Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman John Moolenaar (4th District of Michigan)

Headline: Moolenaar, Cline Introduce Bill to Prohibit U.S. Entry & Deport Employees of Chinese Military Companies

Today, Congressmen John Moolenaar and Ben Cline (R-VA) introduced the No PLA Employees Act. The legislation would prohibit current and former employees of companies deemed by the Department of Defense to be supporting China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) or problematic activity from being admitted into the United States. The bill would also allow those employees currently in the United States to be deported. 

“The Chinese Communist Party is working tirelessly to make the PLA the world’s leading military force by 2050. Through its policy of civil-military fusion, it has enlisted dozens of companies, and their subsidiaries, to assist in that goal. Beyond that, the CCP expects any Chinese national abroad to support its cause if called upon. Our commonsense legislation ensures that those who have already worked to advance the CCP’s mission are not permitted in the United States, while protecting Chinese immigrants who seek to flee the regime’s persecution,” said Moolenaar. 

“At a time when the Chinese Communist Party is working aggressively to expand its influence over the United States economy and technological advancements, we cannot afford to hand over critical research and jobs to entities with ties to our greatest adversary,” said Rep. Cline. “I am proud to work with Rep. Moolenaar to restrict visas to companies and employees with CCP links, ensuring hostile nations do not have access to our innovation, intellectual property, or critical infrastructure and strengthening America’s workforce and national security.”

Moolenaar serves as the Chairman of the House Select Committee on China. Cline is a member of the House Committee on the Judiciary, which has jurisdiction over immigration policy. 

The text of the No PLA Employees Act can be found here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman John Moolenaar (4th District of Michigan)

Headline: Moolenaar, Michigan Delegation Urge Swift Approval of Major Disaster Declaration

Congressman John Moolenaar along with U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and all members of the Michigan Congressional Delegation called on President Trump to swiftly issue a Major Disaster declaration for Michigan following the severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, high winds, large hail, and torrential rainfall across the state in April. In their letter, the lawmakers supported Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s request for assistance for 37 counties in the state, including Barry, Clare, Eaton, Gratiot, Lake, Manistee, Mecosta, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Osceola, and Wexford Counties in Michigan’s Second Congressional District. The National Weather Service issued a record number of flood warnings and advisories for Michigan this past April.

“The historic flooding and major storms this spring brought significant damages to communities across our state. Since April, local leaders and first responders throughout the Second District have worked tirelessly to recover from this crisis. Still, residents and the effected communities are facing substantial costs to rebuild. I support Governor Whitmer’s request of President Trump to declare a major disaster. Today, I joined my Michigan Congressional colleagues to urge FEMA to approve this request so Michigan communities can get access to the resources they need,” said Moolenaar.

In their letter the lawmakers wrote, “Starting on April 10, much of Michigan experienced multiple rounds of severe thunderstorms, heavy rainfall, tornadoes, high winds, and large hail, resulting in flash flooding and major to record river flooding. These conditions forced hundreds of residents to be displaced from their homes, temporarily or permanently while others were left stranded on their properties.” 

The lawmakers continued: “Residents now face financial hardship for years to come without federal assistance as they attempt to repair and restore their damaged homes to pre-disaster condition, repair or replace mechanical and electrical systems, and replace personal belongings. In addition to the impact on individuals and residences, the extreme weather caused widespread power outages and impacted water and wastewater systems. Dams had to be closely monitored with flood-mitigation measures put in place, in addition to downed trees and the accumulation of debris, and the degradation of agriculture and environmentally sensitive areas.”  

State and federal officials estimate the storm caused over $23 million in Public Assistance-related damages, necessitated $15 million in housing and living assistance, and impacted thousands of homes, businesses, and infrastructure components. This is the seventh state-declared disaster that Michigan has experienced in the last two years, and federal assistance is a critical component for Michiganders to fully recover.  

“We commend the great work the federal government has done in helping Michigan recover from previous disasters,” continued the lawmakers. “However, in the absence of a federal disaster declaration, Michigan will not have the capacity to ensure these communities receive the aid they need to fully recover. We urge your timely review and approval of this request.”   

Text of the letter is available here.  

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (1st District of Washington)

Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) released the following statement after new data shows prices rose 4.2% annually in May.

“The latest inflation report shows what working families across the country have been feeling for months: prices are too high, budgets are squeezed, and paychecks don’t go as far. President Trump’s illegal tariffs and Congressional Republicans’ economic policies are directly increasing the price of groceries, housing, health care, and child care. Fuel oil is up nearly 60%, and gasoline prices have increased over 40% since last year because of Trump’s war with Iran.

