Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

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

Washington, DC – United States Representatives Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) and David Kustoff (TN-08) introduced the bipartisan, bicameral, Restoring American Mineral Security (RAMS) Act, which would establish a Critical Minerals Security Alliance with America’s global trading partners. Senators Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NV) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) introduced companion legislation in the Senate.

Critical minerals are essential components of modern consumer and defense technologies, making control over their supply critical to the continued economic and national security of the United States. Establishing a formal Critical Minerals Security Alliance would help shore up our supply chains and ensure America is able to compete with foreign adversaries, like China and Russia, on the global stage as they flood the market with low quality minerals to artificially lower prices.

“If we don’t want to lose out to the CCP and Russia in the race to control critical minerals, we need to get serious about strengthening our supply chains,” said Rep. Panetta. “The RAMS Act confronts the underhanded tactics of our foreign adversaries head-on by creating a formal alliance to ensure we have a hand on the wheel when it comes to the critical minerals market. This is a commonsense step towards protecting our economic and national security interests.”

“The United States cannot afford to depend on foreign adversaries for critical minerals,” said Rep. Kustoff. “This legislation takes an important step to forge a strong partnership with allied countries, stop adversarial manipulation, and strengthen our U.S. national security. A reliable supply of critical minerals is essential for our economy, our military, and our long-term competitiveness.”

The RAMS Act would reinvest future tariff revenue from critical mineral imports into a fund to support U.S. and allied critical mineral projects.

Admission into the Critical Minerals Security Alliance and any changes to it would be subject to Congressional approval. Member nations would be exempt from tariffs on critical minerals and on certain products made from them. The U.S. Trade Representative would have the authority to nominate countries, which agree to do the following, to join the Alliance:

• Increase tariff rates for critical minerals from foreign countries and/or entities of concern to match U.S. Section 301 tariff rates on China;
• Take steps to address unfair trade practices of non-members, including:
  • Pushing back against countries who are attempting to hide the country of origin of minerals they are shipping,
  • Screening their investments into non-member nations,
  • Ensuring effective trade remedies are in place to guard against underpricing and illicit subsidization;
• Meet and participate in regular discussions and share information on their critical mineral extraction and processing capacity.

Read the full bill text of the RAMS Act here.

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

Monterey, CA – United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) joined the two Senators and 25 House members of the California Democratic Congressional delegation in condemning the Trump Administration’s official draft 2027-2032 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program that includes six lease proposals to drill for oil and gas off the coast of Northern, Central, and Southern California. The Administration’s plan proposes opening vast swaths of previously protected federal waters, including the California coast, to new oil and gas drilling for the first time in over 40 years.

The Trump Administration’s proposal directly targets areas former President Joe Biden withdrew from future leasing in January 2025, when he protected 625 million acres. In their letter to President Trump and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, the lawmakers stressed that this plan would undermine state laws that prohibit new offshore drilling along its 1,110-mile coastline and ban new leases for oil and gas infrastructure in state waters.

“We stand united with the overwhelming majority of Californians who fundamentally oppose any proposal that would expand offshore drilling and risk our state’s invaluable, ecologically unique coast,” wrote the lawmakers. “This proposal, coupled with ongoing efforts to reduce federal staffing and funding for agencies that protect our environment, including for safety and oil spill response, is not only dangerous but outright reckless.”

“As we have repeatedly seen in California and other parts of the country, offshore drilling is a ticking time bomb,” continued the lawmakers. “Any expansion of offshore drilling in the waters off the coast of California and the spills that would inevitably accompany it would be devastating to the communities we represent.”

The lawmakers emphasized the devastating impacts new oil and gas leasing would have on California’s environment, military readiness, and diverse coastal economy, threatening the state’s tourism, recreation, fisheries, deepwater port commerce, and defense infrastructure industries. California’s marine economy accounted for $51.3 billion in GDP and $26.7 billion in wages, and pollution off its coast would significantly damage the state’s world-leading economy, hurting the entire country.

California began efforts to block offshore drilling in 1969 when an oil rig off the coast of Santa Barbara leaked 3 million gallons of crude oil into the ocean, blanketing beaches with a thick layer of oil and killing thousands of marine mammals and birds. It was the largest oil spill in U.S. history until the Exxon Valdez spill 20 years later. In the past decade, the 2015 Refugio State Beach oil spill and the 2021 Huntington Beach oil spill have further demonstrated the immense risks of offshore drilling expansion.

