MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rick Allen (R-GA-12)

Today, U.S. Congressman Rick W. Allen (GA-12) announced the 2026 Congressional Art Competition. Every year, Members of the U.S. House of Representatives sponsor a nationwide high school art competition. This contest is open to all high school students (9th – 12th grade) in Georgia’s 12th District. The winning piece will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol, and its student artist will receive an invitation to travel to Washington, D.C. to attend the national winners’ reception.

“The Congressional Art Competition is a special tradition that provides high school students the opportunity to display their art for the country to see. I look forward to seeing submissions from our young artists in the 12th District, and encourage all interested high school students to participate,” said Congressman Allen.

Submitted artwork must be original in concept, design, and execution and must depict life in the 12th District of Georgia. All artwork must be submitted by March 3rd, 2026 at one of the following three drop-off locations:

• Augusta District Office: 2743 Perimeter Parkway, Bldg. 200, Suite 105, Augusta, GA 30909, (706) 228-1980, (Submissions at this location can be made Monday-Friday, 9 am–5 pm)
• Dublin District Office: 100 S. Church Street, Dublin, GA 31021, (478) 272-4030 (Submissions at this location can be made on Monday, March 2nd, 9 am–5 pm)
• Statesboro District Office: 50 East Main Street, Statesboro, Georgia 30458, (912) 243-9452, (Submissions at this location can be made Monday-Friday, 9 am–5 pm)

For more information and official rules, please visit Congressman Allen’s website. If you have any additional questions, please contact Christine Rhodes in our Augusta District Office at (706) 228-1980 or Christine.Rhodes@mail.house.gov.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on MS NOW’s Morning Joe, where he made clear that, one year into Donald Trump’s term, House Democrats will continue to hold the Trump administration accountable for the corruption and extremism they are unleashing on American communities and their failure to fulfill the promise of lowering the high cost of living.

JOE SCARBOROUGH: Let’s bring in right now, House Majority—Minority Leader, Democratic Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of New York. I’m sorry there was a little time lapse to next year, still Minority Leader for now but before we go to that, I want to say, first of all, Independent voters, a plurality, close to a majority, are now calling for the elimination of ICE. I don’t think a lot of mainstream Democrats on the Hill want to do that, but the polls are breaking that way. So, Minority Leader Jeffries, before we get to funding for DHS and their brutal tactics which, by the way, it sounded even like Donald Trump was suggesting that they made a mistake in the killing of Renee Good. I’m curious about the Epstein Transparency Act that you passed well over a month ago. The Department of Justice was required by law, in an almost unanimous House vote and Senate vote, required to release all the files. They’ve only released about 1% of those files, most of those heavily redacted. What can you do, what can Democrats do, to answer the pleas of even MAGA Republicans—

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: When are they coming?—

JOE SCARBOROUGH: Who want these files released and want the White House to stop hiding them?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, good morning. The Department of Justice has completely and totally failed to comply with the law under that statute that was passed and of course signed by Donald Trump, almost unanimously enacted by both the House and the Senate. The DOJ was required to turn over the Epstein files by December 19th. A month has now passed, more than five million documents have failed to be released and the Department of Justice has not provided any reason that justifies their obstruction. The American people deserve the transparency and accountability connected to the release of the Epstein files. And, in my view, to the extent that Republicans are actually interested in making sure that that transparency occurs, then the Department of Justice needs to either come up to Capitol Hill and explain why they’ve failed to comply with the law or be held in contempt of Congress.

