MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressmen Brian Mast (FL-18)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-21) introduced the Veterans Homecare Choice Act to ensure veterans have more options for the care that they receive. The legislation restore veterans’ ability to receive homecare through nurse registries and be reimbursed by the VA, reversing restrictions imposed by the 2018 VA MISSION Act.

“Veterans who want to live independently shouldn’t face bureaucratic hurdles to receive homecare,” said Chairman Brian Mast. “This bill corrects an oversight and ensures they can access the support they need.”

Previously, the VA reimbursed veterans for homecare services from independent contractors via nurse registries, which connect professionals with clients. After 2018, only W-2 homecare agencies qualified for reimbursement. This bill reinstates nurse registries as eligible providers, removing an overburdensome regulation and improving access to essential homecare for thousands of veterans.

This bill fixes an oversight in the current legislation and ensures bureaucratic red tape does not deprive veterans of the ability to live independently in their own homes as they age. By restoring veterans’ access to homecare professionals operating as independent contractors, the lives of tens of thousands of veterans and their families will be improved.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressmen Brian Mast (FL-18)

In Case You Missed It – U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-21) joined Fox News’ America Reports to discuss the effectiveness of DOGE and the efforts to cut wasteful spending.

On the push for accountability in the federal workforce: 

“The con, the fleecing, the joke was on the American people. When you had the federal government doing things like creating diverse bird-watching groups for $200,000 or teaching gender inclusivity through ultimate frisbee for a couple hundred thousand dollars… I could give lists and lists of these things. That was the fleecing of the American people, and what Democrats are fighting for is to not eliminate this waste, to not be accountable. They’re fighting to keep the waste and the lack of transparency.”

On the success of DOGE:

“DOGE has been beyond successful. Every American should be thanking President Trump. They should be thanking Elon Musk… We will all be more efficient. We will waste less dollars. There will be less inflation. This is the goal of all of this…” 

Watch the full interview here:

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressmen Brian Mast (FL-18)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-21) today introduced the No Tax Breaks for Radical Corporate Activism Act, which would prevent businesses from being able to write off travel expenses for employees who travel out of state for an abortion or gender transition procedures for an employee’s child.

“The days of woke corporations using your tax dollars to finance a far-left agenda are over. Too many companies have proven to be completely out of touch with American values,” said Rep. Mast. “This bill says ‘enough is enough,’ and protects children across the country.” 

Following the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, many corporations expanded benefits to cover travel expenses for employees to seek abortions and gender transition procedures for minors if the employee lived in a state where such practices are outlawed.

The No Tax Breaks for Radical Corporate Activism Act would deny the business expense deduction for the reimbursement of employee costs of travel to obtain an abortion or child gender transition procedures. The bill will divest American tax dollars from being used to fund the harming of children and killing of unborn babies.

The full text of the bill can be read here. 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)

Today, in response to news that the President has signed an Executive Order directing Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to dismantle the Department of Education, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) released the following statement:

The President cannot unilaterally shut down the Department of Education (DoED). It was established by an act of Congress. To dismantle it—as this extremely harmful Executive Order sets out to do—would also require congressional action. This is basic constitutional law. Sadly, the President has shown time and again that he doesn’t care about the Constitution, or about the impacts his destructive actions will have on everyday Americans.

Eliminating the department would have devastating consequences for students, parents, and educators throughout the country—including here in Maine. Our schools receive more than $250 million a year through DoED, including $61 million for disadvantaged districts; $72 million for students with disabilities; $6.5 million for before- and after-school programs; $30 million for workforce development initiatives; and $75 million for Pell grants. All of it is in jeopardy now.

Let’s call this what it is: an attack on our kids, on parents, on communities, and on the very idea of public education. It will result in less support for education in Maine and very likely lead to higher local property taxes. All so that Republicans can give huge tax breaks to billionaires like Elon Musk.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)

Earlier today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree hosted a roundtable discussion to highlight how proposed Republican cuts to Medicaid (known in Maine as MaineCare)—which could run as high as $900 billion—will have devastating repercussions for patients, health care professionals, patient-care facilities, and communities throughout Maine. 

During the hour-long meeting, participants shared their perspectives on how these looming cuts will impact Mainers—from forcing community health centers and rural hospitals to close; to the pressure that providers will face if hundreds of thousands of Mainers suddenly lose coverage; to how a surge in uninsured patients will require significantly more funding from the state. 

