WATCH: Carter champions his Undersea Cable permitting reform bill on House floor

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

Headline: WATCH: Carter champions his Undersea Cable permitting reform bill on House floor


Rep. Carter speaks on the House floor

Watch the Floor Remarks Here

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 261, the Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025. 

“Undersea fiber optic cables carry roughly 95 percent of all intercontinental internet traffic and nearly all transoceanic digital communications. 

“Trillions of dollars in financial transactions – trillions! Global trade data, cloud computing, and secure government communications depend on these cables every single day. 

“They are critical infrastructure, just as essential as ports, as pipelines, or power grids.

“Yet despite their importance, the United States has allowed overregulation and duplicative permitting to stand in the way of deploying and maintaining this infrastructure. 

“Especially on the West Coast, where permitting delays and overlapping approvals have made it effectively impossible to lay new cables in certain areas for decades. 

“The [Natural Resources] Chairman [Bruce Westerman] just described what we’re talking about here.

“These projects weren’t stopped because they failed environmental review. 

“They were stopped because of bureaucracy.

“That is the problem H.R. 261 is designed to fix.

“Today, even when an undersea cable project has already received full authorization from a federal or state agency, it can still be forced through an additional, duplicative permitting process within national marine sanctuaries. 

“That extra layer adds years of delay, drives up costs, and discourages investment without providing meaningful environmental protection.

“H.R. 261 clarifies that once a project has been lawfully approved at the state and federal levels, it should not be required to obtain an additional permit for the same activity.

“And let me be clear: This bill does not weaken environmental protections. 

“All existing environmental laws, reviews, and interagency coordination requirements remain fully intact. 

“This is about eliminating redundancy—not eliminating oversight.

“This matters for states like Georgia.

“Georgia’s economy depends on global connectivity, from the Port of Savannah and our logistics and supply chain networks to manufacturing, defense contractors, data centers, and a growing technology sector. 

“Reliable undersea cable infrastructure supports jobs, it supports trade, and economic growth across the country.

“There is also a serious national security component to this.

“Undersea cables carry sensitive government and military communications. 

“Delays in installing, repairing, or maintaining this infrastructure create real vulnerability to our national security.

“Even today, our adversaries like China are actively targeting global communications networks, especially cutting undersea cables that connect us to our allies like Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.  

“Secure, resilient connectivity is not optional; It is a strategic necessity.

“H.R. 261 is the solution that offers a balanced, commonsense solution. 

“It cuts unnecessary red tape, it preserves environmental safeguards, it strengthens our economy, and most importantly, it protects America’s national security.

“I implore this Congress to pass this legislation to secure America’s technological dominance and fortify our national security.”

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Congressman Neguse to Attorney General Pam Bondi: “What is happening at the Department of Justice is a disgrace.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Joe Neguse (D-Co 2)

Washington, D.C. — Yesterday, Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse participated in the House Judiciary Committee’s Oversight Hearing with Attorney General Pam Bondi.  

Before Donald Trump appointed Bondi to lead the Department of Justice (DOJ) in 2025, she was a personal attorney for the President. Bondi also played an early and active role in spreading falsehoods about the 2020 election. 

During her tenure as Attorney General, Bondi has repeatedly put her loyalty to the President above her responsibilities as the nation’s chief law enforcement officer. Under her leadership, the agency has attempted to rewrite history regarding the January 6th, 2021 attack on the Capitol and dismantled key programs meant to protect the interests of the American people.  

Congressman Neguse, a former impeachment manager tasked with prosecuting President Trump during his second impeachment trial, began his questioning by playing a video clip of an individual charged with multiple crimes on January 6th who was later hired by the DOJ. He also questioned the Attorney General on the dismantling of the DOJ’s Public Integrity Section (PIN) and National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team.

To view the entire exchange, click HERE

On Attorney General Pam Bondi Hiring An Individual Charged With Offenses Connected to the January 6, 2021 Attack:

NEGUSE: Attorney General Bondi, six days ago, you posted online: “If you come for law enforcement, the Trump administration will come for you.” I want to show you just a brief video. It’s about 30 seconds, and then I’ll ask you a couple of questions about it. 

[JARED WISE: Hey. You guys are disgusting, man. You guys are disgusting. I’m former law enforcement. You’re disgusting. You are the Nazi. You are the Gestapo. You can’t see it because you’re chasing your pension, right? Pension. Your retirement, right? That’s what runs your life, your retirement. Shame on you. Shame on you. Shame on you. Yeah! Fuck them! Kill ‘em. Yeah!] 

