MIL USHOR-2b Engine

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

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), and Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) to tout the first 365 days of President Trump’s presidency, highlighting his wins in energy production, peace around the world, lower costs, and economic growth. After four years of Joe Biden’s failures, Leader Scalise emphasized that, together, President Trump and this Republican Congress are getting our country back on track.

Click here or the image above to view Leader Scalise’s full remarks. 
Highlights from Leader Scalise’s remarks:On the damage created by Joe Biden:“After we celebrated one year, President Trump back in office, it is exciting to say, America is coming back, and you can see the signs all around us. All of the indicators that for four years under Joe Biden, Democrats seem to want to quickly forget. Democrats never talked for a day while for four years, your gas prices soared. Democrats never said a word about it when for four years under Joe Biden, inflation skyrocketed. Democrats never said a word when four years under Joe Biden, you saw interest rates going through the roof, where it finally prevented people from even buying a first-time home.“…Then, of course, the open border, millions of people coming into our country illegally, including violent criminals. What did Democrats do? They looked the other way, never said a word about it.Laken Riley Act, we had to tell Joe Biden who Laken Riley was because he wanted to ignore the fact that real people were dying here in America because illegals who were coming in that were violent, hardened criminals were harming our citizens, and they did nothing about it.“Then Donald Trump ran for President. Donald Trump said, ‘I will fix these things.’ The American people listened. While the Democrats just wake up every day wanting to resist, wanting to block the Trump agenda, and that’s all they care about, Donald Trump has been delivering on those promises, and the American people appreciate it.”On President Trump’s successes thus far:“Families now today have thousands of dollars more in their pockets because they’re paying 50% less for gasoline. That’s right. When you go to the pump today, you don’t have the sticker shock you did under four years of Joe Biden because you’re paying dramatically less. Some people in the twos, three dollars a gallon or less. It’s because President Trump opened up American energy. In fact, lease [permits] are up 55%. Joe Biden had shut down American energy production, making us dependent on foreign nations.“…Iran no longer has the pathway to a nuclear weapon because President Trump is restoring peace around the world. We’ve worked with President Trump to rebuild a strong military, to stand up to the bad guys. Sadly, there are still bad guys around the world. Go look at China, go look at Russia, go look at Iran. Our friends appreciate that. All of our allies around the world, the President is at Davos right now, making the case for why it’s so important for America to finally be back on the world stage, where we can protect our allies.“If you look at interest rates, finally coming down. We want to keep that progress, by the way. We say let’s keep going, because Biden did so much damage that even though it’s down, it’s not down to pre-Biden levels, but it’s finally heading in the right direction. Inflation, because we’ve gotten control over spending, inflation is finally coming down again. Investment into America. People actually want to build things and create jobs in America again. $18 trillion of investment has been announced in the last year of plants, big manufacturing facilities coming back to America. That’s only the first year of President Trump working with a Republican Congress, delivering for the American people. That’s what it looks like.”On House Republicans lowering government spending:“We’re bringing more bills to continue to get this country back on track. Four more appropriations bills, which will mean all 12. All 12 of the bills fund the government and set new priorities, and oh, by the way, lower spending. You used to wonder under Biden, how much more is government going to spend than they did the year before? This year, we’ll actually be spending less than the year before. So controlling spending while getting the country back on track.”

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

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representatives Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08), and Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) introduced the Capping Costs for Consumers Act, legislation aimed at lowering out-of-pocket costs amid continued Republican inaction on extending critical tax credits that lower healthcare costs. 

“As a doctor, I’ve seen patients delay or completely forgo doctor’s visits because of the cost—whether that’s a high deductible before coverage kicks in or an expensive co-pay for an office visit,” said Representative Schrier, M.D. “This can have devastating consequences and cause small medical issues to become much more serious and costly. At a time when millions of Americans are struggling to afford skyrocketing healthcare costs, it’s vital that we do all we can to make healthcare more affordable. The Capping Costs for Consumers Act will bring down the cost of care for millions of Americans to make sure they can access the care they need, when they need it.”

Studies show that deductibles and out-of-pocket costs deter people from seeing their primary care provider or sometimes even enrolling in a health plan. The Capping Costs for Consumers Act will reduce costs for people enrolled in federal marketplace plans by increasing the value of cost-sharing reduction (CSR) assistance and expanding eligibility. Specifically, this legislation will lower deductibles and co-pays on a sliding scale, based on income, so patients won’t avoid going to the doctor because of out-of-pocket costs.

This legislation comes as provisions passed in the American Rescue Plan that cap premiums at no more than 8.5% of family income have recently expired. The loss of these tax credits has caused premiums to skyrocket for millions of Americans by hundreds and even thousands of dollars per month. Congresswoman Schrier voted earlier this month to extend these critical tax credits for three years. However, the legislation has been stalled by Republicans in the United States Senate.

