Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Suzanne Bonamici (1st District Oregon)

Washington, D.C. — Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), joined a group of their colleagues in pressing the Department of Education (ED) to immediately address the largest student loan default and delinquency crisis on record, which has been made worse by the Trump Administration’s policies.

“(I)nstead of pursuing solutions that protect borrowers, the Trump administration has deflected blame, punted responsibility for the default crisis to another agency, and raised costs for borrowers at every turn. We urge you to provide meaningful support to borrowers,” said the lawmakers.

A February 2026 analysis by The Century Foundation and Protect Borrowers revealed that close to 9 million student loan borrowers are now in default, up from 5 million last summer. 3.6 million borrowers defaulted during the first year of the Trump Administration alone. 75 percent of borrowers who moved from delinquency to default on a student loan under the Trump Administration had never previously defaulted.

“The Trump administration’s actions have fueled this default and delinquency crisis,” wrote the lawmakers, highlighting the Administration’s decision to block borrowers from accessing lower student loan payments and reduced access to debt relief.

Making matters worse, millions of borrowers will soon face an increased risk of delinquency and default due to the Trump Administration’s decision to end the affordable SAVE income-driven repayment (IDR) plan. Instead of helping those vulnerable borrowers, the Trump Administration will automatically enroll them in more expensive loan repayment plans if they do not apply for an IDR plan within 90 days.

The rise in delinquencies and defaults will have devastating economic effects and raise costs for American families. The Trump Administration has threatened to restart forcibly collecting wages, Social Security, and tax refunds for defaulted borrowers, meaning that more than $30 billion could be seized from Americans’ incomes by the end of next year. Around 2 million borrowers saw their credit score drop by an average of 100 points over the course of 2025, which can restrict access to credit or loans that help them afford everything from housing to medical bills. 

The lawmakers urged ED to immediately take the following steps to address the default cliff:

• Cancel student debt for qualified borrowers under existing debt cancellation programs, including IDR debt cancellation, Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) discharge, closed school discharge, borrower defense to repayment, and Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF);
• Adequately staff ED to conduct outreach to borrowers and oversight of servicers;
• Clear the more than 550,000 application backlog of income-driven repayment applications;
• Enroll all 7.5 million borrowers currently enrolled in SAVE in the lowest cost repayment plan available; and
• Continue the pause on forced collections, end the interagency agreement tasking the Treasury Department with default collections, and create an interest-free temporary default prevention forbearance.

The lawmakers requested that ED commit to clearing the backlog of applications for loan debt relief and create a new form of forbearance to support borrowers by June 22, 2026.

Merkley led the letter with Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), U.S. Representatives Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and André Carson (D-IN), which was signed by over 60 members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

Full text of the letter can be found by clicking here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Alma Adams (12th District of North Carolina)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On June 9, 2026, Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12) voted against the passage of the latest Republican reconciliation package that would allocate roughly $70 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP).

“I am not blind to the chaos ICE brings to every city it enters,” said Congresswoman Adams. “Lives have been lost, businesses closed, and families split apart. When ICE and CBP came to Charlotte, a record 20,000 children were absent from school. There is no chance I would have voted to provide the president with a $70 billion check to continue terrorizing our communities.”

Reconciliation is a unique process used to pass certain budget related bills through Congress with a simple majority vote.

Federal appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security were signed into law on April 30^th of this year after a historically long department shutdown, but none of that funding was allocated to ICE or CBP.

Before 2025, ICE maintained an annual budget of roughly $10 billion. House Rule 1, or the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) allocated an extra $75 billion to ICE for the expansion of its workforce, detention facilities, and enforcement operations over the next four years. The new reconciliation package directs another $70 billion ICE, U.S. Border Patrol, and the Office of the Secretary budget over the next 3 years.  

“This reconciliation package is a partisan bill that does nothing to address the needs of American taxpayers,”continued Congresswoman Adams.“Not only will it pave the way for more corruption the bill does nothing to prohibit budget allocations for an ‘anti-weaponization’ slush fund, but it will give the Trump administration more inhumane deportation power with lower guardrails and less accountability.”

ICE has arrested more than 6,000 people in North Carolina since Trump took office last January. 1,300 of those arrests occurred in November of 2025 during Operation Charlotte’s Web, a week-long immigration enforcement campaign in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Congresswoman Alma Adams and other North Carolina officials have demanded answers from DHS over the purpose and results of the raids but have not received a response.