NEGUSE: Attorney General Bondi, that man works for you now, right? 

BONDI: Who was that, Congressman?  

NEGUSE: The man in that video. The one who was in the police worn bodycam footage. The one allegedly yelling “kill ‘em” at police officers on January 6th. His name is Jared Wise.  

BONDI: He does work for us. 

NEGUSE: He works for you at the Department of Justice? 

BONDI: Yes. He does. 

NEGUSE: This is an individual whom a federal grand jury indicted for two felonies and four misdemeanors related to his participation in the attack on January 6th. One of those charges was forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, and interfering with police with the intent to commit another felony. This is who you choose as the chief law enforcement officer of the United States of America to hire at the Department of Justice. Someone on video yelling “kill ‘em” at police officers, right? 

BONDI: I believe he was pardoned by President Trump.  

NEGUSE: Oh, he was pardoned. You’re right. You’re right. Pardoned by President Trump for his offense. Pardoned for yelling “kill ‘em” at police officers. And yet you expect hardworking police officers across the country to believe that you take law enforcement seriously. You could imagine the reaction of so many folks across the country hearing the chief law enforcement officer of the United States refuse to even condemn what that individual, whom you’ve now hired, did.  

On the Trump Administration Gutting Key Offices Within the Department of Justice:

NEGUSE: Let’s talk a little bit about some of the other divisions within the Department of Justice, and what’s happened over the last year. You’re familiar with the Public Integrity Section of the DOJ’s Criminal Division. I think it’s referred to as PIN, is that right? 

BONDI: Yes. 

NEGUSE: Okay. Do you know which presidential administration under which the PIN was first created? 

BONDI: I can tell you what administration that the weaponization was ended under. 

NEGUSE: I’ll reclaim my time. This wasn’t a trick question. 

BONDI:  You don’t get to reclaim your time.  

NEGUSE: Madam Attorney General. 

[Cross talk devolves into Attorney General Bondi yelling…]

NEGUSE: The president under which PIN was created was Gerald Ford. It was created after Watergate. I’m not asking you a question, Madam Attorney General. The administration under which it was created was Gerald Ford. When you first started as the Attorney General of the United States, there were 35 people working in that office. There are now two people working in that office because you have gutted it.  

NEGUSE: How many people work for the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team in the Criminal Division today?  

BONDI:  Can I answer the question about PIN? 

NEGUSE: I’ve asked you a question. How many people work for the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team? You won’t answer.  

BONDI: I’ll answer PIN. 

[Cross talk devolves into Attorney General Bondi yelling…]

NEGUSE: You know what, Madam Attorney General, I’ll say to the Chairman. Mr. Chairman, you know what the answer is. And I think I understand why the Attorney General does not want to answer the question, because [Bondi] eliminated the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team last year. So, I understand why you don’t want to tell the American people who works there. No one works there anymore, Madam Attorney General. 

[Cross talk devolves into Attorney General Bondi yelling…]

NEGUSE: I might as well ask the Chairman these questions because what’s profound, the questions I’ve asked, Mr. Chairman, are not trick questions. They’re not gotcha questions. They’re actually basic questions about how the Department of Justice functions and the unwillingness of this Attorney General to answer them in good faith. When a Member of Congress asks how many people work at the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team and the Attorney General refuses to answer it, it is not a coincidence. It’s because she eliminated the team. Why? Because her boss, the president of the United States, is making money hand over fist. $1.4 billion over the course of the last year through cryptocurrency holdings. I think what is happening at the Department of Justice is a disgrace, Mr. Chairman, and I would urge you to gain control of this hearing. 

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Democratic Steering and Policy Committee holds hearing on ICE’s lawlessness

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

WASHINGTON – Today, the Steering and Policy Committee held a hearing on the current impacts of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement. Under the leadership of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have unleashed havoc in cities across the country.

“For months, our communities have withstood brutal attacks by their own government. Secretary Kristi Noem’s ICE and DHS agents have killed US citizens, illegally detained and deported people, kidnapped children, and occupied cities,” said Rep. Robin Kelly,co-chair of Steering and Policy. “What we heard today made it clear: these are not isolated incidents, but rather, designed and predictable results by an agency operating without oversight. People are rightfully outraged, and House Democrats will answer their calls for action and hold this rogue DHS accountable.”