“Families shouldn’t have to make impossible choices between paying for a doctor’s visit or covering their rent. With Republicans’ refusal to extend critical ACA tax credits, Democrats are stepping up with real solutions to slash out-of-pocket expenses,” said Representative Budzinski. “I am proud to lead this effort alongside Rep. Schrier to protect patient access and bring down costs. It is time to deliver on our promise to the millions of Americans who are counting on us to make healthcare affordable.”

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

Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D, MN-04) issued the following statement on Wednesday following the passage of H.J. Res. 140, which would expose the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness watershed to toxic acid mine drainage:

“The Boundary Waters Canoe Area is our nation’s most-visited wilderness area, and its headwaters should be protected from toxic sulfide-ore mining. Instead of protecting this national treasure, the House Republican majority today voted to put one of the largest reserves of freshwater in the world directly in the path of inevitable acid mine drainage. One hundred percent of copper mines have failed, leading to polluted waters.

“Antofagasta/Twin Metals, a Chilean mining company, has been lobbying to remove the protections from this watershed and renew their mine plans to extract American minerals. They have contracts to ship the ore they extract to China to be smelted and sold on the global market. This resolution does nothing to help bolster our domestic supply of critical minerals. 

“This bill now goes to the Senate. Should the Senate Republican majority take up and pass this resolution, it will overturn protections that are rooted in scientific evidence and strong public support.

“This fight is not over. I will continue to fight to stop this resolution and to pass the Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act, my legislation to permanently protect the BWCA.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Danny K Davis (7th District of Illinois)

REP. DAVIS AND ILLINOIS DEMOCRATS DEMAND THAT TRUMP ADMINISTRATION COMPLY WITH FEDERAL LAW AND RELEASE $1 BILLION IN CHILD CARE AND SERVICES FUNDING

 

     Washington, DC: Representative Danny K. Davis, Senator Dick Durbin, Senator Tammy Duckworth, and Representatives Jan Schakowsky, Mike Quigley, Bill Foster, Robin Kelly, Bradley Schneider, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Sean Casten, Chuy García, Lauren Underwood, Nikki Budzinski, Jonathan Jackson, Delia Ramirez, and Eric Sorenson sent a letter to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Assistant Secretary of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) demanding that they comply with the law and immediately release the $1 billion in frozen federal funding for essential services that support hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans served by the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG). 

 

“As the senior Democrat on the House Subcommittee with jurisdiction over child care, welfare, and social services funding, I know that HHS has no statutory or constitutional authority to prevent states from accessing these funds,” said Davis. “The statutes governing these funds outline clear, specific processes for how to identify and sanction noncompliance, and the Administration followed none of them.  I strongly support the Illinois lawsuit against ACF and HHS because it is fundamental to preventing the harm to children, families, the elderly, people with disabilities, community organizations, and businesses that will occur without the court’s temporary restraining order.” 

 

      The lawmakers wrote, “Under federal law, the State of Illinois is entitled to receive TANF, SSBG, and CCDF funding, and your letter provided no evidence of any failure on the part of the state.  If HHS does have concerns, federal law provides a specific process in each program for it to bring concerns to the state’s attention and give the state an opportunity to address them.  Federal law outlines penalties if the issues are not resolved and describes in detail the data states must provide to HHS.  However, HHS made no attempt to communicate with us or our state or to follow the law regarding alleged operational failures and is now demanding that the state provide them with individual, personally-identifiable information for our constituents that is not required by the law.  We demand that you immediately release the funds Congress appropriated to Illinois children and families.”

 

     “Disruption to this funding will have substantial, immediate, and destructive consequences to Illinois children, families, businesses, and communities,” they continued.  “Withholding both CCDF and TANF funding will cripple child care for low-income families in Illinois, threaten child protection services, and undermine the economic well-being of children and families…In addition to the substantial harm inflicted on vulnerable Illinoisans by halting funds for these three programs, the ACF’s action will devastate several hundred nonprofits and small businesses in our state.” 

 

     “Government has a responsibility to protect its citizens while ensuring appropriate use of federal funds,” the lawmakers closed. “However, halting all federal CCDF, SSBG, and TANF funds to the State of Illinois without any legitimate basis will dangerously cut child care, child welfare, and health and well-being services, making the lives of children and families worse, not better.  We expect that you quickly will release the funding our state is entitled to so that hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans do not suffer.”

 

The lawmakers’ full letter to Secretary Kennedy and Assistant Secretary Adams is available HERE

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

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jason Crow (D-CO-06) has received an A+ from anti-corruption, pro-democracy group End Citizens United for his legislative work to end the influence of big donors, corporations, and special interests in our politics. 