“What Republicans are trying to do to Medicaid—eliminating coverage for millions of Americans while the cost of living continues to increase, all so they can pay for tax cuts for the richest Americans—is totally unacceptable. Democrats have made it abundantly clear that we will not stand for any cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security,” Pingree said. “Today, we heard from—and about—the very people who will suffer the most from these cuts. Their fear and concern are real, and reflect the anxiety that many Mainers are feeling right now. I’m so grateful to all the participants for coming out and making their voices heard, as so many Americans are doing right now. I hope my Republican colleagues are listening. Cuts to Medicaid will make Americans poorer and sicker. If Republicans really care about balancing the budget, they’ll make billionaires pay their fair share in taxes—not rip vital services away from vulnerable Americans so Donald Trump and Elon Musk can rake in millions.”

 

Click here to download photos from today’s event.

Participants included Carter Friend, CEO of York County Community Action and Nasson Health Center in Sanford; Dr. Booth Dargis, Primary Care Physician at Stephens Hospital in Norway; April Tardiff, a resident of Old Orchard Beach whose son relies on MaineCare for critical services; Tom Doherty, Executive Director at Milestone Recovery; as well as two representatives from Maine Equal Justice (Policy Advocate Alex Carter, and Community Organizer Allina Diaz—who also shared her own personal story about the important role MaineCare has played in her life). 

Medicaid (also known as MaineCare) is a lifeline for more than 350,000 Mainers—including children, people with disabilities, seniors in long term care, and working adults, among others. It’s also a critical source of revenue for patient-care facilities, which rely on Medicaid reimbursements for everything from paying doctors to updating equipment. The House and Senate are currently trying to reconcile a budget resolution agreement that could require deep cuts to the program–all to pay for more than $4 trillion in tax cuts proposed by Republicans. 

“This morning’s conversation about Medicaid in Maine can’t come at a more important moment, as Congress considers cuts to Medicaid and other critical programs, threatening to roll back the health care progress we’ve made in Maine,” said Alex Carter, Policy Advocate at Maine Equal Justice. “That would go against the will of Maine voters who supported Medicaid expansion. It would hurt our rural hospitals, our economy, and the Maine people and families who rely on Medicaid to get the health care they need.” 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)

More than 80 Members of Congress, led by Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Congressman Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), and Congresswoman Alma Adams (D-N.C.), are demanding answers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) after the Trump Administration cancelled two agency programs that help bolster local and regional food supply chains by purchasing food from American farmers and providing nutritious meals to feeding programs, including at food banks and schools. 

In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Pingree and her colleagues said that the USDA’s decision to cancel federal funding for the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) Cooperative Agreements for 2025—as well as the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS)–will impact farmers across the country and strip food away from people, who need it, including children. 

“At a time when farmers are facing increased input costs and significant uncertainty due to the indiscriminate funding freeze on certain USDA funds, and when grocery costs have not come down and more families are relying on food banks and school meals, it is reckless and cruel to cancel LFPA and LFS awards to states,” they wrote.

The full letter is available here and copied below. 

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Secretary Rollins,

We write to express our deep dismay and concern regarding the United States Department of Agriculture decision to terminate Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) Cooperative Agreements for 2025 and the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS) across the country. This decision will impact farmers across the country and strip food away from people, including children, who need it. 

The LFPA program provided funding across the country to purchase locally and regionally sourced foods to maintain and improve agricultural supply chain resiliency. As you may recall, the COVID-19 pandemic laid bare issues with our agricultural supply chain. The LFPA program worked to ensure food and beverages purchased were healthy, nutritious and unique to their geographic areas, meeting the needs of the population. Food purchased through the program supported feeding programs, including food banks, which continue to experience unprecedented demand. The LFS program provided funds to support the purchase of domestic local food to provide in schools and at child care facilities. Paired together, LFPA and LFS bolstered our local and regional supply chains to support producers and ensure Americans had access to nutritious food.

At a time when farmers are facing increased input costs and significant uncertainty due to the indiscriminate funding freeze on certain USDA funds, and when grocery costs have not come down and more families are relying on food banks and school meals, it is reckless and cruel to cancel LFPA and LFS awards to states.

We request answers to the following questions by March 21, 2025

1.     How much LFPA25 and LFS funding was clawed back by USDA?

2.     How does USDA intend to use the funds clawed back?

3.     What is USDA’s legal justification for cancelling already agreed to LFPA and LFS contracts with states?

4.     How many farmers benefitted from previous rounds of LFPA and LFS funding? 

5.     How will USDA assist farmers in the coming growing season that lost a market due to LFPA and LFS termination?

6.     How will USDA assist additional impacted communities, including feeding programs, school children and school nutrition professionals, and child care facilities? 

Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter. 

 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)

Today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree and Democrats on the House Agriculture Committee urged Secretary of Commerce Harold Lutnick to rein in the Trump Administration’s disastrous trade policies, including its escalating trade wars with Canada and Mexico. Pingree and her colleagues underscored the immediate and long-term impacts of President Trump’s chaotic approach to tariffs—especially on America’s farmers, who are already reeling from the Administration’s illegal and unconstitutional freeze on federal funding. 

“Trade with our North American allies is vital for American farmers. Over decades, the United States has built an integrated agricultural system that relies upon Mexico and Canada both as export markets and for vital inputs,” they wrote. “This is not a system that can be upended overnight. The on and off approach that the Administration has taken toward implementing and removing tariffs creates uncertainty for farmers, increases prices for consumers and leads to volatility in the marketplace. None of these outcomes benefit farm country.” On January 31, the Administration announced plans to implement a 25% tariff on all imports from Canada and Mexico, along with an additional 10% tariff on Canadian energy products. Three days later, they agreed to a one-month delay—contingent upon the two countries taking specific actions related to border security.

The tariffs took effect on March 4. The following day, the Administration announced exemptions for auto imports until April 2, as well as a reduced tariff for certain fertilizer products. 

However, if the exempted tariffs eventually go into effect, farm groups warn that costs for both farmers and consumers are almost certain to rise. 

“American farmers have fought hard for decades to gain access to foreign markets, and they rely on partnerships with our allies in North America to be successful and turn a profit,” the letter continues. “The Administration’s current stance on trade policy is a bad deal for farmers and a bad deal for Americans. We urge you to pursue trade negotiation through established channels and abandon the chaotic approach to tariffs that the administration has employed.”

The full text of the letter is available here and copied below. 

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Dear Secretary Lutnick:

As members of the House Committee on Agriculture, we write to you with great concern over the chaotic approach that the Administration has taken toward trade policy. Trade with our North American allies is vital for American farmers. Over decades, the United States has built an integrated agricultural system that relies upon Mexico and Canada both as export markets and for vital inputs. This is not a system that can be upended overnight. The on and off approach that the Administration has taken toward implementing and removing tariffs creates uncertainty for farmers, increases prices for consumers and leads to volatility in the marketplace. None of these outcomes benefit farm country.

Right now, across the country, many farmers are beginning to calve and are preparing for planting season. The last thing they need is uncertainty about whether fertilizer and energy prices will shoot up or if they can move their cattle across the northern border to feedlots in Canada. In calendar year 2024 the U.S. exported $176 billion in agricultural products. Mexico and Canada were the top two destinations for U.S. agricultural exports at $30.31 billion and $28.38 billion respectively. Combined, that is roughly a third of total U.S. agricultural exports. Contrary to some statements, U.S. consumers cannot just absorb those products. Different consumer preferences and varied production levels dictate what we export and what is sold domestically. Certain products that are popular in other countries will not just become popular in the U.S. We need foreign markets so that farmers and ranchers can recoup the value of their products. Farmers are already facing down an agricultural trade deficit, which widened in January. The implementation of tariffs could exacerbate it.

There is nothing fun about tariffs. The more the Administration threatens to implement and then remove tariffs the less reliable we appear. This leads to an unstable business environment and harms our credibility with our neighbors. If the Administration continues to threaten and implement tariffs it will force Mexico and Canada to seek partnerships with other countries. That will mean lost long-term market access for American farmers. It is very easy to give up market access, it is much more difficult to get it back. 

American farmers have fought hard for decades to gain access to foreign markets, and they rely on partnerships with our allies in North America to be successful and turn a profit. The Administration’s current stance on trade policy is a bad deal for farmers and a bad deal for Americans. We urge you to pursue trade negotiation through established channels and abandon the chaotic approach to tariffs that the administration has employed.

Sincerely,

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)

Today, in response to news that Northern Light Health will be closing the Inland Hospital in Waterville, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) released the following statement:

The closure of Northern Light Inland Hospital is a devastating loss for patients and the entire Waterville community—particularly for low-income Mainers who already face barriers to affordable, high-quality healthcare. My thoughts are also with the providers and staff who have worked so hard to deliver high quality care over the years.

