CHICAGO, IL – U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Immigration, Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, today hosted a shadow hearing titled Kidnapped and Disappeared: Trump’s Assault on Chicago. Nineteen Members of Congress attended from across the Chicago area, Illinois, and the country.
“Here in Chicago, the administration is going to war with its own citizens, unleashing a kind of violence and inhumanity that we never thought we would see in an American city. The uncontrolled violence has separated families, and inflicted chaos on communities and businesses. Masked men on the streets, kidnapping and disappearing people of all immigration statuses, including US citizens,” said Jayapal. “With 19 members of Congress here from all over the country, this is the largest act of Congressional immigration oversight since Trump took office. As we conduct this oversight, we have seen incredible resilience and organizing in the community – and we will continue to stand with them in this work.”
The witnesses at this hearing included testimony from Lawrence Benito, Executive Director, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Reverend David Black, Senior Pastor, The First Presbyterian Church of Chicago, Bob Reiter, President, Chicago Federation of Labor, Kevin Fee, Legal Director, ACLU of Illinois, Genesis O., a directly affected community member, Juliet de Jesus Alejandre, Executive Director, Palenque LSNA, and Any Huamani, Immigration Defense Coordinator. Their testimony can be viewed in full HERE.
Jayapal was joined at this hearing by Representatives Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), Pete Aguilar (CA-33), Becca Balint (VT-AL), Sean Casten (IL-06), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Bill Foster (IL-11), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Robin L. Kelly (IL-02), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), and Rashida Tlaib (MI-12).
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)
WASHINGTON — The Shreveport-Bossier Advocate this week published a news story highlighting the pain the government shutdown is causing federal workers in Louisiana. Louisiana’s Republican Congressional delegation in the House and Senate has collectively voted 13 times since September 19 to keep the government open and checks flowing to federal workers, while the state’s two Democrats voted to shut down critical government services.
“Americans are starting to feel the effects of the government not operating since Oct. 1. Food stamps won’t be available in Louisiana starting Nov. 1, although Gov. Jeff Landry and the Legislature are working to offset that,” The Advocate wrote. “Farmers and small businesses can’t get loans. Flights are being delayed and some canceled. Thousands of Louisiana federal workers won’t receive paychecks.”
As Democrats and Republicans continue to jockey over the federal government’s shutdown with no end in sight, a key question is how to compensate active-duty military and federal civilian employees who have been required to work without pay for the past three weeks.
Americans are starting to feel the effects of the government not operating since Oct. 1.
Food stamps won’t be available in Louisiana starting Nov. 1, although Gov. Jeff Landry and the Legislature are working to offset that. Farmers and small businesses can’t get loans. Flights are being delayed and some canceled. Thousands of Louisiana federal workers won’t receive paychecks.
In Louisiana, that means 15,235 active-duty military personnel at three major bases won’t get paid at the end of the week, reports the Defense Department. About 1.1 million active-duty service members were stationed at 326 bases across the country in June.
Many of the 19,537 civilian federal workers in Louisiana also didn’t receive paychecks Friday. They include federal law enforcement, park rangers, immigration officials, Transportation Security Administration agents, FEMA responders and air traffic controllers.
And 19,715 National Guard and reserve members in Louisiana receive at least part of their pay from the federal government.
The Senate voted 54-45 not to proceed on Thursday afternoon with a bill that would authorize the federal government to pay “essential” workers who have been on the job during the shutdown, now entering its fourth week. Three Democratic senators joined the Republicans on the pay measure, but 60 votes were needed to advance the legislation.
“This is wrong,” U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, said moments after the vote. “If you can’t bring yourself to cross party lines to ensure our troops get a paycheck, you should reconsider why you ran for Congress.”
Cassidy is a co-sponsor of the Republican bill.
The main sponsor of the legislation, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, told reporters moments after the vote that he would try again.
The bill was the latest Republican strategy to break the stalemate.
But Democratic senators also forwarded a bill that would have paid all federal workers since Oct. 1, when disputes between the parties caused federal spending authority to lapse.
Federal employees who are not required to work were furloughed and will get paid for their time away from the office after the shutdown ends.
The lead sponsors of the two bills said they could work out the differences between whether to pay all employees or just those who have been working during the shutdown. But they could not find accommodation for the difference on whether the Trump administration would be allowed to reduce the federal workforce during the shutdown.
The Democratic measure was sidelined by a procedural maneuver.
Exactly when the paychecks will be skipped depends on the payroll processing system of a particular agency. The first full missed paycheck for some civilian employees was Friday and will be Tuesday or Thursday for others.
The Military Family Advisory Network reported that more than 50,000 military families have reached out for help. The organization recommended that families review options for financial assistance and alerted members that grocery boxes are being shipped this week.
