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

WASHINGTON — This morning, at the weekly House Republican Leadership press conference, Speaker Johnson and House Republican Leadership hosted constituents from their districts to discuss how the One Big Beautiful Bill will benefit their small businesses, keep their communities safer, and put more of their own money back in their pockets.

Speaker Johnson hosted Toni McAllister of Winn Parish, a small business owner, wife of a law enforcement officer, and the Executive Director of the Louisiana Logging Association, to share her support for the One Big Beautiful Bill and urge its immediate passage. Speaker Johnson also addressed the ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran and discussed the constitutionality of President Trump’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Watch the Speaker’s full remarks here, watch Toni’s here

Speaker Johnson:

The One Big Beautiful Bill is so important literally to every sector of the US economy. And we could have chosen constituents of ours from any sector in the economy. But it occurs to me we chose the letter L as our theme today. You heard about lasers and law enforcement and liquified natural gas, and now we’re going to go to logging, because I brought, Toni McAllister here. And she is a small business owner. She’s going to talk to you about what it would mean to them. She’s also a mother, and she’s the wife of one of our greatest sheriffs in the state of Louisiana. They hail from Winn Parish; I’m so grateful that Toni is here with us.

Toni McAllister:

My name is Toni McAllister. I’m a proud resident of rural Louisiana in the Fourth Congressional District. I am a Louisiana logger. I’m a mom. I’m a wife of a Louisiana sheriff, and as a logger, for years small businesses like ours with our team of 30 hardworking employees have carried the weight of this governmental system that often seems to grow on the backs of small businesses and middle-class families like mine. It’s been tough, it’s been challenging to compete and to grow and to simply get a fair chance to thrive right here in the U.S. But today, I am filled with gratitude. I’m thankful to President Trump and the House Republican Leadership who have made it a priority to reset this system, to put hardworking Americans first, to support the businesses and the families who are the backbone of this great nation.

When the One Big Beautiful Bill is signed into law, it will finally give small businesses like ours a better opportunity to not just to survive but to grow and to succeed. Some of these have been mentioned already, but just as a reminder, this legislation will lower the effective tax rate for producing in America, increase and make permanent the small business deduction, double immediate small business expensing, and reduce reporting burdens for small businesses.

In Louisiana, timber is not just what we do, it’s who we are. It’s the largest agricultural product in the state, and it is vital to the survival of so many rural communities across our state and across the South. This bill recognizes this impact on small businesses just like mine. It protects us. It strengthens us. For far too long, the U.S. has been one of the largest importers of raw pulp, pulp, wood, and timber products. This has led to the shutdown of many mills and the loss of way too many American jobs. So, I want to personally thank the President for continuing to fight to reduce unregulated imports from other countries and for standing firm to support American-made products by American workers.

Another piece of this bill that hits even closer to home is the historic investment in our border security. This will protect our communities and support our law enforcement officers and agencies by keeping dangerous illegals out of our country. As a wife of a Louisiana sheriff, knowing that this Administration is working hard to stand behind law enforcement gives me a peace of mind. It empowers our officers–federal, state, and local–to do their jobs because they know they have the backing of this Administration and the Republicans in Congress. It means the world to me to see leaders who value the safety, wellbeing, and dedication of those who put their lives on the line for us every single day.

The One Big, Beautiful Bill is more than policy. It’s progress. It’s progress for small business owners, for working families, for rural community communities, and for our law enforcement. Again, thank you Mr. Speaker, for having me. Thank you to the President for seeing us. Thank you for standing with us. Thank you to the House Republicans for working hard to get this done, not just for today, but for future generations.

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

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee, pressed U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during a congressional hearing on how Medicaid cuts proposed by Republicans in Congress and supported by President Donald Trump will cause hospital closures and service cuts.
“People are going to die. These hospitals are going to close. Labor and delivery units are going to disappear. If mental health services are stripped away, that’s the consequence of your policies,” Congresswoman Trahan said. “And you’ve already shown that you don’t have a grip on your department. You don’t know basic things that are on your website or programs that are closing.”
CLICK HERE or the image below to view Trahan’s line of questioning. A transcript is embedded below.
 
