MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman David Scott (GA-13)

WASHINGTON- This week, Congressman David Scott (GA-13), was joined by Reps. Mark Takano (CA-41) and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) to announce the re-introduction of the Making Advances Kinetic, Education, Research & Skills (MAKERS) Act, legislation to promote the development of a STEM-capable workforce.

“Creating the next generation of STEM leaders is paramount to our nation’s future,” stated Congressman David Scott. “The MAKERS Act will provide students with the skills needed to excel in the STEM fields by allowing them to apply a concept learned in classrooms to a project in their school’s makerspace. Utilizing hands-on equipment to develop a prototype or inventing the next new piece of technology is the spirit of makerspaces. The goal is to work together to learn, collaborate, and share these experiences. Most importantly, the MAKERS Act will allow academic institutions to facilitate the exploration, inventiveness, and skillset of their brightest students.”  

“Makerspaces represent a vital resource in the landscape of 21st-century innovation—it is critical we support funding to our community colleges and educational institutions to not only enhance their facilities with cutting-edge technology but cultivate a highly skilled STEM workforce for the future,” said Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1). “Our MAKERS Act represents a bipartisan mission to harness the innate curiosity of our students. By providing them with hands-on experiences in an environment that fosters forward-thinking creativity, we are empowering individuals from all backgrounds to develop the skills necessary to contribute to the promising world of innovation.”

“I am proud to cosponsor the MAKERS Act to ensure that all students have the training to join strategic and growing sectors in our labor market,” said Congressman Mark Takano. As a former teacher I have seen the power of coupling talent with opportunity. Connecting underserved communities with funding from the National Science Foundation will ensure that diverse and highly skilled students can be active in science and technology industries.”

The bipartisan MAKERS Act would direct the National Science Foundation to award research grants, prioritizing community colleges, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) for purchasing technologies and equipment to outfit makerspaces. Makerspaces allow students a workplace to use innovative tools, such as 3D printers, sewing machines, digital production equipment, and more to explore and create.

As technology continues to advance, investments must be made in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), particularly ensuring that students and workers of all backgrounds can be trained in these essential skills.  Unfortunately, not every institution of higher education has the resources to construct a makerspace or fund repairs and modernization courses. According to the National Science Foundation, research shows that Black and Hispanic workers are underrepresented in STEM jobs. Hispanic or Latino workers make up 18% of the U.S. workforce but represent only 14% of STEM workers. Black or African American workers make up 12% of the U.S. working population but represent only 9% of STEM workers.

The text of the bill can be found here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman David Scott (GA-13)

Congressman David Scott’s Statement on the Passing of President Jimmy Carter

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman David Scott (GA-13)

Congressman David Scott Urges President Biden to End FDIC Delays Regarding Basel III Capital Rules Proposal

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman David Scott (GA-13)

WASHINGTON- Today, Congressman David Scott (GA-13), Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee, and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (OR-1), Ranking Member of the House Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, sent a letter to House and Senate Appropriations Committee leaders urging them to provide no less than $36.5 million for the Assistance for Arts Education (AAE) program in Fiscal Year 2025.

“While Senate appropriators provided $36.5 million for AAE arts education funding, the program would receive $0 if the House bill were to become law. This is wrong and would make it virtually impossible for the Education Department to fulfill its obligation to assist school districts carry out AAE award commitments,” said Congressman David Scott. “During National Arts and Humanities Month, it is vital for Congress to provide robust funding in order to protect student access to arts education. I strongly believe participation in the arts plays a crucial role in improving academic and social-emotional skills, increasing civic engagement, and decreasing disciplinary infractions. House and Senate appropriators must guarantee an adequate FY25 AAE funding amount consistent with previous bipartisan negotiations.”

“The arts are an important part of well-rounded education,” said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. “Arts education helps students stay engaged in school, fosters creativity, inspires confidence, and benefits students regardless of what career they eventually pursue. Unfortunately, many public schools lack sufficient funding to sustain arts curriculum. I’m grateful to join my colleague Rep. Scott in calling on Congress to provide necessary federal funding so all students can experience the enhanced learning provided by arts education.”

