Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

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

Democrats opposed Republicans’ $70 billion bill, which increases the deficit and fails to do anything to bring down Americans’ cost of living

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Riley Moore (WV-02)

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Riley M. Moore announced that two of his Community Project Funding requests for West Virginia’s Second Congressional District were approved by the House Appropriations Committee as part of the Fiscal Year 2027 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. The legislation passed during Committee markup and will now advance to the full House of Representatives for consideration.

Congressman Riley M. Moore released the following statement:

“These Community Project Funding requests represent strategic investments in healthcare delivery that are critical to communities across West Virginia’s Second District. I fought to secure funding for projects that will strengthen our communities, expand access to quality healthcare, improve technological capabilities for Grafton City Hospital, and enhance quality of life for all West Virginians. While these projects must still be approved by the full House and signed into law, I am pleased to see them advance through the Appropriations Committee, and I look forward to continuing to advocate for these important investments.”

Major Labor, Health and Human Services Investments Advancing for West Virginia:

• $1,500,000 for Grant Memorial Hospital. The WVU Medicine Grant Memorial Hospital Outpatient Healthcare Hub Project will renovate a vacant building to create a centralized facility offering Rapid Care, Pediatrics, Primary Care, Women’s Health, Radiology, and Laboratory Services under one roof. The project will expand access to healthcare for rural residents, improve patient convenience and care coordination, and increase clinical capacity across the region. In addition to strengthening healthcare services, the project will create approximately 30 new jobs and support economic growth in a community facing significant workforce challenges.
• $1,500,000 for Grafton City Hospital. The Grafton City Hospital Technology Infrastructure Modernization Project will upgrade critical network, cybersecurity, and communications systems that support patient care across the hospital and its affiliated clinics. The project will replace aging technology with modern, secure infrastructure, reducing service disruptions, improving communication between providers and patients, and strengthening protections for sensitive healthcare data. These investments will enhance the reliability and safety of patient care today while creating the technological foundation needed to support future innovations, including advanced digital health and AI-driven healthcare tools.

The legislation was approved by the House Appropriations Committee today and will now advance to the full House of Representatives for consideration.

In addition to securing $3 million in Community Project Funding for West Virginia’s Second Congressional District, Congressman Moore also secured $575 million for rural health priorities, which he successfully fought for during the appropriations process. 

These investments will strengthen rural hospitals and healthcare providers, expand access to quality medical care in underserved communities, support the recruitment and training of healthcare professionals, enhance telehealth and innovative care delivery systems, and improve health outcomes for rural Americans. Together, these funding priorities help ensure that families across West Virginia have greater access to reliable, high-quality healthcare while reinforcing the long-term stability of the state’s rural healthcare infrastructure.

Major rural health wins for West Virginia:

• $12,800,000 for Black Lung Clinics. This funding supports clinics treating respiratory and pulmonary diseases affecting miners and other workers with occupational lung disease.
• $30,000,000 for the Rural Hospital Stabilization Program. This funding supports at-risk rural hospitals seeking to expand service lines and improve financial viability.
• $13,500,000 for Rural EMS Training. The committee included report language and funding to train and recruit staff, provide education, and purchase equipment for rural EMS.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Donald Norcross (1st District of New Jersey)

WASHINGTON — Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed Congressman Donald Norcross’ (NJ-01) Faster Labor Contracts Act (FLCA) in a bipartisan 220-193 vote. The bill, which would be the single biggest advancement in workers’ rights in nearly a century, came to the floor after Norcross successfully forced a vote over the objections of House Republican leadership.

Because there are no deadlines for an employer to agree to a contract with a new union, it takes an average of 458 days for that first contract to be finalized. Likewise, roughly a third of workers are forced to wait more than three years for a contract after voting to unionize. The FLCA would speed up that process by giving both parties options to seek third party remediation after set periods of time – including the choice to have a three-person arbitration panel render a first contract.

