Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

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

The $1,072,210,299,000 Pentagon budget is the most expensive in U.S. history, a $234 billion increase

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Norma Torres (35th District of California)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)

Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA), who serves on the House Ways and Means Committee and as Senior House Democrat on Congress’ Joint Economic Committee, today released the following statement after the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)’ Consumer Price Index report showed inflation rising 4.2 percent over the past year and 0.5 percent in May alone, the highest annual inflation rate since 2023:

“Americans are paying more to drive to work, more to keep the lights on, more for rent, and more to feed their families. Today’s inflation report is yet another painful reminder that American families are paying the price for President Trump’s disastrous policies while the Republican-controlled Congress continues to enable him. 

“Any real wage gains have been swallowed up by higher prices. Families are working just as hard and finding that they can afford no more than they could months ago – and these higher prices are the direct result of President Trump’s choices. He imposed sweeping tariffs that economists repeatedly warned would raise costs for American consumers and forced our country into a reckless war in Iran that continues to drive up energy prices.

“And yet, my Republican colleagues in Congress seem far more interested in advancing the President’s agenda than in lowering costs for the families they were elected to serve. Just yesterday, Congress approved another $70 billion for DHS while refusing to fund critical tax credits that would lower healthcare costs for American families. At the same time, Republicans remain unwilling to stop President Trump from restoring a nearly $2 billion slush fund or from pursuing tax immunity that shields himself, his family, and his businesses from being prosecuted for future financial crimes. Families watching their paychecks buy less every month have every right to ask why Congress has endless enthusiasm for funding the administration’s political priorities but cannot find the urgency to lower costs.

“Republicans in Congress should be ashamed of themselves. As working families struggle with rising costs and the President openly abuses the powers of his office for personal benefit, congressional Republicans have stood by in silence. Their abdication of responsibility is a stain on this institution, a betrayal of the American people, and a failure that will be remembered long after today’s inflation report is forgotten.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Michael McCaul (10th District of Texas)

WASHINGTON – At this week’s House Foreign Affairs Committee markup, Chairman Emeritus Michael McCaul (R-Texas) urged his colleagues to support his amendment, which updates makes undeniably clear that the U.S. government recognizes the Dalai Lama’s succession as a private spiritual matter governed entirely by his office — and the CCP has no role.

Click to watch

 

Remarks as delivered:

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In 2024, I led a bipartisan delegation to Dharamsala, India, and had the honor of sitting down with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He is one of the most remarkable persons I have ever met — full of warmth, wisdom, and full of humor. At one point he looked at me and smiled, and told me he plans to live to 110.

I hope he’s right. But we cannot build American foreign policy on the hope that one man lives forever. The Dalai Lama has said he will not be reborn in China, but rather [in] freedom. The question [of] who succeeds the Dalai Lama is coming, and Beijing knows this.

Beijing has already built the machinery to hijack this process. Back in 2007, the Communist Party handed itself the supposed authority to approve who may and may not be reincarnated. Let that sink in — an officially atheist government claiming the power to license reincarnation for the Tibetan people. And just this March, the CCP instituted a new law — the Orwellian-named “Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress” — which stamps out minority languages, minority faiths, and minority cultures, all in the name of “ethnic unity.”

In 2020, this committee did historic, bipartisan work by passing the Tibetan Policy and Support Act, establishing a powerful framework to defend the religious freedom of the Tibetan people. But as the CCP’s tactics evolve, our statutory language must keep pace with that.

The Dalai Lama has already laid out how his successor is to be recognized after he is gone — placing that authority within his own office and the senior leaders of his faith. My amendment affirms that this is the process that U.S. policy recognizes, and the CCP has no role in that.

This is not only a matter of faith, Mr. Chairman. It is a matter of national security. If we sit on our hands, Beijing will name a counterfeit Dalai Lama — a spiritual figurehead loyal not to the Tibetan people, but to the Communist Party — and it will use him as an instrument of influence across the entire Himalayan region: in Nepal, in Mongolia, and right along the border of our partner, India. We cannot let the CCP weaponize a centuries-old institution of peace to extend its own control.

