MIL USHOR-2b Engine

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

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology is holding a Full Committee Markup of H.R. 9341, AI-Ready Federal Data Guidelines Act, H.R. 9363, AI Security and Innovation Act, H.R. 2385, CREATE AI Act, H.R. 5351, NSF AI Education Act of 2025, H.R. 5584, LIFT AI Act, H.R. 6461, READ AI Models Act, H.R. 8893, Protecting Consumers from Deceptive AI Act, H.R. 9333, AI Flaw Reporting and Security Enhancement Act, H.R. 9334, Workforce for AI Trust Act, H.R. 9372, Data Infrastructure Energy Measurement and Standards Act.

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

Thank you, Chairman Babin. We have many bills to get through so I will be brief. The pieces of legislation before us are focused on the challenges and opportunities presented by the widespread adoption of Artificial Intelligence technology. This Committee as well as last Congress’s Bipartisan AI Taskforce have explored in depth both the challenges and opportunities associated with AI. These bills thoughtfully recognize and address the nuance and complexity around these issues.

The first bill on the roster is the AI Ready Data Guidance Act introduced by Chairman Babin, whom I joined as Co-sponsor. I will speak on this bill when it is called up shortly.

The next bill on the roster is the AI Security and Innovation Act, introduced by Representatives Obernolte, Foushee, and Chairman Babin. This critical legislation would statutorily establish the Center for AI Security and Innovation, a bipartisan initiative to measure risks of advanced AI systems, support information exchange, and support AI research and evaluation.

The next bill on the roster is the “CREATE AI Act,” which was originally introduced by my friend and former colleague from California, Ms. Eshoo, but now is sponsored by another Californian – Mr. Obernolte. This bill was ready for the finish line last congress, and I am looking forward to finally moving the National AI Initiative beyond its pilot phase and into full programmatic implementation with the passage of this bill.

Then we will consider the NSF Artificial Intelligence Education Act, sponsored by Mr. Fong and Ms. Salinas. This bill directs NSF to create and maintain AI learning initiatives and workforce training programs, including opportunities for students pursuing a focus in AI education. It will also serve to fund the National AI Initiative.

Moving on to the Literacy in Future Technologies Act, or the “LIFT” Act, brought to us by Mr. Kean and Mr. Amo. This bill authorizes NSF to create AI educational tools, curricula, and teacher development opportunities for grades K through 12.

Ms. McBride and Mr. Obernolte introduced our next bill, the READ AI Models Act. There is wide variation in how AI models are documented, which can present challenges to consumers when they seek to make comparisons. This bill will direct NIST to develop guidance that will help businesses overcome these challenges.

The next bill on the roster is the Protecting Consumers from Deceptive AI Act. This bill will create taskforces that will lead to the development of standards that counter malicious uses of generative AI that have been used to defraud people. I thank Representative Foushee and Delegate Moylan for their thoughtful legislation.

We will then consider the AI Flaw Incident Reporting and Security Enhancement Act sponsored by Ms. Ross and Mr. Hurd. NIST currently addresses cybersecurity vulnerabilities through its operation of the National Vulnerability Database. This bill requires NIST to develop a similar database for AI flaws that present both security and safety risks.

Next is my bill, the Workforce for AI Trust Act, which is cosponsored by Chairman Lucas. I will speak more on this bill when it is called up for consideration.

Lastly, we have Mr. Subramanyam’s Data Infrastructure Energy Measurement and Standards Act. The growth of AI has accelerated the demand for data centers to handle computing. We know these data centers consume vast quantities of water and energy. But there is a significant need for new metrics to understand how data centers are using these precious resources and therefore how to design and build them more efficiently. We are in the middle of an affordability crisis, so this legislation directs the NIST and DOE, to develop best practices and technical standards for measuring data center energy and water use.

These are all smart and essential bills that reflect the bipartisan, future-looking nature of this committee. I thank all of the sponsors of these bills. I appreciate your hard work and collaboration. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA)

In a 6-3 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a major victory for gun rights. A Hawaii state law originally put unconstitutional restrictions on concealed carry gun owners. This ruling comes as Virginia begins to enforce a new state law effective July 1, 2026, which makes it a crime for any person to import, sell, manufacture, purchase or transfer an “assault firearm.” 