“ICE is totally out of control, and we heard that again today. They target citizens and law-abiding immigrants and traumatize entire communities in the process,” said Co-Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz. “Our hearing shined a light on their abuses and provided a measure of the accountability Americans demand. We will continue to fight for dramatic changes to DHS before any funding bill passes. Taxpayers are sick of funding ICE brutality. The Floridians I represent are very clear on this: ICE shouldn’t get another penny of public funds until they reform the agency and are held accountable.” 

“Kristi Noem, Stephen Miller and Donald Trump have unleashed unaccountable, untrained, and lawless immigration enforcement agents to terrorize and strike fear into our communities,” said Co-Chair Rep. Nanette Barragán. “What we heard today reaffirms what we have seen in communities across the country, including in my district in Los Angeles County: disturbing patterns of abuse, racial profiling, verbal intimidation, unnecessary use of force, and blatant disregard for due process. These actions tear apart our families, destabilize communities, and erode trust in government. ICE should be bound by the same rules as any other law enforcement organization. They are not exempt from the Constitution. House Democrats will continue to demand transparency, accountability, and justice.”

Five witnesses provided testimony on ICE’s assault against our communities:

  • Alejandro Barranco is a marine veteran and son of Narcisco Barranco, who was thrown to the ground and attacked by ICE agents at work.
  • Reverend Anthony Galloway is the Pastor of the Wayman AME Church in Minneapolis and mobilizes faith-based organizations in response to pressing humanitarian concerns.
  • Nayna Gupta is an immigrant and Policy Director at the American Immigration Council, an advocacy organization focused on upholding due process rights of immigrants.
  • Kelly McCarthy is the Chief Police of Mendota Heights, Minnesota, and has seen ICE’s lawlessness firsthand.
  • Antonio Romanucci is a civil rights lawyer representing Renee Nicole Good’s family, and previously, he won a historic lawsuit against the City of Minneapolis for the murder of George Floyd.

The Steering and Policy Committee has now held 18 hearings in an ongoing effort to confront and expose the Trump-Republican agenda on issues important to the American people. In addition to immigration enforcement, hearings have covered healthcare, Medicaid, food security, Social Security, veterans and small businesses.

Ranking Member Huffman Blasts GOP’s Big Tech Handout

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Huffman Representing the 2nd District of California

“While working Americans face an affordability crisis, Republicans prioritize special favors for the wealthiest corporations on Earth.”

February 11, 2026

Washington, D.C. — Today, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) took to the House Floor to oppose Republicans’ “Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025,” which hands tech giants like Meta and Amazon special exemptions and millions of dollars in savings to run cables through America’s National Marine Sanctuaries for free, skipping safety checks and ignoring the Tribes and communities who depend on these protected waters.

“So, what do we have on the Floor this week? You guessed it — another corporate handout, this time to the biggest tech oligarchs in the world. These folks have shown that if you’ve got enough money, if you’re willing to bend the knee, you can pretty much get anything you want these days under MAGA Republican governance,” Ranking Member Huffman said on the House Floor.

“My district is home to one of our nation’s iconic marine sanctuaries. I can say without hesitation that my constituents don’t want to see these industrial activities rip through our sensitive kelp forests that support fisheries and tourism. No project in these places should happen without very careful study, without mitigation, and most importantly, without paying their fair share. This bill would let tech executives treat these national treasures off our coast like some kind of industrial sacrifice zone, without even paying a cent for the use of these resources.

“While working American families are facing an affordability crisis, our Republican friends prioritize special favors like this for the wealthiest corporations on the planet — companies that could easily afford to follow the rules and pay a fair market rate for access to these places. This sets a terrible precedent. We’re witnessing the wholesale commercialization of America’s natural inheritance, one sweetheart deal at a time.

“Today it’s cables in sanctuaries. Tomorrow, it’s mining in a national monument. Next week, drilling in national seashores. Where does this corporate favoritism end? If my colleagues want to modernize telecommunications, we can do that the right way. Let’s invest in broadband infrastructure. Let’s address transmission issues. We can incentivize clean, local renewable energy. We can end President Trump’s crazy war on clean energy. And sure, maybe we can have a few fiber optic cables running through marine sanctuaries. But let’s do it through proper analysis and siting. Let’s be careful in these very special places. We don’t need this bill to enable any of these shared objectives to move forward. Let us not create sacrifice zones in America’s national marine sanctuaries,” Huffman said.

