MIL USHOR-2b Engine

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

AURORA — Congressman Jason Crow (D-CO-06) today was denied entry by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to the Aurora Detention Facility in his district. This denial is in violation of federal law, which grants Members of Congress the right to provide oversight of such federal detention facilities.

Congressman Crow’s office regularly conducts oversight of the facility, including publishing public reports on his website of oversight visits and conditions at the facility.

Since being elected to Congress, Crow has fought to promote transparency, oversight, and accountability in government. In February 2019, following multiple reports of a disease outbreak at the Aurora Detention Facility operated by GEO Group, Congressman Crow made an unannounced visit to the federal facility where he was initially denied entry. Afterward, he led the push for Members of Congress to be able to conduct unannounced, in-person oversight visits of ICE facilities, including to check on any concerns related to public health and the humane treatment of detained individuals. 

In a statement, Congressman Crow said:

“Today I attempted to visit the federal detention facility in Aurora in order to conduct critical oversight as a Member of Congress. I was unlawfully denied access by ICE and the Trump Administration.

“Providing oversight is critical to my job in Congress. The law is clear that Members of Congress have the legal right to conduct unannounced oversight of federal detention facilities.

“Since President Trump was elected, this administration has tried to intimidate Members of Congress from doing their jobs. I will not be deterred from conducting lawful oversight. I will continue working to hold the Trump administration accountable for its actions.”

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

AURORA — Today, Congressman Crow hosted his annual Job Fair for Coloradans looking for work. The event featured more than 30 local employers from across the Denver metro area, and hundreds of Coloradans looking for a new job attended the event.

“Connecting Coloradans with important resources is one of the most important parts of my job,” said Congressman Crow. “That’s why I’m proud to host an annual job fair that brings our community together, and connects Coloradans with valuable employment opportunities. I’m thankful to the hundreds of job seekers and more than 30 local employers who made this year’s job fair a great success.”

The event included employers from across an array of industries, including: Buckley Space Force Base, the U.S. Navy, Thrivent, Littleton Public Schools, Arapahoe County Human Services, Target, STRIDE Community Health Center, Troops Into Transportation, Arapahoe/Douglas Works!, and Rocky Mountain Human Services.

The event took place on Friday, July 18th from noon to 5 PM MT at Arapahoe/Douglas Works in Aurora. Veterans and spouses of servicemembers were granted early access at 11:30 AM MT.

Through his time in Congress, Congressman Crow has made it a priority to connect Coloradans with important community resources. Since his first term in Congress, Congressman Crow has held an annual job fair; his 2024 Job Fair helped connect over 500 Coloradans with employers.

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

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jason Crow (CO-06), a former Army Ranger who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, announced today that more than 15 provisions he championed have been successfully included in the annual National Defense Authorization Act. Congressman Crow’s provisions focused on improving the lives of servicemembers and their families, modernizing our military to make America more safe, and investing in Colorado’s space industry to make us more competitive.

“I served in combat and know the critical role Congress plays in improving the quality of life for servicemembers, strengthening our military readiness, and keeping Americans safe,” said Congressman Crow. “As a Member of the Armed Services Committee, I’ve worked in a bipartisan fashion to secure key wins for Colorado and support our men and women in uniform.”

Congressman Crow’s provisions included in this year’s Pentagon budget include:

Improving the Lives of our Servicemembers:

• Upgrading Digital Health Technologies for Traumatic Brain Injury: Improves care for active-duty servicemembers suffering from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) by identifying ways that digital technology can be used to better deliver care.
• Preventing Traumatic Brain Injuries in Fighter Pilots: Directs the Department of Defense to create a strategy to better identify, document, and treat TBIs in active duty pilots.
• Providing Dental for Our Troops: Ensures no-cost dental care for all reservists, which will help recruiting, retention, and readiness.
• Securing affordable health care for servicemembers: Ensures children’s hospitals that serve a large population of active duty families can continue providing high quality, affordable healthcare for servicemembers and their children.