Since 2015, the federal government has considered the arts, such as music, dance, theater, visual arts, and more, a part of a well-rounded education. Further, all 50 states plus the District of Columbia have adopted elementary and secondary arts education standards. Unfortunately, the number of students with access to arts education has shrunk in recent decades, as only 23 states provide dedicated funding for arts education or have the resources to operate a state-funded school for the arts.

To combat this decline, the Assistance for Arts Education program (AAE), the only dedicated source of federal arts education funding, increases access to arts education for all students, including students with disabilities and those from historically disadvantaged communities, and provides professional development for educators. Under the House Appropriations proposal, AAE would receive $0 in funding. Additionally, the letter urges appropriators to remove harmful language stating that the Department of Education must only provide funding for reading, writing, and math. Congress must pass an FY25 funding bill that protects access to arts education for students by funding AAE and striking this harmful language.

The text of the letter can be found HERE.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ed Case (Hawai‘i – District 1)

(Washington, DC) — U.S. Representative Ed Case (Hawai‘i-First District) this morning appeared on C-SPAN’s nationally-televised program, Washington Journal.

The live half-hour show features a single member of Congress addressing questions from the host, followed by direct questions from the viewing audience across the country alternating among Republicans, Democrats and independents. 

 Case covered a range of topics, including:

·        “Clearly classified information” that should not have been disclosed in a group chat among the highest-ranking administration officials leading up to, during and after the recent bombing mission in Yemen;

·        The budget and tax measure under consideration in Congress as “not reflecting the values” of most Americans; and,

·        “The biggest missing piece” in government today, being a Congress that is not providing effective oversight and a check and balance on Presidential actions.

 Case also addressed viewer questions including:

·        Protecting Medicare and Social Security;

·        Widespread public disapproval of Congress and both political parties;

·        His bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus’ focus on finding solutions to everyday American concerns;

·        The urgent need to address our federal deficit and debt crisis;

·        The “Department of Government Efficiency’s” efforts to destroy rather than improve large and critical parts of the federal government; and,

·        His continuing efforts to protect our oceans including our coral reefs.

 The entirety of the show can be viewed here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) delivered remarks at a press conference hosted by Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Congressman Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10) to announce the introduction of the Congressional Oversight to Secure Transparency (COST) of Relocations Act. Below is a full transcript of his remarks:
 

Click here for a full video of his remarks.
 

“I’m here with my colleagues, and I want to say to you [that] Congress after Congress, after administration, after administration have decided the way you can make government more efficient is to make sure that there is a center core of administration of our government services. And by the way, large businesses have decided the same thing for efficiency’s sake. Now, of course, they want to disperse government all around the country. They should know [that] government is dispersed all over the country, but what do they want to do with dispersed offices, like Social Security offices, which serve people in their communities? They want to shut them down. They want to eliminate them. So, they are at cross purposes with themselves.

“Like much of the Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and DOGE – which is a fancy name – have done these past few months have pledged – to move a hundred thousand people out of Washington, federal workers out of the Capital Region – [this] is not about efficiency. My colleague – my two colleagues – have mentioned Mick Mulvaney, a former Member of the U.S. House of Representatives and OMB Director, who said it clearly: ‘It was one of the best ways to reduce numbers’. Not disperse them so that they can serve the American people, just get rid of them. Rather, it’s part of a plan that Trump’s OMB Director Russell Vought described just over a year ago. Now he’s been quoted by Senator Van Hollen but let me give you the full quote that he said in a private meeting – in a non-transparent meeting. He said, ‘We want the bureaucrats,’ used as an epithet, not a descriptor, ‘to be traumatically affected.’ Senator Van Hollen made that part of the quote, but here’s what he went on to say in that private meeting: ‘When they wake up in the morning. We want them not to want to go to work because they are increasingly viewed as villains.’ That, ladies and gentlemen, is the secret but so apparent objective of their acts. Vought went on to say, ‘We want their funding to be shut down. We want to put them,’ as Suhas said, ‘in trauma.’ Well, they’re accomplishing that objective. And so, in the pursuit of efficiency, what they’ve done is [now] every federal employee is now so worried about their own job, they’re not looking at the job we want them to do. And we are getting thousands of calls from people who they have successfully traumatized. They want to force federal workers to uproot their lives, to take their children out of school to sell their homes, to break their leases, all with little or no advanced notice.