According to an analysis issued by the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, the Republican reconciliation proposal backed by the Trump Administration will place more than 300 rural hospitals at risk of closure or severe service reductions. Specifically, steep cuts to Medicaid and provisions limiting states’ ability to invest in hospitals that serve predominantly lower-income and Medicaid-covered patient populations will undermine rural and community hospitals that already operate on the thinnest of margins. In Massachusetts, at least one rural hospital – Bay State Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield – will be at immediate risk of closing or cutting services.
Other community hospitals, particularly those operating in Gateway Cities, will also be devastated. According to Third Way, Massachusetts hospitals will lose over $177 million in hospital revenue under the GOP legislation, including $19 million for Massachusetts General Hospital, $19 million for Boston Medical Center, $15 million for UMass Memorial Medical Center, $11.8 million for Brigham and Women’s Hospital, $4.3 million for Lowell General Hospital, $3.4 million for Lawrence General Hospital, and $2 million for Holy Family Hospital.
Republicans’ reconciliation package, crafted behind closed doors with President Trump and voted on in the House just hours after the text was released, would strip health care away from 16 million Americans and cut billions in federal Medicaid and Affordable Care Act funding to states. According to the independent Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the bill will explode the deficit by $3.8 trillion due to its tax provisions that will increase incomes for the wealthiest 10 percent of Americans while decreasing take home pay for the poorest 10 percent. A separate analysis projects 5.4 million people will be forced into medical debt under the legislation, increasing the total medical debt held by Americans by $50 billion.
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Congresswoman Lori Trahan
Remarks as Delivered
House Energy and Commerce Committee Hearing: “The Fiscal Year 2026 Department of Health and Human Services Budget”
June 24, 2025
Trahan: Thank you. Mr. Secretary, during your confirmation, you told Senator Barrasso that rural hospitals are “closing at an extraordinary rate.” You called them economic drivers – lifelines in our communities – and you gave your word to protect them.
Republicans on this Committee also promised they wouldn’t support a bill that led to more closures. Yet here we are. The Republican tax bill slashes Medicaid and the ACA by over a trillion dollars, leaving 16 million more people uninsured and driving up uncompensated care.
At the same time, it guts provider taxes and state-directed payments, the few tools that states have to keep hospitals afloat.
Cutting coverage and cutting payments – well that’s a perfect storm for closures, Mr. Secretary. So yes or no, with Republicans in Congress set to cut more than a trillion dollars and counting from our health care system, will hospitals be forced to cut services or close altogether?
Kennedy: We’re not cutting coverage for any American patient.
Trahan: Well, it sounds like you don’t want to admit the reality that your department –
Kennedy: I’m happy to explain if you want to give me a chance.
Trahan: Well, that’s part of my next question. I want to hear what your funding mechanism looks like, because hospitals across the country have warned that this bill is what they referred to as a “death knell,” even before Republicans in the Senate doubled the cuts in provider taxes and state directed payments, bringing estimates of hospital uncompensated care alone to more than $443 billion.
Hospitals are raising a huge warning flag that the Big Ugly Bill will result in closures and service reductions across the country, in all our communities. I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record several of their statements and analyses.
Mr. Secretary, if you claim the hospitals in our districts that are already operating in the red and serving mostly Medicaid and Medicare patients are going to survive then where exactly is that money going to come from? What is your plan to keep them open and deliver the same level of service?
Kennedy: Well the issue of state directed payments, I think as you understand, is a complicated one because the essential agreement under Medicare is that the states will pay a certain amount and the federal government will pay a certain amount. The states have learned to game that – some states – have learned to game that system so the federal government is paying a hundred percent.
Trahan: If you could just get to the part where when that revenue stream is cut, how are you going to ensure that services aren’t cut and hospitals don’t close? I mean, many times there’s just no alternative on the table for a funding mechanism. So, what’s your plan?
Kennedy: Well, that is a decision ultimately that’s got to come from Congress, so that’s going to be up to you. But what I would say to you is that I would like to work with you on this because it’s a complicated issue. It’s not that simple.
Trahan: I’m happy to work with you on this, Mr. Secretary, but this is going to happen in the next couple of weeks. And if there isn’t a funding mechanism in place – if there isn’t an act of Congress to replace that revenue stream – hospitals are going to close. People are going to die.
When hospitals are pushed to the brink, they cut maternity wards, they cut mental health, they cut emergency rooms. That’s who they cut first. This isn’t hypothetical – it’s already happening. From 2011 to ‘23, dozens of hospitals in states like Iowa and Texas eliminated obstetrics entirely. These are Medicaid-department services, and under Donald Trump’s bill, they’re the first to go.
And it’s not just rural hospitals. We’re seeing it in my district, too. The only maternity ward in North Central Massachusetts shut down last year. Then the collapse of Steward forced two more hospitals to close, including one that served thousands of families. Boston Children’s, one of the best in the country, is also at risk.
Your budget slashes Medicaid, which covers over 40 percent of kids, and eliminates programs that trains most pediatricians. Hospitals are already bracing – they’re pausing projects, they’re canceling expansions, they’re shelving cost-saving investments. The chaos that your budget creates, including decimating NIH, is driving up costs.
Kennedy: We’re not cutting Medicaid. There’s no cuts to Medicaid. There’s simply restrictions to the growth of Medicaid over the next decade.
Trahan: People are going to lose their coverage. Uncompensated care is going to rise. Hospitals are not prepared for that reality. Look, here’s the truth. People are going to die. These hospitals are going to close. Labor and delivery units are going to disappear. If mental health services are stripped away, that’s the consequence of your policies.
And you’ve already shown that you don’t have a grip on your department. You don’t know basic things that are on your website or programs that are closing.
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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jerrold Nadler (10th District of New York)