Investing in Colorado’s Space Industry & Making America More Competitive:

• Bolstering Crucial Space Programs: Provides U.S. Space Systems Command with the resources needed to compete tactically and technologically with our adversaries in outer space.
• Modernizing Rocket Launches: Requires the Space Force to report to Congress on how it will modernize standards and processes around rocket launches so they are safer and more efficient.
• Supporting Space Domain Awareness: Improves our ability to track objects, like satellites, and activities happening outside of our atmosphere.
• Increasing competition when the government buys space technology: Ensures that all companies have a fair shot when the U.S. government is looking to purchase technology that we use in space.

Modernizing our Military:

• Updating Air Force’s Flying Communications System: Authorizes support for mobile communications platforms to ensure continuity of government and national military command and control during a crisis
• Protecting Assets Against Climate Change: Ensures climate shocks don’t negatively impact military installations, training, operations, and readiness.
• Ensuring the Military Protects Civilians in Combat: Compels the Department of Defense to produce a report on how civilian harm could impact the success of military operations.
• Improving the Defense Supply Chain: Encourages changes to the way DoD buys equipment so the supply chain that supports our defense is stronger and more efficient.
• Strengthening the Afghanistan War Commission: Gives them more tools to complete their bipartisan assessment of key decisions made over twenty years of war in Afghanistan and to produce their final report.
• Maintaining a global security footprint: Prevents the elimination or consolidation of US Southern Command.
• Bolstering our strategy in Eastern Europe: Requires DoD to provide Congress an updated strategy related to NATO, and provide a detailed update on Russia’s actions. 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Josh Harder (CA-10)

Senior population skyrocketing while resources, health care access dwindling

Last convened in 2015, time running out for 10-year Aging Conference this year

WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Josh Harder (CA-09) called for immediate action to fast-track solutions to address unprecedented challenges for seniors. As the senior population grows, long-term care becomes less accessible and more unaffordable, leaving many seniors without the critical care they need.

The White House Conference on Aging is traditionally held every ten years and was last convened in 2015. With time running out to hold the conference this year, Rep. Harder introduced legislation to demand the federal government take this long-term care crisis seriously and immediately convene the 2025 Conference. 

The aging crisis by the numbers:

• By 2034, seniors will outnumber children under 18 years old for the first time ever.
• 70% of seniors need long-term care at a time when the long-term care workforce is short nearly 8 million workers.
• More than 53 million Americans currently provide unpaid caregiving services to family members, and nearly one-third of unpaid caregivers report experiencing mental health challenges.

“A caregiver collapse is coming, and we’re running out of time to prevent it,” said Rep. Harder. “Seniors can’t get the care they need, and now many parents are being squeezed to provide for their parents and their kids at the same time. We need an all-hands-on-deck approach to change course before it’s too late – that’s why I’m calling for the 2025 Aging Conference to immediately convene and put long term care at the top of the agenda.”  

Harder’s top priorities for the 2025 White House Conference on Aging:

• Protect health care access, including Medi-Cal and the Affordable Care Act.
• Tackle workforce shortages facing the nation’s health care system.
• Reduce barriers to quality, affordable in-home care.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14)

WASHINGTON — Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14) delivered the following remarks at the House Appropriations Committee markup of the fiscal year 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies funding bill:

“Families in northern Illinois are in a cost-of-living crisis. The price of rent is through the roof. Actually buying a home feels more out of reach than ever. And working people are paying more—and waiting longer —to get to work and back home every single day.

We heard Republicans talk endlessly about inflation and the cost of living before the election. But what have they done since? Nothing to lower costs. Nothing to help families. Nothing to make housing more affordable or transit more reliable.

Instead, they’ve pushed through their “Big Ugly Bill,” which gives tax breaks to the same corporations and private equity firms that are driving up the cost of housing and construction.

And now, the bill in front of us today continues the Republican agenda of stealing from the poor to give to the rich.