Background

What H.R. 261, the Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025, does:

  • Waives All Fees for Mega Corporations: Unlike other agencies that collect rent from companies and people that use public lands, this Republican bill forces American taxpayers to subsidize Big Tech. It eliminates the fair market fees and rents NOAA can charge for the use of these resources, gifting corporations millions of dollars per cable per year – money that should be going back to the American people and into the economy, not billionaires’ pockets.
  • Lets Big Tech Skip Environmental Reviews: Telecommunications companies are supposed to get special use permits that ensure what they do won’t harm sanctuaries. But this bill gives them a free pass, clearing the way for Big Tech to destroy fragile resources like corals, kelp forests, and historic shipwrecks. NOAA would also lose authority to conduct sanctuary-specific environmental assessments and gather public input from affected Tribes, scientists, divers, fishers, and other sanctuary users whose livelihoods depend on these waters.
  • Eliminates Key Protections: The legislation strikes requirements for 5-year permit renewals and removes the mandate that activities must not damage sanctuary resources, opening the door to new, destructive, activities with fewer restrictions and less accountability.
  • Silences Tribal Voices: The bill eliminates required consultation with coastal Tribes who have treaty rights and co-management responsibilities in many sanctuaries, undermining established government-to-government relationships.
  • Creates Regulatory Chaos: The bill fails to specify which other state or Federal agency permits would qualify or how coordination would work, creating regulatory uncertainty and loopholes exclusively for Big Tech.

Coastal communities are already suffering the consequences of when Big Tech has been allowed to bypass environmental protections. Meta’s cable installation off Oregon failed catastrophically — over 1,000 feet of steel pipe and 6,500 gallons of drilling fluid now sit on the seafloor. The company paid less than $400,000 and walked away, leaving their equipment and mess behind. H.R. 261 would virtually guarantee they never have to answer for that kind of damage again.



Rep. Estes Introduces Legislation to Delay Efficiency Adjustment; Benefiting Kansas Doctors

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ron Estes (R-Kansas)

Congressman Ron Estes (R-Kansas) introduced legislation, H.R. 7520, that addresses the efficiency adjustment in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule by delaying the adjustment to ensure it is more targeted and thoughtful. Currently, the CY 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule introduced a new “efficiency adjustment” policy, and this mandate assumes perpetual efficiency gains in physician services, leading to recurring reimbursement reductions. 

The policy reduces work Relative Value Units (RVUs) and intra-service time for all non-time-based codes by 2.5% in 2026, with additional cuts every three years. CMS assumes services are becoming faster, yet studies show 90% of procedures had the same or longer operative times in 2023 compared to 2019. 

Additionally, the 2.5% cut is a flat rate based on general economy-wide labor productivity rather than actual clinical work or direct patient complexity. Because many physician employment contracts use work RVUs to calculate pay, these cuts will decrease compensation and threaten patient access. 

Lastly, this cut occurs as practice operational costs have increased 59% since 2001, resulting in a 33% decline in inflation-adjusted physician pay. 

Rep. Estes legislation addresses concerns voiced by Kansas Doctors and National Doctors groups regarding this efficiency adjustment which calls for a delay while we work through how to ensure the adjustment is targeted and thoughtful to physicians nationwide. 

“Paying physicians properly is one of the only ways to ensure continued access and quality care for patients nationwide. As your representative in Congress, it is my duty to respond to concerns and fight for our Kansas Doctors such as the concerns raised with this efficiency adjustment,” Rep. Estes said. “Our physicians in Kansas and across our country are committed to the health and wellbeing of all Americans, and I will continue to fight in their best interest in Washington.”  

“Doctors are overwhelmed as it is. They’re suffering from record rates of burnout while spending more time filling out paperwork than with their patients. Asking them to work even faster without properly understanding what actually affects procedure times doesn’t make sense,” Rep. Tom Suozzi said. “This bipartisan bill delays an unvetted and potentially harmful policy from taking effect too haphazardly. Let’s take care of the people who take care of us and make sure they have the time, tools, and support to provide quality care for their patients.”

“The 2.5% reduction to work Relative Value Units (RVUs) that went into effect on January 1 is detrimental to surgeons’ ability to provide quality care. Recent research shows that operative times have increased on average by 3% since 2019 as patient complexity has risen. This critical legislation will put a stop to the flawed across-the-board reduction until CMS is able to provide data on why it is necessary to do such an adjustment.

