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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Nydia M Velázquez (D-NY)

WASHINGTON- Today, Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) and Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA), co-chairs of the Congressional Hepatitis Caucus, sent a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., urging him to maintain longstanding federal recommendations for hepatitis A and B vaccinations.
 
The letter comes following Kennedy’s unprecedented decision to remove all 17 members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) earlier this month.
 
“For decades, ACIP has been an American pillar of public health, widely trusted by medical providers, insurers, individuals, and parents across the nation,” wrote the lawmakers. “Their recommendations, including the universal hepatitis B childhood vaccination recommendation, were crafted using sound, evidence-based research and science.”
 
Kennedy’s move to replace the entire panel with 8 new members including vaccine skeptics has sparked concern among lawmakers on both sides of aisle, and public health experts, including the American Medical Association, which questioned whether the new appointees have the expertise required to make science-driven vaccine recommendations.
 
In the letter, Velázquez and Johnson emphasize the life-saving impact of hepatitis vaccines. The hepatitis B vaccine is the first anti-cancer vaccine, preventing a chronic infection that is the leading cause of liver cancer. Since the CDC began recommending routine infant vaccination over 30 years ago, infections in babies have dropped by 95%. Before that, 18,000 children were infected annually. Without universal access to the birth dose, thousands of infants could once again become infected each year.
 
“Hepatitis B is a chronic disease that leads to liver cancer in 25% of untreated people,” wrote the lawmakers. “With liver cancer being the sixth leading cause of all cancer deaths in the U.S, this is not the time to move backwards by making it more difficult to access our key prevention tool. It is imperative that we maintain the current hepatitis B vaccine guidelines for babies and children to prevent lifelong chronic liver disease, ensure appropriate access, save money, and eliminate one of the leading causes of liver cancer.”
 
The lawmakers also raised concerns about potential changes to hepatitis A vaccine guidance, citing outbreaks in 37 states since 2016. While many recover from hepatitis A, people with chronic liver disease face serious risk.
 
“We fully support efforts to combat chronic disease and increase prevention in this country,” said the lawmakers. “The hepatitis A and B vaccines support these goals and has done more to prevent chronic disease and cancer than almost any other medical innovation in our lifetimes. Great strides have been made in the last several decades, and countless lives have been saved. To alter the government’s recommended vaccination schedule would not only move us backwards but will cause people to die needlessly.”
 
For a full copy of the letter, click here.
 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE)

Washington, DC — Representative Adrian Smith (R-NE), Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee’s Trade Subcommittee, released the following statement after Canadian leaders announced the country would rescind its digital services tax (DST) in the interest of resuming trade negotiations with the Trump administration.

“Canada’s DST withdrawal is an important step forward for American trade interests and North American cooperation, as the DST was discriminatory toward American job creators and contrary to Canada’s USMCA commitments. Eliminating it paves the way to more productive trade discussions and a fair deal for our world-leading digital services providers and innovators. I thank President Trump and his team for standing up for American leadership in digital trade.” 

BACKGROUND:

In February, Congressman Smith supported President’s Trump’s executive order to level the playing field for American businesses in the international digital marketplace.

Smith repeatedly encouraged the previous administration to take action to hold trade partners accountable for unfair practices such as Canada’s tax on digital services.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE)

Washington, DC — Yesterday Representatives Adrian Smith (R-NE) and Carol Miller (R-WV) led 41 of their colleagues in sending a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick. The letter commends the Trump administration for its efforts in trade negotiations and urges it to address remaining barriers imposed by the South Korean government unfairly targeting American service providers and innovators in digital industries.

In the letter, the members wrote:

…

As broader negotiations with Korea continue, we urge the administration to address remaining barriers Korea imposes on U.S. companies. Doing so could further level the playing field for American exporters, strengthen supply chains, and support continued bilateral investments, to the benefit of American industry, consumers, and workers.