Today, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) reintroduced the Refuge from Cruel Trapping Act. This legislation will help restore the original purpose of the National Wildlife Refuge System as a haven for wildlife by prohibiting the use of cruel body-gripping traps on these public, protected lands.

“When Americans visit their local National Wildlife Refuges, most expect to enjoy nature without worrying that they—or their pets—will fall victim to a dangerous trap,” said Rep. Jerrold Nadler. “However, trapping is still allowed in many of the more than 570 refuges across the country, putting people, pets, and endangered species in danger of serious injury. These cruel devices have no place on protected public lands, and my bill will make sure our refuges are safe from this inhumane practice.”

“Why should anyone – people, companion animals, or wildlife – have to fear stepping into a bone-crushing trap while enjoying our nation’s beautiful wildlife refuge system?” said Susan Millward, AWI’s executive director and CEO. “Public lands belong to all of us — not just the select few who wish to set traps that smash limbs or agonizingly strangle airways. Thank you to Representative Nadler for your commitment to ending the use of cruel traps in our country’s refuges.”

“Traps cause painful and frightening deaths to animals who should be protected in our National Wildlife Refuge System.  Some animals might be killed quickly, but many suffer for hours and even days. Animals who die by the trappers’ hands might be shot or bludgeoned to death. Those who escape – sometimes by gnawing off their own paws – might later succumb to injury from infection. Every element of trapping is cruel. It is time that we brought an end to this archaic practice once and for all.” said Angela Grimes, CEO of Born Free USA. “

Original cosponsors of the bill include Representatives Nanette Barragán (D-CA), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Suzan K. DelBene (D-WA), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Grace Meng (D-NY), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Don Beyer (D-VA), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Sean Casten (D-IL)

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

Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA), who serves as the top House Democrat on the Congressional Joint Economic Committee, today expressed rising concern over Virginia’s economy, after monthly data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) showed that the Commonwealth’s unemployment rate had risen for the fifth consecutive month. The increase brought Virginia’s unemployment rate to 3.4 percent, its highest level since August 2021. Today’s data marks the first time that Virginia’s unemployment rate has risen for five consecutive months since the sustained job losses of the Great Recession in 2008-09.

Beyer said:

“The sustained increase in Virginia’s unemployment rate is a growing concern, especially amid the uncertainty created by President Trump and Elon Musk’s indiscriminate and ill-conceived mass firings of federal workers and contractors.

“Governor Youngkin inherited a strong economy that was rebounding from the pandemic downturn with strong growth and job gains, and a 2.7 percent unemployment rate that was the envy of much of the nation. To be clear, our Commonwealth is still a great place to do business, with job gains still coming and unemployment below the national average. But today’s data shows we are now clearly moving in the wrong direction: under current leadership, the unemployment rate has risen for five straight months for the first time since the Great Recession, and reached its highest level since Governor Youngkin took office.

“These gathering economic storm clouds are unfortunate but not surprising for anyone who reads the news. Sustained damage to Virginia’s economy – including this Administration’s mass firings of workers, terminations of key contracts, freezes of medical research funding, and attacks on our educational and research institutions – is bound to have an impact. Unless courts intervene, some of the largest firings and cuts will take effect in months to come, which would worsen the damage for Virginians. Unfortunately, our Governor and his allies have not only failed to defend our Commonwealth from these hits to our economy, they have cheered them on. Putting politics and party loyalty over Virginians and our economic security is a failure of leadership.”