At a time when too many patients are seeing access to essential medical care delayed, we cannot allow another reduction in the structure of physician payments to drive even more physicians out of medical practice. We must stabilize payments to enable surgeons and physicians to keep their practices open so that they can continue to serve their patients.

Congress must step in immediately and stop the implementation of this flawed plan that will negatively impact surgeons and will limit access to care for millions of vulnerable patients. We thank Congressman Estes and Congressman Suozzi for their leadership on this critical issue,” Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA FACS, Executive Director and CEO of the American College of Surgeons said.

“The Efficiency Adjustment Delay Act builds on Congress’ recognition that cuts fuel consolidation to the detriment of physicians and their patients,” Alexander A. Khalessi, MD, MBA, Chair of the AANS/CNS Washington Committee for Neurological Surgery said. “It helps ensure any future changes to work RVUs are grounded in empirical evidence and stakeholder input. We applaud Representatives Estes and Suozzi for their leadership and urge Congress to advance this legislation.” 

You may click HERE to read the full legislation. 

You may click HERE to read a letter from over 30 organizations supporting this legislation. 

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Hoyer Statement on the End of Immigration Enforcement Surge in Minnesota

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

“Finally, Trump’s federal troops are leaving Minneapolis. They never should have been there in the first place. Anyone with basic common sense could predict that sending heavily armed troops equipped for combat into an American city with the promise of immunity for using force would result in people getting hurt. Trump did so anyway.

“We must ensure that the families of Alex Pretti and Renee Good see justice served and that the American people receive the answers they deserve about why this violence is happening in our streets.”

Congresswoman Schrier Leads Colleagues in Call to Protect Women, Children by Removing Anti-vax OB/GYNs from Vaccine Panel

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

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Representatives Kim Schrier, MD (WA-08), Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Brad Schneider (IL-10), and Kelly Morrison, MD (MN-03) led 44 of their colleagues in calling for the removal of two recently appointed anti-vax OB/GYNs to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). In January, Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appointed OB/GYNs Dr. Adam Urato and Dr. Kimberly Biss to ACIP, both of whom are well-documented anti-vaxers. 

“What was once a trusted panel of vaccine experts has become a hand-selected group of unqualified vaccine skeptics who have undermined years of scientific integrity and vetted public health practices,” the lawmakers wrote to Kennedy

Urato has said that vaccine science is not “long-settled.” In 2023, he posted a link to a study that looked at vaccines and breastfeeding, saying, “we don’t know the risks this poses.” Studies show that breastfeeding after COVID-19 vaccines is safe. Dr. Biss said that after COVID-19, she was now “anti-vaccine.” At a congressional hearing in November 2023, Dr. Biss repeated the false claim that taking the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy increased the risk of miscarriage.

“We are deeply concerned that the addition of Dr. Urato and Dr. Biss to ACIP do not make pregnant women and their children healthier. Instead, their false, harmful ideologies put women and their children’s lives at risk. The opinions of Dr. Urato and Dr. Biss are not founded in evidence-based science, but in anti-vaccine rhetoric that harms public health as a whole,” the letter continues

The medical community broadly rejects the connection between COVID-19 and miscarriages. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends that all pregnant and breastfeeding women receive an updated COVID-19 vaccine or booster. The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) also strongly recommends that pregnant women receive the vaccine.

In June 2025, Sec. Kennedy fired all 17 sitting ACIP members, which has put all Americans at risk from vaccine-preventable diseases, like measles, COVID-19, and even polio.

“We urge you to remove vaccine skeptics from ACIP and reinstate the 17 experts who were previously fired,” the lawmakers conclude

The letter was also signed by Representatives Becca Balint (VT‑AL), Nanette Díaz Barragán (CA‑44), Sean Casten (IL‑06), Emanuel Cleaver (MO‑05), Steve Cohen (TN‑09), Herbert Conaway (NJ‑03), Angie Craig (MN‑02), April McClain Delaney (MD‑06), Maxine Dexter (OR‑03), Debbie Dingell (MI‑06), Lizzie Fletcher (TX‑07), John Garamendi (CA‑08), Robert Garcia (CA‑42), Jimmy Gomez (CA‑34), Pramila Jayapal (WA‑07), Julie Johnson (TX-32), Robin Kelly (IL-2), Rick Larsen (WA‑02), Summer Lee (PA-12), Stephen Lynch (MA-08), Lucy McBath (GA-06), Jennifer McClellan (VA‑04), Seth Moulton (MA‑06), Donald Norcross (NJ‑01), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC‑AL), Jimmy Panetta (CA‑19), Brittany Pettersen (CO‑07), Emily Randall (WA-06), Luz Rivas (CA‑29), Deborah Ross (NC-02, Jan Schakowsky (IL‑09), Terri Sewell (AL‑07), Brad Sherman (CA‑32), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Greg Stanton (AZ‑04), Haley Stevens (MI-11), Mark Takano (CA-39), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Paul Tonko (NY-20), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25). 