“Our demands for reform — restrictions on face coverings, required body cameras for immigration enforcement agents, and clearer use-of-force standards — have been ignored. ICE remains unaccountable to congressional oversight. Until I have my questions and demands met, I will not vote to approve this funding for ICE and CBP,” finished Congresswoman Adams.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Alma Adams (12th District of North Carolina)

Washington, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12), issued a statement on the expiration of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

FISA Section 702 authorizes United States intelligence agencies to conduct warrantless surveillance of foreign individuals, providing the government with access to emails, texts, and phone calls. If a U.S. citizen communicates with a foreign individual, their communications are included in accessible data, allowing U.S. intelligence agencies to acquire that citizen’s data without a warrant.

The House voted to reauthorize FISA on Thursday, June 11, 2026, one day before it expired. It failed 218 to 198, with Congresswoman Adams in opposition.

“My vote reflects my concerns about the potential abuse of surveillance powers for political purposes,” said Congresswoman Adams. “In 2022, the Federal Bureau of Investigation used authority provided by FISA over 200,000 times to search through American data. Racial justice protestors, immigrants, political activists, and members of Congress have all had their privacy violated by this loophole in data warrant requirements. That’s why I supported attempts to amend FISA in 2024 and continue to oppose it today without much needed reforms.”

President Donald Trump previously nominated Bill Pulte, the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to serve as acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI), sparking national pushback.

Jay Clayton, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York has been nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as the permanent DNI and will oversee the application of FISA. The Senate will vote as soon as Thursday of this week on whether to confirm his nomination.

“At a time when President Trump has signaled a willingness to expand executive authority, strong oversight is more important than ever,” continued Congresswoman Adams. “Trump’s nomination of Bill Pulte as interim DNI despite his lack of government intelligence experience, further undermines my confidence that these authorities will be administered responsibly and with respect for Americans’ privacy rights. I look forward to the Senate’s hearing with Attorney Clayton and hope he will restore some level of confidence that our nation’s intelligence apparatus will be used justly.”

Despite the expiration of FISA’s authorization, Section 702 was certified for a one-year extension by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) on March 17, 2026. Under current law, these certifications remain in effect through March of 2027 and will continue to require private companies to turn over information to the government even without the authorizing statute.  

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Andy Harris (MD-01)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Andy Harris (MD-01), Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, applauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Secretary Brooke Rollins for approving a Secretarial Disaster Declaration for Maryland following the April 21 spring freeze, which caused significant crop losses across Maryland. The declaration provides eligible producers with access to federal disaster assistance and low-interest emergency loans to help support their recovery.

Statement from Congressman Harris:

“The April freeze was a devastating setback for many of the farmers I represent in Maryland’s First District. I was glad to work with Secretary Brooke Rollins to secure this disaster declaration and provide the relief our producers need. As Chairman of the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, I’ll continue working directly with USDA to ensure Maryland farmers receive the federal support available as they recover.”

For media inquiries, please contact Michella Carter at Michella.Carter@mail.house.gov

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett (USVI)

For Immediate Release                             Contact: Alayah Phipps

June 15, 2026                                                    202-813-2793

PRESS RELEASE

CONGRESSWOMAN PLASKETT ANNOUNCES RESOLUTION FOR WATER SPIRIT 2, RESTORING VITAL CARGO SERVICE TO THE VIRGIN ISLANDS

U.S. Virgin Islands — Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett (D-VI) announced today that the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has authorized Water Spirit Freight Services’ vessels, Admiral Pride and Water Spirit 2, to resume operations under new berthing arrangements at the Pier 14 extension in San Juan, coordinated with the Puerto Rico Ports Authority (PRPA). The authorization allows for the restoration of critical cargo service for Virgin Islands residents and businesses following weeks of sustained advocacy by her office at the federal level.