Historical economic data, including unemployment rates for states including Virginia, is tracked by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED).

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) is the Senior House Democrat on Congress’ Joint Economic Committee, and serves on the House Committee on Ways and Means, which has jurisdiction over major economic levers include tax policy, trade, and Social Security. He previously served as Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor from 1990-1998.

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

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Representatives Mike Kelly (PA-16), Suzan DelBene (WA-01), John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13), Ami Bera, M.D. (CA-06), and Senators Roger Marshall, M.D. (KS) and Mark Warner (VA), co-leads of the bipartisan Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act, released the following joint statement after an announcement Monday from U.S. Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz that pledges to ease the Medicare Advantage prior authorization process.

The pledge, which includes several provisions contained in their legislation, follows years of legislative progress led by Kelly and Congressional colleagues.

“We applaud these commitments, which aims to improve health care access for millions of Americans by easing the Medicare Advantage prior authorization process,” the Members said. “We encourage our House and Senate colleagues to carry this momentum forward and to pass our life-changing legislation, the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act, to ensure this progress becomes law.”

Under the commitment, participating health plans would:

• Standardize electronic prior authorization submissions using Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR®)-based application programming interfaces.
• Reduce the volume of medical services subject to prior authorization by January 1, 2026.
• Honor existing authorizations during insurance transitions to ensure continuity of care.
• Enhance transparency and communication around authorization decisions and appeals.
• Expand real-time responses to minimize delays in care with real-time approvals for most requests by 2027.
• Ensure medical professionals review all clinical denials.
   

BACKGROUND

In May 2025, Representative Mike Kelly (PA-16) reintroduced H.R. 3514, the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Actalong with Representatives Suzan DelBene (WA-01), John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13), and Ami Bera, M.D. (CA-06), and Senators Roger Marshall, M.D. (KS) and Mark Warner (VA).

Prior authorization is a tool used by health plans to reduce unnecessary care by requiring health care providers to get pre-approval for medical services. But it’s not without fault. The current system often results in unconfirmed faxes of a patient’s medical information or phone calls by clinicians which takes precious time away from delivering quality and timely care. Prior authorization continues to be the #1 administrative burden identified by health care providers, and three out of four Medicare Advantage enrollees are subject to unnecessary delays due to prior authorization. In recent years, the Office of the Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) raised concerns after an audit revealed that Medicare Advantage plans ultimately approved 75% of requests that were originally denied. More recently, HHS OIG released a report finding that MA plans incorrectly denied beneficiaries’ access to services even though they met Medicare coverage rules.

Health plans, health care providers, and patients agree that the prior authorization process must be improved to better serve patients and reduce unnecessary administrative burdens for clinicians. In fact, leading health care organizations released a consensus statement to address some of the most pressing concerns associated with prior authorization.

Specifically, the bill would:

• Establish an electronic prior authorization process for MA plans including a standardization for transactions and clinical attachments.
• Increase transparency around MA prior authorization requirements and its use.
• Clarify HHS’ authority to establish timeframes for e-prior authorization requests including   expedited determinations, real-time decisions for routinely approved items and services, and other prior authorization requests.
• Expand beneficiary protections to improve enrollee experiences and outcomes.
• Require HHS and other agencies to report to Congress on program integrity efforts and other ways to further improve the e-PA process.
• Previously, Rep. Kelly led similar legislation in the 118th Congress. The Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act unanimously passed the House in the 117th Congress and was cosponsored by a majority of members in the Senate and House of Representatives. 

The bill text can be found here and a section-by-section can be found here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Levin (CA-49)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Sean Casten (IL-06)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Adam Smith (9th District of Washington)

WASHINGTON, DC – Representative Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, released the following statement in response to President Trump ordering the U.S. military to conduct military strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
 
“I condemn in the strongest terms the President’s decision to order the U.S. military to strike Iran’s nuclear sites. The President did not seek authorization from Congress or demonstrate that Iran posed an immediate threat to the security of the United States. Furthermore, the President failed to provide clear objectives for these actions and there are no guarantees that it will eliminate the possibility of Iran developing a nuclear weapon or how long it might set their program back.
 
“Engaging in direct conflict places U.S. service members and military sites in the Middle East squarely in the crosshairs of Iran and its many proxies. Tonight’s actions could further escalate tensions, destabilize the region, and drag the United States into an avoidable war.