When I visited the Dalai Lama, again he told me, “I will not be reborn in China. I will be reborn in freedom.” We must honor that wish by ensuring that this decision rests with him and his people — not with a government that has spent decades trying to erase them — and to erase him. Protecting Tibet has always been a bipartisan cause in this committee, and our law should say so just as clearly. So with that, Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support the amendment, and I yield back.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Paul A Gosar DDS (AZ-04)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Paul Gosar, DDS (AZ-09) issued the following statement after the House Natural Resources Committee approved H.R. 8686, the Yuma Defense Readiness Act, during today’s markup:

“The House Natural Resources Committee’s passage of H.R. 8686 is a major win for military readiness, national security, and Arizona. 

The Yuma Proving Ground in my district is one of the premier testing and training facilities in the world and generates more than $1.1 billion in economic activity for western Arizona. As the only facility capable of supporting high-altitude flight testing for next-generation defense technologies, it is critical that our warfighters have the space and resources necessary to prepare for evolving threats.

My legislation expands the Proving Ground’s safety zone, establishes a clearer and safer boundary for Yuma residents, and strengthens America’s defense capabilities while supporting a vital economic engine for our region. 

I thank Chairman Westerman and my colleagues on the Committee for advancing this commonsense, bipartisan legislation. I look forward to securing its passage on the House floor and urge my colleagues to support our brave servicemembers and this important national security measure,” stated Congressman Paul Gosar.

“A strong national defense begins with ensuring our military has the space and certainty needed to train and test the technologies that keep America safe. H.R. 8686 withdraws and reserves public lands adjacent to Yuma Proving Ground, helping support critical military operations while reducing conflicts with incompatible development.  I appreciate Rep. Gosar’s efforts to strengthen military readiness and reinforce the long-term mission of one of our nation’s premier testing and training facilities,” added House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Westerman.

Background:

H.R. 8686 authorizes the withdrawal and reservation of approximately 22,000 acres of federal land adjacent to the Yuma Proving Ground to enhance military testing and training operations while improving public safety and land management.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (8th District of Illinois)

WASHINGTON — Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services on the House Oversight Committee, and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, sent a letter to Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon demanding answers regarding reports that Solomon asked Goldman Sachs Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel Kathryn Ruemmler to remain at the bank as an “adviser” despite her resignation following mounting public scrutiny of her close personal and professional relationship with convicted sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein.

In the letter, Krishnamoorthi and Warren raised concerns that newly released Department of Justice materials and reporting suggest Ruemmler maintained extensive contact with Epstein years after his conviction for soliciting a child for sex, advised him on legal and public relations strategies, accepted tens of thousands of dollars in gifts, and maintained a far more extensive relationship with Epstein than previously publicly acknowledged.

“On January 30, 2026, the DOJ released a slew of documents, images, communications, and other materials related to the investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. According to reports, the documents reveal that Ruemmler and Epstein were in frequent contact between 2014 and 2019, just one year prior to her joining Goldman and long after Epstein’s conviction for soliciting a child for sex in 2008,” wrote Krishnamoorthi and Warren.

“According to reports, Ruemmler ‘educated [Epstein] on how the law differentiates between underage victims of sex crimes and adult prostitutes,’” wrote the lawmakers. “Ruemmler reportedly accepted tens of thousands of dollars in gifts from Epstein. These gifts are reported to have included a $9,350 Hermes handbag, $10,000 in Bergdorf Goodman gift cards, a Fendi coat valued at $4,200, and an Apple Watch.”

“Following the DOJ’s document release in January, Goldman Sachs has defended and supported Ruemmler publicly. In February, Ruemmler announced her resignation from Goldman Sachs, effective June 30, 2026,” wrote the lawmakers. “At the time, you stated that you ‘reluctantly’ accepted Ruemmler’s resignation. While Goldman Sachs has declined to comment on this matter, new reporting suggests that you ‘pressed’ her to reconsider her resignation and instead move to a new position within the firm.”

