Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

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

Yesterday, Congressman Bob Latta (OH-5) introduced the Safely Ensuring Lives Future Deployment and Research in Vehicle Evolution Act of 2026 (SELF DRIVE Act). As first reported in Punchbowl News, this bill strengthens safety requirements, clarifies NHTSA’s authority, improves crash data transparency, and promotes U.S. leadership in autonomous vehicles innovation.  

Roadway safety remains a critical issue nationwide. Human error remains the leading cause of car accidents nationwide. Each year, nearly 40,000 Americans lose their lives in traffic-related crashes. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an estimated six million accidents occur annually, with 94 percent attributed to human error.  

Additionally, it is crucial that the United States maintain its leadership in the technology competition with China, particularly as China seeks to dominate the global autonomous vehicle market.  

“Autonomous vehicle technology has the potential to protect millions of Americans from traffic accidents and fatalities, while making our communities safer and more accessible. With the right framework in place, we can prioritize safety, transparency, and innovation while keeping pace with advancements in AV technology. The SELF DRIVE Act updates federal motor vehicle safety laws to establish a clear, national framework for the resting, deployment, and oversight of autonomous vehicles, ensuring consistent standards across states and promoting trust in this emerging technology. By strengthening America’s role in developing and regulating the autonomous vehicle framework, we can ensure innovation thrives here at home. Standing up to China means keeping these jobs in America and securing our position as a global leader in autonomous vehicle development and manufacturing,” Latta said.  

“The U.S. has both an opportunity and responsibility to lead the world in the development and deployment of next-generation technologies. The SELF DRIVE Act can create the necessary framework to facilitate autonomous vehicle innovation and ensure Americans can safely enjoy the benefits of these advancements,” said Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie.

“The Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association commends Representative Latta on introduction of the SELF DRIVE Act, which will help establish a federal policy framework for autonomous vehicles. Representative Latta’s legislation prioritizes safety through rigorous oversight while clearing the path for American companies to lead globally. This bill creates what autonomous vehicle leaders need: clear rules, strong safety standards, and the regulatory certainty needed to scale deployment nationwide,” said Jeff Farrah, CEO of the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association. 

 “Honda commends Congressman Latta’s efforts to advance the SELF DRIVE Act of 2026 to establish a single national standard for automated vehicle technology. Honda supports a clear regulatory framework for the safe and responsible deployment of AV technology in America that will promote long-term U.S. leadership in the global auto market,” said Jennifer Thomas, Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs, American Honda Motor Company.  

“It’s tempting to think of the SELF DRIVE Act as a technology bill. It’s more than that. This is really a plan to advance American competitiveness and national security. Rep. Latta gets this, and it’s why he has never given up on a national autonomous vehicle framework. Countries around the world are racing to shape the AV future. It’s time for Congress to get a bill across the finish line and clear the way for more AV testing and safe deployment here at home,” said John Bozzella, president and CEO, Alliance for Automotive Innovation.

“AVs represent a generational opportunity to save lives, strengthen supply chains, and expand access to transportation for millions of Americans. The technology is ready – what we need now is clear, consistent national policy. Congress must ensure America remains the global leader in mobility by advancing a regulatory framework that prioritizes certainty, safety and American competitiveness,” said Gary Shapiro, Executive Chair and CEO, Consumer Technology Association.

“The SELF DRIVE Act would establish a clear national framework for the deployment of autonomous vehicles that will save American lives and unlock significant growth in US manufacturing. Thank you, Congressman Latta, for your continued leadership. Tesla remains a committed partner in advancing policies that prioritize safety, accessibility, and American competitiveness,” said Tesla, Inc.

Background: 

Congressman Latta has been working on autonomous vehicle legislation since 2017. During the 115th Congress, his SELF DRIVE Act passed the House, making it the first Congressional proposal to address autonomous vehicle technology.   

Last month, Congressman Latta participated in a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade hearing to discuss the draft of his bill, to watch the discussion, click here.

Congressman Latta is the co-chair of the Congressional Autonomous Vehicle Caucus; a bipartisan caucus aimed at educating Congress on how autonomous vehicle technology can improve the safety and accessibility of the nation’s roads. 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman John Garamendi – Representing California’s 3rd Congressional District

WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman John Garamendi (CA-08) joined Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), and nine members of Congress to introduce the Freeze ICE Act to stop the rapid recruitment of unvetted individuals at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Since the start of the Trump administration, ICE has hired more than 12,000 new personnel and slashed agent training from 22 weeks to just 47 days putting untrained federal agents on the streets. The effort comes as masked ICE agents continue to make grave errors, including arresting U.S. citizens, entering homes without judicial warrants, and using excessive force against people across the country.  