One barrier that we urge you to address in any negotiations is proposed legislation advanced by the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) and embraced by the new Lee Jae-myung government which disproportionately targets U.S. digital companies for heightened regulatory requirements. The legislation mirrors the European Union’s blatantly discriminatory Digital Markets Act and would impose disparate legal and enforcement standards designed to undermine innovative business models and disadvantage successful American companies.

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Additionally, Korea has long used competition law to advance protectionist aims and promote discriminatory policy outcomes. In recent years, the KFTC has been the primary mechanism to accomplish these ends. In some cases, this has led to targeting U.S. companies with dawn office raids, hyper-aggressive enforcement measures, and threats of criminal prosecution for common industry practices that are not considered criminal in any other country. Such excessive and arbitrary competition law enforcement not only leads to unjustified investigations and unwarranted penalties but also greatly constrains U.S. business operations in the Korean market.

Read the full letter here.

Representatives who joined Smith and Miller in sending the letter include: Reps. Jodey Arrington (R-TX), Michael Baumgartner (R-WA), Aaron Bean (R-FL), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Mike Bost (R-IL), Rob Bresnahan (R-PA), Mike Carey (R-OH), Ben Cline (R-VA), Byron Donalds (R-FL), Ron Estes (R-KS), Randy Feenstra (R-IA), Brad Finstad (R-MN), Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN), Vince Fong (R-CA), Scott Franklin (R-FL), Kevin Hern (R-OK), Ashley Hinson (R-IA), Bill Huizenga (R-MI), Young Kim (R-CA), David Kustoff (R-TN), Darin LaHood (R-IL), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Rich McCormick (R-GA), John McGuire (R-VA), Mark Messmer (R-IN), Dan Meuser (R-PA), Max Miller (R-OH), John Moolenaar (R-MI), Riley Moore (R-WV), Nathaniel Moran (R-TX), Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Maria Salazar (R-FL), Lloyd Smucker (R-PA), Greg Steube (R-FL), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), David Valadao (R-CA), Beth Van Duyne (R-TX), Rob Wittman (R-VA), and Rudy Yakym (R-IN).

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE)

Washington, DC — Today Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE) issued the following statement after Congressman Don Bacon (R-NE) announced he would retire from the U.S. House of Representatives at the end of the 119th Congress:

“Congressman Bacon has shown extraordinary dedication over his many years of military and public service. I thank Don for his friendship, and I look forward to continuing to work with him for the next 18 months on behalf of the people of Nebraska.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE)

Washington, DC — Today Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE) issued the following statement after the House passed the Senate amendment to H.R. 1, sending the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to President Trump’s desk for signing into law.

“Getting our work done on this legislation is a game changer for American workers, families, and our nation’s long-term fiscal outlook. It not only prevents severe tax hikes and expands tax relief for family farms, small businesses, and middle-class Americans, it strengthens essential Farm Bill programs. It also ensures public assistance programs remain sustainable for the neediest Americans and empowers the Trump administration to keep our communities safe.  

“I championed provisions in the package which will empower parents with educational choice, support biofuels producers and energy affordability, and boost growth for capital-intensive industries such as manufacturing. After years of work in the Ways and Means Committee and months of intense debate across both the House and the Senate, this bill will catalyze President Trump’s plan to energize our economy and get our country back on track.” 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Dwight Evans (2nd District of Pennsylvania)

WASHINGTON (July 11, 2025) – Congressman Dwight Evans (D-PA-3) is co-leading a bipartisan bill that would enable hospitals to extend successful “Hospital at Home” programs for an additional five years.

“The Hospital at Home program has been working for patients of Redeemer Health in the Philadelphia area, and for patients of other health systems across the country. I’m happy to partner with my Ways and Means Committee colleagues Reps. Buchanan and Smucker to continue, improve and expand this program that helps a lot of people,” Evans said.

“While I continue to have serious concerns about the impact the recently signed Trump budget bill will have on hospitals and health care in general, I believe it’s important to work together to make progress for our constituents where we can, and extending successful Hospital at Home programs for an additional five years is one of those areas.”

