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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Al Green (TX-9)

(Washington, DC)— On Friday, June 27, 2025, Congressman Al Green introduced a landmark bill titled the “Original Justice for Living Survivors of the 1921 Tulsa/Greenwood Race Massacre Act.” This legislation would provide direct compensation to the two remaining living survivors of one of the most devastating acts of racial violence in American history – the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. This historic bill seeks to award over $20 million in damages to each living survivor of the massacre, 111-year-old Viola Ford Fletcher and 110-year-old Lessie Benningfield Randle. It also acknowledges the federal government’s century-long failure to seek justice for the victims of the massacre. Congressman Al Green extends his thanks to Attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons and his legal team for their unwavering commitment to justice for both survivors by bringing this to the courts, the public, and the halls of Congress. A copy of the Original Justice for Living Survivors of the 1921 Tulsa/Greenwood Race Massacre Act is accessible here.

In discussing the findings of the 2025 Department of Justice report on the massacre, then Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke described the attack as a systematic act of racial terrorism “unique in its magnitude, barbarity, racist hostility and its utter annihilation of a thriving Black community.” The massacre left approximately 300 people dead, thousands homeless, and over 1,200 homes destroyed. 

Congressman Al Green stated, “The survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre are living witnesses to a crime for which our nation has yet to reconcile. Congress must act now, while both survivors are still with us. The legislation, if passed, assures that that justice delayed will no longer be justice denied. This is about more than restitution; it is about acknowledgment, restoration, and accountability. These survivors and their descendants deserve to witness our nation do what is just and what is right.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Al Green (TX-9)

(Washington, D.C.) — On Friday, June 27, 2025, Congressman Al Green delivered remarks on the House floor, calling out discrimination and the attacks on Trans and LGBTQIA+ rights, defending equality and justice for all. 

You can access and listen to Congressman Al Green’s speech on his official YouTube page or by clicking here. The floor speech highlighted is also accessible on various social media platforms, including Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly known as Twitter).

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Al Green (TX-9)

(Washington, DC) — On Thursday, June 26, 2025, Congressman Al Green, Ranking Member of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, shared remarks in a Financial Services Hearing entitled, “From Watchdog to Attack Dog: Examining the CFPB’s Chopra-era Assault on Disfavored Industries.”

You can access and listen to Congressman Al Green’s closing remarks to witnesses on the panel here. The hearing remarks highlighted are also accessible on various social media platforms, including Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly known as Twitter).

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Al Green (TX-9)

(Washington, D.C.) — On Wednesday, June 25, 2025, Congressman Al Green delivered remarks on the House floor, forewarning President Trump of additional impeachment articles if unauthorized force in Iran persists. 

You can access and listen to Congressman Al Green’s speech on his official YouTube page or by clicking here. The floor speech highlighted is also accessible on various social media platforms, including Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly known as Twitter).

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Suzanne Bonamici (1st District Oregon)

WASHINGTON, DC [06/27/25] – This week Representative Suzanne Bonamici introduced bipartisan legislation to improve tsunami detection, forecasting, warning coordination, and community mitigation programs.

The Tsunami Warning, Research, and Education Act of 2025 expands tsunami research and updates crucial warning and detection technology. It improves response and resiliency efforts to better protect, educate, and equip communities vulnerable to tsunamis. This bipartisan bill reauthorizes and modernizes the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s National Tsunami Warning program, which expired in 2023.  

“Tsunami can devastate a coastline in minutes, taking lives, destroying homes, crushing critical infrastructure,” said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. “More than five million Americans live in coastal communities vulnerable to tsunamis, including thousands in Oregon. These disasters can’t be prevented, so lives depend on our ability to detect, prepare for, and respond to them. We must update our critical tsunami warning systems and invest in research to make coastal communities safer.”