“Over the past year, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has hired more than 12,000 agents with insufficient training and little accountability, leading them to terrorize American streets and tear apart communities. Congress needs to pass the Freeze ICE Act to impose a hiring freeze at ICE and put proper accountability measures and procedural reforms in place to ensure the safety of Americans,” said Congressman Garamendi. “I am gravely concerned about the steps Trump has taken to try and turn ICE into a secret police force, something that should never happen here in America. I thank Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher for her leadership in reining in ICE before even more grave mistakes are made.”

In addition, to Representatives Garamendi and Fletcher the bill was sponsored by Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Congressman Danny Davis (IL-07), Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Congresswoman Valerie Foushee (NC-04), Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10), Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04), Congresswoman Robin Kelly (IL-02), and Congresswoman Norma Torres (CA-35) joined Congresswoman Fletcher as original co-sponsors of this legislation.

Congressman John Garamendi recently voted no on the DHS funding bill that would have given ICE even more money for their slush fund. Last year, Congressional Republicans directed an additional $75 billion in funding to ICE in the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which enabled ICE to ramp up its mass deportation campaign.  ICE is now the highest-funded federal law enforcement agency.

To read the full text of the bill, click here.

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Source: {United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bobby Scott (3rd District of Virginia)

Headline: Rep. Scott Secures $13.67 Million in Funding for Hampton Roads Community Projects

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) secured $13.67 million in new federal funding for community projects throughout Virginia’s 3rd Congressional District.  The funds were allocated as part of the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) government funding package.  These projects will support investments to improve the lives of workers, students, and families. 

“I am proud to champion these investments which will deliver the resources our communities need to thrive,” said Congressman Scott. “These projects will lead to increased support for young people, improved neighborhoods and better services. I look forward to the positive impacts that these projects will bring throughout the district.” 

Rep. Scott secured a total of $13.67 million in federal funds. The projects that will receive funding in Virginia’s 3^rdDistrict include: 

• An Achievable Dream Inc., Social and Emotional Support and Crisis Prevention Initiative, $790,000;
• City of Chesapeake, Myer’s Road Sidewalk Expansion, $1,150,000.
• City of Chesapeake, Schooner Trail Park, $500,000;
• City of Hampton, Hampton Therapeutic Recreation Center Accessibility and Expansion Project, $850,000;
• City of Newport News, Peninsula Digital Infrastructure Expansion Initiative, $2,000,000;
• City of Newport News, Safe Haven Empowerment Center Facility Improvements, $2,000,000;
• City of Newport News, Youth Diversion Program: Friday Night Nets, $750,000;
• City of Norfolk, Homeless Housing Center Improvements, $850,000;
• Hampton Roads Police Athletic League, Hampton Roads Youth Crime Prevention and Community Engagement Program, $860,000;
• Hampton Roads Transit, Paratransit Fleet Expansion, $850,000;
• Old Dominion University, Improving Success in Siting Natural and Nature-Based Features for Flood Risk Reduction using Digital Twins as Decision Support Initiative, $1,031,000;
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Norfolk District, General Reevaluation Report – Norfolk Coastal Storm Risk Management, $500,000;
• Urban League of Hampton Roads, Incarcerated Persons Reentry Initiative, $1,039,000;
• Virginia Peninsula Community College, Wellness & Workforce Center, $500,000.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman John Garamendi – Representing California’s 3rd Congressional District

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman John Garamendi (CA-08), a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, joined Representative Ro Khanna (CA-17) and 21 California colleagues demanding Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem not to deploy ICE or other immigration enforcement personnel at the upcoming Super Bowl in Santa Clara, California:  

“This should be a moment of celebration, unity, and economic opportunity, not a flashpoint for fear, polarization, and violence,” the lawmakers wrote. “Across the country, aggressive and often indiscriminate ICE operations have caused real harm. They have led to multiple deaths, sparked justified national outrage, and caused lasting damage to trust and well-being in communities.”

“Having ICE at the Super Bowl would undermine public safety, disrupt communities, and threaten the peaceful enjoyment this event should bring to the region and the nation,” the lawmakers continued. “Members of Congress from California are united in a simple principle: public safety is built through trust, not fear. We trust you will give this letter your full and fair consideration under all applicable laws and regulations. We demand DHS rely on standard large-scale event security and coordination with local partners, not immigration enforcement that jeopardizes safety, unity, and economic success.

To read the full letter, click here.  

Congressman Garamendi and Khanna are joined by Representatives Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Gil Cisneros (CA-31), J. Correa (CA-46), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Laura Friedman (CA-30), Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Ted Lieu (CA-36), Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), Dave Min (CA-47), Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Nancy Pelosi (CA-11), Luz Rivas (CA-29), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Eric Swalwell (CA-14), and Juan Vargas (CA-52).  