“The information uncovered in recent months not only raises serious questions as to whether Goldman Sachs either failed to conduct proper due diligence or viewed Ruemmler’s relationship with Epstein as appropriate when appointing her as the firm’s top lawyer, but now calls into question your professional judgment and fitness to continue leading one of the largest banks in the United States,” wrote the lawmakers.

Krishnamoorthi and Warren requested responses from Solomon by June 26 regarding Goldman Sachs’s prior knowledge of Ruemmler’s relationship with Epstein, the firm’s due diligence and defense of Ruemmler following the DOJ document release, Solomon’s reported decision to keep her at the bank, and the nature of any continued role, responsibilities, or compensation arrangement.

The letter is available here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rick Larsen (2nd Congressional District Washington)

Today, Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement:

“I voted no on this partisan bill to fund ICE, and I will continue to oppose funding ICE until the agency is required to follow the same rules as every other local, state and federal law enforcement agency.

“Once again, Republicans ignored bipartisan calls for reform and instead advanced a bill that gives ICE and CBP 70 billion taxpayer dollars without any guardrails.

“I proposed amendments to instead spend these dollars helping families recover from natural disasters, growing the local economy, supporting veterans and their families, helping local law enforcement fight drug trafficking and educating students with disabilities. Republicans blocked every one of these amendments.”

Yesterday, the House of Representatives voted to provide $70 billion in funding to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), both agencies within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The bill passed the House by a vote of 214-212.

Rep. Larsen proposed the following amendments to the legislation, all of which Republicans blocked from consideration in the final bill:

1. Transfer $5 billion to FEMA to increase the maximum Individual Assistance payouts from $45,000 to $100,000. Rep. Larsen leads legislation to reform FEMA disaster relief and fought to secure Individual Assistance funding for people in Northwest Washington following last December’s devastating floods.
2. Revoke the President’s waiver of the Jones Act. Last month, Rep. Larsen and Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA) sent a letter to President Trump urging him to reconsider his waiver of the Jones Act.
3. Process tariff refunds. The amendment would strike ICE funding and provide the funds instead to CBP to process International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariff refunds. On February 20, the Supreme Court struck down tariffs that President Trump imposed under the IEEPA, and following the ruling, Larsen urged local businesses to seek tariff refunds.
4. Help veteran families at risk of homelessness. The amendment would transfer $2.4 billion to VA’s Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program to help low-income veteran families find and retain stable housing.
5. Double funding for State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance. The amendment would transfer an additional $1 billion in annual funding to the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne JAG) program, doubling the previous allocation of $964 million, to support local law enforcement, including fentanyl interdiction efforts and multi-jurisdictional drug task forces (MJTFs).
6. Support students with disabilities. The amendment would strike ICE funding and ensure the federal government finally fulfills its commitments to students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Larsen Demands ICE Accountability, Fights to Fund FEMA, U.S. Coast Guard, TSA

Rep. Larsen is the top Democrat on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which has jurisdiction over FEMA and the U.S. Coast Guard within DHS. On April 30, Rep. Larsen voted for legislation to fund all agencies within DHS besides ICE and CBP, which the President later signed into law.

Rep. Larsen supports strengthening accountability and oversight of ICE operations and DHS detention facilities, including:

• Prohibiting ICE officers from wearing masks during arrests;
• Requiring ICE officers to be trained in de-escalation;
• Prohibiting masked ICE officers from using restricted equipment, such as tear gas;
• Ending family and child detention;
• Ending DHS’s use of private detention facilities;
• Providing individuals in immigration detention with unlimited communication with legal counsel;
• Repealing the Alien Enemies Act, which President Trump has used to deport immigrants from Venezuela with no due process by accusing them of “invading” the United States; and
• A complete and independent investigation into the killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose)

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology is holding a Full Committee hearing titled, “An Overview of the Department of Energy’s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request.”

Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren’s (D-CA) opening statement as prepared for the record is below: 

Good morning and thank you, Chairman Babin, for holding this hearing today.  

Mr. Wright, it has been over 16 months since you were sworn in as the Secretary of Energy, yet this is the first time you have testified before the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. This is completely unacceptable. As you and your team should understand by now, this Committee has sole jurisdiction in the House of Representatives over the authorization of all of DOE’s nonmilitary science and energy research, development, demonstration, and commercialization programs that you have said you care so deeply about. In fact, this is the first time I’m even speaking with you. We expect to engage with you far more directly and frequently going forward.  