In addition to Representative Panetta, the letter was also signed by Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif), Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.-11), and Representatives Jared Huffman (D-Calif-2), Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.-44), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.-26), Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.-24), Gil Cisneros (D-Calif.-31), Lou Correa (D-Calif.-46), Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.-10), Laura Friedman (D-Calif.-30), John Garamendi (D-Calif.-08), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.-37), Mike Levin (D-Calif.-49), Ted Lieu (D-Calif.-36), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.-18), Doris Matsui (D-Calif.-07), Dave Min (D-Calif.-47), Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.-15), Scott Peters (D-Calif.-50), Luz Rivas (D-Calif.-29), Brad Sherman (D-Calif.-32), Lateefah Simon (D-Calif.-12), Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.-14), Mark Takano (D-Calif.-39), Derek Tran (D-Calif.-45), and Juan Vargas (D-Calif.-52).

Rep. Panetta continues to advocate in Congress to protect the Central Coast from offshore oil and gas drilling. Following the leak of the Administration’s draft proposal in October, he joined public leaders from the Central Coast at a press conference to show their solidarity and encourage the public join their efforts against the Administration’s proposal. Rep. Panetta later joined several of his Congressional colleagues on a virtual press conference, calling on the Administration to halt their plans to drill along the California coastline. Rep Panetta convened local leaders to discuss ways to fight back against the Administration’s plans. Rep. Panetta also continues to carefully monitor Administration involvement in oil drilling off of California’s coast. In 2019 after the Trump Administration’s first attempt to open up oil drilling on the Central Coast, he authored and introduced the Central Coast of California Conservation Act to prevent new leasing for the exploration, development, or production of oil or natural gas in the Central California Planning Area, spanning the entire coastline of California’s 19th Congressional District. Rep. Panetta also led his colleagues in a multi-state effort to ban offshore oil and gas drilling along thousands of miles of U.S. coastline, citing the negative impacts of oil-related disasters and accidents on climate change and natural ecosystems.

Full text of the letter is available here and the text is below.

Dear Mr. President and Secretary Burgum:

We write in strong opposition to the Draft Proposed Program (DPP) for the 11th National Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program. We specifically want to express our strongest opposition to the inclusion of the Northern California OCS Planning Area, the Central California OCS Planning Area, and the Southern California OCS Planning Area in the DPP for oil and gas leasing disposition.

We stand united with the overwhelming majority of Californians who fundamentally oppose any proposal that would expand offshore drilling and risk our state’s invaluable, ecologically unique coast. This proposal, coupled with ongoing efforts to reduce federal staffing and funding for agencies that protect our environment, including for safety and oil spill response, is not only dangerous but outright reckless. As we have repeatedly seen in California and other parts of the country, offshore drilling is a ticking time bomb. Any expansion of offshore drilling in the waters off the coast of California and the spills that would inevitably accompany it would be devastating to the communities we represent.

In April 2025, California officially became the fourth-largest economy in the world, behind only the United States, China, and Germany in global rankings. Our economy is diverse and robust, including sectors such as tourism, recreation, fisheries, deepwater port commerce, and Department of Defense infrastructure. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), California’s marine economy alone accounted for $51.3 billion in GDP and $26.7 billion in wages in 2021. The economic well-being of these sectors is dependent upon a healthy and clean coastline. Further industrialization off our coast will inevitably pollute our beaches, spelling disaster for California’s economy and detrimentally impacting the rest of the country, which relies on California as an economic engine.

California is all too familiar with the devastating impacts of oil spills. The 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill remains the largest in our state’s history—and one of the landmark spills in U.S. history. Immediate damage to birds, intertidal organisms, beaches, and the economy was severe. That experience galvanized Californians and secured an unshakable commitment to protecting our coastline. The more recent 2015 Refugio oil spill and 2021 Huntington Beach oil spill reinforced our strong opposition to any offshore drilling expansion.

Our Congressional delegation, state leaders, and dozens of California municipalities and Tribes have expressed their opposition through resolutions or comment letters, along with state groups and citizens. The bipartisan consensus against expanded offshore drilling has been clear and consistent over five decades. This has resulted in current state laws that include a permanent ban on new offshore oil and gas drilling along California’s 1,110-mile coastline and a prohibition on new leases for oil and gas infrastructure in state waters that enable increased oil and gas production from federal waters. As stated in the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)’s Request for Information and reinforced by the comments BOEM received from our state, “As a result of Congressional moratoria, subsequent Presidential actions, and consistent opposition by the States of Washington, Oregon, and California to any activity off their coasts, the Pacific OCS has not been included in any National OCS Program since the 1987–1992 Program.”

