Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jason Crow (CO-06)
MUNICH — Today at the Munich Security Conference, Congressman Jason Crow (D-CO-06) and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14) advanced their alternate vision for U.S. foreign policy, grounded in working-class priorities and true American values. Their remarks followed Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s address before the Conference and contrasted the corruption and elite-driven vision of the Trump Administration against a better way forward that truly responds to working Americans’ needs.
“We need a national security and foreign policy that looks like America and has the experiences of the American people,” Congressman Crow said in his remarks. “It means partnerships that are rooted in fairness and that deliver for working-class folks everywhere.”
“What we know is that isolating ourselves from the world will deliver disastrous consequences at home and abroad,” he continued. “Our foreign policy is being turned into an extortion ring for Big Oil, for the Trump family, for elites. They’re bullying our partners and allies… We want strength and peace, but we don’t want to be extorting and bullying our friends. We want to be a force for good.”
“We are interested in a U.S.-European alliance that’s rooted in substantive and strategic shared priorities that advance the working class of all nations,” Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez said in her remarks.
“We want to make sure that we dive deeply into shared innovation, investment, strategic priorities, and trade policies that ensure the benefits of that trade actually benefit working class people and that we restrain ourselves from the military interventions of our past,” she continued.
Crow, a former Army Ranger and paratrooper, serves on the House Armed Services Committee and Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Ocasio-Cortez spoke Friday at the Munich Security Conference to offer a working class perspective on U.S. foreign policy.
Crow previously presented his new affirmative vision for the future of American global leadershipin an October speechat the Center for American Progress. Crow’s proposal seeks to reassert congressional authority in foreign policy; ensure America lives up to its values on the global stage; root out corruption at home and abroad; and recruit new talent to bolster foreign policy institutions.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)
Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on MS NOW’s Velshi, where he made clear that House Democrats will not support any legislation that allows Donald Trump and Kristi Noem’s Department of Homeland Security to use taxpayer dollars to brutalize and kill American citizens.
ALI VELSHI: Joining us now is Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Representative Jeffries, good to see you again. Thank you for being with us this morning.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Good morning.
ALI VELSHI: Number one on your list of demands is something you’re calling targeted enforcement, which includes making it explicit that federal agents can’t just enter private property without a judicial warrant. Talk to me about this. I would assume that your colleagues across the aisle would agree with that. This is not a Democratic or a Republican concept, it’s a Constitution concept.
LEADER JEFFRIES: That’s exactly right. It’s an American concept. The Fourth Amendment prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures has been a part of our fabric since the very beginning of our constitutional Republic. It’s incredible to us that Republicans have decided to draw a hard line in the sand. Our view on this is pretty clear. Judicial warrants should be required before ICE agents or any DHS personnel can storm private property, rip Americans out of their homes or brutalize people as we’re seeing on the streets of American towns, cities and villages. This is a pretty straightforward concept. We also believe that there has to be an end to roving patrols. Donald Trump promised that the administration was going to target violent felons who are here in the country illegally. That’s not what is being done. And we need to end the violence, end the brutality and end the killing of American citizens, in part by protecting sensitive locations like houses of worship, schools, hospitals and polling locations. And we also need to make sure that there are independent investigations. Pam Bondi cannot be trusted to investigate or prosecute ICE agents who violate the law.
ALI VELSHI: You talk about polling locations. This becomes very relevant to a lot of people because if you believe that ICE and CBP and federal agents are just out there randomly arresting people, A, that could impede your ability to cast a ballot. There are primaries going on for the next several months and then we’ve got an election. And B, if you believe that even as an American citizen, you’re not particularly safe, that means, you know, for people who are a little worried about going to vote, this feels like it’s not about immigration enforcement only, it’s about scaring people about being out in public.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Republicans are on the run politically all across the country. They’re losing in states, whether that are red states, blue states or purple states. We’ve just seen Republicans experience devastating losses in back-to-back weekends in Texas and in Louisiana, overperforming the 2024 Trump numbers in Texas by 31 points and then in Louisiana by 37 points. So Republicans have clearly come to the conclusion that they cannot win a free and fair election and they’ve adopted voter suppression as an electoral strategy, which is one of the reasons why we are making sure that there is a clear separation between DHS and immigration enforcement activities that they undertake, which need to be fair and just and humane and the ability for state and local officials to ensure that there are free and fair elections in the November midterm.