In response to the SCOTUS ruling and Governor Abigail Spanberger’s gun grab, U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement:

“Second Amendment rights are fundamental to rural communities in Virginia’s Ninth District and throughout the country. What this ruling from today means is that States which disrespect our fundamental Second Amendment rights risk having their unconstitutional laws struck down by our country’s highest Court. 

“Governor Spanberger is on notice. Her illegal gun grab faces legitimate challenges in the courts.

“While I bought my AR before the July 1 ban goes into effect, I believe Spanberger’s unconstitutional action will be overturned.”

BACKGROUND

Congressman Griffith is a co-sponsor of H.R. 645, the National Constitutional Carry Act. The bill allows lawful U.S. gun owners to carry a firearm in any U.S. community, regardless of local or State law.

Congressman Griffith’s recent e-newsletter on his support for Second Amendment rights can be found here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO-02)

Wagner’s Financial Exploitation Prevention Act now awaits a vote in the U.S. Senate

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bill Foster (11th District of Illinois)

Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL-11) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced the Investor Choice Act, legislation to prohibit pre-dispute mandatory, or “forced,” arbitration agreements and preserve customers’ ability to bring or join class action lawsuits in certain financial sectors.

“Individuals shouldn’t need to surrender their legal rights because they choose to work with a financial advisor or broker-dealer to plan for their retirement and invest their hard-earned money,” said Congressman Foster. “This legislation levels the playing field for consumers and prevents them from being victims of a rigged system that denies them fair legal recourse if they are wronged. I’m proud to work with Senator Merkley on this important legislation for American consumers.”

“Every consumer deserves a fair chance to seek justice when they have been wronged by an investment professional,” said Senator Merkley. “Too often, the arbitration system is stacked against consumers—allowing financial firms to select the arbitrators who decide cases, pay them, and keep them in line for future work. That is not a fair process, and we need legislation like the Investor Choice Act to put consumers back on equal footing.”

The legislation is endorsed by Americans for Financial Reform, the North American Securities Administrators Association, the Public Investor Advocate Bar Association, and Public Citizen.

The Investor Choice Act is cosponsored by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Jack Reed (D-RI) and Representative Nydia Velázquez (D-NY-07).

A copy of the bill can be found here. 

 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman David G Valadao (CA-21)

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman David Valadao (CA-22) joined Reps. Vince Fong (CA-20), Jay Obernolte (CA-23), and members of the California delegation in sending a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom and California State Medicaid Director Tyler Sadwith expressing concerns about the state’s revised health care tax, which would raise healthcare costs for millions of Californians already struggling with the rising costs of healthcare.

“I’m deeply concerned by the Newsom Administration’s decision to dramatically increase taxes on health plans serving working families, employees, and employers across California,” said Congressman Valadao. “For years, the state has relied on Managed Care Organization (MCO) tax revenue to help offset broader budget obligations rather than directing those resources toward strengthening Medi-Cal and improving access to care. Now, instead of pursuing a budget solution that makes healthcare more affordable, Sacramento is ready to shift additional costs onto hardworking Californians to help balance the Newsom Administration’s reckless spending. I’m proud to join my California colleagues in demanding answers from Governor Newsom and pushing for a path forward that lowers costs for families rather than making healthcare more expensive.”

The letter comes in response to the recent passage of the State of California’s Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Budget, which restructures the Managed Care Organization (MCO) tax to shift additional costs onto commercial health plans and the enrollees they cover, rather than scaling the tax rate to the lower commercial rate or utilizing General Fund obligations.

“Before the implementation of H.R. 1, California’s MCO tax rates were set at $274 per member, per month for Medicaid, while commercial member months were taxed at $1.75 per member, per month,” the letter states. “The current California tax proposal would impose a per-enrollee tax of $8.85 per month on commercial health plans, Medicaid plans, and Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace plans. This proposal would place an additional financial burden on working families, employees, and employers who rely on commercial health insurance.”

Federal law requires California to impose a uniform MCO tax on both commercial and Medi-Cal plans. However, taxes on Medi-Cal and Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace plans are absorbed by the federal government, meaning individuals on commercial plans will bear the brunt of this change. Additionally, in November 2024, California voters approved Proposition 35, which required that all MCO tax revenue be used to strengthen healthcare and set a $2.50 per month limit on taxes for commercial plans to protect Californians from drastic premium increases like the ones proposed in the FY26-27 Budget.