In May of 2026, USCG issued orders imposing docking restrictions on Water Spirit 2 and Admiral Pride, barring both from re-entering San Juan Harbor until a compliant berthing arrangement could be identified. For the U.S. Virgin Islands, the practical effect was an immediate disruption to the cargo lifeline connecting St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. John, and San Juan. Congresswoman Plaskett’s office engaged immediately, holding multiple meetings with USCG Headquarters, USCG Southeast District, and USCG Sector San Juan, as well as ongoing coordination with PRPA Director Negrón to ensure that the territory’s interests and the impact on Virgin Islands residents were fully communicated to the relevant authorities.

“As soon as my office was made aware of the disruption of service to the Virgin Islands and that there were potentially federal agencies impacting Virgin Islands business, we reached out to the owner of Water Spirit and the US Coast Guard,” said Congresswoman Plaskett. “Virgin Islanders cannot afford supply chain disruptions — not for a day, not for a week. My office worked at every level of the Coast Guard and with the Puerto Rico Ports Authority, and we remained at the table until the full impact on the Virgin Islands was considered and our constituents received the timely federal response they deserve.”

“The people of the Virgin Islands deserve the same reliable access to goods and commerce that any American community expects,” Congresswoman Plaskett continued. “Our territory’s geographic reality means that freight disruptions have immediate, fundamental life consequences — on grocery store shelves, on small businesses, on families. We will always fight to protect that lifeline.”

Congresswoman Plaskett’s office will remain in contact with the Coast Guard, the Puerto Rico Ports Authority, and Water Spirit Freight Services to ensure a smooth and sustained return to full service.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jerrold Nadler (10th District of New York)

Washington, D.C.  –Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-12) released the following statement following Donald Trump’s announcement of a deal with Iran to end the war he started:

Donald Trump is attempting to claim credit as a peacemaker after creating the very crisis he claims he has ended. The American people are left to bear the costs: 13 American servicemembers killed, countless Iranian civilians dead, and more than $50 billion of taxpayer dollars spent on an illegal and unauthorized war. Announcing a half-baked agreement and declaring victory on his birthday is straight out of the authoritarian playbook. It does nothing to erase the consequences of the reckless decision to start a war. 
 
And the substance of this agreement raises serious questions of its own.
 
For years, Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans attacked President Obama’s Iran agreement, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), for its focus only on Iran’s nuclear program and not its missiles, proxies, or regional aggression.
 
Now, Trump has reportedly reached an agreement with Iran that addresses none of those issues—and is even silent on the nuclear program itself!
 
Will Congressional Republicans oppose this agreement with the same ferocity they directed at the JCPOA, or were those objections never really about the substance?

I am strongly in favor of reaching a diplomatic solution with Iran to cease hostilities, curb their nuclear ambition, and prevent the destabilization of the region—but let’s be clear: this agreement is not that. 

The agreement lacks transparency, so we cannot accurately comment on its scope or effectiveness. But from what we do know about it, it appears to fall far short of the JCPOA, which Trump famously scrapped. Under the JCPOA, there were international inspectors at every uranium enrichment plant in Iran, and the Iranians were required to sell all their enriched uranium to the Russians, which they did under international supervision. It sounds like Trump’s deal costs more and does less. Thousands of people have died, billions of dollars have been wasted, and the cost of oil has skyrocketed, causing huge inflation for no benefit at all. 

And all because Trump couldn’t stand to admit that President Obama accomplished something worthwhile.

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

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Reps.Gregory W. Meeks (NY-05), Shontel Brown (OH-11), André Carson (IN-07), and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), introduced a bicameral resolution recognizing the extraordinary contributions of Black music to America’s cultural and artistic heritage. The House and Senate resolutions also emphasize equitable access to music education for Black students and recognizes June 2026 as Black Music Month.

The resolution acknowledges the deep-rooted legacy of African American musical innovation and celebrates the generations of Black artists who have shaped music history. From spirituals, jazz, and gospel, to blues, R&B, hip-hop, and beyond, Black music has been instrumental in creating the soundtrack of America. 

“Music is more than entertainment for African American communities, it tells our stories, honors our struggles, celebrates our triumphs and continues to influence culture across the globe.” Congressman Meeks said. “I am proud to represent a district that has been home to legendary artists such as John Coltrane and Lena Horne. These artists, and so many more, help shape the sound of America. Let us continue celebrating the legacy and global impact of Black music this month, and many more to come.”