ALI VELSHI: So this sounds, there’s an overlap between everything you just said and the SAVE Act, which just passed the House, probably won’t pass the Senate, but the point is, the SAVE Act is different from voter suppression, things we’ve talked about in prior years. The Republicans would like you to believe it’s just about photo ID. It’s much more significant and complicated than that.
LEADER JEFFRIES: That’s absolutely correct. And with respect to photo identification, every state has different requirements. New York State, for instance, has a photo identification requirement that’s been on the books and that has been administered fairly to allow people to continue to exercise their right to vote. This should remain a state issue. But the so-called SAVE Act is not about free and fair elections. This is spin. It’s a cover story because it actually would require states and localities, elections officials in those places, to hand over information to DHS. Why in the world would we allow that to happen when Donald Trump has explicitly said he’s trying to find a back door path to nationalizing the elections? We’re not going to let it happen.
ALI VELSHI: Congressman, talk to me about this reporting this week about Kristi, I’m sorry, about Kristi Noem and the mess that the Department of Homeland Security is in. You’ve actually talked about the fact, and others have talked about the fact that she should be impeached from her role.
LEADER JEFFRIES: That’s absolutely correct. Kristi Noem is a disgrace. She’s corrupt. She’s unqualified. She’s a stone-cold liar. How dare this woman say about two patriotic Americans, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, that they were domestic terrorists, when the American people know otherwise. And so, our view is why is Kristi Noem still around? Alex Pretti was killed on January 24 in cold blood. She should have been fired that very same day. And as House Democrats, we are prepared to move forward with impeachment proceedings, since it appears that Donald Trump has no interest in ensuring that Kristi Noem has accountability because of her clear failures. At the same period of time, You can’t just change personnel. They have to change policy. And the only way to ensure that ICE is actually reined in and brought under control consistent with what the American people would like to see, is to change things dramatically, boldly, meaningfully, through legislation. And that’s what this shutdown showdown is all about.
ALI VELSHI: So this is an interesting point. You can’t just change personnel, you have to change policy. I think that’s really important to remember because these are Donald Trump’s policies that Kristi Noem and Pam Bondi and Pete Hegseth and RFK are carrying out. So how do you think about that? Because people would like to see some people held to account for what they do, but Pam Bondi, that was some wild testimony before the House this week. Pete Hegseth is trying everything he can to prosecute six Members of Congress who have told members of the military that they don’t have to follow illegal orders. There’s a measles outbreak in Florida. RFK’s policies are at play there. So how do you address that? How do you, as a party, think about the fact that there are bad people doing bad things at Donald Trump’s bidding? What’s the fix for that, other than the elections in November?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, we definitely have to use every legislative tool available to us to continue to aggressively push back against Donald Trump, Republicans and their extreme policies. And we’ve had some success, of course, in the House of Representatives, pushing back against them, forcing the issue of the Epstein Files into the public domain and actually passing legislation that Donald Trump was compelled to sign into law. And that’s an ongoing effort to ensure that there’s transparency and accountability related to what the survivors have boldly called for. We’ve been able to successfully push back against them in the House and force an up-and-down vote that was successful on a three-year straightforward extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits to try to save the healthcare of tens of millions of Americans and we continue to press our case now in the Senate. Most recently, in this past week, we were able to overturn one of Trump’s tariffs that had been imposed, we believe, unlawfully and recklessly on Canada, part of the Trump tariffs that have been raising costs on everyday Americans, when Donald Trump promised to lower the cost of living on day one. Costs, of course, aren’t going down, they’re going up and part of reason are the Trump tariffs. So it’s an all-hands-on-deck effort, legislatively, in terms of us pushing back. We have to continue to push back in the courts and when Donald Trump has crossed the line, as this administration has done repeatedly, sue the heck out of him and continue to win more cases than have been lost. And then ultimately, the hearts and minds of the American people have to be won over as we’ve been doing electorally, including taking back the House and the Senate in November.