“Trump has callously dismissed the struggles facing everyday families right now, saying last month that he doesn’t ‘think about Americans’ financial situation.’ No matter how the White House tries to spin this, they cannot explain away the fact that too many families believe that America is unaffordable. House Democrats will continue to fight for policies that will help lower prices and support working families.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Dan Newhouse (4th District of Washington)

Headline: Newhouse Votes to Advance Critical Funding for Homeland Security

Press Release
For Immediate Release: June 9, 2026
Contact: Juan Ayala, (202) 713-7750

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) released the following statement after voting in support of S. 2, the Secure America Act. This legislation passed the House with a vote of 214-212. 

“ICE and CBP are critical agencies that help secure our border and deport violent illegal immigrants,” said Rep. Newhouse.

Newhouse continued, “Across the nation, their agents have apprehended thousands of criminals and repeat offenders—making our streets, cities, and communities safer. We must stand in support of our law enforcement and their important work, and this legislation does just that. As a Member of the Appropriations Committee, I prefer funding federal agencies through the regular appropriations process. However, we must prevent a future lapse in funding for ICE and CBP, which would threaten the safety of our homeland.”

Background

This legislation fully funds CBP, DHS, and ICE through 2029, allowing the agencies to continue securing the border, protecting Americans from illicit drugs, and supporting the brave officers who risk their lives to keep Americans safe from violent criminals and potential terrorists. The bill also provides additional appropriations to DHS to account for any unforeseen costs that ICE and Border Patrol may incur in future years as it carries out its mission to keep Americans safe.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (12th District of Michigan)

U.S. Representatives Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06) and Erin Houchin (R-IN-09) introduced the National Fossil Act, bipartisan legislation that would designate the American mastodon (Mammut americanum) as the national fossil mammal and the Tyrannosaurus rex as the national fossil dinosaur of the United States. The American mastodon roamed the region during the Ice Age, making Michigan home to the nation’s densest concentration of mastodon fossils. In 2002, it became the official state fossil. 

“America’s story didn’t begin in 1776. It began thousands and even millions of years earlier, with creatures like the mastodon and T. rex roaming the land we now call home,” said Congresswoman Dingell. “Recognizing them as national symbols is a reminder that discovery is part of who we are as a country. From backyard discoveries to museum exhibits that have inspired generations of kids, this bipartisan effort is a way to celebrate America’s prehistoric past and spark curiosity about science and exploration. And in a moment when we don’t agree on much, I think most Americans can still agree that dinosaurs are pretty cool.”

If enacted, the American mastodon and Tyrannosaurus rex would join the bald eagle, bison, rose, and oak tree as official national symbols of the United States.

“The American mastodon has been recognized as Indiana’s state fossil since 2022,” said Congresswoman Houchin. “As our nation approaches its 250th anniversary, this bill is a fitting way to recognize an important part of America’s story while encouraging future generations to explore science, geology, and paleontology. The mastodon and Tyrannosaurus rex have captured the imagination of Americans for generations and deserve a place among our nation’s official symbols.”

The American mastodon is the official state fossil of both Indiana and Michigan and has been discovered at sites throughout both states. The Tyrannosaurus rex remains one of the most recognizable dinosaurs in the world and an enduring symbol of American paleontological discovery.

In the 118th Congress, legislation led by Senators Mike Braun and Gary Peters to designate the mastodon as America’s national fossil passed the Senate unanimously. The Dingell-Houchin bill continues that effort while also recognizing the Tyrannosaurus rex as the nation’s official fossil dinosaur. The legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Representatives Dusty Johnson (R-SD-AL), Nick Langworthy (R-NY-23), Celeste Maloy (R-UT-02), and Tracey Mann (R-KS-01). 

Read the bill text HERE.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Robert Aderholt (AL-04)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Robert Aderholt released the following statement after the House Appropriations Committee met to consider the Fiscal Year 2027 bill for the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. The FY27 bill was approved by the Committee with a vote of 34 to 28.

“The Fiscal Year 2027 Labor, HHHS, and Education bill prioritizes the core mission of the Appropriations Committee by balancing the need for responsible fiscal stewardship, while maintaining key investments for the people and institutions that strengthen our nation,” said Chairman Robert Aderholt (AL-04). “Following the President’s direction, we have taken a close look at every program funded in this bill and worked to codify the Trump Administration’s efforts to end senseless progressive overreach.”