“The administration wants to isolate workers and agencies to make it harder for them to coordinate and fulfill their mission under law. Doing so makes our government less, not more, efficient. This administration claims these locations will cut down on costs. This legislation will require them to prove that when they’re traumatizing and making people move. Now the reality is they won’t move. The reality is we will lose hundreds of years of experience, hundreds of years of people who have dedicated their lives to serving the American people. This bill requires them to do so. And this requires them to do the math to show us that that’s what in fact they’re doing. Everyone standing here, every one of my colleagues wants to get rid of fraud, waste, and abuse. Is that a worthy objective? Absolutely. But that rhetoric is a cover for an agenda that is perverse and contrary to the interests of the United States of America. If our colleagues across the aisle genuinely share that objective, they’ll support this bill. And I thank my colleagues for introducing [and] fighting for it, and I invite every Republican to join us in this effort for cost effectiveness in the federal government.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jason Crow (CO-06)

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jason Crow (CO-06), member of the House Armed Services Committee and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement calling on Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to resign following reports that he shared classified war plans in an unsecured Signal channel, including specific dates, times, and weapons in advance of military strikes:

In a statement, Congressman Crow said:

“I’ve long said that Pete Hegseth is not qualified to be Defense Secretary. After just weeks in office, he’s shown the American people that he’s not up to the job. Secretary Hegseth sent top secret and classified war plans via an unsecured text chain. This carelessness with classified information endangered the lives of American pilots and servicemembers serving overseas. The Defense Secretary’s actions were reckless and he should resign.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jason Crow (CO-06)

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jason Crow was profiled by The New York Times Opinion writer Michelle Cottle in her latest piece, “How Can Democrats Win Back Power? Listen to Jason Crow.” The article highlights Congressman Crow’s next generation style of leadership and how the Democratic Party can begin to win back the trust of voters, particularly in red and rural areas. 

“You have to show a genuine interest in people, and you have to be curious about them,” Congressman Crow told Cottle. “You just can’t come right in and start a policy discussion and start beating people over the heads with your policy prescriptions. That’s not the way you build trust — you know, start waving around our 21-point plans. You’ll immediately be shut out. You have to sit down and ask about people’s lives.”

Cottle also spoke to several leading Democrats about Congressman Crow’s leadership.

“Congressman Crow is an excellent messenger on national security and how we govern from the center,” Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-11) told Cottle.

“Jason gets it,”  Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14) shared. “He understands almost better than anyone what it means to actually genuinely represent the full breadth of the Democratic coalition.”

“He’s exactly what we need,” James Carville shared. “He’s not coastal. He went to a state school. 75th Ranger battalion. Effective. Articulate. Honestly, what’s there not to like?”’

“He can translate his message to a conservative audience without sacrificing his values,” said Colorado Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib.

Other highlights from the piece, include: 

“Nothing conveys independence and builds trust quite like a politician standing up to his own leadership, and here Mr. Crow is a standout,” Cottle wrote.

“While stressing that there are ‘so many great Democrats winning in tough areas,’ Mr. Crow has thoughts about how to revamp the brand. ‘We need to stop defending government and instead go back to our roots of government reform,’ he told me,” Cottle wrote.

“But Mr. Crow also grew up hunting ‘everything that flies or walks or runs through the woods,’ and he recognizes the importance of hunting in many people’s lives. ‘For us to ignore that and to write that off or to malign it — and for some Democrats it’s literally not to know what the hell they’re talking about,’ he said, ‘is unforgivable,’” Cottle wrote.

“‘You need to have the right people of integrity, servant leaders who understand their communities, who are respected by their communities, deliver that message,’ he ventured. ‘I look to prior service. What is that person done with their life before politics? Have they built the business? Have they serve in the military or Peace Corps?’” Mr. Crow said.

“And his main piece of advice for any candidate is a simple one: Be authentic. ‘People will know if you’re bull-shitting them,’ he warned,” Cottle wrote.