Moving on to examining your tenure as Secretary to date, the damage that you and the broader Administration have already inflicted on our national energy innovation enterprise is frankly staggering. You had a team of seriously unqualified political appointees cancel billions of dollars in DOE awards across the country that had been provided, as directed by Congress, through extremely rigorous, independent, merit-based processes. A federal court has found these terminations – concentrated in so-called “blue states” per the unhinged public boasting of OMB Director Russell Vought – to be blatantly illegal. These politically motivated cuts include well over a billion dollars in support for vital next generation energy projects throughout my home state of California.  

Now I’ll note that three weeks ago, and without congressional authorization, President Trump attempted to set up a slush fund to pay out money to people – mostly convicted criminals, fraudsters, cop killers, and no shortage of sex offenders – that he claims were victimized by the government. I hope Congress will take action to prohibit the establishment of this fund. But if not, maybe the 40 million people of California should apply for funding under this program given the Administration’s illegal actions against our citizens. 

There must also be accountability for the mass firings and coerced departures of thousands of dedicated experts throughout DOE and our national laboratories, as well as the illegal elimination of a functional Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations as spelled out in the law. You can call these “efficiencies” or “business-informed decisions” all you want, but that doesn’t make them smart or good for the American people. Last year, you yourself recognized that perhaps arbitrarily firing hundreds of professionals at the National Nuclear Security Administration whose job it is to safeguard our nuclear secrets and ensure the reliability of our weapons stockpile was not the best idea in the world. We now have reports from practically every relevant sector that these personnel cuts at DOE have severely harmed the ability of Congressionally mandated research and security programs across the Department to carry out their statutory missions. But I suspect that was the point all along.  

I don’t know how we can reconcile your vaunted expertise in the energy sector with your absurdly inaccurate statements on the role that wind and solar power play in lowering consumer costs and ensuring the reliability of our electric grid. Yes, we all know that the wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine. Believe it or not, we’re not idiots. But look at those crazy liberal bastions called Iowa and Texas. Their grid operators will tell you that they have been managing variable electricity demand with large amounts of electricity generated from renewables for decades. And the energy costs are far less expensive for their citizens than they would be if wind and solar weren’t a major part of their portfolios, even without federal subsidies. So, are Iowa and Texas stupid, Mr. Secretary?  

Lastly, I know you went to MIT – but you must recognize that you have lost any credibility as a scientific expert after commissioning a widely debunked, error-filled climate “science” report through a slap-dash process that has proven to be illegal in a court of law. So much for “restoring gold standard science.” This all might be funny if it weren’t true.  

I would love to have focused on our mutual support for dramatically accelerating the development and commercialization of fusion energy. But as you hopefully understand by now, you have a lot of explaining to do before this Committee today and throughout the remainder of your time in this job.

With that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back. 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mark Pocan (2nd District of Wisconsin)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Mark Pocan (WI-02) was appointed by Leader Hakeem Jeffries and the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee to the House Foreign Affairs Committee. 

“Thank you to Leader Jeffries and Ranking Member Meeks for your trust in appointing me to the Foreign Affairs Committee. President Trump has done significant damage to America’s standing on the world stage. I look forward to using my position to hold him accountable, repair our reputation, and advance human rights.” 

Rep. Pocan still remains a member of the House Appropriations Committee. 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mark Pocan (2nd District of Wisconsin)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representatives Mark Pocan (WI-02) and Jan Schakowsky (IL-09) led a letter signed by 85 Members of Congress to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging him to use every available diplomatic tool to halt the advancement of settlement construction in the E-1 area of the West Bank. In recent months, the Israeli government has approved construction plans, published construction tenders, and is on the verge of accepting bids and exchanging contracts. Once construction begins, the damage will be irreversible. 

We write to strongly urge the Administration to use every available diplomatic tool to halt the advancement of settlement construction in the E-1 area of the West Bank,” the Members began. “The window for meaningful diplomatic intervention is closing rapidly, and we believe it is not too late for the United States to act.”