Louisiana has 5,615 active-duty spouses and 10,226 children at Barksdale Air Force Base near Bossier City, Fort James H. Polk & The Joint Readiness Training Center in Vernon Parish and the Belle Chasse Naval Air Station near New Orleans.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, said Thursday the Trump administration has been looking for pots of money and laws that would allow diversion of those funds. For instance, the White House used a 1930s law to allow tariff proceeds to provide funding for a program that helps low-income mothers and mothers-to-be with formula and other essentials for newborns.
The last vote the House made was Sept. 19. After that, Johnson sent members home, saying the House did its job by passing a resolution to continue government operations while finishing up appropriations measures for the fiscal year that started Oct. 1. Senate Democrats have rejected the continuing resolution at least a dozen times.
Johnson says there’s nothing to negotiate with Democrats because the continuing resolution has no partisan language and merely allows government to operate at budget levels established during the Biden administration.
If five more Democratic senators would approve the continuing resolution, then everyone would get paid and money would flow for government services, such as food stamps, Johnson said.
He contends Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, is holding up approval as a sop to a Democratic base that wants to fight President Donald Trump.
Democrats want Republicans to extend tax credits on premiums used by low-income individuals and many small businesses to buy health insurance on the Affordable Care marketplace. Unless the tax credits are extended, those workers will have to pay roughly double for their insurance coverage in 2026.
Democrats say the shutdown gives them leverage that won’t exist when the government reopens, claiming they don’t trust Republicans to then negotiate in good faith.
Democrats point out that Republican leadership, for the most part, have refused to talk with Democratic leadership. They note that GOP congressional majorities have allowed without a murmur the Trump administration to unilaterally negate appropriations that Congress had approved under its constitutional authority to decide spending amounts.
Democrats want Congress to pass an extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits that Trump will sign into law.
Republicans counter that the credits were expanded and set to expire Dec. 31 during the COVID pandemic when Democrats controlled Congress and the White House. While many Republicans don’t oppose the extension, they argue that the high premium prices, which the tax credits help offset, are a result of the Affordable Care Act — and those high costs should be addressed.
Democratic Sen. Patty Murray from Washington state, who is vice chair on the Senate Appropriations committee, said: “President Trump could not be less focused on reopening the government or preventing premiums from exploding. But he is very focused on bailing out Argentina and buying private jets for Secretary (Kristi) Noem, and bulldozing the White House so he can build a fancy new ballroom.”
Trump has indicated that he is willing to negotiate, but not until the federal government reopens. He left Friday night for a trip to Asia.
In the meantime, airports are reporting longer waits to clear security, takeoff delays and canceled flights.
About 13,000 air traffic controllers are working without pay, often six days a week, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. They are worried about paying their mortgages and car notes.
“They have to make choices. And the choices they are making is to take a second job,” Duffy said Thursday. “I don’t want them driving for DoorDash.”
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said keeping thousands of planes safely taking off, landing and flying is extremely demanding even under the best of circumstances.
“Adding another layer of stress to an already stressful job is really straining the system,” Scalise said. “The American people, especially federal workers, are considered by Democrats to be leveraged, to be pawns in their game.”
BOSTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) joined leaders from Massachusetts food banks for a press conference at Project Bread in Boston to sound the alarm on the growing crisis of food insecurity under the Republican government shutdown and its impact on Massachusetts families. The lawmakers’ press conference comes with 1 in 3 Massachusetts households experiencing food insecurity and 1 million Massachusetts families at risk of losing SNAP benefits next week as the Trump Administration refuses to guarantee that federal food assistance benefits will go out on time in November.
Earlier today, Rep. Pressley joined Rep. Jahana Hayes and over 215 colleagues urging the Trump Administration to use contingency reserve dollars to fund SNAP during the government shutdown.
“Coretta Scott King once said that ‘starving a child is violence,’ and that’s exactly what Trump and Republicans are doing by keeping the government shutdown and refusing to guarantee that federal food assistance benefits will go out on time in November,” said Congresswoman Pressley (MA-07). “While vulnerable families in Massachusetts and across the country face a tsunami of hurt, it’s time for Republicans to take their foot off the necks of our most vulnerable neighbors, end their government shutdown, and work with Democrats to mitigate the hurt and harm they have caused. I am proud to stand with my partners at every level of government and our incredible food justice advocates, Project Bread, Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, the Salem Food Pantry, and CSR for standing in the gap and calling on all of us to be our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers today.”
“We are witnessing Robin Hood in reverse: Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans are stealing food off the tables of millions of hungry families in Massachusetts and across the country to pay for tax cuts for CEO billionaires,” said Senator Markey. “At a time when the cost of living and groceries is skyrocketing, our federal government must focus on lowering costs and meeting the basic needs of ALL Americans.Instead,Trump and MAGA Republicans are more focused on shutting down the government, slashing hunger and health care programs, and demolishing the White House to build a gilded ballroom for their billionaire buddies. It’s unacceptable. I am proud to represent the Bay State, where people at all levels of government and advocates partner to fight hunger and support our neighbors in need. I am calling on Trump and the Republicans to reverse their cuts to SNAP and other safety net and health programs and unfreeze funds immediately so people in our Commonwealth and across the country can put food on their tables.”