End Citizens United announced the rating today, 16 years after the Supreme Court’s harmful Citizens United vs. FEC decision that undermined the United States’ campaign finance system. The ruling has corroded our politics, allowing the richest and most influential to curry even more favor with elites in Washington. Congressman Crow is a longtime sponsor of the Constitutional Amendment to overturn the decision and clean up campaign finance law.

“The Supreme Court’s disastrous Citizens United decision poisoned our politics, which is why I’m leading the fight to overturn it. Americans are sick and tired of a corrupt system that caters to special interests and dark money groups, while working folks struggle to get by. If we want to restore the American people’s faith in our democracy, we need to get the corrupt influence of money out of politics,” said Congressman Jason Crow.

“In a Republican-controlled Congress that prioritized billionaire tax breaks, corporate giveaways, and attacks on the freedom to vote, Congressman Crow used his voice and votes to draw a clear line. He opposed legislation that ripped health care away from millions, fought efforts to weaken voting rights, and voted against handing more power to predatory banks and corporate polluters. By rejecting corporate PAC money, Congressman Crow has shown his independence is real and he is accountable to constituents, not special interests. That combination of principled votes and refusal to be bought is exactly what an A+ anti-corruption record looks like,” said End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller.

Throughout his time in Congress, Congressman Crow has stood up to special interests and has not taken a dime of corporate PAC money. He is leading the fight to root out corruption in our elections, including through his End Dark Money Act to crack down on dark money’s influence on U.S. elections and his bipartisan Shell Company Abuse Act to limit foreign interference in U.S. elections.

Crow is also an original cosponsor of the TRUST in Congress Act to ban members of Congress and their families from owning or trading stocks.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Robin Kelly IL

“I am proud to lead the effort to reauthorize the PREEMIE Act and ensure it successfully becomes law. Every mother should have the necessary support before, during, and after labor, and every baby should have a healthy start to life,” said Rep. Kelly, chair of the bipartisan Maternity Care Caucus. “Illinois was one of 22 states to experience a higher preterm birth rate than the national average, disproportionately impacting Black and Indigenous moms. That’s unacceptable. I’m improving health outcomes for moms and babies in Illinois and across the country.”

A baby born preterm, or before 37 weeks of gestation, is at higher risk of death and physical or intellectual disabilities. In the U.S. from 2013 to 2023, preterm birth rates increased from 9.8% to 10.4%.

The PREEMIE Act of 2006 first authorized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to research premature births and the Health Resources and Services Administration to improve treatment of premature infants. The PREEMIE Reauthorization Act of 2025 also provides grants to help the public understand risk factors for preterm birth and treatment for pregnant people with depression and substance use disorders.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Robin Kelly IL

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02) introduced an amendment to the defense funding bill preventing President Donald Trump from purchasing or attacking Greenland and Denmark. President Trump has long threatened to purchase Greenland, most recently stating “you’ll find out” on how far he’s willing to go to takeover the territory.

“I’m not waiting to find out how far President Trump will go to acquire Greenland—I’m stopping him now. It’s ridiculous that we have to prevent the Commander in Chief from risking global stability and threatening our closest allies, but here we are,” said Rep. Kelly. “After President Trump’s attack against Venezuela, it’s clear that he wants global dominance. President Trump is not dictator, and he’s not a conqueror. Our allies have to know that Democrats in Congress are trying to keep him in check, and I urge my Republican colleagues to quit bending the knee to this wannabe dictator.”

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

The Administration’s mass deportation policies could remove an estimated 1.5 million construction workers exacerbating the housing affordability crisis

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman John Garamendi – Representing California’s 3rd Congressional District

WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman John Garamendi (CA-08) has joined over 100 of his Democratic colleagues in cosponsoring Congresswoman Robin Kelly’s (IL-02) resolution to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Congressman Garamendi joined Representative Kelly’s impeachment effort following ICE’s recent operations in Minnesota and days after ICE agent Jonathon Ross shot and killed Minnesota mother Rene Good.

“No one—not the President, not federal agents, and no government official—is above the law. Kristi Noem has lied to Congress, violated citizens’ constitutional rights, and abused taxpayer dollars by currying favor with her billionaire donor friends. While Noem’s corruption alone would have been sufficient grounds for impeachment, her leadership in turning CBP and ICE into rogue agencies that terrorize communities, undocumented and U.S. citizens alike, requires immediate and decisive action.  

“I am proud to stand with Representative Robin Kelly and grateful for her leadership in bringing together one hundred House Democrats from California to New York, Minnesota to Texas, united by a single purpose: enforcing the law. I will continue working in Congress to bring accountability to the Trump administration.”