“The biggest loophole in labor law is how the richest executives in human history can simply run out the clock on their workers’ first union contract – denying their employees their fundamental collective bargaining rights. That dirty tactic is selfish, it’s immoral, and today’s vote also puts it one step closer to being a relic of history,” Norcross said. “Unions represent workers of all political stripes, and today’s resounding bipartisan vote should clearly demonstrate the collective power of workers’ voices. Solidarity forever, and it’s time to get this bill over the finish line.”

Before passage of the FLCA this evening, Norcross needed to win the majority support of the House this afternoon to force a vote on the bill through the use of a discharge petition. This process was necessary since House Speaker Mike Johnson refused to bring the FLCA to the floor, despite the bill having enough bipartisan support to pass. Historically, only a small fraction of discharge petitions have achieved majority support; Norcross’ coalition of 218 supporters included 211 Democrats and 7 Republicans.

“Once again, House Democrats are governing in the minority as if we’re in the majority and successfully forced a vote on legislation to make life better for the American people. The Faster Labor Contracts Act has passed the House of Representatives, strengthening worker protections and compelling employers to come to the table,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. “At a time when the right to organize is under assault, it is unacceptable that when hardworking Americans come together to form a workplace union, employers can stifle that progress by refusing to bargain. I thank Congressman Norcross for his leadership and for standing up for working families across the country.”

“The Faster Labor Contracts Act is the most consequential labor bill to come before Congress in decades. Its bipartisan passage out of the House of Representatives is a significant milestone for millions of American workers,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “The 1.3-million member Teamsters Union has worked tirelessly to build a coalition of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents who are committed to improving the lives of working people. Millions of workers at Amazon and other major companies who are fed up with being overworked, underpaid, and undervalued are organizing their unions today in record numbers. We can no longer tolerate a broken system that allows corporations to corruptly drag out negotiations and shirk their legal obligations to bargain fair first union contracts. The FLCA has a real shot to right generations of wrongs and level the playing field for workers. The Teamsters are eager for the Senate to take up this urgent legislation and ensure it lands on the President’s desk.”

“For the second time this Congress a bill to restore or strengthen collective bargaining rights has been forced to the House floor by a working majority and passed with a bipartisan vote. The reason is simple: The country is hungry for pro-worker labor law reform,” said Jody Calemine, Advocacy Director of the AFL-CIO. “This bill is an important first step toward passing the PRO Act. It underscores a basic truth: it’s better in a union. More collective bargaining means higher wages, more access to affordable health care, a secure retirement, and a way for working people to take control over their lives and finally get ahead. Let working people organize and exercise their bargaining power, and the economy will start working for them, not just the billionaires.”

The FLCA is endorsed by more than twenty unions and advocates for workers’ rights. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) has introduced companion bipartisan legislation in the Senate.

Norcross, the only union electrician serving in Congress, is a co-chair of the Congressional Labor Caucus and a lifelong champion for workers’ rights. Last week he successfully passed out of the Armed Services Committee a provision in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act to overturn President Trump’s executive order stripping Defense Department employees’ collective bargaining rights – a measure he also passed out of the House last year. He was also an original cosponsor of the House-passed Protecting America’s Workforce Act, and has previously helped pass the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act in the House.

Full text of Norcross’ bill can be found here, while a one-pager can be found here. His floor remarks on House floor can be found here while a transcript of his speech as prepared can be found here.

 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif)

Washington, D.C. – United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) released the following statement on the House passage of a purely partisan Republican reconciliation bill that would give Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) an additional $70 billion in federal funding.

“Today, I voted against the Republican Majority’s reconciliation bill that would provide an additional $70 billion to ICE and CBP. Unfortunately, the purely partisan bill did not contain any commonsensical law enforcement reforms to rein in these two agencies and protect our communities. Last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act already funded ICE and CBP with an unprecedented $140 billion, which led to rushed, barely vetted recruits and improperly trained agents being pushed into our communities. As ICE and CBP target immigrants well beyond gang members and felons, they continue to create chaos and confusion in many of our communities. I support a strong and secure border, but I will not support giving a blank check to agencies that fail to uphold and implement basic principles and standards of law enforcement. Although this partisan bill passed out of the House of Representatives and heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law, I will continue to push back on this Administration’s mass deportation policy. At the same time, I will continue my work in Congress on immigration reform legislation so that Congress can create an immigration system that reflects our constitutional values, protects vulnerable, law-abiding immigrants, enhances our economy, and provides safety to American communities.”

