MIL USHOR-2b Engine

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

WASHINGTON, DC –Today, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) delivered remarks during a press conference following House passage of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. Below are a video and transcript of his remarks:

Click here to watch a video of his remarks.

“Senator Shaheen and Senator Blumenthal, who have been such giants, [have been] working on this for a long, long period of time. I’ve got a speech here; I’m not going to give it as it’s written. This is a good day. It’s a good day for freedom. It’s a good day for democracy. It’s a good day for a country that has [been] beleaguered by a savage nation who, contrary to their agreement – and they got nuclear material, all of it in return for the promise to honor the sovereignty of Ukraine, to honor the geography of Ukraine, and to honor the democracy of Ukraine – they lied. And today we took a step to redeem our pledge to Ukraine, to support their sovereignty and their democracy and their geography. The mother of this war was the tepid response in 2014 to the stealing of Crimea. Today was a statement by the Congress of the United States in a bipartisan way, that that should not stand. And that the voice of America spoken through the Congress of the United States is to tell Russia and Putin, ‘No more. No more standing by and rationalizing your behavior. No more allowing Ukrainians to be killed every night. No more the theft of eastern Ukraine and of Crimea. No more to savage invasion of sovereign countries, inconsistent with every international treaty that we know of.’ 

“I spent eight hours today on the phone with my Members on my side of the aisle. There was concern by some of our leadership, for whom I have great affection and great respect, and who we co-sponsored a bill, the Ukraine Support Act – which is stronger than the bill we just passed, better than the bill we just passed, more comprehensive than the bill we just passed. But this bill was critically important, and I want to thank all the people here. And Senator [Graham], I want to thank you. Lindsey and I did a number of travels together. He was one of the funniest guys I know. And he – I didn’t always agree with him, and I was frustrated that it took us from April [2024] to this day to pass a major piece of legislation. Twenty-four – two years ago [was] the last time we acted. This was way past time to say to Russia, ‘We’re not for you. We’re against the action you’ve taken. And to say to Ukraine, ‘We’re your friends. We are for you. And we will stand with you.’ 

“I personally think it’s none of Russia’s business whether Ukraine joins NATO. I am for that. I am for that because that’s what they want. And frankly, Sweden did not ask, nor did we ask Russia’s permission for Sweden. We didn’t ask for permission for Finland to join NATO. And we should not ask for permission for Ukraine to join NATO. But this day is about saying, ‘We want sanctions on Russia.’ I believe the President is going to sign a bill which says we want sanctions on Russia, and then we will be able to say and the world will be able to say the Congress of the United States has set a policy that we will sanction, actively and effectively, Russian criminal behavior.

“So, I want to say how proud I am to be associated – I want to say something about Marcy Kaptur. Marcy Kaptur is Ukrainian. Marcy Kaptur is the strongest voice in the Congress of the United States on behalf of Ukraine for [the] decades that she and I have served together. Marcy Kaptur has been my leader on this issue. Now, I was the Leader for a long time, but on this issue we cooperated. And I talked to Senator Blumenthal and Senator Shaheen on a regular basis of ‘How are we going to get this done?’ And I want to thank my partners. Mike McCaul. We would not have gotten the Ukraine Support Act out of the Congress without Mike McCaul. He stood up to his party. he stood for principle, and he stood for Ukraine. And Joe Wilson was there with him. Joe, thank you very much. Ukraine’s battle is not over, and we must be faithful to the action that we took in the Congress. Mr. Meeks and I and Ms. DeLauro are going to introduce a bill – hopefully within the next week – which will authorize additional funding for weapons and materials to confront the onslaught against Ukraine. So, we know that this battle is not over until Ukrainians are all free, and Crimea is an integral part of that country. Thank you.”

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

Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar issued the following statement:

We unequivocally support the Ukrainian people in their courageous fight for freedom against Russian aggression. Ukraine is on the side of democracy, freedom and truth. Russia is on the side of autocracy, tyranny and oppression. To that end, beginning in 2022, House Democrats have acted repeatedly to ensure that the Ukrainian people have what they need to defend themselves. In April of 2024, we provided a historic $61 billion in funding. Several months ago, Democrats took control of the Floor of the House of Representatives and successfully forced a vote on the Ukraine Support Act, a comprehensive piece of legislation that imposes tough sanctions on Russia.

Unfortunately, the bill we voted on today, H.R. 5334, gives extraordinary power to Donald Trump. It allows him to waive the sanctions contained in the bill, while giving him new, expansive tariff authority to continue his failed global trade war that is causing costs to skyrocket for working families across America. Sadly, the White House is willing to risk Ukrainian lives and American livelihoods instead of working to actually hold this rogue Russian regime accountable for its illegal war.