ALI VELSHI: Let’s talk about that. As the wind blow now, a House Democratic success looks like a possibility. But until then, there’s this tiny little lead that the Republicans have in the House, and you just outlined a few examples where some Republicans have moved over. There are probably at least 20 Republicans who are in danger in November, and probably more. Do those end up being negotiations? Are you talking to these Republicans who come over and vote with Democrats or are they talking to their constituents and acting because of that?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, it’s certainly the case that public pressure is creating an environment where Republicans are being increasingly compelled to break with the extremism of Donald Trump and vote with us in a common sense fashion as we continue to do everything that we can as Democrats to drive down the high cost of living, to fix our broken healthcare system and now to make sure that immigration enforcement is fair, is just and humane, and we can get ICE under control, end the violence, end the brutality, end the killing of American citizens. We are having Member-to-Member conversations on given issues, and I think that we’ll continue to do that. But it will be anchored in values that are consistent with making life better for the American people. This my-way-or-the-highway approach that Republicans and Donald Trump adopted from January 20 of last year, that’s done. That’s over. That’s gotten them nowhere. And our view is that we’re going to continue to be in this fight until we win this fight for the American people. And if Republicans want to join us, all the better.
ALI VELSHI: Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, good to see you. Thank you for joining us. The House Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries of New York.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rick Larsen (2nd Congressional District Washington)
Today, Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) announced the establishment of an annual Valentines for Veterans drive. Valentines created by Northwest Washington students will be distributed to local veterans and servicemembers on February 14th.
“To all the women and men who have served our country, happy Valentine’s Day and thank you for your service,” said Rep. Larsen. “I am glad that my office helped pass along well-wishes and gratitude to our veterans and servicemembers and I look forward to continuing this program in the years to come.”
Rep. Larsen visited the Oak Harbor Boys & Girls Club on February 7th to make Valentines Day cards for local veterans with kids in the community. Students at Edmonds-Woodway High School Key Club and Oak Harbor High School also made valentines.
Rep. Larsen’s office delivered the valentines created by local students to veterans at Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) in Bellingham and Everett, and the Fleet Reserve Association and American Legion in Oak Harbor.
Larsen Fights for Veterans in Northwest Washington
In his time in Congress, Rep. Larsen has hosted more than 70 forums to hear directly from Northwest Washington state veterans about their needs, including five roundtables in September 2025. Following those conversations, he published ‘Listening to Veterans in Northwest Washington,’ a report capturing local veterans’ most pressing challenges and outlining policy recommendations for Congress and VA to address these concerns.
After hearing from local veterans about the lack of transportation options to VA health facilities, Rep. Larsen introduced the Veterans Access to Transit Act (VA Transit Act) last December to establish a Department of Transportation (DOT) pilot program to provide veterans with public transportation to VA facilities and veterans organizations. Rep. Larsen also introduced the Mammography Access for Veterans Act this February. This bipartisan legislation would expand veterans’ access to lifesaving breast cancer screenings through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Congressman Glenn Grothman (R-WI), alongside Congressman Lance Gooden (R-TX), reintroduced the Migrant Child Safety Act, legislation aimed at strengthening federal oversight of the unaccompanied migrant child placement process and ensuring children are released only to properly vetted sponsors who can safely care for them.
The legislation responds to documented failures within the Biden-era Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) that allowed thousands of children to be released without adequate sponsor screening or follow-up, leaving many vulnerable to exploitation, forced labor, and trafficking. The bill establishes clear statutory requirements for sponsor vetting, post-placement follow-up, and coordination with state and local child welfare agencies to ensure child safety remains the priority and builds on President Trump’s improvements to our immigration system.
The legislation is supported by Eagle Forum.
“The federal government has a legal and moral responsibility to protect children in its custody, and that responsibility does not end once a child is released to a sponsor,” said Rep. Grothman. “Under the Biden administration, oversight failures within the Office of Refugee Resettlement allowed children to be placed with individuals who were not properly vetted, with little accountability after placement. That is unacceptable. This legislation puts commonsense safeguards into law to ensure we know who children are being placed with, where they are going, and whether they are actually safe, so no child is lost in the system or placed in harm’s way.”
“Joe Biden lost track of over 300,000 migrant children, creating a historic humanitarian and national security failure,” said Rep. Gooden. “The Migrant Child Safety Act will ensure children are properly vetted, safely placed, and never allowed to fall through the cracks again.”
Background Information
Federal law requires the Office of Refugee Resettlement to place unaccompanied migrant children with sponsors capable of ensuring their safety and well-being. Investigations and reporting have found that inadequate vetting and follow-up procedures resulted in thousands of children being released without sufficient oversight. The Migrant Child Safety Act codifies safeguards to ensure child protection remains central to the placement process.