You can read the full letter here.

SCHNEIDER, NEW DEMOCRATS UNVEIL AFFORDABILITY AGENDA

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL)

Washington, D.C. —Rep. Brad Schneider (IL-10) and the New Democrat Coalition, which he chairs, released their Affordability Agenda, a policy roadmap to help make life more affordable for Illinoisans by focusing on lowering the five core costs that are too high for hardworking people: health care, housing, energy, family care, and household essentials like groceries.

Despite promising to lower prices “on day one” and “end inflation,” President Trump and Republicans in Congress have failed to lower the cost of living as their billionaire-first agenda makes life more expensive across the board for hardworking Americans. 

With the Affordability Agenda, Rep. Schneider and the New Democrats are offering a better path forward to lower everyday costs in the short- and long-term by rolling back harmful policies pushed by Republicans in Washington, promoting competition and supporting small businesses to boost consumer choice, and breaking down regulatory barriers across the government to meet the needs of everyday Americans.

“New Dems have always fought for economic growth and opportunity to enable hardworking Americans not to just get by, but to get ahead,” said New Dem Chair Brad Schneider. “That’s why we’re now taking on the cost-of-living crisis to make it easier for people to afford their home, feed their family, pay for healthcare, and still have enough money left to take a vacation and save for the future. Our Affordability Agenda represents bold policy ideas from some of the brightest minds in Congress, and a path forward for lawmakers to empower everyday people to reach their full economic potential.”

Affordability Agenda Toplines

Groceries & Household Essentials

  • Restore certainty by rolling back Trump’s tariffs and advancing smarter, durable trade policies.
  • Support small producers and crack down on price-gouging corporations to increase competition in the food marketplace.
  • Lower internet bills by restarting the Affordable Connectivity Program.
  • Increase the minimum wage and ensure workers have a seat at the table.

Health Care

  • Reduce monthly costs by extending ACA tax credits and expanding access to prescription price caps.
  • Protect patients from surprise medical bills and aggressive debt collection.
  • Expand access to care by fully funding Medicaid and strengthening Medicare’s guaranteed benefits.
  • Increase competition and transparency while cracking down on fraud and abuse.

Housing

  • Cut red tape and update permitting and zoning to build four million homes in the next decade.
  • Level the playing field by eliminating unfair tax breaks to private equity and large investors.
  • Utilize innovative construction technologies to accelerate home production.
  • Build more affordable homes by increasing Low-Income Housing Tax Credit allocations and community benefits.

Energy

  • Reform permitting rules to make it faster and cheaper to build energy transmission and generation infrastructure.
  • Ensure energy is available and abundant by establishing a level playing field for all forms of energy.
  • Reallocate electric grid costs to protect consumers from price hikes due to manufacturing and data center development.
  • Invest in energy efficiency and home heating & cooling to lower residential energy costs.

Families

  • Create a national paid family and medical leave program that covers all Americans.
  • Support working families with expanded access to tax cuts and universal pre-K.
  • Leverage federal resources and foster public-private partnerships to enhance care options and paid leave access.
  • Invest in the home health and long-term care workforce to care for aging Americans.

You can read the full Affordability Agenda here.

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Underwood Delivers Remarks at Department of Homeland Security Hearing on Potential Impacts of a DHS Shutdown

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

WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14), a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, delivered the following remarks at a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) hearing on the potential impacts of a DHS shutdown:

“Let’s be clear about why we are here.

Republicans have allowed ICE and Border Patrol to operate out of control, abuse their authority, trample civil rights, break the law, violate the Constitution, and kill U.S. citizens—all while lying to the public about actions we can plainly see with our own eyes.

So, if my Republican colleagues were serious about keeping the American people safe, we’d be discussing how to protect citizens from their own government.

Today, we should be hearing from Secretary Noem and the leaders of the agencies that are terrorizing and killing Americans.