Joining Congresswoman Pressley and Senator Markey at the press conference today were State Senator Lydia Edwards, Boston City Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata, Jennifer Lemmerman, Chief Policy Officer at Project Bread, Andrew Morehouse, Executive Director of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, Robyn Burns, Executive Director of the Salem Pantry, and Sandra McCroom, President & CEO of Children Services of Roxbury.
“No one in Massachusetts or anywhere in this country, should go hungry. The Trump administration is making the conscious choice to jeopardize the health and wellbeing of more than one million people here in the Commonwealth and 40 million people across the country. The impact will be devastating. We need to put people before politics because these aren’t statistics. These are our neighbors, coworkers, and family members. Next week more than 336,000 children will be facing an empty fridge. Hundreds of thousands of seniors will be forced to make the impossible decision between eating food or paying for heat because they will no longer be able to do both and working adults will face unnecessary harm. The Trump administration is willingly taking food away from people who are already struggling to make ends meet. We call on the administration to act and use the funds available to prevent this crisis. Project Bread is here for every resident in Massachusetts as they navigate this manmade crisis and find ways to continue to meet their most basic need for food,” saidJennifer Lemmerman, Chief Policy Officer, Project Bread.
“If November SNAP benefits are not issued, 191,000 SNAP recipients in our region will seek food assistance from local food pantries that will turn to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts for more food. We’re already providing all the food we receive from state and federal governments, and the private food industry. SNAP provides nine meals for every meal the Food Bank provides. Food banks simply cannot replace the loss of federal SNAP benefits. And $35 million lost in SNAP benefits unspent in November will hit hard our region’s food retailers, farmers, and their employees,” said Andrew Morehouse, Executive Director of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.
“Food banks and pantries are experiencing their busiest time of the year, and any reduction or delay in SNAP benefits will only increase the demand for food assistance. The food bank and pantry system cannot cover the massive gap that would be created by such an impact on SNAP. Still, we remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that everyone in our community has access to fresh, healthy food,” said Robyn Burns, Executive Director of Salem Pantry. “Massachusetts has always taken a leadership role, and this is embodied by the vital work of the Make Hunger History Coalition and the Governor’s Anti-Hunger Task Force. Moments like this require all of us to come together — we must take action to support the most vulnerable in our communities by preserving the essential right to food.
“The people we once called essential workers, are now being left to go hungry. Their needs are not extravagant, they are essential,” said Sandra McCroom, President & CEO of the Children’s Services of Roxbury. “I believe this is not a budget crisis, it is a crisis of humanity. The 6000 plus people CSR serves are not numbers, they are our neighbors, friends, and coworkers. They are all of us.”
The Trump administration is creating a hunger emergency in the United States. In July, President Trump signed into law the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act,which puts over 100,000 Bay Staters, including parents, veterans, and older adults, at risk of losing SNAP benefits entirely. This month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is instructing states to stop processing SNAP benefits for November. One out of every six Massachusetts residents—or more than 1.1 million Bay Staters—rely on SNAP to help put food on the table, 32 percent of whom are children. Local food banks and anti-hunger organizations are working hard to meet the community’s increased needs but will not be able to fill the gap – and keep Massachusetts families from going hungry—if SNAP benefits end. Today, approximately one in three Massachusetts households is food insecure—a 94 percent increase in food insecure households since 2019.
Amid the Republican-manufactured government shutdown, Rep. Pressley has continued to fight to defend healthcare, reopen the government, and protect federal workers and the essential services they provide.
Rep. Pressley urged National Grid and Eversource to issue an immediate moratorium on utility shutoffs for households impacted by the government shutdown, including federal workers, federal contractors, and the people who depend on them.
Following the Congresswoman’s letter, National Grid of Massachusetts announced specific support and a payment plan opportunity for federal employees, contractors, and active military personnel in Massachusetts who are impacted by the government shutdown and concerned about paying their energy bill.
Rep. Pressley participated in a House Steering and Policy Committee hearing in which she slammed Republicans for raising healthcare costs for families across the country and shutting down the government instead of addressing the healthcare crisis they created.
Rep. Pressley joined her colleagues on the Democratic Women’s Caucus to call attention to the impacts of the Republican-manufactured health care crisis and government shutdown on women, families, and workers in the Massachusetts 7th and across the country.
Rep. Pressley issued a statement condemning Republicans after they chose to shut down the government rather than work with Democrats to protect families and save healthcare for millions.
Just days into the government shutdown, Rep. Pressley held an emergency convening in Boston to highlight the harm of the shutdown to MA-07 constituents – federal workers, patients, advocates, and more.
Just hours before the Republicans shut down the government, Rep. Pressley rallied with advocates, colleagues, and impacted folks to demand Republicans protect healthcare and keep the government open
Congresswoman Pressley stood in solidarity with workers and families who would be impacted by the government shutdown.