Updating the National Tsunami Warning Program will continue to protect lives, advance scientific innovation, and provide communities with the tools they need to prepare for and recover from tsunamis through 2030. The Tsunami Warning, Research, and Education Act of 2025 would:

• Enhance interagency and international coordination for tsunami alerts and response, including by integrating U.S. Geological Survey earthquake data with tsunami research.
• Streamline and modernize the Tsunami Warning System and expand the use of emergency alert tools, including the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS).
• Strengthen community hazard mitigation programs, including updated digital elevation models and behavioral science integration.
• Require the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administrationto develop and update a tsunami research and development plan every three years.
• Authorize $32 million annually, with targeted funding for state-level mitigation and research.

Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) is an original cosponsor.

A summary of the legislation can be found here, and the text of the legislation can be found here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Suzanne Bonamici (1st District Oregon)

WASHINGTON, DC [06/27/25] – Today Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Becca Balint (D-VT), and Maxwell Frost (D-FL) introduced legislation to improve the long-term health and care of LGBTQI+ seniors. 

Decades of marginalization and institutional barriers have left LGBTQI+ seniors with fewer sources of support, higher poverty rates, increased social isolation, and inadequate access to health care. Many of these seniors enter their golden years with the detrimental physical and emotional health effects of having lived through a lifetime of discrimination. The Ruthie and Connie LGBTQI Elder Americans Act would help overcome these barriers by decreasing isolation, improving health, and increasing access to culturally competent services and supports. 

The legislation is named for Ruthie Berman and Connie Kurtz, long-time advocates for LGBTQI+ equality. Connie fought for the rights of LGBTQI+ older adults until her death in 2018. Ruthie, her widow, continues to serve as a champion for the cause.

“Decades of discrimination have left many LGBTQI+ seniors without the support and resources they need to stay healthy as they age,” said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. “LGBTQI+ seniors are resilient, and they deserve to enjoy full, vibrant lives with the support they need to thrive. I’m grateful for Ruthie and Connie’s advocacy on behalf of LGBTQI+ seniors, and I’m glad to lead this legislation in their honor to provide LGBTQI+ seniors specialized access to care and services without discrimination.”

“LGBTQI+ Americans are facing an overwhelming rise in attacks in the face of a hateful administration,” said Congresswoman Becca Balint. “And our LGBTQI+ seniors are being left behind with fewer supports, higher poverty and social isolation rates, and inaccessible health care. We owe it to our seniors to ensure they have access to the care and services they need. I’m proud to join Reps. Bonamici and Frost in uplifting the needs of LGBTQ+ seniors and celebrating the work of Ruthie Berman and Connie Kurtz.”

“Like all Americans, our LGBTQ+ elders deserve to be able to live their golden years with the peace and security of quality, affordable care and a community that loves and respects them,” said Congressman Maxwell Frost. “In honor of the incredible work of Florida’s own Ruth and Connie, we must act as LGBTQ+ seniors face poverty and isolation to ensure they can live their lives free of discrimination.”

The legislation is endorsed by: Congressional Equality Caucus, SAGE, Human Rights Campaign, Justice in Aging, and Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE).

“SAGE is honored to cosponsor the Ruthie and Connie LGBTQI Elder Americans Act, which addresses a critical need: support for the ever-growing number of LGBTQ+ Americans who are over 60,” said SAGE CEO Michael Adams. “By permanently establishing the National Resource Center on LGBTQI Aging, aging service providers will have access to a wealth of resources, information, and tools to help them create welcoming and affirming environments for LGBTQ+ participants.”

LGBTQI+ seniors now face additional obstacles from an administration that seeks to disenfranchise them and their community. Because of these profound challenges, LGBTQI+ seniors require specialized services and support that are scarce and severely underfunded in every part of the country. 