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Darren Soto (D-FL)

Last month, ICE agents toured an industrial warehouse in Orlando to potentially convert into a detention facility

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV)

• Before 2016, CMS generally prevented urban hospitals that reclassified as “rural” from simultaneously receiving both urban and rural benefits. However, in 2016, two federal court ruled that urban hospitals could classify themselves as both urban and rural.
• This opened the door for urban hospitals to double-dip on benefits and essentially choose the best of options offered to both urban and rural hospitals
• Through dual classification, these hospitals can access higher urban Medicare wage indexes while also qualifying for rural-only benefits, such as a lower eligibility threshold for the 340B Drug Pricing Program, increased graduate medical education funding, and potential designation as sole community hospitals, rural referral centers, or Medicare-dependent small rural hospitals.
• These advantages divert limited federal resources away from truly rural hospitals that rely on them to keep their doors open and maintain access to care.
• This loophole has led to a dramatic increase in dual classifications, rising from just three hospitals in 2017 to more than 425 by 2023.
• The Defend Rural Health Act restores the integrity of federal rural health programs by eliminating the “dually classified” loophole and establishing stricter eligibility standards.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Diana DeGette (First District of Colorado)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressional Diabetes Caucus Co-Chairs Diana DeGette (CO-01) and Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) released the following statement after the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a settlement with one of the nation’s largest pharmacy benefit managers (PBM), Express Scripts, Inc., and its affiliated entities.
 
“For years, the Diabetes Caucus has been focused on lowering the cost of insulin for the millions of Americans who rely on it to manage their blood sugar levels and on holding PBMs accountable for their role in insulin’s high cost. This settlement is an important victory for people with diabetes over companies that have steered patients towards higher-cost drugs to pad their own bottom lines. We encourage other PBMs to take responsibility, lower costs, and help make insulin more affordable and accessible for American families.”
 
The Diabetes Caucus has been working on this issue for nearly a decade and released a report that called out PBMs’ insulin price gouging practices as early as 2018.   

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Greg Steube (FL-17)

February 06, 2026 | Press ReleasesWASHINGTON — U.S. Representative Greg Steube (R-Fla.) led a group of lawmakers in a letter to the Department of Justice yesterday calling on Attorney General Pam Bondi and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon to pursue legal action against states that refuse to provide a religious exception for vaccine mandates.
“Religious freedom is the cornerstone of our Republic,” said Rep. Steube. “It is inexcusable that New York, California, Maine, and Connecticut refuse to provide people of faith with a religious exemption from their vaccine mandates. This is not only a direct violation of the Free Exercise Clause, but it is also a grave assault on civil liberties. Your constitutional rights should never take a backseat to a vaccine mandate. That is why I am requesting Attorney General Pam Bondi and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon launch formal investigations of all states that continue to violate the constitutional rights of the American people via coercion and infringement on their religious beliefs.”
Rep. Steube is joined by Representatives Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Ben Cline (R-Va.), Michael Cloud (R-Texas), Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), Troy Downing (R-Mont.), Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.), Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.), Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), Keith Self (R-Texas), and Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas). 
Background: Under the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment, Americans are guaranteed the right to practice their faith without undue interference from the government. However, there are no religious exemptions to mandates under the existing laws of California, Connecticut, Maine, and New York. This is despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Mahmoud v. Taylor that held public schools must provide opt-out provisions for families with objections based on religious grounds. 
Read the letter here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Gregory W Meeks (5th District of New York)

Washington, D.C. – Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released a statement following the February 3rd Sudan Humanitarian Fund event hosted at the U.S. Institute of Peace. According to the United Nations, last year alone humanitarian needs in Sudan totaled $6 billion.

“Sudan’s humanitarian crisis is the world’s largest and most urgent, with an estimated 33.7 million people in need of assistance. President Trump himself called on the international community to do more, yet America is doing shamefully little.

“The U.S. pledged $200 million for Sudan — barely half what Trump is spending on his ballroom and a fraction of what the U.S. would typically contribute to a crisis of this magnitude. This isn’t just insufficient, it is a moral failure and an abdication of American leadership. The Trump administration’s foreign aid cuts have only made the humanitarian situation in Sudan more dire. We have the resources. We have the influence. We have a responsibility. The administration must do more, urgently.” 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Gregory W Meeks (5th District of New York)

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representatives Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Adam Smith, Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee; and Jim Himes, Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, today released the following statement on the expiration of the New START Treaty:

“The expiration of the New START Treaty — the last remaining nuclear arms control agreement between the United States and Russia — leaves the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals without legally binding constraints for the first time in more than 50 years.

“New START was not perfect, and Russia’s violations of the agreement and other treaties eroded global arms control norms. Nevertheless, the treaty directly advanced U.S. foreign policy and national security interests: it reduced the number of nuclear weapons, helped prevent a dangerous arms race, and provided U.S. national security agencies reliable, verifiable insights into Russia’s arsenal.

“The president must move urgently to negotiate a legally binding successor. President Biden bought critical time by extending New START, but Trump has largely squandered that runway by slashing the State Department’s arms control bureau and gutting the workforce responsible for negotiating these agreements. Failing to reach a legal New START successor will send a terrible signal both to Vladimir Putin and to China, which is engaged in its own nuclear buildup, and roll back the clock to the nuclear free-for-all of the Cold War.”