“The California Legislative Analyst’s Office has warned that commercial insurers will “likely recover at least some of this cost by increasing premiums on consumers, potentially increasing health care costs for working families by hundreds of dollars each year,” the letter continues.  

“Our constituents deserve transparency about how this policy will affect their pocketbooks and whether it honors the commitments made to voters at the ballot box. We look forward to your prompt response. We urge the state to pursue a budget solution that does not increase health care costs for Californians, who are already struggling with California’s high cost of living,” the letter concludes.

Congressman Vince Fong (CA-20)

Congressman Jay Obernolte (CA-23)

Congressman James Gallagher (CA-01)

Congressman Kevin Kiley (CA-03)

Congressman Tom McClintock (CA-05)

Congresswoman Young Kim (CA-40)

Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-41)

Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-48)

Read the full text of the letter here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23)

“I am heartbroken and infuriated by the Supreme Court’s despicable decision on TPS for Haitians and Syrians.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Earl L Buddy Carter (GA-01)

Headline: Carter urges American Medical Association to reverse harmful maternal health billing policy

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) today sent a letter to the American Medical Association (AMA) calling on it to revoke a recent change to the way maternity services are billed that will impact health care affordability for mothers and babies.

The letter surrounds AMA replacing the bundled maternity care Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) framework with a system of individually billable services beginning January 1, 2027, despite concerns regarding affordability, care coordination, administrative burden, wasteful spending, and harmful effects on value-based care. 

In the letter, Rep. Carter writes, “This is not a routine coding update. It is a fundamental restructuring of how maternity care is reimbursed throughout the American healthcare system.” 

Rep. Carter continues, “At its core, unbundling maternity care is inflationary. For decades, policymakers, providers, health plans, employers, and patient advocates have worked to move healthcare away from fragmented fee-for-service reimbursement and toward coordinated, value-based models that reward outcomes rather than volume. The existing global maternity codes reflect those principles by encouraging comprehensive management of pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum care under a single bundled framework. I strongly urge the AMA to reconsider this misguided policy before it takes effect.”

Read the full letter here.

BACKGROUND

The longstanding bundled maternity care CPT framework allows reimbursement for pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum care under a coordinated global payment model. This approach promotes care coordination, simplifies billing, supports value-based care, and helps protect patients from unnecessary costs and administrative complexity.

The American Medical Association’s new policy would replace that bundled framework with a fragmented system of individually billable maternity services beginning January 1, 2027. Unbundling maternity care would increase health care costs, create incentives for unnecessary visits and services, add administrative burdens for providers and health plans, and move the health care system away from coordinated, patient-centered care.

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

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Riley M. Moore applauded the House Appropriations Committee for successfully advancing all 12 Fiscal Year 2027 appropriations bills through both the subcommittee and full committee process, marking a major step toward restoring regular order and fulfilling Congress’s constitutional responsibility to fund the federal government.

As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, Moore highlighted the committee’s work to strengthen national security, support American energy production, rein in wasteful spending, and advance President Trump’s America First agenda while delivering responsible funding solutions for the American people.

Throughout the Fiscal Year 2027 appropriations process, House Republicans have focused on reducing unnecessary federal spending, increasing oversight and accountability, supporting law enforcement and border security, strengthening America’s military, and promoting economic growth through energy dominance and regulatory reform.

The completion of committee action on all 12 appropriations bills represents a significant milestone in the effort to return Congress to a transparent and orderly budgeting process. The House is continuing its work this week to advance funding legislation and ensure government operations remain focused on serving the American people.

Congressman Moore remains committed to working with his colleagues on the Appropriations Committee to deliver fiscally responsible funding measures that prioritize national security, economic prosperity, and the interests of West Virginia families.

Congressman Riley M. Moore released the following statement:

“I want to commend Chairman Cole and every member of the House Appropriations Committee for the tremendous work that went into advancing all 12 FY-27 appropriations bills out of committee. Completing our work on schedule is a testament to the Chairman’s leadership. His dedication to responsible governance and delivering results for the American people is truly unmatched. These bills strengthen our national security, support American energy dominance, rein in wasteful spending, and advance President Trump’s America First agenda. I’m proud of what we have accomplished together, and I am grateful for Chairman Cole’s steadfast leadership.”