Rep. Pressley also joined an all-day event with House Democrats to hold the line against Trump and Republicans’ efforts to rip away healthcare from millions of Americans.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)
WASHINGTON — As the Democrat Shutdown enters its fifth week, disruptions are spreading across America’s aviation system. Flights are delayed and tens of thousands of federal employees are working without pay.
More than a month ago, House Republicans passed a clean, responsible continuing resolution to keep the government open and pay our air traffic controllers. But Democrats are repeatedly choosing to keep it closed — hurting workers and families.
Thanks to the Democrat Shutdown, tens of thousands of workers are going without pay, inspections are stalled, and travelers are facing mounting delays and cancellations nationwide.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS SOUND THE ALARM
Many air traffic controllers are now taking second jobs, driving for Uber or delivering for DoorDash after grueling shifts “just to keep their families afloat.”
An air traffic controller forced to do their critical job without knowing when they’ll be paid said:
“The financial anxiety doesn’t just hurt morale; it directly affects safety. When someone responsible for thousands of lives a day is worrying about whether they can pay rent or feed their kids, focus suffers. Sometimes that small moment where your mind is elsewhere can have serious impacts.”
These are our men and women performing one of the most stressful and important jobs in America — with no margin for error — and Democrats are holding their paychecks hostage.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Democrats knew the risks, the warnings, and the consequences of their shutdown — and did it anyway.
They shut down the government. They stranded travelers. And now, they’re holding air traffic controllers hostage — demanding $1.5 trillion in new spending, taxpayer-funded health care for illegal immigrants, and hundreds of millions for leftist media outlets.
Republicans are ready to reopen the government and end the disruptions today. Democrats just have to say yes.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)
WASHINGTON — On Day 27 of the Democrat Shutdown, Speaker Johnson held a press conference alongside Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler, House Small Business Committee Chairman Roger Williams, and House GOP Leadership to discuss Democrat Leadership openly embracing Marxism and the Far-Left radical wing of their party. Speaker Johnson also addressed the financial strain that the Democrat Shutdown is placing on small businesses around the country.
“Zohran Mamdani is expected to take the helm of one of the most important cities in the world and the largest city in America. And he now has the full blessing of the Democrat leader in the House of Representatives,” Speaker Johnson said. “It is shocking, and that leader – and all the other Democrats – are going to co-own the consequences of what they do to America’s largest city.”
On DemocratLeadership embracing Mamdani and the Far-Left:
On Friday, there was a seismic shift in politics. All of you noticed it over the weekend. We saw our clearest sign yet that this radical insurgent movement in the Democrat Party is succeeding. And they are ending what has always been known as the Democrat Party in America. After a months-long pressure campaign from the Far-Left, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries finally relented. He gave in, and he gave his endorsement to the socialist running to be mayor of New York City. The House Democrats have chosen a side, they were forced to by that Far-Left that they’re so terrified of, and they’ve shown the world what they really believe. There is no longer a place for centrists and moderates in their party.
The candidate that they have endorsed, Mamdani, is somebody who we’ve talked about a lot from this podium. He’s sympathized with Hamas and openly embraced antisemitic language. He has called to “seize the means of production” because he is a Marxist. He’s called to abolish our borders, to abolish and end immigration enforcement, to defund the police and to legalize prostitution. Among a long list of hits that I could share with you, Zohran Mamdani is expected to take the helm of one of the most important cities in the world and the largest city in America. And he now has the full blessing of the Democrat leader in the House of Representatives. It is shocking, and that leader and all the other Democrats are going to co-own the consequences of what they do to America’s largest city. Every reporter in this room should be asking every House Democrat individually, whether they too agree with Hakeem’s endorsement of the Marxist agenda. It’s an extraordinary moment in the history of American politics; this is not the kind of history that we need to be making. What we’re witnessing is truly the end of the Democratic Party as we’ve known it. And even some Democrats are now saying that out loud.
On the Democrat Shutdown impacts on small businesses:
Small businesses are the largest employers in our country, but unlike Washington Democrats, they don’t have the luxury to wait out this shutdown. For many of them, federal contracts have been frozen. SBA loans and support have dried up, and business has dropped off due to uncertainty in the markets. A survey of small business owners across the country found that for the one in five small business owners who rely on government contracts, this shutdown is forcing them to pull back on their investments. And what are those investments? It’s new hires, new jobs. It’s supplies and services. They have to pull back on those things so that they can make payroll work, so they can keep their employees employed.
One business in Raleigh, North Carolina that relies on federal environmental approval said this: “The backlog that is generated by the shutdown will last long beyond today.” Another business in Georgia, Ms. Loeffler’s home state, specializes in home repairs, added, “When livelihoods are affected in such a manner, home repairs and projects get delayed, if not canceled. A government shutdown is a threat to us all.” For American businesses that rely on loans from the SBA, each day means crucial dollars lost, and that affects every American. At the end of the day, small businesses across the country are being forced to go without roughly $170 million in SBA backed loans each day. And that adds up to $4.5 billion and blocked loans just over the course of this shutdown so far. So, while Chuck Schumer says that “every day gets better” for his party, every day is getting much, much harder for the people who are keeping the lights on around the country.