“There is no quick or easy road out of the wilderness for Democrats,’ Mr. Crow said. ‘The secret is, there is no secret.’ You just have to rebuild trust one voter at a time. ‘That’s done through individual leadership, through town halls, through engagement,’ he said. ‘By showing up.’”

Congressman Crow grew up working class – he enlisted in the National Guard and worked construction to help pay his way through college. After graduating, Crow joined the active duty Army and served in the Army’s storied 82nd Airborne Division and in the elite 75th Ranger Regiment, deploying to both Iraq and Afghanistan. After his service, he continued to look for ways to serve his country, eventually becoming the first Democrat to ever represent Colorado’s 6th Congressional District. Now in his 4th term, Crow is focused on delivering servant leadership for Colorado and our country.

You can read the full profile here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jason Crow (CO-06)

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jason Crow (CO-06), a veteran and member of the House Armed services Committee, introduced the Access to Reproductive Care for Servicemembers Act to ensure servicemembers and military families continue to have access to abortion and in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments regardless where they are stationed, including states with extreme abortion bans. 

Currently, nearly 50% of service members are stationed in a state with extremely limited or no access to abortion. Congressman Crow’s bill would require the Department of Defense (DoD) to allow service members to take leave and reimburse travel costs to receive reproductive health care treatment. His bill also comes after Secretary Pete Hegseth restricted servicemembers from traveling for abortion care and IVF treatments.

“Restricting access to health care, including fertility treatments and abortion care is wrong and undermines our military’s recruitment, readiness, and retention,” said Congressman Crow. “I’ve introduced this important bill to protect access to abortion and IVF treatments for women in the military.” 

Congresswomen Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), Veronica Escobar (TX-16), and Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) joined Congressman Crow in introducing this legislation.

“We ask our servicewomen to put their lives on the line to protect our country from threats across the globe — they should never have to risk their lives or their health to access abortion care here in the United States. That’s why I am reintroducing my legislation to ensure that our servicewomen have the freedom to choose if and when to start a family, and can travel to  receive reproductive care — whether that’s abortion or IVF. Right now, it’s more important than ever that we take swift action to support those who sign up to serve. Secretary Hegseth has been clear about his belief that women should not be serving in combat — and he took quick action to overturn access to reproductive care for servicewomen shortly after being confirmed. Now, he’s working to undercut our military’s strength by firing our nation’s top military officials — including the first woman to lead the U.S. Navy. This issue is deeply personal to me, having served in the Navy. I will always fight to ensure that our servicewomen and military family members have access to basic reproductive care,” said Rep. Sherrill.

“My home state of Texas has been ground zero for the Republicans’ assault on reproductive freedom,” said Rep. Escobar. “Texas is also home to over a dozen military bases, including Fort Bliss, which I have the honor of representing in Congress. Amidst a challenging recruiting environment, I believe it is more important than ever to ensure Congress protects the rights of our military women and families to access the reproductive care they need, regardless of where they serve. I am proud to co-lead the Access to Reproductive Care for Servicemembers Act, which does just that. Members of our military are trusted to protect our freedoms; it is only right we protect theirs.”  

“As two of the very small number of women in Congress who have served in uniform, Rep. Sherrill and I are proud to stand shoulder to shoulder alongside fellow veteran Rep. Crow and our colleague Rep. Escobar to fight against extreme anti-abortion efforts. It’s outrageous that some of my colleagues believe they can make better decisions about a service member’s reproductive care than the service members themselves,” said Rep. Houlahan. “It is our responsibility to protect the health and safety of those serving our nation, and reimbursing expenses incurred while seeking vital reproductive services is part of that responsibility. We must codify this policy to show our all-volunteer force and their families that we respect their service and will do whatever we can to make health care safe and accessible.” 

The legislation is supported by the Reproductive Freedom Caucus, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Center for Reproductive Rights, The Guttmacher Institute, Ibis Reproductive Health, Modern Military Association of America, National Council of Jewish Women, National Partnership for Women & Families, National Women’s Law Center, Physicians for Reproductive Health, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Power to Decide, and Reproductive Freedom for All.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jason Crow (CO-06)

Crow, Boebert Work Together to Reduce Bureaucracy, Better Support Servicemembers, Position Colorado as Leader