Specifically, the Migrant Child Safety Act would:
Require sponsors to verify a familial relationship to a child through documentation, witness testimony, or DNA testing;
U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Glenbeulah) proudly serves the people of Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett (USVI)
For Immediate Release Contact: Tionee Scotland
February 13, 2026 202-808-6129
PRESS RELEASE
CONGRESSWOMAN PLASKETT CONDEMNS REMOVAL OF HISTORICAL MARKERS IN THE VIRGIN ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK
St. Croix, USVI –Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett (D-USVI) denounced a sweeping Trump Administration directive targeting historical markers at national parks nationwide—a campaign that has reached the Virgin Islands National Park, where signs and exhibits documenting the territory’s history are being removed. The Virgin Islands National Park protects more than 7,000 acres on St. John that tell the story of the territory’s past: Taino archaeological sites documenting indigenous life and sugar plantation ruins that stand as testament to the forced labor of enslaved Africans who built the colonial economy.
The directive implements President Trump’s March 2025 Executive Order 14253, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” which has resulted in the removal or modification of displays related to Native American history, climate change, and the treatment of enslaved peoples at parks including the Grand Canyon, Glacier, Big Bend, and Grand Teton.
“The erasure of history does not change history—it only ensures we are condemned to repeat it. The Virgin Islands National Park preserves the history of our ancestors – from the indigenous peoples who first called these islands home to those who endured enslavement and built our communities through unimaginable hardship. These stories must be told accurately and completely so current and future generations understand where we come from and the lessons we must carry forward. The removal of these historical markers robs our children and all Americans of the truth they deserve.
“National parks serve as America’s storytellers, with a responsibility to present our history accurately – the beautiful and the painful, the triumphs and the tragedies. Removing references to the displacement of indigenous peoples, the realities of enslavement, or the scientific evidence of climate change is not restoring truth. It is manufacturing a sanitized fiction that disrespects every American who deserves to know the full truth of our history.
“The Virgin Islands has never shied away from our history. We honor our ancestors by telling their stories truthfully, teach our children by acknowledging what came before, and protect our future by learning from our past. I have worked across the aisle to ensure our history is preserved— including passing bipartisan legislation to install a plaque at Ram Head commemorating the 1733 slave rebellion.
“I am engaging directly with the Department of the Interior and calling on the Administration to reverse these removals and restore accurate historical interpretation at the Virgin Islands National Park. I will continue fighting to ensure the Virgin Islands National Park preserves our complete history and supports St. John and the entire Virgin Islands—our land, people, culture, and future—for generations to come.”
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Letter to Secretary Burgum of the U.S. Department of Interior linked here.
Letter to Governor Bryan and Senate President Potter here.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (25th District of FLORIDA)
WASHINGTON, D.C. –Today, we mark the eighth anniversary of the horrific shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which claimed 17 innocent lives, including 14-year-olds Alyssa Alhadeff and Alex Schachter. We remember the victims and their families.
Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart, Dean of the Florida Delegation, continues to lead efforts to strengthenschool safety measures. Earlier this week, he met with Parkland families like Mr. and Mrs. Alhadeff, as well as Max Schachter, and joined as an original cosponsor of Congressman Burgess Owens’ (UT-4)Alyssa’s Act, which will establish national school safety standards, including silent panic alarms directly linked to law enforcement.
“Every February 14 since 2018 has been a somber reminder of the evil that took place at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where 17 young, innocent lives were murdered, and many others were forever changed by this senseless and merciless act of violence.
The safety of our communities and schools has always been a core priority for me, and I am grateful to work alongside Parkland family survivors like Max Schacter, who lost his precious son, Alex, and has since turned unimaginable grief into action to strengthen school safety nationwide. Together, we advanced commonsense legislation like the Luke and Alex School Safety Act, which created SchoolSafety.gov that shares tools and research for schools, districts, and communities, links federal resources that schools can use, and serves educators, parents, law enforcement, and officials.
Since then, we have not stopped working for additional school safety hardening measures, including the EAGLES Act and now Alyssa’s Act, another bipartisan federal legislation establishing national school safety standards, including silent panic alarms directly linked to law enforcement. It’s imperative that we sign these bills into law to make a real and lasting difference. We must and can protect our children and our schools, and I remain committed to leading that effort,”said Díaz-Balart.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bill Foster (11th District of Illinois)
Washington, DC — Today, Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) released the following statement after funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) lapsed and the agency shut down:
“Trump and Kristi Noem’s DHS is out of control. From aggressive operations across Illinois to the killing of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis, the path forward is clear: DHS must be held accountable, and Congress must step in to enact meaningful changes.