On the Democrat Shutdown approaching one month:
Day 27 means it’s almost been a full month since the Democrats shut down the government. And as we near the end of this month, the pain being felt by so many hardworking people around this country is very real, and it gets worse with each passing day. Here’s some of the stats. Last week, 1.4 million federal workers missed a full paycheck. Now, you know, many of them are furloughed and many more are deemed essential workers, for example, to keep the country safe. TSA agents we’ve discussed, and air traffic controllers and Border Patrol, and of course our troops, but so many of them now are going without pay.
The families of military service members and the air traffic controllers and so many of these others are now at very real risk of missing the paycheck at the end of this month. The Trump Administration has done everything possible to bend over backwards to try to find sources of funding within the federal government to be able to cover the bases, but it is getting more and more challenging with each day. Now, every Republican in Congress wants to stop this madness desperately, and we have voted many times, over a dozen times, collectively 13 times, to reopen the government, to keep it open and reopen it once the Democrats closed it. But here’s the very simple and important fact that no one should forget. We have no ability. Republicans do not have the ability to do this on our own. It’s a simple math problem. We need Democrats to help. You need 60 votes in the Senate. We only have 53 Republicans. The Democrats are the ones voting repeatedly to shut down the government.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Paul Tonko (Capital Region New York)
Tonko Responds to Arrests in FBI Sports Gambling Probe — Urges Passage of His SAFE Bet Act
Pushing for legislation that establishes safety guardrails to address harm caused by rampant sports betting
Washington, October 23, 2025
WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman Paul D. Tonko (NY-20) released a statement following news of several arrests today in connection to a federal probe around illegal sports betting.
“Scandals like this are an inevitable consequence of the unchecked explosion of the sports betting industry. The constant, unfettered access to sports gambling destroys public trust in the game, while having dire consequences for countless across our nation struggling with problem gambling. Now more than ever, we need to pass my SAFE Bet Act to address the public health implications of gambling and protect the integrity of our sports. It’s past time for the NBA and other professional leagues to support establishing these minimum federal safety standards and meaningfully show that they value the trust of their fans and the integrity of their sport.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ben Cline (VA-06)
Today, Congressman Ben Cline (VA-06) hosted his annual Agriculture Conference, visiting multiple agriculture operations and facilities across Virginia’s Sixth Congressional District.
Rep. Cline toured multiple locations in Augusta and Rockbridge counties including MC Livestock operation and Shenandoah Valley Agricultural Research and Extension Center at McCormick Farm. He also held a roundtable with Valley farmers and agriculture leaders at the Virginia Horse Center to hear their needs and concerns on how decisions in Washington impact their industry.
“Virginia’s Sixth District is home to some of the most knowledgeable and hard-working farmers in the country,” Rep. Cline said. “Whether it’s protecting Valley farmland and expanding opportunities for young farmers, putting American farmers first in trade negotiations, or cutting unnecessary government red tape, I’ll continue working to ensure our agricultural community has the support it needs to grow and succeed.”
Congressman Ben Cline represents the Sixth Congressional District of Virginia. He serves on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies. Cline and his wife, Elizabeth, live in Botetourt County with their two children.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Suzanne Bonamici (1st District Oregon)
PORTLAND, OR— Today, Congresswoman Maxine Dexter, M.D. (OR-03) led aletterwith Senators Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley, and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) calling on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to immediately release Jackie Merlos, a Portland mother who remains detained at the Northwest ICE Processing Center (NWIPC) despite an immigration judge terminating her removal proceedings.
“Ms. Merlos holds U-Deferred Action status, a valid work permit through 2029, and has not been charged with a crime. To date, the Department of Homeland Security has not provided us with any explanation for why she was detained for so long by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and why she is still being held at NWIPC by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),” the lawmakers wrote.
The lawmakers emphasized that in addition to the court’s decision to terminate her case, more than thirty community members have written in support of Jackie Merlos. The letters of support come from friends, employers, pastors, and nonprofit leaders, describing her as a “generous, deeply respected, hardworking, small business owner, who is devoted to her church congregation, neighbors, and family.”
The lawmakers demanded ICE immediately reunite Jackie with her young children. Read the entire letterhere.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)
Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on CNN Newsroom, where he emphasized that Democrats are committed to protecting the healthcare and nutritional assistance of the American people as Donald Trump and Republicans refuse to negotiate an end to the government shutdown and the healthcare and cost of living crisis that they created.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: Let’s discuss more now with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Leader Jeffries, great to see you. So Republicans say it’s on Democrats to get the U.S. government back open. So what will it take to get things moving again?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, Republicans control the House, the Senate and the presidency, and from the very beginning of this year, they have adopted a my-way-or-the-highway approach and continue to try and jam their right-wing ideology down the throats of the American people, including when they passed the One Big Ugly Bill, which had in it a $186 billion cut to nutritional assistance, the largest SNAP cut in American history, and they did that so they could reward their billionaire donors. Our view as Democrats is that we want to sit down with anyone, anytime, anyplace, either at the Capitol or back at the White House, to reopen the government, to enact a bipartisan spending agreement that actually meets the needs of the American people, while at the same time decisively addressing the Republican healthcare crisis that is crushing the American people.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: When’s the last time you or anyone has reached out to Speaker Johnson or other Republicans to say ‘let’s sit down at the table, let’s talk, whether it be on Capitol Hill or at the White House?’