In addition to the economic and environmental reasons for not expanding drilling off California’s coasts, our national defense would be better served by keeping additional oil rigs away from our shores. California’s waters and coastline are strategically vital, hosting a significant number of military installations, key logistics routes, and special-use airspace. Allowing oil and gas development, or the risk of spills, in areas where our servicemembers routinely operate would undermine military readiness and pose risks to national security.

For these reasons and more, we write in strong opposition to the Proposed Program (DPP) for the 11th National Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program. We specifically want to express our strongest opposition to the inclusion of the Northern California OCS Planning Area, the Central California OCS Planning Area, and the Southern California OCS Planning Area in the DPP for oil and gas leasing disposition. We appreciate your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

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

Washington, DC – United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), joined a bipartisan coalition of 35 House Members to announce ’CommonGround 2025,’ a new framework aimed at lowering health care costs and protecting access to affordable health care coverage for American families. 

“The high cost of health care is one of the biggest challenges for working families in the 19^th Congressional District,” said Rep. Panetta. “We need bipartisan solutions like CommonGround 2025 to meet the reality of the moment we are in to protect healthcare and reduce prices. Despite some of the politics on display in Washington, D.C., there are those of us in the U.S. Congress that actually are working together to provide real solutions to ensure accessible and affordable health care for working families.”

In its first year, this framework pairs necessary extension of the ePTCs with common sense reforms to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse, ensure insurance subsidies are going to those who need them, and reform pharmacy benefit managers. To ensure nobody falls through the cracks and misses the chance to sign up for insurance, it also extends the open enrollment period until March 19, 2026. Following the first year, the framework includes bipartisan priorities to address access to healthcare, including fixing the Medicare physician fee schedule, an issue Rep. Panetta has championed for years.

The framework and letter, co-led by Reps. Panetta, Gottheimer and Kiggans, were also signed by Reps. Adam Gray (CA-13), Juan Ciscomani (AZ-6), Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34), Maria Salazar (FL-27), Darren Soto (FL-9), Mike Lawler (NY-17), Jefferson Van Drew (NJ-2), Josh Riley (NY-19), Tom Kean (NJ-7), Susie Lee (NV-3), Jeff Hurd (CO-3), Jared Golden (ME-2), David Valadao (CA-22), Chris Pappas (NH-1), Ryan MacKenzie (PA-7), Ed Case (HI-1), Carlos Gimenez (FL-28), Maggie Goodlander (NH-2), Monica De La Cruz (TX-15), Sam Liccardo (CA-16), Robert Bresnahan (PA-8), Greg Landsman (OH-1), Don Bacon (NE-2), Kevin Kiley (CA-3), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Nick LaLota (NY-1), Don Davis (NC-1), Scott Peters (CA-50), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-3), Hillary Scholten (MI-3), and Tom Suozzi (NY-3). 

This legislation builds on Rep Panetta’s work to lower healthcare costs for working families in California’s 19th Congressional District, and across the country. As Americans face higher costs, fewer providers, and weaker health coverage, Rep. Panetta has championed efforts to expand access to care, reintroducing the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act, which is bipartisan legislation to offset cuts to Medicare in 2025. He is also the co-lead of the Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act, legislation that will permanently link Medicare payments to inflation, increasing the number of doctors available to see patients, and preserving access to care for CA-19 seniors. Rep. Panetta also pushed back on misguided cuts to Medicaid in the partisan tax package that the Majority pushed through in July, which is expected to cause over 19,000 people in CA-19 to lose their healthcare coverage. This past fall, he also met with some of the 8,600 people in CA-19 who are expected to lose coverage because of the expiring ePTCs and has voted repeatedly to oppose budget deals that failed to extend health coverage for his constituents.

In addition to releasing the framework, participating Members co-signed a letter calling on congressional leadership to meet with them and chart a constructive, bipartisan path forward.

Find the full CommonGround 2025 framework here. 

Find the letter to House and Senate leadership here. 