The Ruthie and Connie LGBTQI Elder Americans Act would:

• Include LGBTQI+ older adults among women, rural, and racial and ethnic minorities as a population with the greatest economic and social needs under OAA;
• Permanently establish the National Resource Center on LGBTQI Aging to provide critical resources, information, and tools for aging service providers to better address the needs of LGBTQI+ seniors;
• Require the Assistant Secretary of Aging to oversee data collection for LGBTQI+ adults, their needs, and efficacy of state aging resources to meet those needs.
• Require the long-term care ombudsman to collect and analyze data regarding LGBTQI+ discrimination; and,
• Prioritize grants for organizations working to improve LGBTQI+ health, long-term care, and access to culturally responsive services.

The legislation in the House is cosponsored by Representatives Becca Balint (D-VT), Maxwell Frost (D-FL), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Summer Lee (D-PA), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Dina Titus (D-NV), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Ed Case (D-HI), Sharice Davids (D-KS), Andrea Salinas (D-OR), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Sean Casten (D-IL), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Seth Magaziner (D-RI), Andre Carson (D-IN), Hillary Scholten (D-MI), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Nanette Diaz Barragan (D-CA), Henry “Hank” Johnson (D-GA), Jahana Hayes (D-CT), and Lateefah Simon (D-CA).

A fact sheet about the legislation can be found here, and the text of the legislation can be found here.

Bonamici also Chairs the Congressional LGBTQI+ Equality Caucus’ LGBTQI+ Aging Issues Task Force, and led the last two bipartisan updates to the Older Americans Act.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08) issued the following statement after the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights announced an investigation into the Minnesota Department of Education under Governor Tim Walz and the Minnesota State High School League over whether discrimination on the basis of sex occurred after a biological male was allowed to lead the Champlin Park High School girls’ softball team to its first-ever state championship win. 

“As a father to two girls, I was horrified to learn that a recent state championship for young female athletes in Minnesota was dominated by a team with a biological boy. Allowing boys to compete in girls’ sports is not only unsafe, it’s deeply unfair, and this disgraceful sham of a championship is just the latest example. Make no mistake, this unfortunate situation is the result of the failed leadership of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison. Their blatant disregard for the Title IX rights of female athletes is what led to this investigation and will almost certainly cost Minnesota nearly $12 million in federal funding. They left the Trump Administration with no other choice but to act in defense of the safety and dignity of Minnesota’s female athletes. I fully support the Trump Administration’s decision to protect Title IX and prevent boys from competing in girls’ sports.”

As a recipient of federal funds, Title IX requires Minnesota to ensure fair and safe opportunities for females to compete on sex-segregated teams – regardless of state law obligations.

Despite a U.S. Department of Justice letter restating the Administration’s position on Title IX, Minnesota’s Attorney General advised the Minnesota State High School Leader to follow state law and disobey President Trump’s Executive Order on Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports. 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02)

WASHINGTON — In a letter to Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Maine’s Congressional delegation opposed the agency’s attempt to bypass Congress and close Job Corps centers nationwide. The move, which DOL calls a “phased pause in operations,” comes just months after officials froze enrollment at the Loring and Penobscot Job Corps Centers —  exacerbating rural workforce shortages in central and northern Maine.

“By calling this plan a pause, the DOL is closing Job Corps centers without Congressional approval…” the lawmakers wrote. “The agency’s decision, which has been temporarily paused by the courts, to dismantle a widely popular, successful program has put hundreds of low-income Mainers at risk.” 

The lawmakers also wrote that as Job Corps staff in Maine have tried to meet the DOL’s timeline to close the Penobscot and Loring facilities, “complications are impacting students and staff alike. Some students at both Job Corps Centers in Maine are not able to return home and are facing a risk of homelessness, and while organizations around these communities are helping, their resources are limited.”

Maine’s Job Corps is among the agency’s most successful and productive programs, with the Penobscot Center ranking fourth in the most recent national Job Corps Report Card. This report measures how efficiently students at each center attain trade credentials and improve other skills like math and reading. 

Loring’s Job Corps Center currently has 129 staff members and is one of the largest employers in rural northern Maine. It currently enrolls 228 students and opened in 1997 — just a few years after the closure of the Loring Air Force Base devastated the region.