“This bill advances educational opportunities, restores accountability, and ensures taxpayer dollars are directed towards core functions like biomedical research, biodefense infrastructure, and rural health.”

“I want to thank Chairman Cole and my colleagues for their hard work on these efforts, and I look forward to continuing this process, investing in our people, and preparing our nation for the challenges and opportunities ahead.”

House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) said, “America’s strength has always been rooted in the talent, ingenuity, and determination of its people. The Fiscal Year 2027 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies bill focuses on enhancing that foundation. It supports the next generation of medical discoveries, strengthens public health preparedness, upholds educational opportunity, and equips Americans with the skills needed to thrive in a modern economy. It advances access to high-quality care for rural America and reinforces biodefense capabilities. And it includes investments for district-focused projects that support the needs of communities nationwide. At the same time, it restores accountability by streamlining duplicative programs, eliminating waste, and ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent effectively and responsibly. Chairman Aderholt has delivered a bill that recognizes a simple truth: our nation’s greatest resource is its people. By investing in their health, skills, and potential, this legislation helps ensure our country remains strong, competitive, and prepared for the future.”

The Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill provides a total discretionary allocation of $189.3 billion, which is $5.6 billion (3%) below the Fiscal Year 2026 enacted level.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Representatives Mike Kelly (PA-16), Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Ami Bera, M.D. (CA-06), and John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13), leaders of H.R. 3514, the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act, released a joint statement after the legislation reached a significant milestone this week of 290 House cosponsors, an overwhelming bipartisan supermajority. 

“We are incredibly pleased to see the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act reach this defining moment in the 119th Congress. This legislation puts patient care and patient outcomes first, and it will greatly modernize and streamline the prior authorization process,” the Members said. “By passing the bipartisan, bicameral Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act, we can make it much easier for seniors to receive the care they’re entitled to while also alleviating unnecessary burdens on physicians and hospitals.”

BACKGROUND

Prior authorization is a tool used by health plans to reduce unnecessary care by requiring health care providers to get pre-approval for medical services. But it’s not without fault. The current system often results in unconfirmed faxes of a patient’s medical information or phone calls by clinicians which takes precious time away from delivering quality and timely care.

Prior authorization continues to be the #1 administrative burden identified by health care providers, and three out of four Medicare Advantage enrollees are subject to unnecessary delays due to prior authorization. In recent years, the Office of the Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) raised concerns after an audit revealed that Medicare Advantage plans ultimately approved 75% of requests that were originally denied. More recently, HHS OIG released a report finding that MA plans incorrectly denied beneficiaries’ access to services even though they met Medicare coverage rules

Health plans, health care providers, and patients agree that the prior authorization process must be improved to better serve patients and reduce unnecessary administrative burdens for clinicians. In fact, leading health care organizations released a consensus statement to address some of the most pressing concerns associated with prior authorization.

More than 35 million American seniors are enrolled in Medicare Advantage.

Specifically, the bill would:

• Establish an electronic prior authorization process for MA plans including a standardization for transactions and clinical attachments.
• Increase transparency around MA prior authorization requirements and its use.
• Clarify HHS’ authority to establish timeframes for e-prior authorization requests including   expedited determinations, real-time decisions for routinely approved items and services, and other prior authorization requests.
• Expand beneficiary protections to improve enrollee experiences and outcomes.
• Require HHS and other agencies to report to Congress on program integrity efforts and other ways to further improve the e-PA process.
• Previously, Rep. Kelly led similar legislation in the 118th Congress. The Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act unanimously passed the House in the 117th Congress and was cosponsored by a majority of members in the Senate and House of Representatives.

The bill text can be found here and a section-by-section can be found here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries joined the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Democratic leaders for a press conference ahead of the 14th anniversary of DACA, where he emphasized that while Donald Trump said his immigration enforcement efforts would target violent felons, they have instead come after families, children and Dreamers.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Good morning, everyone. And thank you, Adriano, for your friendship, for your partnership, for your leadership, for bringing us all together in support of these incredible DACA recipients who are here with us and in support of the DACA program here in the United States of America. I want to thank all of my colleagues in government. Of course, Whip Katherine Clark, my good friend Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia, who’s been a leader and a champion on this issue and, of course, Adelita Grijalva, one of our newest Members, who’s off to a phenomenal start and so appreciative for her presence and her forceful leadership.