President Trump has shown no willingness to be strong on Russia, and he cannot be entrusted with new powers to impose tariffs that will further raise costs for American families. For that reason, we voted No on this legislation.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA-03)

Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, voted to pass the bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act, legislation that gives state utility regulators clear standards to make sure large-load customers, including new data centers or information storage facilities, pay for the infrastructure they need. It requires companies to cover the full cost of any additional grid upgrades over time and provide financial guarantees, protecting ratepayers if a data center scales back its operations or shuts down entirely. Trahan also helped pass the legislation when it was considered in the Energy and Commerce Committee in July. 
“Families are being squeezed by rising costs across the board. The last thing they need is a data center driving up their utility bills and making it even harder to make ends meet,” said Congresswoman Trahan. “The Ratepayer Protection Act says that if you build a data center, you pay for the data center, including the infrastructure and utility costs that too often get passed onto residents. Communities across the country have made it clear they aren’t going to tolerate these facilities driving up their utility costs and impacting their quality of life. Congress should build on this progress by codifying Governor Healey’s effort to ensure communities have a real say in if and when these facilities.”
Large scale data centers or information storage facilities that use 100 megawatts or more require extensive cooling systems that are necessary to keep servers from overheating. These cooling systems can account for as much as 40% of a data center’s total electricity use. These data centers can use even more electricity during summer months or during heat waves where electric grids are already under strain and electricity is under more demand. Recent studies examining the impact of growing data center demand found that wholesale electricity prices increased by 6% to 29% on average nationwide, with increases of up to 57% in the regions most affected, compared with projected prices without that growth in demand.
“Right now, families across our country are afraid to open up their electric bills. The number keeps climbing, and their paycheck isn’t keeping pace. They’re doing the math at the kitchen table, wondering what they might have to cut next just to keep the lights on. That fear is real, and too many families have stopped believing that anyone in Washington is listening,” Congresswoman Trahan said when the bill was marked up in the Energy and Commerce Committee in July. 
The Ratepayer Protection Act now moves to the Senate for consideration.
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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Joaquin Castro (20th District of Texas)

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Ilhan Omar (DFL-MN)

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed language from Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) to protect the future of the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). This legislation provides authority for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to carry out water resources development projects and conduct studies to provide improvements to the nation’s ports, inland waterways, locks, dams, flood protection, ecosystem restoration, and other water resources infrastructure.

The language resolves a decades-long concern for local and state governments regarding a vital piece of abandoned infrastructure underneath the Mississippi River, just upstream of St. Anthony Falls. The cutoff wall was constructed by the Corps on an emergency basis in the 1870s in order to stabilize the bed of the Mississippi River after a failed attempt to create additional tunnels for hydro mills led to a rapid collapse of St. Anthony Falls. A recent study by the St. Anthony Falls Lab assessed the integrity of the cutoff wall, while highlighting that ongoing questions about ownership cast doubt on who would be responsible for maintenance and evaluation of this important piece of infrastructure. Rep. Omar’s language in this bill will clarify that the Corps owns the cutoff wall and is responsible for its maintenance. 

“I’m thrilled to see my language about the cutoff wall included in the House passage of the Water Resources Development Act,” said Rep. Omar. “This passage addresses longstanding concerns shared by the City of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, and the State of Minnesota about a piece of infrastructure that is vital to the stability of the river at the heart of the Twin Cities. It builds on our work to protect this historic segment of the Mississippi waterfront, and ensures this sacred site will be safe and stable for our future generations. I’m grateful for our community, local, state, and federal partners that made this victory possible.”

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

Washington, D.C. – Today, Representative Jared Huffman voted to pass the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2026. This piece of bipartisan legislation authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ civil works program while advancing critical water infrastructure, ecosystem restoration, and climate resilience projects nationwide.

“We’re in a tough time when it comes to water policy. President Trump has tried to roll back years of progress on sustainable water management, clawed back funding for critical water infrastructure projects, and tried at every opportunity to stoke water wars, especially in California. Meanwhile, water managers throughout the west are dealing with the fallout of the worsening climate crisis — record droughts, extreme floods, rising seas — while trying to maintain and modernize deteriorating infrastructure,” said Rep. Huffman. “WRDA is one of Congress’ best tools for tackling these complex water challenges – and I’m happy to say that I was able to get big wins in this year’s WRDA, including reversing a wrongheaded Trump edict against Army Corps staff communicating with members of Congress, and advancing important projects in my district to restore wetlands, boost water supplies, modernize our infrastructure, and increase flood and drought resiliency.”

The 2026 WRDA legislation authorizes new water infrastructure projects and studies while modernizing the Army Corps through reforms that improve project delivery, expand nature-based solutions, strengthen environmental mitigation, and help communities better prepare for climate impacts. The bill successfully passed the House floor today with widespread bipartisan support.

The legislation includes several priorities championed by Rep. Huffman, including:

 

• Restoring open and timely communication between U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Members of Congress, by reversing the Trump administration’s restrictions that impeded communication between the executive branch and Congress.

• Addressing deferred maintenance at small and local harbors by requiring the Army Corps to assess their facilities and identify opportunities for interested local governments to assume their operation and maintenance.

The bill also advances several Northern California projects championed by Rep. Huffman, including:

• Petaluma River Marsh Restoration, Sea Level Rise Adaptation, and Beneficial Reuse Study: Accelerates a study to restore tidal wetlands using beneficially reused dredged sediment, improving habitat, reducing flood risk, and increasing resilience to sea level rise.

• Ellis Creek Wetlands Rehabilitation Feasibility Study:Expedites planning to restore degraded wetlands, strengthen natural flood protection, and safeguard critical wastewater infrastructure through nature-based solutions.

• Coyote Valley Dam Feasibility Study: Advances evaluation of improvements to increase flood protection while expanding water storage and strengthening long-term drought resilience.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)

House Republicans Put Maximum Pressure on Putin’s War Machine

House Republicans passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, sending it to President Trump’s desk

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)

House Republicans Pass the Ratepayer Protection Act

Legislation ensures companies building data centers are responsible for the electricity and infrastructure upgrades necessary to power them

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Judy Chu (CA2-27)

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