“As America celebrates 250 years, it is essential that Black history be a part of the story, including our incredible contributions through music,” Congresswoman Brown said. “Black music has enriched American culture in countless ways, has shaped every era of our nation’s history and has inspired people to pursue justice and freedom. It has served as a public account of the history of the American people and should be celebrated for its significant contributions to the story of the America. I am proud to have Congressman Carson and Congressman Meeks, Co-Chairs of the Hip Hop Power and Justice Task Force, as this resolution’s co-leads.”

“Black Music Month is a celebration of our stories, our artistry, and our culture,” Congressman Carson said. American music — and the music of the world — simply would not be the same without our contributions. I’m fighting to protect and nurture Black artists. This month, let’s celebrate the past, present, and future of Black music.” 

“America’s musical story has always been carried by the brilliance and resilience of Black artists,” Senator Booker said. “In New Jersey, we feel that truth in our bones—from the gospel roots that shaped us to Whitney Houston, whose voice lifted our state and our spirit. Today, we honor that legacy and recommit ourselves to giving every child the chance to learn, create, and find their own voice through music.”

“In our young nation, music has evolved into something uniquely American, shaped by the many cultures that collectively define us. Black music is central to this innovation, with roots sown and nurtured by communities nationwide. From classrooms to concert halls, our shared creativity continues to build on the sounds that define American music,” said NAfME President Cecil Adderley. “Dedicated individuals have helped this art form thrive in communities of all backgrounds. By supporting and celebrating Black music, we can teach future generations about its impact and ensure its traditions continue to inspire for years to come.”

The resolution details the importance of investing in music education, preserving the legacy of Black music and creating more opportunities for African American students in the arts. By recognizing Black Music Month, Congress continues its commitment to honoring Black cultural contributions, expanding access and celebrating artistic expression. 

Read the full bill text here. 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn)

SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Congresswoman Betty McCollum, the Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, issued the following statement on Monday upon reports of a ceasefire extension between President Trump and Iranian negotiators: 

“President Trump’s reckless decision to take the United States to war with Iran without congressional authorization has been a disastrous failure. Not only has the president’s war of choice utterly failed to deliver on his own shifting military goals, but it has also cost the American people directly by increasing prices for necessities like groceries, housing, health care, utilities, gasoline, and more. Now, President Trump is attempting to negotiate with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which was not closed prior to the start of the war. The war has left the U.S. in a precarious geopolitical position, and it has made the world a more dangerous place. 
“In the first hours of the war, President Trump spoke of eliminating the Iranian regime through U.S. military strikes and a popular uprising of the Iranian people. Not only did these objectives fail to materialize, but President Trump’s war has had the opposite effect on Iran. The Iranian regime is emboldened, and it is more tightly controlled by hardliners and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps than it was prior to the war. This will make the prospects for long-term peace with Iran more difficult. 

“The president’s new agreement with Iran is just a tenuous sixty-day extension of the existing ceasefire. The framework announced by President Trump does nothing to resolve the most critical issues in this conflict, such as the status of the Iranian nuclear program, ballistic missile programs, frozen Iranian financial assets, or imposed U.S. sanctions. Nor does it ensure Israel will honor its ceasefire with Lebanon and cease and desist in its use of U.S. munitions in that conflict. Without a resolution to these issues, long-term peace and stability in the region will remain out of reach.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mark DeSaulnier Representing the 11th District of California

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10) announced he will host an AANHPI Town Hall in Dublin on Wednesday, June 17^th from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.

The Congressman will be joined by expert special guests for a wide-ranging conversation on issues that impact the AANHPI community. He will also take constituent questions. 

AANHPI Town Hall
Wednesday, June 17^th
6:00 – 7:30 p.m. PT
Dublin, CA
RSVP for Location

 

Panelists:

Gabriel “Jack” Chin – UC Davis Professor of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, and Immigration
Nathan Tran – President of Asian Pacific American Public Affairs Tri Valley 

The event is RSVP only. To reserve your spot or request special accommodations, visit https://desaulnier.house.gov/town-hall-rsvp or call (925) 933-2660. 

This will be Congressman DeSaulnier’s 268^th town hall and mobile district office hour since coming to Congress in January 2015.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Suzanne Bonamici (1st District Oregon)

Lawmakers: New rule is calculated attempt to undermine mail-in voting and suppress voter turnout ahead of the November election