Donald Trump promised that his immigration enforcement efforts were going to target the worst of the worst and violent felons. That’s not what’s happening. Donald Trump’s mass deportation machine has targeted children, law-abiding immigrant families, mothers, fathers, grandfathers, grandmothers, husbands, wives, Dreamers and DACA recipients in a manner that’s entirely inconsistent with America’s status as a nation of immigrants. It’s one of the most important ingredients of American exceptionalism and our success. DACA recipients and Dreamers are as American as motherhood, baseball and apple pie. They are incredibly hardworking, patriotic members of their community, who have contributed in so many different ways. And it’s imperative that the DACA program be continued and supported and embraced because it’s good for America, which is why the American people support our Dreamers and support DACA recipients and support an extension of this program.

Here in America, year after year, decade after decade, century after century, people have come from all over the world to contribute to who we are as a nation, now approaching our 250th birthday. That’s what DACA recipients represent. That’s what the young people behind me represent, the best of America—law-abiding immigrants who were brought here as children, who don’t know the country from which they were originally born because they are part of the fabric of this country here in America. And we will continue to support them today, tomorrow, always and forever. And when we take back control of the House of Representatives, one of our priorities will continue to be, under the leadership of Chairman Adriano Espaillat and Representative Sylvia Garcia, passing into law the Dream and Promise Act.

Full press conference can be watched here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Scalise (1st District of Louisiana)

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), and Angel Families to celebrate the passage of the Secure America Act. Leader Scalise highlighted the fact that every House Democrat voted against funding the ICE agents, Border Patrol agents, and law enforcement officers who secure America’s border and keep communities safe.

Click here or the image above to view Leader Scalise’s full remarks. 
Leader Scalise’s remarks:“Today, Democrats proved once again with their voices and with their votes that they want open borders and that they are willing to vote to defund the police. We’ve seen time and time again, whether it was the defund the police movement years ago in local communities and now here at the federal level, when we had to fight for months during a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security to properly fund the agency, and especially the law enforcement officers who risk their lives to keep our communities safe and enforce our immigration laws, keeping violent criminals out of our communities.“When I spoke on the House floor earlier today for the bill, I mentioned, sadly, the many, many victims who have been murdered by people who came here illegally that our Border Patrol agents are trying to stop from coming into our country and trying to find and get out of our country so they can’t kill more Americans. And yet every Democrat voted no because they want to defund those very law enforcement officers. It’s disgraceful, but it’s telling to the American people who want safe communities and deserve safe streets.
“We’ve worked closely with this president to provide safety in communities to the point where now we have the lowest murder rate in over 100 years. And yet there’s still violent criminals out there. There’s still terrorists who are trying to commit attacks here on our homeland. That’s why we need a fully funded Department of Homeland Security. And Democrats time and time again voted to shut the entire agency down, leading to TSA lines. Let’s not forget that. Leading to turmoil for millions of American families. And they don’t care. They don’t care about those families because all they want to do is continue to fight up here anything President Trump does, including trying to secure the border.“If President Trump says he’s going to secure the border, then they deem that something they will fight against, and they want an open border. Well, that’s not where America is. I know we’ve got families up here who have truly felt the impact of this violence of some of these horrible people that have come into our country and committed some of the most violent crimes. We keep them all in our prayers. We continue to not only pray for them but work and vote to ensure that our Department of Homeland Security has the tools to keep our country safe so this never happens again.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08)

Congresswoman Kim Schrier (WA-08) released the following statement after voting against the Republican-led funding bill that gives ICE and CBP a blank check and  fails to put guardrails in place that will curb their lawlessness or permanently block Trump’s $1 billion ballroom and $1.8 billion slush fund: 

“Washington families want lower costs and safer communities. They do not want to see billions more of their taxpayer dollars go toward funding ICE and CBP – at a time when these agencies have already been fully funded – with zero commonsense reforms that would stop them from terrorizing American citizens and innocent immigrants, and demand that they conduct themselves like local law enforcement agencies. 

“This funding bill also fails to permanently block President Trump’s White House ballroom construction project and his corrupt $1.8 billion slush fund to funnel taxpayer dollars to dangerous January 6th felons. Republicans refuse to stand up to Trump and put the needs of the American people first. 

“That is why I voted no on this bill. Washingtonians deserve better. I’ll keep fighting for reforms that deliver much-needed accountability and prioritize the safety and security of all Americans.”