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

San Jose, CA – United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) announced the student winners of the 2025 Congressional App Challenge for California’s 19^th Congressional District. This year, 60 students from across California’s 19^th Congressional District participated in the challenge, developing 44 original apps tackling issues ranging from sustainability, education, and social justice. Student participants included middle and high school students from 18 different schools.

First place went to Saumit Pathak from Silver Creek High School for the creation of an innovative app, LeftoSense. This award highlights Saumit’s outstanding achievement in leveraging technology to create meaningful impact on their community. Saumit will also be invited to the #HouseofCode Event in Washington D.C. in the Spring of 2026 alongside other student innovators and have LeftoSense exhibited in the U.S. Capitol.

Saumit’s app, LeftoSense, is a web application that utilizes AI to determine if the food is still safe for consumption or is beginning to spoil and then directs the user to the nearest donation point through Google Maps. By addressing concerns about food safety and making it easy to donate food, LeftoSense will help communities reduce food waste, stay healthy, and give people the ability to make better food choices.

Swarasai Mulagari from Evergreen Valley High School received second place for creating the app ShineUp, which serves as a starting point for people looking for clearer, healthier skin. Bryan Hu and Jun Jiang from Valley Christian High School received third place for creating the app Billion, which uses AI  to analyze complex government websites and documents to summarize them, helping people stay informed about government actions and political developments.

The Congressional App Challenge promotes student innovation, creativity, and engagement in computer science through competition and the creation of a new digital application or “app.”

“Our country appreciates the talent, drive, and ingenuity of our students to discover new technological solutions to real-world problems,” said Rep. Panetta. “I am proud to continue to provide an outlet through the annual Congressional App Competition for students to not only test their digital skills but also to see how they can make a difference in our community. Congratulations to all the participants in the App Challenge for creating amazing apps that exemplify California’s 19^th Congressional District’s leadership in tech and deep-rooted commitment to service.”

Winning apps are eligible to be displayed in the U.S. Capitol building and featured on the House of Representatives website, www.House.gov.

Officially launched by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2015, the Congressional App Challenge is a nationwide effort that allows students to compete against their peers by creating an application or “app,” for desktop/PC, web, tablet, mobile, or other devices.  The Congressional App Challenge is open to all middle and high school students in California’s 19^th Congressional District. 

For more information on the Congressional App Challenge and how to get involved in future competitions, visit: https://www.congressionalappchallenge.us/

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (15th District of Texas)

Language from the Congressman’s amendment honoring the late Seaman Angelina Resendiz from Brownsville, Texas, was included in accompanying NDAA materials.

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

Larsen Releases Statement on Bondi Beach Shooting

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

Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries issued the following statement:

I am horrified by the terrorist attack targeting the Jewish community of Australia celebrating the first night of Hanukkah. Jews should be free to practice their faith in public without fear of the deadly acts of antisemitic hate that are rising in shocking fashion. We mourn deeply with the families of the victims, the Australian Jewish community and all our Jewish brothers and sisters throughout the world. 

It is our collective responsibility to aggressively eradicate the poison of antisemitism whenever and wherever it is found. The perpetrators of this heinous act of terrorism must be swiftly brought to justice to the fullest extent of the law. 

Today, as the Jewish community throughout America gathers with their loved ones to celebrate Hanukkah, the New York Police Department and law enforcement resources across the country must be vigorously deployed to keep everyone safe. It is my sincere hope that the story of Hanukkah and the candles that will shine on windowsills in homes around the world will bring needed light and resolve that the powerful resilience of the Jewish people that has existed for millennia will continue to endure always and forever. 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)

Building on those concerns, Congresswoman Madeleine Dean (PA-04) said, “I was glad to join my Progressive Caucus colleagues in Scranton to discuss the devastating impacts of the Big ‘Beautiful’ Bill on hardworking Pennsylvania families. Americans deserve to hear directly from their elected officials – and they deserve to hear the truth. Because of the President’s disastrous tariff policies, prices for household essentials like meat and bananas are rising. Electricity costs across the Commonwealth are up by 15%, and more than 150,000 Pennsylvanians stand to lose their healthcare because they can no longer afford their monthly premiums. While Republicans like Rep. Bresnahan continue to hide from their constituents, Democrats will continue fighting for every family – in every community – across our country.”  