This bill cuts nearly $1 billion from effective, data-backed housing programs.

While rents skyrocket, Republicans are gutting the very programs that help the lowest-income families keep a roof over their heads and pushing more families into homelessness.

These policies don’t just ignore the housing crisis—they’re fueling it.

This bill also includes more poison pills that, once again, do nothing to help families in northern Illinois.

This bill includes language to block HUD from building energy-efficient housing. It also strips away basic protections for tenants, making it easier for families to be evicted in violation of their rights.

And the transportation cuts in this bill are just as harmful.

Families in my district depend on Metra every day to get to work, pick up their kids, and get downtown without sitting in hours of traffic.

Yet the bill we are debating today cuts federal funding programs that Metra uses to improve service, capacity, and reliability by 98 percent.

That means slower trains, longer waits, worse service, more traffic on our roads, and more pollution for everyone.

Republicans are also slashing Amtrak—another essential service for Illinois families, especially in rural towns like Mendota, where Amtrak is a lifeline. These communities will be hit the hardest.

But once again, the Republican answer to popular government services is: cut it, dismantle it, or give it away to big corporations who will charge us more. 

Republicans will tell you this is about cutting waste. But the truth is, this is about taking resources away from working families, so they can hand the reins to their billionaire friends who want to keep making money off public services. 

Families in my district, and across the country, deserve safe, affordable housing and reliable, efficient public transportation. 

They deserve a government that shows up for them, not one that guts the programs they depend on.

With this bill, Republicans are once again failing to address the cost-of-living crisis that is crushing families in northern Illinois.

I urge my colleagues to reject this cruel, out-of-touch bill.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14)

WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Lauren Underwood, Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Appropriations, wrote to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons after receiving no response to previous inquiries regarding alleged ICE activity in Joliet, Illinois last week.

Multiple witnesses report that on Wednesday, July 9^th, an unmarked black truck taking part in alleged ICE enforcement actions rammed a civilian vehicle in a high-traffic public area, trapping it near a youth center, high school, and minor league baseball stadium. Witnesses report that four individuals in military-style fatigues then allegedly exited the vehicle and pointed automatic weapons at the vehicle’s occupants, removing one of them and telling him he would “be removed on the 22^nd.”

“If true,” Underwood wrote, “these allegations are a flagrant violation of law enforcement’s responsibility to prioritize community safety, minimize potential risks to civilians and officers involved in operations, and operate with extreme care and sensitivity for child welfare. The reckless use of vehicle assault and weapons of war on our streets – especially in areas near schools and youth centers where these actions pose heightened risks to children – is completely unacceptable.” 

People who need help with federal agencies like ICE and DHS are always encouraged to contact Rep. Underwood’s office for free assistance at (630) 549-2190 or https://underwood.house.gov/services/help-federal-agency. 

Full text of the letter can be found here and below.

 

July 17, 2025

 

The Honorable Todd Lyons

Acting Director

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

500 12th Street SW

Washington D.C. 20536                                            

Dear Acting Director Lyons,

I write to urgently request a detailed briefing regarding reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforcement action last week in Joliet, Illinois that allegedly put the community’s safety at risk. My office reached out to your office via email and phone last week immediately after hearing these reports but has not received any response from ICE despite repeated follow-ups.  

Multiple witnesses report that on Wednesday, July 9th, an unmarked black extended cab truck taking part in ICE enforcement actions allegedly rammed the rear of a civilian vehicle and forcibly trapped it near the intersection of Cass and Arch Street in Joliet. This location is adjacent to a youth center, a high school, and a minor league baseball stadium, and is considered a high-traffic public area. 

Witnesses further report that four individuals, reportedly dressed in military-style fatigues with black bulletproof vests labeled “Police,” allegedly exited the vehicle and pointed what were described as automatic weapons at the vehicle’s occupants. Witnesses then report seeing one man being removed from the vehicle that was rammed and detained. We have since been informed that the individual was told he would be “removed on the 22nd.” 