“The E-1 area is a 12 square-kilometer corridor east of Jerusalem. Construction of a settlement there would bisect the West Bank by severing the north from the south and cutting off Palestinian communities in Ramallah from those in Bethlehem, while completing an unbroken band of Israeli-controlled territory from Jerusalem through E-1 to the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim,” the Members continued. In doing so, it would cement Israeli sovereignty over the geographic heart of the West Bank.”

“The situation has accelerated dramatically in recent months… In December 2025, the Israeli Ministry of Construction and Housing published a tender for all 3,401 planned housing units, with bids expected to open June 1, 2026,” the Members added. “In March 2026, the Israel Land Authority separately published a tender for a new employment and commercial zone in E-1, also expected to open for bids imminently. Simultaneously, the Israeli Ministry of Defense has announced plans to pave a ‘Sovereignty Road’ that would permanently divert all Palestinian vehicle traffic away from E-1, effectively sealing off approximately three percent of the West Bank from Palestinian access and enabling the displacement of dozens of Palestinian Bedouin communities who live there.” 

“Most recently, on May 19, 2026 Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich ordered the Civil Administration to begin proceedings to demolish the Palestinian Bedouin community of Khan al-Ahmar, which lies adjacent to the E-1 area, in preparation of anticipated settlement construction,” the Members go on to say. “Smotrich’s order underscores that the Israeli government is intent on advancing settlements in E-1 imminently. These steps are mutually reinforcing and are being advanced concurrently and urgently, a coordinated effort to establish irreversible facts on the ground.”

“President Trump has repeatedly claimed to oppose Israeli annexation of the West Bank… As recently as February of this year, the White House reiterated that “President Trump has clearly stated that he does not support Israel annexing the West Bank.” Construction in E-1 is annexation in its clearest form. We urge this administration to take meaningful action to back up this rhetoric,” the Members concluded.

A digital copy of the letter can be found here.

The full list of signers (85): Pocan, Mark; Schakowsky, Jan; Amo, Gabe; Ansari, Yassamin; Balint, Becca; Beyer, Donald; Bonamici, Suzanne; Brownley, Julia; Budzinski, Nikki; Carbajal, Salud; Casar, Greg; Casten, Sean; Castro, Joaquin; Chu, Judy; Cisneros, Gilbert; Clarke, Yvette; Cleaver, Emanuel; Cohen, Steve; Courtney, Joe; Crockett, Jasmine; Crow, Jason; Davis, Danny; Dean, Madeleine; DeLauro, Rosa; DelBene, Suzan; Deluzio, Christopher; DeSaulnier, Mark; Dexter, Maxine; Doggett, Lloyd; Elfreth, Sarah; Escobar, Veronica; Espaillat, Adriano; Evans, Dwight; Foster, Bill; Friedman, Laura; Garamendi, John; García, Jesús; Garcia, Sylvia; Grijalva, Adelita; Hoyle, Val; Huffman, Jared; Jackson, Jonathan; Jacobs, Sara; Jayapal, Pramila; Johnson, Henry; Khanna, Ro; Levin, Mike; Lynch, Stephen; Magaziner, Seth; Mannion, John; McBride, Sarah; McClain Delaney, April; McClellan, Jennifer; McCollum, Betty; McDonald Rivet, Kristen; McGovern, James; McIver, LaMonica; Mejia, Analilia; Menendez, Robert; Mfume, Kweisi; Min, Dave; Moore, Gwen; Moulton, Seth; Nadler, Jerrold; Norton, Eleanor; Neguse, Joe; Olszewski, Johnny; Pappas, Chris; Peters, Scott; Pettersen, Brittany; Pingree, Chellie; Pou, Nellie; Randall, Emily; Raskin, Jamie; Ross, Deborah; Salinas, Andrea; Subramanyam, Suhas; Takano, Mark; Tokuda, Jill; Tonko, Paul; Tran, Derek; Velázquez, Nydia; Walkinshaw, James; Watson Coleman, Bonnie; Williams, Nikema