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

The $1,072,210,299,000 military budget is the most expensive ever, while the Trump administration requests even more funding

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA-03)

Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee, was joined by Representatives Jamie Raskin (MD-08) and Suzan DelBene (WA-01) in leading 125 members of Congress demanding that the Trump Administration stop a proposed rule change to the traditionally nonpartisan federal grantmaking process. The letter, written to White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought, demonstrated how the administration’s proposed changes will impede critical health research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and at research institutions across the country. 
“We write in opposition to the Office of Management and Budget’s disastrous and likely unlawful proposed rule that would devastate American health care innovation for generations,” the lawmakers wrote. “…This alarming change would convert our venerable gran review process into a political obstacle course and insider’s game, irreparably damaging our nation’s leading health research institutions, including the National Institutes of Health and its grantees across the country.” 
Since the end of World War II, NIH has relied on qualified peer reviewers and nonpolitical expert evaluators to determine which health care research puts Americans’ tax dollars to best use. This thorough, nonpolitical process has set the global standard for high-quality grant review and propelled U.S. institutions like the NIH and its grantees to the forefront of scientific innovation, discovery and research. 
New proposed rule changes from OMB will give partisan political appointees final say over grant decisions and sideline the longstanding and trusted peer review process. Undoing the peer review process in favor of political grantmaking will delay and disrupt health care research that millions of Americans depend on. 
“OMB’s guidance would provide little recourse to people subject to political retribution,” the lawmakers continued. “President Trump’s sacking of thousands of NIH researchers and scientists has led to severe understaffing and grant approval delays at NIH. This rule change would make an already problematic situation disastrous.” 
A copy of the letter sent today can be accessed HERE.
Additional signers of the letter include Representatives Mark Pocan, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Sharice L. Davids, Adriano Espaillat, Maxine Waters, Suhas Subramanyam, Nancy Pelosi, Bennie G. Thompson, Mike Quigley, Danny K. Davis, Mark DeSaulnier, Mary Gay Scanlon, Janelle S. Bynum, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Sylvia R. Garcia, William R. Keating, Madeleine Dean, Steny H. Hoyer, Nanette Diaz Barragán, Becca Balint, Seth Moulton, April McClain Delaney, Rashida Tlaib, Steve Cohen, Steven Horsford, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Sarah Elfreth, Adam Smith, Pete Aguilar, Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr., Pablo José Hernández, Chris Deluzio, Jonathan L. Jackson, Joyce Beatty, Richard E. Neal, Stephen F. Lynch, James R. Walkinshaw, André Carson, Jimmy Panetta, Shontel M. Brown, Gwen S. Moore, Christian D. Menefee, Yassamin Ansari, Timothy M. Kennedy, Brad Sherman, Ted W. Lieu, Adelita S. Grijalva, Andrea Salinas, Maxine Dexter, M.D., Haley M. Stevens, John B. Larson, Valerie P. Foushee, Donald S. Beyer Jr., Mike Levin, Lateefah Simon, Analilia Mejia, Kathy Castor, Jennifer L. McClellan, Jan Schakowsky, Paul D. Tonko, Robin L. Kelly, Eric Sorensen, Judy Chu, Johnny Olszewski, Jr., Greg Stanton, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ro Khanna, Deborah K. Ross, Emanuel Cleaver II, Glenn F. Ivey, Nellie Pou, Juan Vargas, Joaquin Castro, Frederica S. Wilson, Chellie Pingree, Gabe Amo, Mark Takano, Derek T. Tran, Shri Thanedar, J. Luis Correa, John Garamendi, Angie Craig, Kweisi Mfume, Julia Brownley, Zoe Lofgren, Seth Magaziner, Debbie Dingell, Sarah McBride, Sean Casten, Grace Meng, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ayanna Pressley, Wesley Bell, Jasmine Crockett, Melanie Stansbury, Sam T. Liccardo, Kelly Morrison, Jesús G. “Chuy” García, Maggie Goodlander, Salud Carbajal, Chrissy Houlahan, Troy A. Carter, Sr., Shomari Figures, Dina Titus, Rick Larsen, Terri A. Sewell, Bill Foster, Julie Johnson, Jake Auchincloss, Mike Thompson, Jared Huffman, Delia C. Ramirez, Lizzie Fletcher, Rosa L. DeLauro, Brittany Pettersen, Bradley Scott Schneider, Emily Randall, Jim Himes, Pramila Jayapal, Jahana Hayes, Lois Frankel, and Dwight Evans. 
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