WILLIE GEIST: Leader Jeffries, as you know, Republicans, the Justice Department in particular, are saying there’s so many files, there’s millions of files, it’s going to take us a while. Are you buying that explanation and, if not, what do you suspect?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, from the very beginning of this whole sordid saga, Trump administration officials have claimed that they want to release these files, that they plan to release these files, they’re now compelled to release these files by a law that was passed in the Congress, and yet they continue to obstruct. And so, clearly, I think the American people can reasonably conclude they’re hiding something. Right? Who are they protecting is the question that we need to get a real answer to because the American people simply deserve the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

JONATHAN LEMIRE: Leader Jeffries, let’s switch gears now and talk about the upcoming government funding bill, whether the government will perhaps even shut down as that deadline approaches. A thorny issue is funding for the Department of Homeland Security, and in particular ICE, in the wake of that fatal shooting in Minneapolis a couple of weeks ago. Talk to us about the divisions that you and your colleagues feel. What happens next?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, ICE is completely and totally out of control. Donald Trump promised with respect to immigration enforcement that the administration was going to target violent felons who are here in the country illegally. That’s something the American people support. The American people do not support the targeting, the arrest, the detention, the brutalization of American citizens, certainly do not find acceptable the killing of Renee Nicole Good and the targeting of law-abiding immigrant families and communities. And so, I think from our standpoint, and we’ll have a discussion in about an hour in our Caucus meeting about the path forward, but clearly there needs to be accountability mechanisms that is put into law so that ICE conducts itself like every other law enforcement agency in the United States of America. That’s not too much to ask. So some of the things that we believe are appropriate in this instance, are demanding be part of any final bill, are a warrant requirement. That’s common sense. ICE should not be able to storm houses of worship, hospitals and schools. That’s common sense. That relates to protocols that exist for every other law enforcement agency in the country. ICE should have a use-of-force standard. None currently exists. Of course, the notion that masked ICE agents are running around brutalizing American citizens, utilizing taxpayer dollars, completely and totally unacceptable. And so these are the types of things that we believe should be put into place to get ICE under control, consistent with the demands of the American people.

MIKE BARNICLE: Leader Jeffries, the Department of Justice is not the same Department of Justice that existed 12 or 14 months ago. Hundreds of prosecutors have left. The FBI has been stripped of a lot of skillful agents who left the Department of Justice. I realize you are in the minority, but what can be done to restore the integrity and the skill level of the Department of Justice?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, that definitely is one of the projects that I think we’re going to need to work on. From our standpoint, we’ve got two pillars that we need to proceed with as we move forward. One, of course, is affordability and making sure that we are driving down the high cost of living, fixing our broken healthcare system. Donald Trump promised that costs would go down on day one. Year one has passed. Costs haven’t gone down. They’ve gone up. But in addition to the affordability agenda that we’ll aggressively push, we need accountability. And Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice, they’ve weaponized this institution against political enemies. Highly qualified individuals have left, and they’re proceeding with impunity. And so from my standpoint, there have to be consequences for some of the outrageous things that have been done. Congress needs to function like a separate and co-equal branch of government as opposed to what my Republican colleagues have done, which is a reckless rubber stamp for Donald Trump’s extreme agenda. We’re going to continue to press the case, to elevate, to make the Department of Justice great again, but the reality is that work is not really going to happen in a meaningful fashion until Democrats take back control of the House of Representatives after the November midterm elections.

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: All right. House Minority Leader, Democratic Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of New York, thank you very much for your time this morning, sir. We appreciate it.

Interview can be watched here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens released the following statement:

“Secretary Noem has refused to answer basic questions to Congress about ICE operations, the killing of an unarmed protester in broad daylight, the alarming rise in deaths at ICE detention facilities—the largest in decades—and her nonstop lies to the American people. Rather than going after criminals and keeping Americans safe, federal immigration officers are terrorizing our communities on her orders. Every day, I hear from Michiganders who are afraid that this violence and chaos will come to our state next.

“Secretary Noem has ignored my repeated calls to open investigations into the killing of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis and the death of Nenko Gantchev, a detainee at the North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, Michigan. Since she has given no indication of resigning for her repeated failures and abuses of power, I am left with no choice but to join my colleagues in calling for her impeachment and prompt removal from office.”