The lead House sponsor is Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL), who serves with Evans on the influential Ways and Means Committee, which oversees Medicare, Social Security, trade and taxes. Their co-lead sponsor of the Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act is fellow Ways and Means member Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-PA-11). Senators Tim Scott (R-SC) and Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) introduced companion legislation in the Senate.

In November 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) established the Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver to provide hospitals with increased flexibility to care for certain patients from the comfort and convenience of their homes, rather than in a hospital setting. According to the American Hospital Association, this model has been proven to “reduce costs, improve outcomes and enhance the patient experience.”

A recent report from CMS shows that allowing patients to be treated in a more familiar environment and routine accelerates recovery time, lowers the mortality rate and reduces the risk of hospital-acquired infections and falls. This legislation would extend the current hospital-at-home waiver program through 2030, allowing hospitals to continue participating and providing quality care to patients.

The bill would also require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and CMS to conduct a comprehensive study comparing home-based care and inpatient care across several key criteria, including care quality, rates of infection, hospital readmission and levels of satisfaction among patients and their caregivers. Based on the findings of this evaluation, CMS would then be directed to issue formal health and safety regulations to govern the program moving forward.

“Our nation is getting sicker and sicker, but programs like ‘Hospital at Home’ allow us to treat patients more efficiently while delivering high-quality care at a lower cost,” said Buchanan. “Home health services are especially crucial for the nearly 200,000 seniors in my district. The Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act would ensure that more than 200 hospitals across 34 states, including 23 in Florida, can continue participating in this program and provide quality care to those in need. We must ensure this life-changing model remains available for years to come.”

Smuckersaid, “Innovative care models, like delivering acute care through Hospital at Home, provide patients high-quality care at lower costs. Extending this commonsense policy is a clear win for both patients and taxpayers. Hospital systems across my district have successfully used Hospital at Home to care for patients safely and effectively. Congress should come together again to extend these provisions and give more patients the flexibility to receive acute care and recover comfortably in their own homes.”

“The American health care system must evolve to meet the needs of the patients in the 21st century,” said Senator Scott. “Hospital-at-home care provides better outcomes for patients while reducing costs. This legislation ensures that successful programs like this can continue to serve families across South Carolina and the nation.”

“This legislation is about protecting access to quality health care, lowering costs for patients, and improving the health and well-being of our family and neighbors,” said Senator Warnock. “I will always work to lower costs and increase health care access for Georgians, and I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan effort.”

The legislation is supported by the American Hospital Association.

“America’s hospitals and health systems see hospital-at-home programs as a safe and innovative way to care for patients in the comfort of their homes. This legislation will provide additional time to continue gathering data and will also provide much needed stability for new and existing programs. The AHA thanks Reps. Buchanan and Evans for their strong leadership and dedication to extend the hospital-at-home model for five years,” said Lisa Kidder Hrobsky, senior vice president for advocacy and political affairs, American Hospital Association.

Evans represents the 3rd Congressional District, which includes Northwest and West Philadelphia and parts of North, South, Southwest and Center City Philadelphia. Evans’ website is evans.house.gov and his social media handle is @RepDwightEvans on YouTube, Bluesky, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Dwight Evans (2nd District of Pennsylvania)

WASHINGTON (July 3, 2025) – Congressman Dwight Evans (D-PA-3) voted “No” again on a bill pushed by President Trump that will kick more than 50,000 Philadelphians off Medical Assistance and cause at least 143,000 people across Pennsylvania to lose some or all SNAP food aid.

“Republicans have tried to rush this bill every step of the way to keep the public from finding out how bad it is – but I and my Democratic colleagues have used several tools to slow it down and give Americans a chance to learn what’s in this over 800-page bill. We do know that like every version of this ‘Reverse Robin Hood’ bill, it will steal from the working class to give the richest another tax cut,” Evans said.

“I voted No when this immoral bill passed the House the first time, and I voted No again when it came back from the Senate. This is NOT what Congress should be doing! I serve on the House committee that oversees taxes, and I was proud last year when the House passed a bipartisan tax-cut bill by a 5-to-1 margin that would have expanded the Child Tax Credit, Earned Income Tax Credit, Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, as well as some business tax credits. Unfortunately, Senate Republicans said no last year, and working-class Americans are going to pay the price.” 