Placing the local fallout in a broader national context, Congressman Jim McGovern (MA-02) said, “What I heard today in Scranton is what people all across the country are saying: those at the very top are doing better than ever, while everyone else is falling further behind. Trump and his Republican lapdogs like Representative Rob Bresnahan—who flies to work in a private helicopter—are building an A+ economy for greedy corporations and billionaires while the rest of America works more and more for less and less. Their tariffs—and their cruel cuts to programs that people rely on—are ruining people’s lives and livelihoods. While Republicans run and hide from their record, Democrats will keep showing up, fighting back, and demanding an economic system that works for everyone.”  

The event was moderated by Anthony Gratter, Regional Organizer with Affordable Pennsylvania, and also featured remarks from Krysten Xanthis, a Pennsylvania home health care aide and member of SEIU Healthcare PA, who shared how federal policy decisions are affecting workers on the front lines of care.  Audience questions focused on rising health care costs, empowering workers, the student loan debt crisis, corporate corruption, the future of AI, and the corrosive influence of money in politics.

Representatives Jayapal, McGovern, Dean, and Boyle hear from local resident about issues affecting Scranton. (Photo credit: Matt Stanley)

Local organizers stressed what is at stake for families across Northeastern Pennsylvania – particularly in districts where Republican representatives have avoided accountability. 

“Representative Rob Bresnahan keeps voting for policies that kick his constituents off their healthcare and make it harder to afford their groceries — but those constituents are starting to see through his “good guy” act. He promised not to vote to cut Medicaid, then voted to do just that multiple times. He claims he won’t do anything to make it harder for his constituents to feed their families, then he voted to slash SNAP payments,” said Alisha Hoffman-Mirilovich, Executive Director of Action Together NEPA. “He wants residents of the district to think he’s just like them, yet he’s out trading millions in stocks and buying undisclosed helicopters while his working folks are struggling to get by. The 8th district deserves better, and Action Together NEPA will keep holding him accountable and fighting for working families across our region.”  

Echoing that message, Dwayne Heisler, Campaign Director for Pennsylvanians Together in Action said, “Pennsylvania families are being squeezed while Republicans hand out tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy. Their budget law makes life more expensive—but communities across this state are pushing back. We’re fighting for a government that lowers costs, protects care, and finally puts people before corporations.” 

Emphasizing that communities outside major cities will also bear the brunt of the damage Megan Kocher, Field Manager at RuralOrganizing.org said, “Trump and Congressional Republicans like Rob Bresnahan who voted for the big ugly bill are waging a war against rural Pennsylvanians. Trump sold out his base and Bresnahan sold out his constituents, stealing a trillion dollars in food and medicine from families to hand out a trillion dollars in tax cuts to billionaires. Rural Pennsylvanians disproportionately rely on SNAP and Medicaid and we are disproportionately the ones who will go hungry and get sick, all for the benefit of billionaires who do not live in Scranton or NEPA. The Big Ugly Bill is the largest transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich, but it’s also the largest transfer of wealth from rural to urban, yet Congressman Rob Bresnahan is nowhere to be found.”   

Calling for concrete action Rachele Fortier, Executive Director of Affordable Pennsylvania added, “Across Pennsylvania, families are struggling to keep up with rising costs. We deserve representatives in Congress who will fight to make life more affordable for us. But instead, Reps. Ryan Mackenzie, Rob Bresnahan and Scott Perry have prioritized bigger tax breaks for billionaires at the expense of their constituents. It’s time for these members to step up and take meaningful action to lower costs for Pennsylvania families by signing the three year discharge petition to extend health care tax credits, standing up to tariffs, and restoring funding for SNAP and Medicare which they voted to gut this summer.”  

“Working class families across Pennsylvania are struggling to pay their monthly bills, afford healthcare, and support their families. Meanwhile, Rob Bresnahan continues to hand out further tax breaks to billionaires, ignoring and deepening the affordability crisis his constituents are facing. Workers have a right to the wealth they create for our commonwealth – it’s far past time that our elected officials start making legislative decisions that reflect this truth,” said Aya Mohamed, Political Director, Make the Road Action in Pennsylvania. PJ Jahn, a For Our Future volunteer who attended the event said, “It is a real shame that Congressman Bresnahan was not able to come here to share his thoughts on the affordability crisis. The affordability crisis impacts not only large counties but small as well where we are seeing double digit increases in grocery, rent and utilities. I wanted to thank the congressmembers that did show up and provide solutions for how we can move forward as a country.” 