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, earlier in the week, Leader Schumer and I reached out directly to the White House, requesting a meeting with Donald Trump before he went back out of the country as we approached now day 26 of the Trump-Republican shutdown. Of course, Donald Trump indicated he had no interest in sitting down with Democrats. And that, in fact, has been the case for the last 26 days while the government has been shut down, while services are not being provided to our taxpayers and while hardworking federal employees are being furloughed or forced to work without pay. Donald Trump has had zero interest in spending any time to try to get a resolution. They made the decision to shut down the government, and now they are continuing to inflict pain on the American people.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: Is there another way that lawmakers on Capitol Hill, both sides, all sides, can talk without the President’s involvement? After all, citizens do expect that there should be negotiations, discussions, when talking about legislation, bills, remedies, any or all of these things, especially with the U.S. government not in operation at stake.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Yeah, part of the problem is that House Republicans have canceled votes now for five consecutive weeks. They literally have been on vacation receiving a paycheck while forcing others to work without pay. A starting point would be Speaker Johnson actually bringing House Republicans back to Congress so we can actually function as a body and work toward enacting a bipartisan resolution and a spending bill that meets the needs of the American people. Now, we’ve also said as House Democrats that we will consider anything in good faith that emerges from the Senate in a bipartisan way, that reopens the government, that spends taxpayer dollars in a way that makes their life better and that, of course, addresses the healthcare crisis, including by extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits so that tens of millions of people all across the country, everyday Americans, don’t experience dramatically increased premiums, co-pays and deductibles as we approach open enrollment on November 1st.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: Ok. And yesterday, I spoke with Natasha Taylor, she’s the Deputy Director of Georgia Watch. It’s a non-profit that advocates for consumers here in Georgia. And Georgia is expected to be hit pretty hard with healthcare, affordable healthcare premiums going up. On average, she says, a family of four might have to pay $3,000 a month for their care. But without these extensions, it could go up at least 30% and they could be facing $6,000 to $7,000 a month for healthcare coverage. What do you say to families who are now in a position of having to choose between healthcare, food on the table, paying their rent or even mortgage while all this is going on?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well this should never be the case in the United States of America, the wealthiest country in the history of the world. And as Democrats, we’ve made the case that we are not going to support a partisan Republican spending bill that continues to gut the healthcare of the American people in an environment where the cost of living in this country is already too high. Donald Trump promised to lower costs on day one. Costs haven’t gone down. They’re going up. Electricity bills are through the roof. Housing costs are up. Inflation is up. Grocery costs are up. And now tens of millions of people in Georgia and beyond are facing the very real possibility that they will be unable to afford a doctor when they need one. We’re talking about a situation where many people will confront increased healthcare costs of $1,000 to $2,000 per month. That’s $12,000 to $24,000 in additional cost per year, when more than 90% of the people who receive Affordable Care Act tax credits make around $62,000 a year. It’s unaffordable, it’s unsustainable and it’s unconscionable. That’s why we are demanding that our Republican colleagues sit back down at the table so we can get this resolved for the American people.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: All right, now let me ask you about your home city. You’ve now endorsed Zohran Mamdani for Mayor of New York. What provoked you to endorse him now?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, Zohran is the Democratic nominee, and there’s alignment as it relates to the affordability crisis and the need to decisively deal with it. Of course, alignment around Jessica Tisch as the NYPD Police Commissioner and the important need to ensure public safety for all communities across the City of New York. And I was very pleased to see that our nominee, Zohran, made the decision to indicate that he would retain Jessica Tisch as the Police Commissioner. By all accounts, she’s doing a tremendous job. And, of course, there’s alignment around the existential threat that Donald Trump will bring to the City of New York in ways that he’s unleashed this extremism on the American people in such an extraordinary way from the very beginning of his presidency. And he clearly has put a bullseye on the City of New York. That said, I will continue to take positions that are important to the people that I’m privileged to represent in Brooklyn—on racial justice, on social justice, on economic justice and, of course, on foreign policy, particularly as it relates to the Middle East, which has been an issue of great interest to people, particularly over the last two years. I will always support Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state, an eternal homeland for the Jewish people. Of course, we have a ceasefire in place. That is a good thing. We have to make sure that it can hold permanently. We need to make that we identify all of the remains of the hostages who have been killed and they’re returned home. We have to surge assistance, humanitarian support to Palestinian civilians who have been in harm’s way through no fault of their own in a theater of war for two years. We have to reconstruct Gaza. And, of course, finally, we need a robust path toward a just and lasting peace, which ultimately will involve a two-state solution, a safe and secure Israel living side by side in peace and prosperity with a demilitarized Palestinian state free of Hamas, but a state that allows the Palestinian people to experience the dignity and self-determination that they deserve.