Rep. Panetta speaks on the House Floor against additional funding for ICE and CBP.

To watch the video, click HERE or on the above photo.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Al Green (TX-9)

(Washington, DC) — On Tuesday, June 9, 2026, Congressman Al Green delivered remarks on the House floor in support of the bipartisan bill, H.R. 5408, Faster Labor Contracts Act, legislation that would help workers secure their first collective bargaining agreement by establishing timelines for negotiations, mediation, and arbitration when necessary. The bill is designed to prevent employers from delaying contract negotiations after workers vote to unionize.

During debate on the legislation, Congressman Al Green, a proud AFSCME member for more than 20 years, strongly rejected claims that labor unions support Hamas, calling such allegations incitive insidious prevarications. 

You can access and listen to Congressman Al Green’s speech by clicking here. The floor speech highlighted is also accessible on various social media platforms, including Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly known as Twitter). 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jim Costa Representing 16th District of California

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Jim Costa (CA-21) released the following statement after voting against the Republican reconciliation bill:
“While families in the San Joaquin Valley struggle to afford groceries, gas, and health care, Republicans passed another reckless spending bill with no help for working families, no guardrails on ICE, just $70 billion with no oversight while Trump keeps a $1.8 billion slush fund for criminals.
That’s why I voted NO.”
Click HEREto read the full bill. 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)

WASHINGTON — This evening, House GOP Leadership hosted a press conference following passage of the Secure America Act – legislation that will fund immigration enforcement and border security efforts for the remainder of President Trump’s term in office. This legislation now heads to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law.

House GOP Leaders were joined at the press conference by members of angel families, or American families whose lives have been devastated by criminal illegal aliens and the scourge of fentanyl that has flown over American borders. Despite their tragic stories – and the tragic stories of millions of other Americans who have been harmed by criminal illegal aliens and deadly fentanyl – House and Senate Democrats unanimously opposed this legislation.

“This is good news for everybody except Washington Democrats. They gained absolutely nothing from their reckless crusade to return our country to open borders and unfettered mass migration. House Republicans will always stand with America’s law enforcement,” Speaker Johnson said. “And we will always work to ensure that these brave men and women have the resources they need to carry out their responsibilities to protect America’s families and communities, and to prevent tragedies like the murder of Laken Riley, Sheridan Gorman, and so many other precious lives that have been lost as a result of President Biden and the Democrats’ open border policies.”

Watch Speaker Johnson’s remarks here.

Below are excerpts from angel families’ remarks:

Chris Storie: “I’m here to tell anyone who thinks that there is no cost to our country having open borders. They’re wrong. The cost is American lives, Americans being killed, maimed, injured every single day at the hands of these illegal aliens who should have never been in our country … The cost is too high for us having open borders. It has to end. There has to be something done about it. And this administration and President Trump are the first ones that have done anything to help our families.”

April Babcock: “We’re just trying to warn Americans; we’re trying to save your kids from death. Our kids are dead, we can’t bring them back, but we’re just trying to raise awareness and warn the public. And I really want to say, any politician that does not support funding ICE, funding CBP, securing our border, they are traitors to our country.”

Jackie Long: “I can’t even believe that we have to ask for funding for agencies that protect American citizens. With open borders, it allowed so many illegal aliens to come through. There are at least a good 200,000 victims that you haven’t even heard about that were murdered by illegal aliens. There are over 500,000 US citizens that have died from fentanyl poisoning. Two of those victims are my son, Ryan, and his girlfriend, Stephanie, found together dead from illicit fentanyl poisoning. So, we really do appreciate the Trump Administration for taking the actions that are needed to stop the crises of this fentanyl in this country.”