“There is so much fear about where our country is going, but today was a great reminder that there’s hope to be found in one another,” said Catherine Rowland, PCAF’s Director of Government Affairs & Access. The Scranton town hall follows two previous stops with hundreds of community members in both Warren, Michigan and Glens Falls, New York who gathered with local and national leaders. Additional town halls are being planned across the country as communities demand answers from elected officials and fight for policies that put people first.

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

Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01), along with Senators Patty Murray (WA), Maria Cantwell (WA), and Representatives Rick Larsen (WA-02), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03), Dan Newhouse (WA-04), Michael Baumgartner (WA-05), Emily Randall (WA-06), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Kim Schrier (WA-08), Adam Smith (WA-09), and Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) urged President Donald Trump to approve an expedited Emergency Declaration request for the devastating storms and severe flooding hitting Washington this week.

The latest National Weather Service outlook forecasts “catastrophic” river flooding in parts of Northwest Washington, and “considerable flooding” in a wide stretch of land from Bellingham to south of Olympia. State authorities have ordered “GO NOW” evacuations for the entire 100-year floodplain of the Skagit River valley. On Wednesday, Governor Ferguson said an estimated 100,000 Washingtonians could face evacuation orders, and declared a statewide emergency alongside his request for a federal Emergency Declaration. An Emergency Declaration would supplement state, local, and Tribal responders and allow the federal government to assist with debris removal and emergency protective measures.

“We write in support of Washington state’s December 10, 2025, request for an expedited Emergency Declaration due to the devastating extreme rainfall, high winds, heavy snowfall, ice accumulation, and major coastal, river, and localized flooding caused by an extreme atmospheric river and winter weather event that struck the state beginning on December 2, 2025. We urge you to approve this request for assistance as quickly as possible,” the delegation wrote in a letter. “This storm is threatening lives, property, and livestock in every corner of Washington. The storm has had severe and widespread impacts on our transportation system, with major highways closed due to mudslides and communities cut off by rising water. The National Weather Service forecasts that more than a dozen Washington rivers will see major flooding in the coming days, leading to further and worsening impacts.”

“On the Cowlitz River, water has overtopped Highway 12, isolating the communities of Randle and Packwood. Most major routes through the Cascade Mountains connecting western Washington to the rest of the state have been closed or seen landslides and other severe impacts. In Skagit County alone, local government officials expect to issue evacuation orders for over 75,000 residents, over half of the county’s total population. The county is bracing for significant loss of life, infrastructure, and property, with a full recovery expected to take years or even decades. Some areas on the Skagit River may see floodwaters rise five feet higher than the existing record,” they continued.

“We are grateful to the local, state, Tribal, and federal officials who have quickly mobilized to respond to this storm. Our first responders and emergency personnel are working around the clock and in dangerous conditions to protect lives, provide essential services, and keep our communities safe. It is essential that the federal government steps in to provide the resources necessary to allow our state to respond to this disaster and begin the road to recovery as soon as possible,” the letter says. “An expedited Emergency Declaration is critical to help with debris removal and emergency protection measures.”

The full letter is available here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-07), Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, issued the following statement on President Trump’s executive order targeting state regulations on artificial intelligence (AI).  

“After Congress repeatedly rejected this idea on a bipartisan basis, Donald Trump has now chosen to try and force it through unilaterally. Trump’s order threatens states enacting responsible safeguards with costly, wasteful federal lawsuits and attempts to hold hostage the broadband funding Congress specifically authorized for our communities. This is illegal federal coercion, plain and simple,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “With no federal AI framework in place, states like California have stepped up with common-sense safeguards that protect the public while keeping innovation and competition strong. These measures build trust and keep people safe.”

“This order would block states from responding to real, evolving risks,” Matsui continued. “At the same time, it’s a gift to big tech—stripping away accountability when AI is becoming more powerful and deeply embedded in people’s lives. There’s a reason Congress dismissed this approach—it’s bad policy. I’ll keep pushing back against this overreach and defend states’ ability to put meaningful protections in place.”

Congresswoman Matsui has been a leading voice in the fight to protect state and local authority to regulate AI. In June, she led opposition to inserting the AI moratorium into the Big Ugly Bill. In the face of recent attempts to revive the moratorium in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), she spearheaded a letter with more than 80 of her House colleagues urging congressional leaders to reject those efforts while raising serious concerns about this looming Executive Order. 

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