“Democrats have proposed commonsense reforms including body cameras for ICE agents, requiring judicial warrants for enforcement actions, strict restraints on the use of force, stronger transparency requirements, and independent investigations into misconduct. These are basic guardrails that local law enforcement agencies across the country already follow. As long as Republicans refuse to implement these measures, I will vote against any funding for DHS.”
Last month, Congressman Foster voted against the DHS appropriations bill that would have funded the agency through September 30, 2026. Read his statement on that vote here.
Congressman Foster is a cosponsor of Rep. Robin Kelly’s articles of impeachment against Kristi Noem. Read his newsletter calling for accountability from DHS leadership here.
According to a filing by the Department of Justice last month, an advocacy group looking “to overturn election results in certain states” made contact with “two members of SSA’s DOGE Team with a request to analyze state voter rolls that the advocacy group had acquired,” and one of them signed a “‘Voter Data Agreement,’ in his capacity as an SSA employee, with the advocacy group.”
Under the guise of “cutting costs,” the Trump administration allowed what may be the most reckless breach of public trust in Social Security’s history. A whistleblower from the Social Security Administration had already said during the summer that DOGE transferred Americans’ data to a vulnerable server and that the team’s actions constituted “violations of laws, rules, and regulations, abuse of authority, gross mismanagement and creation of a substantial and specific threat to public health and safety.” Then last month, we got the government’s acknowledgement that the data may have been shared with a group working to overturn election results.
That is why I am calling for any DOGE employees responsible for the reported agreement with the election-denial group to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law — and for my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to stop blocking our inquiries, legislation and calls for investigations. Protecting unvetted insiders who appear to have broken the law and certainly broke the public trust is shameful and a betrayal of their oath.
When you grow up in a project like I did, you learn how important it is to stand up to a bully. I will not stand by as Musk, President Donald Trump, or any of their MAGA allies raid the data compiled by the Social Security Administration or diminish the benefits that Americans have earned over a lifetime of work. If Republicans refuse to defend their constituents from this unprecedented overreach, then the American people’s demand for accountability will only grow louder.
Social Security isn’t the only system being targeted. The Trump regime also reportedly granted unprecedented access to taxpayer information at the Treasury Department to Peter Thiel’s data-mining company, Palantir.
These efforts are not isolated. They form a coordinated attempt to breach systems that safeguard Americans’ economic security.
To understand what’s happening, follow the money.
Before Trump took office in 2025, he enlisted Musk to identify $2 trillion in cuts, and he sent DOGE into federal agencies, including the Social Security Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Though Trump insisted he would never touch Social Security, Musk called the program a “Ponzi scheme,” and he said, ““Most of the federal spending is entitlements. That’s the big one to eliminate.”
The reason they’re targeting it is simple. The Social Security trust funds hold $2.7 trillion of Americans’ earned benefits, the largest pool of public capital in the federal government.
For the billionaire class advising Trump, that fund is not a safety net — it is a target.
DOGE’s actions follow a familiar playbook: Break the system, declare it unworkable and then argue that privatization is the only solution.
Career experts inside Social Security werepushed asidewithin weeks of Trump taking office in 2025 because they refused to hand over protected records. At the time, I warned that DOGE hadnothing to do with government efficiencyand everything to do with ensuring the billionaire class controls the levers of power.
That warning proved accurate.
Nearly a year ago, Democrats introduced legislation to block DOGE and Palantir from accessing sensitive, protected taxpayer and beneficiary information. As the ranking member of the Social Security Subcommittee, I filed an inquiry demanding transparency. House Republicans killed it the first chance they got and then changed House rules to block any other similar inquiries.
Given Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s remark that with its Trump Accounts, the administration has created a “backdoor” to privatize Social Security benefits, it’s clear to me that Trump’s plan isn’t to save Social Security but to destabilize it from within, undermine public trust and hand over control of its $2.7 trillion to private interests.
President George W. Bush’s privatization scheme collapsed after public backlash in 2005, but Trump’s effort is quieter, more complex and backed by some of the world’s most powerful tech billionaires.
Musk has repeatedly attacked Social Security and promoted extreme austerity. CEO Alex Karp’s Palantir profits from government data. Together, they have gained unprecedented access to systems that were never intended for private-sector control.