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: And quickly, can I also ask you about your other home city of Washington, D.C. and the demolition of the East Wing? As a Member of Congress for many, many years, you’ve obviously spent a lot of time at the White House and at the East Wing as well. What are your impressions? What are you feeling as you see the demolition taking place without the involvement of preservation groups or even Congress?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, the American people are understandably horrified about what they’ve seen in terms of the demolition of large parts of the White House so that Donald Trump can erect a ballroom to be celebrating him like a king. That’s unconscionable, unacceptable and, of course, it’s un-American. And instead of focusing on re-opening the government, instead of addressing the health crisis that Republicans have visited on the American people, instead of driving down the high cost of living in an environment where the Trump tariffs have made life more expensive for everyday Americans, he’s decided to destroy the White House in an unlawful way. And it is very unfortunate, but it’s par for the course in terms of what we’ve seen from Donald Trump and Republicans during his presidency.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: All right, Democratic Leader, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, appreciate your time. Thank you so much.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)
Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on CBS’s Face the Nation, where he highlighted how House Democrats have remained consistent in standing up for the health, safety and economic well-being of the American people, while Republicans continue to focus on stunts and distractions that are hurting everyday Americans.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And we’re back with the top Democrat in the House, Leader Hakeem Jeffries. He joins us from his Brooklyn, New York district. Good morning.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Good morning. Great to be with you.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, Leader Jeffries, Treasury Secretary Bessent said the shutdown is starting to affect the economy, and by November 15, the troops will not be paid. Do you expect the shutdown to last that long?
LEADER JEFFRIES: I certainly hope not. This is day 26 of the Trump-Republican shutdown. And as Democrats, we have maintained from the very beginning, and continue to maintain, we will sit down anytime, any place, with anyone, either at the Capitol or back at the White House, to reopen the government to negotiate a bipartisan spending agreement that actually meets the needs of the American people and to decisively address the Republican healthcare crisis, particularly as it relates to the urgent need to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits so we can prevent tens of millions of Americans from experiencing dramatically increased health insurance premiums that will make access to a doctor unaffordable.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I want to come back to healthcare in a moment, but the Treasury Secretary accused you of playing politics, personally. And I know that your Democratic Whip, Katherine Clark, said on Fox this past week that shutdowns are terrible, but as she put it, it’s one of the few leverage items Democrats have. Do you think Democrats are gaining from this fight?
LEADER JEFFRIES: No, our focus continues to be on driving down the high cost of living for everyday Americans. Donald Trump and Republicans promised that they would lower costs on day one. We know costs haven’t gone down. They’re going up. Inflation is moving in the wrong direction. The Trump tariffs have made life more expensive for the American people to the tune of thousands of additional dollars per year. We know that electricity bills are through the roof. Housing costs are too high, childcare costs are too high, groceries too expensive. And now tens of millions of Americans are at risk of having their premiums explode, in some cases by 1000 to 2000 dollars per year. That’s what this fight for us is all about. Republicans have come up with a new conspiracy theory every week for the last six weeks. The Democratic position, Margaret, has been clear. Cancel the cuts, lower the cost, save healthcare.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, that was the quote from the Whip herself when she said leverage. But I hear you on rising healthcare costs. But the immediate term, people aren’t getting paid. 750,000 federal workers are on unpaid leave. Eighty percent of the folks who work on our nuclear program are included in that figure. The Agriculture Secretary said there will be delays in food stamps for many of the 41 million people who rely on SNAP. And then at airports across the country, half of the flight delays, according to the Transportation Secretary, are because of staffing shortages. This pain is real now. So is there a point at which it becomes too great to justify continuing the shutdown?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, there is an urgent need to reopen the government, which is why we continue to demand that Republicans sit at the negotiating table so we can enact a spending agreement that’s bipartisan in nature. That’s what we’ve called for from the very beginning.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But the Republicans are saying—
LEADER JEFFRIES: Unfortunately, Republicans have refused to sit down.