The Penobscot Job Corps has 223 students enrolled, and 65 students have graduated since July 2024. Of those graduates, 58 students have been verified as placements into employment, the military, or higher education, and five have transferred to other centers for advanced training opportunities. Penobscot is home to the only Advanced Marine Pipefitting training program in Job Corps, which is a feeder program for future BIW and PNSY employees.

Yesterday, a federal judge temporarily extended a block on the administration’s Job Corps plan while a lawsuit over the move remains ongoing. 

A copy of the delegation’s letter can be found here, and is included in full below:

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June 26, 2025
 

The Honorable Lori Chavez-DeRemer

Secretary

Department of Labor

200 Constitution Avenue, NW

Washington, D.C. 20210
 

Dear Secretary Chavez-DeRemer,

We write to express our strong opposition to the sudden announcement by the Department of Labor (DOL) to begin a phased pause in operations at Job Corps Centers nationwide. This follows an earlier decision to halt enrollments at centers in Maine with which we also disagree. Given the immediate and significant impact these decisions will have on hundreds of young Mainers currently enrolled at or interested in the Loring Job Corps Center and the Penobscot Job Corps Center, as well as the economic repercussions to the surrounding communities that need a skilled workforce, we urge you to retract this announcement.

Since its inception in 1964, Job Corps has been a vital program for countless young Americans across the country. In Maine, we have seen firsthand the benefits that the Job Corps has both on young students and their communities. The program has provided countless opportunities for low-income students to tap into their true potential and secure good-paying jobs. The job placement rate for the Maine centers is well above the national average, placing students in local healthcare settings, masonry, welding and beyond. Students from the Maine centers have gone on to work within Maine’s storied shipbuilding industry, join the Armed Forces, and work at Maine’s Community Colleges. Employers across the State that hire Job Corps graduates have developed long-standing relationships with the centers, finding that the students have been well-prepared to join the workforce.

By calling this plan a pause, the DOL is closing Job Corps centers without Congressional approval. Since the DOL’s announcement, we have heard from students, parents, local employers, and community officials about the devastating consequences that closing the Maine centers will have on some of our most disadvantaged young people. It bears emphasizing that as small and rural communities in Maine and across the country struggle with labor shortages, Job Corps provides businesses with a reliable source of workers armed with the necessary skills to productively contribute to our local economy.

The agency’s decision, which has been paused by the courts, to dismantle a widely popular, successful program has put hundreds of low-income Mainers at risk. Additionally, the Maine centers provide stable employment for residents of its closest communities. The Loring Job Corps Center is one of the largest employers in Aroostook County, employing nearly 130 Mainers. The DOL’s plan would prevent around 260 highly skilled employees from sharing their knowledge and expertise with Maine’s next generation of students living in small and rural communities.

In Maine, while dedicated Job Corps staff at Loring Job Corps Center and the Penobscot Job Corps Center are working around the clock to comply with DOL’s decision and expedited timeline, complications are impacting students and staff alike. Some students at both Job Corps Centers in Maine are not able to return home and are facing a risk of homelessness, and while organizations around these communities are helping, their resources are limited. There are additional hurdles in securing transportation for students in these rural communities and ensuring that every student’s documents are in order.

We urge the Department of Labor to reopen Job Corps centers in Maine and across the country, and work with Congress to seek a path that can build on the successes of the program. We appreciate your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely,

 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Raul Ruiz (36th District of California)

Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz released the following statement: 

“The Supreme Court’s decision to limit the authority of federal district courts to issue nationwide injunctions is a reckless blow to our system of checks and balances. But let me be clear: the fight to protect birthright citizenship is far from over.

“Every child born in the United States is a citizen of this nation. That is not up for debate—it is a constitutional right. We will continue to stand up, speak out, and pursue every legal avenue to ensure that this right is robustly defended and fully vindicated.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rick Larsen (2nd Congressional District Washington)

Larsen Announces Hiring of Chief of Staff