These allegations, if true, are egregious. They appear to be a flagrant violation of law enforcement’s responsibility to prioritize community safety, minimize potential risks to civilians and officers involved in operations, and operate with extreme care and sensitivity for child welfare. The reckless use of vehicle assault and weapons of war on our streets – especially in areas near schools and youth centers where these actions pose heightened risks to children – is completely unacceptable.  

Given the nature, location, and urgency of these allegations, I request a comprehensive briefing from you or senior leadership on your team on this incident no later than July 20, 2025. Please contact my office at 202-570-2381 or il14.scheduling@mail.house.gov as soon as possible to schedule this. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter and I look forward to your timely response.

Sincerely,

Lauren Underwood

Member of Congress

CC: The Honorable Kristi Noem, Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Robert Aderholt (AL-04)

Nauvoo, Alabama — Congressman Robert Aderholt joined community leaders, healthcare professionals, and residents today for the official ribbon cutting and grand opening of the newly constructed Capstone Rural Health Clinic in Nauvoo.

Standing inside the clinic’s state-of-the-art facility, Congressman Aderholt marked the occasion as a moment of progress and renewed commitment to rural health care. He praised the Capstone team for their steadfast dedication to delivering both medical and behavioral health services in the community — even while operating for years out of an inadequate and non-ADA-compliant building.

“When my office received the request to help secure funding for this project, I knew it was the kind of investment that makes a real difference,” Aderholt said. “That’s why I was proud to request and secure $725,000 in federal funding to help bring this facility to life.”

The new clinic addresses longstanding infrastructure limitations and significantly expands the services available to the Nauvoo community. Features of the upgraded facility include:

• Expanded access to both primary and behavioral health care;
• Space to add an additional primary care provider;
• On-site case management to help patients navigate complex health and social needs;
• A dedicated Telehealth suite for increased provider access;
• ADA-compliant access throughout, including to the pharmacy.

Within a 30-mile radius, Capstone’s clinic may be the only source of consistent, community-based care. With this expansion, the clinic expects to handle an additional 1,000 to 1,500 patient visits annually — in addition to the 3,600 visits already served each year. The on-site pharmacy currently fills over 2,500 prescriptions each month.

“This clinic is more than a building — it is a beacon of hope for rural families,” said Aderholt. “Congressional earmarks sometimes get a bad name, but this is a shining example of how smart, community-driven investments can improve lives and strengthen the fabric of our towns.”

Congressman Aderholt concluded his remarks by thanking Capstone’s leadership and staff for their vision, and reaffirmed his commitment to supporting rural health initiatives across Alabama’s 4th District.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Robert Aderholt (AL-04)

WASHINGTON – Today, Reps. Robert Aderholt (R-AL), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), and Ryan Zinke (R-MT) introduced the Accelerate Revenue for Manufacturing and Sales (ARMS) Act, a bipartisan proposal to expedite the delivery of U.S.-made critical defense capabilities to allies and partners, by expanding the Special Defense Acquisition Fund (SDAF).

“This bipartisan bill will help ensure that America’s allies and partners can receive critical defense equipment in a timely manner,” said Congressman Aderholt. “By strengthening the SDAF, this legislation not only supports national security interests abroad, but invests in our industrial defense base at home.”

This bill addresses the inefficiencies and delays in the current Foreign Military Sales (FMS) process. The urgency to address these has increased in recent years, as the combined value of Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and Direct Commercial Sales (DCS) has significantly exceeded domestic defense procurement budgets, with international demand for U.S. defense products approaching two-to-one over domestic acquisition.
“The ARMS Act is a win-win for our economic and national security, investing in both our critical manufacturing here at home and our allies’ defense abroad. As we continue to combat the threatening influence of foreign adversaries like Russia and China, this bill will help our allies stay safe while maintaining our leadership around the globe,” said Rep. Jared Moskowitz.