Evans said the Center for American Progress estimated the bill will take Medicaid coverage away from more than 50,000 people in Philadelphia and about 259,000 Pennsylvanians overall. CAP also estimated the Medicaid denials will result in more than 150 deaths per year in Philadelphia and 819 deaths statewide. Evans is also concerned that the cuts in Medicaid could cause more hospitals in urban, suburban and rural communities to close – “I want ‘no more Hahnemanns!’” he said.

“Trump and his House Republican enablers’ bill will pile on work documentation requirements – basically, more paperwork – that will kick millions of Americans off Medicaid. This program is vital for kids, seniors, and many people who are unable to work because of disabilities, illness, school, or serving as a caregiver for children or other relatives. And the Republican cuts to Medicaid and SNAP food aid in the bill roughly equal their $1 trillion in tax cuts for people making over $500,000 per year.”

“The Trump-Republican bill will also force $500 billion in cuts to Medicare, which covers nearly 3 million Pennsylvania seniors. I think protecting health care for kids, seniors, and other vulnerable Pennsylvanians – and keeping our hospitals open – are both more important than giving another tax cut to Elon Musk and others who don’t even need it!” Evans said. 

“Unfortunately, elections have consequences, and I will continue to emphasize the importance of voting – in every election!”

Evans represents the 3rd Congressional District, which includes Northwest and West Philadelphia and parts of North, South, Southwest and Center City Philadelphia. He recently announced that his office returned to or saved $4.5 million for constituents in 2024 in cases involving federal agencies such as the IRS, Social Security Administration and Department of Veterans Affairs. The 2024 figure brings Evans’ office’s total to more than $45.5 million returned to or saved for constituents during his first eight years in Congress.

Evans serves on the influential House Ways and Means Committee, including its Subcommittee on Health. The committee oversees Social Security, Medicare, taxes, and trade. Evans’ website is evans.house.gov and his social media handle is @RepDwightEvans on YouTube, Bluesky, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Joe Wilson (2nd District of South Carolina)

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) made the following statement upon the final Congressional passage of the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill:’

     “Voters made their mandate clear in November for a Republican House and Senate to now deliver the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ to Republican President Donald Trump for his signature, making it law on behalf of the American people.

     “Limited government prevails over big government.

     “Passage of this single, comprehensive bill delivers on President Trump’s America First agenda by eliminating unnecessary and wasteful government spending, making government work more effectively for South Carolinians and all Americans.

     “This bill provides a framework for Congress to secure the border, unleash American energy dominance, extend the Trump Tax Cuts, create jobs, and bring common sense back to the government. 

     “Medicare and Social Security will be protected, while Medicaid will be guarded against waste, fraud, and abuse, ensuring it is available to the most vulnerable Americans.

     “Promises Made, Promises Kept.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (3rd District of Ohio)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tonight, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) issued the following statement in response to the tragic shootings in Minnesota and a related personal security threat:

“I extend my deepest sympathies to the loved ones and colleagues of Minnesota Representative and Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and continue to keep State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, in my prayers as they begin the long process of healing.

I am deeply relieved that the suspect in their shootings has now been apprehended. Unfortunately, my office was notified that my name was included in the suspect’s materials, and security measures were increased. I am grateful to the U.S. Capitol Police and the Columbus Police Department for their swift response.

As this remains an ongoing investigation, this is all I will share at this time.

We must do better in how we engage one another as Americans. Our democracy demands nothing less.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (3rd District of Ohio)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tonight, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) issued the following statement on President Trump’s bombing of nuclear sites in Iran:

 

“A nuclear-armed Iran is a serious threat to regional and global security.

 

But President Trump’s unilateral action, taken without the constitutionally required approval of Congress, puts U.S. troops across the region in harm’s way and risks drawing our nation into another war in the Middle East.

 

President Trump must respect the Constitution and pursue peace.”

 

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