Health care systems across the country—especially in rural areas—are struggling under the weight of rising costs, low reimbursement rates, and workforce shortages. Republican threats to Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act would only make this crisis worse, cutting lifelines for seniors, people with disabilities, and working families who depend on these programs to see a doctor, afford prescriptions, and receive essential care. If their proposed cuts become a reality, we will see more closures and it will become harder for every Mainer, no matter their zip code or income, to receive the care they need and deserve.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (25th District of FLORIDA)

Miami, FL – Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL) released the following statement, alongside members of his family, following the passing of his brother, the Honorable Lincoln Díaz-Balart.

“It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of Lincoln Diaz-Balart.

Defender of the silenced and oppressed, author of the democracy requirement for the lifting of U.S. sanctions against the Cuban dictatorship, and the author of the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act (NACARA). Lincoln’s legacy of achievements will endure for generations, and continues through the work of the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI) which he co-founded in 2003.

Lincoln’s profound love for the United States, and his relentless commitment to the cause of a free Cuba, guided him throughout his life and his 24 years in elected public service, including 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Lincoln is survived by his soulmate and wife of 48 years, Cristina, his son Daniel and daughter-in-law Estefania, cherished grandsons Lincoln Daniel and Edwin Rafael, brothers Rafael, Jose, and Mario, and their wives, Elba, Brenda and Tia. Lincoln was preceded in death by his beloved first son, Lincoln Gabriel.

We will miss him infinitely.

A public memorial mass will be announced shortly.”

La familia Díaz-Balart lamenta el fallecimiento de Lincoln Díaz-Balart

Miami, FL – El congresista Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL), junto a miembros de su familia, emitió la siguiente declaración tras el fallecimiento de su hermano, el Honorable Lincoln Díaz-Balart.

“Con profundo dolor anunciamos el fallecimiento de Lincoln Díaz-Balart.

Defensor de los oprimidos y silenciados, autor del requisito democrático para el levantamiento de las sanciones de Estados Unidos contra la dictadura cubana, y autor de la Ley de Ajuste Nicaragüense y Alivio Centroamericano (NACARA). El legado de logros de Lincoln perdurará por generaciones, y continúa a través del trabajo de el Instituto de Liderazgo Hispano del Congreso (CHLI), que cofundó en 2003.

Su amor por Estados Unidos, y su incansable compromiso con la causa de una Cuba libre, guiaron a Lincoln a lo largo de su vida y sus 24 años de servicio público electo, incluyendo 18 años en la Cámara de Representantes de Estados Unidos.

A Lincoln lo sobreviven su esposa de 48 años, Cristina, su hijo Daniel y su nuera Estefanía, sus queridos nietos Lincoln Daniel y Edwin Rafael, sus hermanos Rafael, José y Mario, y sus esposas, Elba, Brenda y Tía. Lincoln fue precedido en la muerte por su amado primer hijo, Lincoln Gabriel.

Lo extrañaremos infinitamente.

Pronto se anunciará una Misa de Recordación pública”.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (25th District of FLORIDA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representatives Mario Díaz-Balart (FL-26), Carlos A. Giménez (FL-28), and María Elvira Salazar (FL-27) issued the following statement regarding President Trump’s decision to reverse the Biden-Harris Administration’s pathetic bailout of Maduro’s anti-American narco-dictatorship by cutting off its oil lifeline.

 

“When it comes to defending the cause of freedom in illegitimate regimes like Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua, there is no greater ally than President Donald J. Trump. President Trump is keeping his promise. The days of appeasing regimes that are hostile to the United States, coddling dictators, and sidelining our national security interests are over. 

 

“Within his first 100 days, President Trump has made clear that American Prosperity and National Security must come first. Since day one his foreign policy has prioritized national security in the Western Hemisphere by focusing on mutual priorities that will bolster stability, security, and prosperity both at home in and in our region. For example, he restored a tough U.S. policy on Cuba by placing the regime back where it belongs — on the State Sponsor of Terrorism list. He also reinstated the Cuba Restricted List to prohibit financial transactions with the Cuban military, and once again allowed those whose property was confiscated by the Castro regime to sue those who profit from their stolen property.

 

“President Trump once again demonstrates true American leadership, something that was severely lacking these last four years. No other president since Reagan has shown such unwavering solidarity in opposing tyranny and standing with those struggling for freedom under oppression. We commend President Trump for his principled clarity, swift and decisive action on this issue, and for keeping his promise. We look forward to continuing this important work with President Trump.”