Instead, we’re having a sham hearing with Republicans trying to shift blame, even though our Democratic leadership has already offered a funding proposal with safeguards to protect Americans from misconduct by federal agents.

It seems the White House would rather shut down agencies like FEMA during historic winter storms than accept the bare minimum of accountability and transparency for ICE and Border Patrol, so here we are.

Just to level set, Secretary Noem has not appeared before this committee since last year—before her agents killed Renée Good and Alex Pretti, before Greg Bovino terrorized my constituents in Illinois during Operation Midway Blitz, before more than 170 U.S. citizens were illegally detained by federal agents, before 5-year-old boy Liam Ramos was snatched on his way home from school because ICE wanted to use him as bait, and before countless other atrocities were committed on her watch. 

So where is she today?

Since day one, Secretary Noem has violated our Constitution and the oath she took to defend it. 

DHS’s leader behaves as though Congressional oversight is optional—and her negligence is enabled by my Republican colleagues. That negligence is visible across the Department. 

Four of the five DHS components represented today are being run by acting officials—not because qualified leaders do not exist, but because Republicans have abandoned even the pretense of governing. 

And now, after failing to confirm permanent leaders, refusing congressional oversight, and starving the components they do not care about, Republicans want to lecture this Subcommittee about the impacts of a shutdown on the agencies THEY have neglected all along.

But I don’t think it’s going to fool the American people. The real Republican priorities are painfully obvious. 

My constituents can understand what it means that FEMA recently denied Illinois’s request for a major disaster declaration after severe storms. 

Mr. Phillips, I’m not going to waste our time today asking you why this decision was made—I think we all know why.

My constituents see what’s happening here. They paid their federal taxes, but now that they need help to rebuild, FEMA tells them they’re on their own.

That’s not a result of a funding lapse. That’s a policy choice.

It’s a policy choice that reflects a pattern of governance that treats some missions and some communities as expendable.

Apparently the Trump administration has enough money for immigration agents to rappel down from helicopters to raid an apartment building on Chicago’s South Side – resulting in zero criminal charges – but not to address flooding when heavy rain overwhelmed the sewer system a few miles away.

And under Kristi Noem’s failed leadership, it’s not just disaster response that’s getting shortchanged in order to pay for the secret police terrorizing American communities.

Cybersecurity. Transportation security. Maritime safety. Our nation’s most valuable resources and secrets. All being sold out by the Trump administration.

Meanwhile, agencies like Border Patrol and ICE—whose actions are opposed by 63 percent of American voters—got a blank check in the Big Ugly Bill last summer, and now my Republican colleagues want to give them another one with no strings attached.

So spare us the fiction of Republican concern about paying federal employees or sustaining critical services. This is not about resources. This is about choices.

And it’s also a choice to hold this sham hearing today instead of bringing Secretary Noem in to answer for the unlawful abuses of power the American people have experienced under her leadership. 

That tells me everything I need to know, so I have no questions for these witnesses, and just one question for Secretary Noem: when will YOU stop hiding behind your subordinates and come explain yourself to this committee?”

Video of Underwood’s remarks can be viewed here.

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Congressman Baird Joins President Trump for White House’s Beautiful, Clean Coal Event

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jim Baird (R-IN-04)

Congressman Baird Joins President Trump for White House’s Beautiful, Clean Coal Event

Washington, February 12, 2026

Congressman Jim Baird joined President Trump, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Speaker Mike Johnson, and a select group of U.S. Senators and Representatives at the White House as President Trump signed the Strengthening the United States National Defense with America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Power Generation Fleet Executive Order.

“Hoosier families and businesses deserve access to the affordable, reliable energy sources they need to keep the lights on and energy costs low,” said Congressman Baird. “I was honored to join President Trump at the White House as the president and his administration end the war on coal. As energy demand continues to grow, we need dependable energy sources like coal to protect our grid reliability. Nowhere else in the world produces coal as cleanly as the United States. This historic Executive Order will revitalize our coal industry and support recommissioning coal plants across the country. I am grateful President Trump is working to harness America’s most reliable and affordable energy source, saving thousands of jobs, strengthening this essential industry, and unleashing American energy dominance.”

The Strengthening the United States National Defense with America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Power Generation Fleet Executive Order directs the Secretary of War to enter into Power Purchasing Agreements with coal-fired power plants to ensure the Department of War has reliable power and to strengthen the grid.

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