MARGARET BRENNAN: —they won’t do that until you pass the funding bill, the clean funding bill that already passed the House. Why can’t Democrats in the Senate get on board with that?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, we’ve made clear, and I’m thankful for the leadership of Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats, that we were not going to support a partisan Republican spending bill that continues to gut the healthcare of the American people, in an environment where Republicans have already enacted the largest cut to Medicaid in American history. Hospitals, nursing homes and community-based health centers are closing all across the country. There is the possibility that Medicare could face a $536 billion cut, the largest cut to Medicare in history, if Congress doesn’t act by the end of this year, because of what Republican policies have done in their One Big Ugly Bill. And now they refuse to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. That impacts working-class Americans, middle-class Americans and everyday Americans throughout the country, including in rural America.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, they haven’t refused. Leader Thune said he’d even put that up for a vote if you open the government first, but next Saturday is the beginning of Open Enrollment. I mean, people are going to see what that bill is going to look like. Practically speaking, aren’t you out of time here? Insurance companies have set these premiums in place. That’s how they’re already in the mail for people to open and see on Saturday. What becomes the strategy after November 1, if this shutdown lasts that long?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, listen, we want to reopen the government, and we need to stand by our hardworking federal employees who are doing all that they can to make sure that taxpayer dollars are spent effectively and efficiently, even under the most adverse circumstances. Remember, in terms of federal employees, the Trump administration has fired or dismissed more than 200,000 civil servants prior to them shutting the government down on October 1. We want to reopen the government now. In terms of healthcare, part of the reality is that tens of millions of people are already receiving notices in October that their premiums are about to skyrocket—
MARGARET BRENNAN: Exactly.
LEADER JEFFRIES: —because of the Republican refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credit. And by the way, they have had the opportunity, both House Republicans and Senate Republicans, repeatedly throughout the year, to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. And they’ve consistently voted against it. That’s why we need action, not simply words, a wing and a prayer promise from people who have tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act more than 70 different times since 2010.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But aren’t the premiums already locked in here? Or are you saying Republicans are right when you can make up for it at the end of the year with the tax credit?
LEADER JEFFRIES: The premiums are not locked in in terms of the reality that if we can act legislatively and act now. We can extend the Open Enrollment period. We can push it back. And we can intervene as a Congress in order to actually protect the affordability of health insurance for tens of millions of people.
MARGARET BRENNAN: All right. Leader, stay with us. I have to take a quick commercial break.
[…]
MARGARET BRENNAN: Leader Jeffries, I want to ask you about some other matters as well. In New York City, a city of more than 8 million people, there’s about to be an election of a new mayor. You waited until this Friday, the day before early voting began, to endorse the Democratic Socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani. Why did you wait so long?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, as I indicated, last several weeks, we’ve been immersed in the intensity around the government shutdown and the run-up to that in advance of September 30 and the expiration of the fiscal year. But I support the Democratic nominee, as I indicated, and we’re in alignment in terms of the issue related to affordability and the need to address it decisively for the city of New York. And of course, affordability is an issue for people all across the country. From a public safety standpoint, I supported the notion that he would retain Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch to continue to lead the NYPD forward. That’s incredibly important, from a public safety standpoint for every community, including as a high priority, the safety and security of the Jewish community. And in terms of the moment that we find ourselves in, Donald Trump represents an existential threat to the city of New York and beyond, because of the extreme assault that has taken place throughout this year on the economy, on healthcare, on farmers, on veterans, on law-abiding immigrant communities, on due process, on the rule of Law, and, of course, on the American way of life itself, and we all as Americans are going to have to be aligned and pushing back so we can end this national nightmare that Donald Trump has visited upon the American people.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, you still waited until Friday, and the election is upon us, but you’re leaving room in your answer there for understanding that you don’t agree with the candidate on some other issues, though you agree with him on affordability. Since Democrats are running for re-election in the midterm races—you want to retake the House—would you recommend they mimic some of Mamdani’s messages as a progressive model for the party?
LEADER JEFFRIES: No, what we’ve said from the very beginning is that we have to decisively address the affordability crisis that Donald Trump and Republican policies have made worse in the United States of America. We need to lower the high cost of living. We need to fix our broken healthcare system—
MARGARET BRENNAN: So no?
LEADER JEFFRIES: —and we need to, of course, clean up corruption in the United States of America. No, what we’re going to mimic is our own views as it relates to the need to make life more affordable. Here in America, when you work hard and play by the rules, in this country, you should be able to live a comfortable life, live the good life, good paying job, good housing, good healthcare, good education for your children and a good retirement but far too many people are struggling to live paycheck to paycheck and can barely get by. That’s unacceptable in the wealthiest country in the history of the world.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I want to ask you about something you said. You said, Democrats—there are no election deniers on our side of the aisle. You said that back in January. But recently, you’ve been using the term ‘rigged elections’ in reference to the upcoming midterms. Democrats were appalled when President Trump used language like that. How do you justify using that now? Doesn’t that undermine faith for voters you need to show up?
LEADER JEFFRIES: No, I’ve been using that term in the context of Donald Trump’s unprecedented effort to gerrymander congressional maps in a partisan fashion all across the country in order to rig the midterm elections and deny the ability of the American people to actually decide who should be in the majority as it relates to the House of Representatives.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You know Democrats are also going through—
LEADER JEFFRIES: The framers of the Constitution were very clear—
MARGARET BRENNAN: —through gerrymandering and redistricting.
LEADER JEFFRIES: No, no, no. Well, Democrats are going to push back aggressively to make sure that we have fair maps across the country, not partisan gerrymandering, which Republicans have initiated in state after state after state.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Leader Jeffries, thank you for your time this morning.