Stevens is cosponsoring H.Res. 996, Articles of Impeachment, introduced recently by Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL). This action builds on Rep. Stevens’ previous efforts to hold ICE accountable, including:

Stevens has also emphasized that Trump’s threat to deploy the military on U.S. soil only heightens the urgency of restoring lawful oversight, the passage of her Stop Trump’s Abuse of Power Act, and Noem’s removal.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA), Chairman of the Ways & Means Subcommittee on Tax, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (MO-08), and Ways & Means Committee Republicans called on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to overhaul its oversight of the non-profit sector as the ongoing Somali fraud scandal in Minnesota, and the theft of potentially billions of taxpayer dollars, has underlined the need for serious reform following the Biden Administration’s failure to hold these organizations accountable.

The letter to Acting IRS Commissioner Scott Bessentand IRS CEO Frank Bisignano comes amid an ongoing Ways and Means Committee investigation into waste, fraud, abuse, and other illegal activity within the United States’ tax-exempt sector writ large that has resulted in the referral of 11 non-profit organizations to the IRS for revocation of tax-exempt status.  

“While the Feeding Our Future case points to the need for oversight and accountability surrounding tax-exempt organizations funneling taxpayer dollars to non-exempt or even illegal purposes, it also demonstrates the urgency for the IRS to implement a new approach for the non-profit sector when it comes to updating its systems and communication with state agencies as well… it is imperative that the IRS transition from the laissez-faire approach implemented under the Biden Administration and utilize a more hands-on approach when overseeing and safeguarding taxpayer dollars,” said the Members.

The widespread theft of taxpayer dollars exemplified by the Feeding Our Future scandal in Minnesota, which has resulted in the prosecution of nearly 80 individuals by the Department of Justice (DOJ), is even more disturbing, Smith argues, given the IRS revoked Feeding Our Future’s tax-exempt status in February of 2020, yet the organization continued to advertise and potentially reap the benefits of tax-exempt status for months because the IRS failed to update its systems.

The letter continues, “Minnesota audit findings suggest that despite the IRS revoking Feeding Our Future’s tax-exempt status in February of 2020 after the organization failed to meet IRS reporting requirements for three consecutive years, Feeding Our Future continued to advertise itself as a tax-exempt organization and even received approval as a Summer Food Service Program sponsor by Minnesota’s Department of Education in June of 2020, possibly due to a delay by the IRS in updating its systems to reflect that Feeding Our Future was no longer tax-exempt.”

The letter also underscores how disturbing allegations of a terror-financing scheme in Minnesota are evidence of a potentially more widespread problem in the tax-exempt sector. Chairman Smith has previously called on the IRS to revoke the tax-exempt status of multiple non-profit organizations with ties to designated terrorist organizations.  

The letter continues, “Reports also suggest that some of this money may have ended up in the hands of the notorious Al-Shabaab terrorist group, with one confidential source saying that ‘[t]he largest funder of Al-Shabaab is the Minnesota taxpayer’…Regrettably, this is not the first time the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means has had to express concern over tax-exempt organizations manipulating the Tax Code to promote anti-American and/or pro-terrorist ideals that do not further any tax-exempt purpose. For example, not only did the Committee write to the IRS requesting revocation of tax-exempt status for multiple non-profit organizations with ties to designated terrorist groups in October of this year, but the Committee is also actively investigating American non-profits operating as extensions of the Chinese Communist Party. These letters came after several requests to the Biden Administration to take action, all of which failed to come to fruition.”  

You can read the full text of the letter here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, during the annual “State of Steel” hearing hosted by the Congressional Steel Caucus, U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) called on Congress to strengthen and enhance international trade laws to protect American steel producers and American jobs.

Kelly highlighted the Strengthening Trade Enforcement and Evasion Limitations (STEEL) Act, bipartisan legislation he leads with Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA) that will enhance trade enforcement legislation. The legislation also aims to prevent “dumping,” an unfair trade practice by foreign nations that sell subsidized goods in the United States and devalue the prices of American steel and other domestic products.