Since the beginning of Trump’s presidency, Congressman Garamendi has been a strong critic of ICE and its excessive use of force. He was among the first Members of Congress to oppose ICE’s use of the military to deport immigrants and has been at the forefront of efforts to protect Travis Air Force Base from being used as a detention center. Congressman Garamendi is also a co-sponsor of every major legislative effort to rein in ICE.

As of today, the following Members of Congress are cosponsors of Rep. Robin Kelly’s articles of impeachment against Secretary Noem:

Rep. Alma S. Adams (NC-12), Rep. Gabe Amo (RI-1), Rep. Yassamin Ansari (AZ-3), Rep. Becca Balint (VT-At Large), Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44), Rep. Joyce Beatty (OH-3), Rep. Wesley Bell (MO-1), Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (OR-1), Rep. Brendan F. Boyle (PA-2), Rep. Shontel M. Brown (OH-11), Rep. Julia Brownley (CA-26), Rep. Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Rep. Greg Casar (TX-35), Rep. Sean Casten (IL-6), Rep. Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28), Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (NY-9), Rep. Steve Cohen (TN-9), Rep. J. Luis Correa (CA-46), Rep. Angie Craig (MN-2), Rep. Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Rep. Danny K. Davis (IL-7), Rep. Diana DeGette (CO-1), Rep. Christopher R. Deluzio (PA-17), Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Rep. Maxine Dexter (OR-3), Rep. Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Rep. Sarah Elfreth (MD-3), Rep. Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Rep. Valerie P. Foushee (NC-4), Rep. Laura Friedman (CA-30), Rep. Maxwell Frost (FL-10), Rep. Sylvia R. Garcia (TX-29), Rep. Jesús G. “Chuy” García (IL-4), Rep. Daniel S. Goldman (NY-10), Rep. Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Rep. Al Green (TX-9), Rep. Adelita S. Grijalva (AZ-7), Rep. Jared Huffman (CA-2), Rep. Val T. Hoyle (OR-4), Rep. Jonathan L. Jackson (IL-1), Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-7), Rep. Julie Johnson (TX-32), Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Rep. William R. Keating (MA-9), Rep. Timothy M. Kennedy (NY-26), Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-8), Rep. John B. Larson (CT-1), Rep. Summer L. Lee (PA-12), Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (NM-3), Rep. Stephen F. Lynch (MA-8), Rep. Doris O. Matsui (CA-7), Rep. Sarah McBride (DE-At Large), Rep. April McClain Delaney (MD-6), Rep. Betty McCollum (MN-4), Rep. Morgan McGarvey (KY-3), Rep. James P. McGovern (MA-2), Rep. LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), Rep. Robert Menendez (NJ-8), Rep. Kweisi Mfume (MD-7), Rep. Dave Min (CA-47), Rep. Gwen Moore (WI-4), Rep. Kelly Morrison (MN-3), Rep. Seth Moulton (MA-6), Rep. Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Rep. Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-5), Rep. Brittany Pettersen (CO-7), Rep. Chellie Pingree (ME-1), Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-2), Rep. Mike Quigley (IL-5), Rep. Emily Randall (WA-6), Rep. Luz M. Rivas (CA-29), Rep. Linda T. Sánchez (CA-38), Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-5), Rep. Janice D. Schakowsky (IL-9), Rep. Brad Sherman (CA-32), Rep. Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Rep. Eric Sorensen (IL-17), Rep. Melanie A. Stansbury (NM-1), Rep. Haley M. Stevens (MI-11), Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10), Rep. Eric Swalwell (CA-14), Rep. Mark Takano (CA-39), Rep. Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-4), Rep. Dina Titus (NV-1), Rep. Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Rep. Jill N. Tokuda (HI-2), Rep. Paul Tonko (NY-20), Rep. Norma J. Torres (CA-35), Rep. Ritchie Torres (NY-15), Rep. Lori Trahan (MA-3), Rep. Juan Vargas (CA-52), Rep. Gabe Vasquez (NM-2), Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-7), Rep. Maxine Waters (CA-43), Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Rep. Nikema Williams (GA-5).

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (38th District of CA)

WASHINGTON – Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member Linda T. Sánchez (D-Calif.), a member of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, released the following statement on President Trump’s announcement of new tariffs on eight NATO allies because of their opposition to U.S.-control of Greenland:

“President Trump is completely unhinged. He’s weaponizing tariffs against our closest NATO allies because they are defending the sovereignty of another NATO member.

“President Trump is playing into Russia and China’s hands. They want nothing more than to see NATO and our Western alliances crack. These eight countries are not our adversaries. They are some of our largest trading partners and friends.

“American families continue to pay the price for the president’s recklessness. The markets are rattled, our economy is weakened and prices keep rising as Americans pay the cost of the tariffs. All while Trump further isolates the United States from the rest of the free world.

“This has nothing to do with protecting America’s interests. It’s all about Trump’s ego and he is playing dangerously with the economic and military might of the United States.”

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