While DOGE was undermining Social Security’s internal operations, the administration pursued cuts that would make the program appear dysfunctional. They planned to eliminate telephone support for seniors and people with disabilities, close field offices and reduce thousands of workers, thereby weakening the public-facing infrastructure that millions rely on to access earned benefits. The greater the dysfunction, the easier the argument for privatization: “Look,” they say, “the government cannot run Social Security. Let the private sector handle it.”
The American people know better, as does every Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, the committee charged with overseeing Social Security.
Social Security is the most successful program in the history of this nation and our No. 1 anti-poverty program. It’s an earned benefit, paid for by workers with every paycheck. It has lifted generations out of poverty and provided security to millions of retirees, people with disabilities and surviving families. It is not a playground for billionaires, an investment scheme or a slush fund for privatization.
Rep. John B. Larson, a Democrat, represents Connecticut’s First District. He sits on the influential House Ways and Means Committee—including the Subcommittee on Trade and the Social Security Subcommittee, where he serves as the Ranking Member.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rick Larsen (2nd Congressional District Washington)
Today, Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement:
“Protecting Washington state’s environment is a top priority of mine. The Trump administration’s decision to ignore established science about climate change is reckless, stupid and dangerous,” said Rep. Larsen. “From flooding to wildfires, Northwest Washingtonians know that climate change is real and causing measurable harm to communities across the Pacific Northwest. I will continue fighting for federal dollars that protect local ecosystems and invest in clean energy and sustainable infrastructure.”
Yesterday, the Trump administration repealed the Endangerment Finding, which is the scientific determination that gives the United States government the authority to combat climate change.
Larsen Fights Against Endangerment Finding Rollback
In September 2025, Rep. Larsen joined 153 of his House Democratic colleagues in sending a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) opposing Administrator Lee Zeldin’s proposed rollbacks of EPA’s landmark Endangerment Finding and vehicle emissions standards, and also signed a letter that raised concerns with the EPA’s proposal to eliminate federal greenhouse gas pollution standards for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles.
Rep. Larsen also joined six other members of Washington’s Congressional Delegation in a letter to Administrator Zeldin about how his proposal to eliminate the 2009 Endangerment Finding would harm Washingtonians’ health and welfare by exacerbating wildfires, floods and other extreme weather events.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bruce Westerman (AR-04)
This week’s polar vortex brought snow and ice to many portions of the Fourth District. Many were advised to stay home, stay warm, and stay safe. However, in these moments, there are always the few who must sacrifice their own warmth and safety to keep our communities safe. These men and women are well-deserving of all of our thanks for the tireless hours and selfless work they have contributed in the past week.
We often see firefighters and police officers as the face of our first responders; the public servants who faithfully answer the call of duty. But in severe weather or natural disasters, our EMS workers, nurses, and doctors remain steadfast. Selflessly working around the clock, these men and women oftentimes make the hospital their temporary home in order to ensure Arkansans have the care they need in case of emergencies. We even heard stories of nurses in the Little Rock area organizing a system of volunteer drivers to help over 250 health care workers make it to the hospital in order to cover their shifts.
Plumbers are called when pipes burst and linemen are prepared to face the elements when power lines are affected. Road crews are dispatched to clear the streets and make sure drivers are safe. Nursing home workers often become a crucial lifeline for families, staying overnight to ensure residents are safe when families are unable to visit their loved ones. And our Arkansas National Guard were deployed to countless locations, standing at the ready to assist communities in clearing roads, rescuing stranded drivers, and offering their service wherever they were called.
There are so many folks who we have to thank for keeping our communities safe and running in times of crisis and difficulty. Their service truly embodies what it means to be a good neighbor, and I hope we can all take that same, others-first spirit of service and implement it into our own lives.
Serving others and taking care of our neighbors isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s an investment in our community. For many of us across Arkansas, this has been our home for generations. We discover the real, deep value of our community when we are proactive in taking care of the people and places outside of our own property lines. And when we can really see its value, we care more for it and work harder to make it a place not only we want to live, but a place for our children and grandchildren to live and in turn, invest in it themselves.
Weeks like these are hard. But with Arkansas grit and spirit, we can take these moments to remind ourselves of the gift we have been given of community and the importance of supporting and investing in the folks around us. Let’s take care of what we’ve been given and each other – it’s the most American thing we can do.