Deborah Dinnocenzo: “I have no doubt that my children, the fentanyl that killed my children, came from the southern border. So, what happened today is huge. We need ICE. We need to save American lives. Why would we not want to do this? How could they vote against it? It baffles my mind. All these people, 500,000 people, that if it were up to them, they would not have ever been protected.”

Michael Dinnocenzo: “It’s a shame that my mom is going to cry right now; she’s not supposed to be crying. Losing two siblings is hard; losing anyone in your family to illicit fentanyl is really hard. Illicit fentanyl is not supposed to be coming through our borders. Thank God we have an administration that’s putting something up to stop this. The borders need to be closed and we’re going to strengthen our borders due to the new ICE act that’s being enforced by Speaker Johnson.”

Debbie Santini: “For four years, as you’ve heard up here, with the Biden Administration, we were not heard by any of them. They didn’t care. And President Trump heard our cries, and he’s listened to us and he’s had us in the White House. They’re working really hard to protect each and every American life. We have enough American criminals here in our country; we don’t need to bring illegal alien criminals here and give them the right to continue to rape, murder, kill, and bring their illicit drugs to take more lives. My life and the life of my family has forever changed without my beautiful baby. My life will never be the same. And we all wish we had never known each other, but I’m thankful for these women that I stand up here with. I’m thankful to you all and to the Trump Administration.”

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

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Robert Aderholt (AL-04) released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed S. 2, the Secure America Act.

The Secure America Act just passed the House and is headed to the President’s desk. This $70 billion dollar legislation is critical funding that supports U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) through 2029.

Our CBP and ICE agents work diligently to keep our communities safe and protected from dangerous criminals and threats. 

Republicans are delivering on their commitment to secure America’s borders safely and effectively. 

For 76 days, Democrats held the Department of Homeland Security hostage when they shut down operations. Today, every single House Democrat voted to defund ICE and Border Patrol. With the Secure America Act, Republicans are finishing the job and providing the Department of Homeland Security with the resources needed to support the men and women that secure our border and keep our communities safe. 

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

CONGRESSWOMAN PLASKETT SECURES COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING ACROSS THREE HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS BILLS FOR THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02)

WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives today passed The Faster Labor Contracts Act, a bill co-sponsored by Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) that would stop corporations from using endless negotiating delays to block unions from obtaining their first contract. 

The bill, introduced by Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01), would establish clear deadlines for a first contract, and guarantee mediation and binding arbitration if the deadlines aren’t met. Together, its provisions guarantee that workers will receive the protections of a union contract in a timely, fair manner. It passed the House with bipartisan support in a 230-193 vote. 

“Federal law protects the right of workers to form a union and collectively bargain for fair wages, benefits and working conditions, but that right is meaningless if corporations can delay a contract indefinitely by dragging their feet at the negotiating table,” Golden said. “I’m proud to join Congressman Norcross to oppose these anti-union tactics and strengthen the promise of collective bargaining for American workers.” 

Unionization rates are rising as more Americans reap the benefits of collective bargaining. But under current law, after workers vote to form a union, companies are allowed to drag out the negotiating process indefinitely. On average it takes 458 days for a new union to negotiate its first contract. 

The Faster Labor Contract Act requires corporations to begin negotiations within 10 days of workers voting to form a union. If no contract is agreed within 90 days, the law would require mediation. And if mediation failed after 30 days, the dispute would be sent to binding arbitration to secure an initial contract.

A new analysis by the Economic Policy Institute finds that corporations drag their feet negotiating with their workers far more than in other negotiations. For example, Starbucks has made its workers wait four and a half years, and counting, for a first union contract, but managed to negotiate a merger with Teavana in just 67 days. Amazon has made its workers wait 498 days for a contract so far but completed its blockbuster merger with Whole Foods in 123 days.  

“It is clear that corporations can move quickly to reach a deal related to a merger or acquisition but are far too often unwilling to apply that same priority to negotiations with their workforce for a fair first contract,” the EPI researchers wrote.

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