“We have a lot of legislation that is signed into law. The problem is the enforcement,” Kelly said. “When I see what has happened to our steel industry and the market share we have lost to unfair competition globally, what the hell are we doing? We cannot afford to lose market share to people to game the whole system. It’s unfair competition.”

You can watch a clip of Kelly’s conversation with leaders of Cleveland-Cliffs, U.S. Steel, and other steel producers here.

You can watch the full “State of Steel” hearing here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) announced nearly $4 million in Community Project Funding (CPF) grants have been approved for projects within Pennsylvania’s 16th Congressional District. The projects were included in the legislation passed by the U.S. House on Thursday.

“These projects represent real, tangible investments in essential water and sewer infrastructure that will significantly benefit communities across the 16th Congressional District,” Kelly said. “Each of these projects will address critical public health, environmental, and reliability concerns. As my team and I reviewed this year’s applications, our priority was ensuring Pennsylvania taxpayers received the strongest return on their investment, and I’m confident these projects accomplish exactly that.”

Rep. Kelly’s FY2026 Community Project Funding that will receive funding:

Meadville Area Sewer Authority – Amount: $750,000

This project would replace Meadville’s aging force main that is 14” with a 16” pipe.  The newly installed line will replace the aging and disintegrating force main currently in use.  Replacing the aging pipe will preserve the ecological diversity of French Creek by eliminating any possible sewage infiltration and will also provide a joint municipal sewer system for Meadville and Vernon Townships.

Hermitage Municipal Authority – Amount: $913,600

This project would demolish the existing Wheatland Pump Station and install 1,100 linear feet of sewer lines to divert the flow to the existing Council Avenue Pump Station.  The existing Wheatland Pump Station has reached the end of its 50-year lifespan and presents environmental hazards from storm water inflow and infiltration that cause pollution of the nearby river and/or sewage backups in homes and businesses.

Cranberry Township – Amount: $1,000,000

This project would complete the replacement of the waterline along Route 19 in Cranberry Township.  The existing waterline is at a high risk of failing due to age, amount of line breaks per segment, and the number of customers affected by this line.  Cranberry Township’s water system provides an average of 2.5 million gallons per day and serves approximately 11,000 customers. This phase of the project will replace 2,100 linear feet of 12-inch waterline and 2,300 linear feet of 8-inch waterline.

 
Chicora Borough – Amount: $1,250,000

This project would upgrade and repair the outdated drinking water plant.  The existing plant was constructed of repurposed filtration and storage tanks from industrial installations donated to the Borough and is past the expected service life for these parts.  Chicora provides potable water service to approximately 1,100 people in the Borough, including an elementary school.

Of the fifteen (15) requests Rep. Kelly was allotted, four (4) were included in the spending package passed this week. Another three projects were passed in November, when Kelly announced $2.5 million in Community Project Funding for three local volunteer fire departments.

Rep. Kelly’s additional requests remain under consideration.

BACKGROUND
Congressional leaders resumed Community Project Funding (CPF), formerly known as ‘earmarks’, for the 119th Congress. With increased transparency and stricter guidelines, lawmakers were permitted to submit up to fifteen (15) funding requests during the appropriations process. Rep. Kelly fielded input from local leaders throughout Northwestern Pennsylvania before selecting these projects.

Details on CPF rules and guidelines can be found here.

In 2020, Rep. Kelly also delivered two BUILD Grants for the 16th Congressional District, including $25 million for improvements along State Route 228 in Butler County, and $21 million for the City of Erie’s Bayfront Parkway Project. In 2018, he also secured a BUILD Grant for the State Route 228 project worth $20 million.
 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA), Chairman of the Ways & Means Subcommittee on Tax, released the following statement after the U.S. Treasury Department announced Monday that U.S.-headquartered multinational companies will be exempt from the OECD Pillar Two global minimum tax framework.

Previously, the Biden administration negotiated the Pillar Two framework without consultation of Congress. 

