that improve rural community access to health care, strengthen available health care services and deliver better health outcomes to patients.

Chairman Griffith introduced H.R. 5736, the Penicillin Allergy Verification and Evaluation Act, or PAVE Act. This bipartisan legislation adds a screening for penicillin allergy to the Medicare initial preventive physical examination. It is one solution that delivers improved access to penicillin allergy verification testing, directs medical applications of appropriate treatments and ensures better patient outcomes. The bill has received support from multiple patient and provider organizations, including the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology:

“We are excited to partner with Rep. Griffith and this bipartisan group of co-sponsors to help America’s seniors get better healthcare outcomes at a lower cost,” said Frank Virant, MD, FAAAAI, President of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI). “Penicillin allergy evaluation is safe and inexpensive, and removing this label for patients who can safely use penicillin improves their health outcomes, reduces drug costs and helps fight antimicrobial resistance. Medicare patients who are evaluated and ‘delabeled’ can avoid potential significant side effects from alternative antibiotics and be better protected against community-acquired infections in healthcare, residential and recreational facilities. We hope that standardizing delabeling among seniors is a first step toward broad adoption of this important public health intervention. In addition to helping America’s seniors, access to the most effective, well-tolerated antibiotic an individual patient can take gets them back to school and/or work sooner.”

This comes on the heels of Chairman Griffith’s cosponsorship of Rep. Diana DeGette’s bill, H.R. 5621, the Physical Therapist Workforce and Patient Access Act of 2025. This bill strengthens the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) by adding physical therapists to the NHSC and making physical therapy an allowable service that can be reimbursable for community health centers. This pro-patient bill will allow more health care professionals in physical therapy to deliver rehabilitative care and address medical workforce shortages, particularly in rural and underserved areas.

Additionally, Chairman Griffith headlined an event with Punchbowl News that focused on cancer prevention and early detection. During his remarks, Chairman Griffith expressed his belief that the United States is on the precipice of a revolution in medicine and medical innovation. You can watch his conversation with Punchbowl News co-founder and CEO Anna Palmer here.

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