“It’s unfortunate, but unnecessary and burdensome bureaucratic delays slow down the ability of the United States to fully support our democratic allies when they need it the most,” Rep. Jimmy Panetta added. “The expansion of the bipartisan Special Defense Acquisition Fund would provide a more efficient way to meet urgent demand and counter global threats, while strengthening our domestic manufacturing base.  As we push back against isolationism, this legislation is a smart, strategic, commonsense step to bolster American leadership and enhance global stability.”

“I’ve made it my mission to eliminate the bureaucratic delays that prevent America’s life-saving defense capabilities from reaching our allies and partners. This bill delivers on that mission,” said Rep. Ryan Zinke. “The Special Defense Acquisition Fund is a vital but historically under-resourced tool that strengthens our defense industrial base and accelerates the delivery of critical arms and equipment to our allies. This legislation restores the SDAF to its original purpose supporting our partners and advancing American interests around the globe, without costing taxpayers a dime. I applaud Congressman Aderholt for his leadership in drafting this commonsense, strategic legislation.”

The SDAF continues to have strong bipartisan support in Congress and from current and past Administrations.

The Accelerate Revenue for Manufacturing and Sales Act is supported by leading defense organizations, including the Professional Services Counsel, National Defense Industrial Association, and Aerospace Industries Association.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mike Thompson Representing the 5th District of CALIFORNIA

Washington, D.C. – Today, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) released the following statement after the passage of Congressional Republicans’ bill to take back federal funding from public media stations and foreign aid programs that was already approved by Congress and signed into law:

“Make no mistake: These clawbacks are an attack on public safety. Our public radio and TV stations, especially those in rural communities, are often the only trusted local news source. Publicly funded media stations are the ones covering our kids’ high school sports games, providing high-quality educational programming to our kids, and distributing essential public safety information during natural disasters. To slash this funding is to attack these important services.  

“At the same time, Congressional Republicans are pulling funding from Ukraine and other allies. When our allies are unsafe, we are all unsafe. Cuts to foreign aid undermine our national security.

“Congressional Republicans’ claims that this is about saving money are laughable considering they just passed a bill that will add nearly $5 trillion to our national debt in order to give tax breaks to their billionaire donors who don’t need the help. They are pulling the rug out from under our allies and our local news stations. The American people will pay the price.”

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

WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-07), Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, led a group of 22 lawmakers in a letter to U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) Secretary Howard Lutnick, expressing deep concerns regarding the recent restructuring of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. 

The BEAD Program provides $42.45 billion to expand high-speed internet access by funding planning, infrastructure deployment, and adoption programs in all 50 states. Over 40 states and territories, including California, had partially or fully completed the process of selecting projects for deployment. But last month, DOC released new guidelines through their BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice (BPRN) that threatens to derail progress. The notice would force states to reopen the application process and rescind preliminary and provisional awards—substantially delaying efforts to get shovels in the ground and broadband to the communities that need it most.

  

“Despite your stated goals of removing burdensome requirements from the BEAD Program and ensuring American taxpayers receive the ‘benefit of the bargain,’ the BRPN actually further complicates and delays the program for all stakeholders, violating congressional intent” wrote the lawmakers. “Worst of all, American families and businesses will be left with inferior connectivity.”

The new guidelines impose burdensome scoring requirements that would hamstring states’ flexibility to choose the most effective mix of technologies to deliver reliable, scalable, and future-proof internet service.  On top of that, the Trump administration’s changes would gut key safeguards—slashing protections for affordability, good-paying jobs, climate-resilient infrastructure, and a free and open internet. These changes will drive up costs for consumers while driving down the quality of service.

“The BEAD Program you inherited on January 20, 2025, was on track to get shovels in the ground months ago to deliver reliable, high-speed internet to communities on the wrong side of the digital divide. Nothing about the BRPN simplifies the BEAD Program for state broadband offices or providers, and the changes you insist upon will only lead to indefinite delays and worse internet service for Americans,” the lawmakers continued. 

The full letter is available HERE. 

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