“Thanks to the leadership of the Trump administration, today’s agreement protects American businesses and workers from burdensome global bureaucratic overreach and recognizes the tax sovereignty of the United States,” said Rep. Kelly. “The Biden administration went around Congress and sold out American-based companies. I want to thank the Trump administration for working hand-in-hand with the Republican Congress in charting an America First path forward, which will allow American job creators to prosper at home and compete on a level playing field abroad.”

The agreement also protects the value of the U.S. R&D credit and promises to reduce onerous compliance burdens, fulfilling the shared goal of U.S. leadership in innovation and technological advancement in the international tax and global competitiveness landscape. 

BACKGROUND

Rep. Kelly has previously led efforts in Congress to oppose the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) global minimum tax, known as Pillar 2, what Rep. Kelly called a poorly negotiated by the Biden Administration. During a 2023 hearing, Kelly highlighted how the United States stands to lose over $120 billion in tax revenues under Pillar 2.

“The original idea of engaging in negotiations at the OECD was this: other countries could join the U.S. with their own global minimum taxes and we could stop the proliferation of (Digital Services Taxes). Unfortunately, that’s not what happened at all,” Rep. Kelly said in prepared remarks.

You can watch Rep. Kelly’s opening statement and full committee hearing here and learn more here.

In October 2025, Kelly and Ways and Means Committee Republican leaders slammed a French proposal to impose higher discriminatory Digital Services Tax on U.S. innovators.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) released the following statement after U.S. military operations in Venezuela.

“Today, President Trump has once again shown the world that the United States will defend itself from terrorism of all kinds, including narcoterrorism led by Venezuela’s illegitimate leader Nicolás Maduro,”said Rep. Kelly.“For years, I’ve sounded the alarm about foreign intervention against the United States throughout the Western Hemisphere. This includes illegal drug trafficking into our country. Today’s tactical military operation in Venezuela is the Trump Doctrine in action. This is the right time to have the right President in the White House.”

Rep. Kelly has previously published op-eds highlighting the importance of the Monroe Doctrine and Roosevelt Corollary in U.S. foreign policy; and, the need to recognize ongoing actions against the United States by China, Russia, and their allies in Latin America, including Venezuela.

You can read Kelly’s op-eds here:

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)

Today, one year since President Trump began his term, the Joint Economic Committee – Minority released a new report finding that during his first year in office, families spent $1,625 more on average due to inflation. 

During his campaign, Trump repeatedly pledged that his administration would “end inflation,” and falsely claimed just recently that “inflation is stopped” and “prices are down.” However, this new Committee analysis shows that in 2025, the average household spent $1,625 more across the board – including over $320 more in housing costs and over $240 more on transportation costs. The Committee also calculated state-by-state data, finding that the average inflation cost per family in 2025 was at least $1,000 more in 47 states and Washington, D.C., with households in some states paying almost $2,400 more.

“President Trump repeatedly promise to lower prices, and he broke that promise,” said Rep. Don Beyer, Senior House Democrat on the Joint Economic Committee. “American families spent over $1,600 more on goods and services on average over the past year than they did the previous year. Health care costs are skyrocketing. Prices for groceries and electricity are shooting up. Housing and transportation costs are rising rapidly. Trump has failed miserably in the fight against inflation, and despite the fact that it is Americans’ biggest concern today, Trump does not even seem interested in doing anything about it. Worse, his policies – from tariffs to health care cuts to bad price-raising energy policies – are making it worse.”

“President Trump has imposed reckless tariffs, driven up health care costs, and created economic uncertainty. And because of these choices that he made, Americans are paying over $1,600 more than when he came into office,” said U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan, Ranking Member of the Joint Economic Committee. “While the President pledged that he would end inflation and now claims that prices are down, the data reflects what families are experiencing every day: higher costs that make it harder to make ends meet.”

Read the full report here, which includes state-by-state data on the increase in household costs over Trump’s first year.