“The way to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon and to protect American service members is through diplomacy and negotiation, not entering into direct conflict. The path that the President has chosen risks unleashing a wider war in the region that is both incredibly unpredictable and treacherous and that threatens the safety and security of the United States, Israel, and ultimately the world.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)

Pressley Repro Caucus, Dem. Leadership to Hold a Presser Today to Mark Three Years Since the Disastrous Dobbs Decision

Pressley Convening Leaders, Fighting for Reproductive Freedom, and Uplifting Abortion Storytellers

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Co-Chair of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus, issued the following statement marking the third anniversary of the devastating Dobbs decision that dismantled the right to abortion care in America. Later today, Rep. Pressley will join House Democratic Leadership for a press conference to mark the somber anniversary and renew her calls for comprehensive legislation to protect abortion and expand access to reproductive healthcare.

Congresswoman Pressley will spend the week convening leaders and impacted families, renewing her calls for comprehensive legislation to protect and restore abortion care in America, and uplifting the experiences of people impacted by cruel abortion bans and denials of essential medical care.

“Three years ago today, the Supreme Court denied us our bodily autonomy and ripped away the fundamental right to abortion care in this country. Since that cruel decision, we have witnessed devastating and deadly consequences for patients across the nation. Abortion bans are denying families basic medical care. The Black maternal health crisis has worsened drastically. Republicans’ attacks on our basic reproductive freedom are a risk to every person who calls this country home and have disproportionately impacted our Black, brown, immigrant, disabled, and LGBTQ+ communities.

“Now, we face a hostile Administration doubling down on ripping away essential healthcare. Trump and Republicans are pushing their Big, Ugly Bill—cruel legislation that would destroy Medicaid as we know it, defund Planned Parenthood health centers, ban abortion coverage in private insurance plans on the ACA marketplace, and put essential care further out of reach for millions.

“This unjust and worsening status quo is not an inevitability. Today, we recommit not only to protecting and defending reproductive healthcare, but to advancing an affirmative vision for a just America where abortion justice is realized and everyone—no matter their zip code, income, or immigration status—can access the care they need with dignity in their own community. That means stopping Republicans’ reconciliation bill in its tracks, and advancing, comprehensive policies like my Abortion Justice Act, the Women’s Health Protection Act, and the EACH Act to protect and expand abortion access and affirm our fundamental rights.”

“As we mark this somber anniversary, I look forward to partnering with Co-Chair DeGette and our colleagues of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus to affirm our commitment to using every tool we have to protect and restore access to abortion care, center impacted families, and continue building the more just America our constituents demand and deserve.”

Yesterday, Rep. Pressley and Whip Katherine Clark (MA-05), Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Rep. Lori Trahan (MA-03) joined Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts President Dominique Lee for a press conference in solidarity with Planned Parenthood as they collectively fight to stop Republicans’ latest attack on reproductive freedom in the GOP’s Big, Ugly Bill.

Today, Congresswoman Pressley will meet with abortion storytellers from Massachusetts, join the Reproductive Freedom Caucus and House Democratic Leadership for a press conference marking the somber Dobbs Anniversary, and join members of the Tri-Caucus for a bicameral convening with abortion storytellers led by Rep. Jennifer McClellan and the Reproductive Freedom Caucus.

On Wednesday, June 25, Congresswoman Pressley will participate in a Freedom for All panel discussion, and join the Reproductive Freedom Caucus for a virtual roundtable on how we can legislate to protect abortion care as the necessary essential healthcare that it is.

On Thursday, June 26, Congresswoman Pressley, the Reproductive Freedom Caucus and the Democratic Women’s Caucus will lead a shadow hearing on reproductive healthcare in America.

Media interested in covering any of the events above can email Pressley.Press@mail.house.gov.

Congresswoman Pressley has been outspoken in demanding justice for Adriana Smith, a 30-year-old pregnant mother who was declared brain dead in February and was forced to remain on life support due to Georgia’s abortion ban. Rep. Pressley delivered an impassioned floor speech in which she underscored that Adriana’s case is far too common in the unjust history of denying Black women their dignity, humanity, and right to bodily autonomy – and that GOP abortion bans such as Georgia’s deepen this pain and bar critical healthcare freedom. Last week, Rep. Pressley issued a statement after Adriana’s infant son Chance was delivered via emergency Cesarean section and Adriana was taken off life support.

Throughout her time in Congress, Rep. Pressley has fought persistently to protect fundamental reproductive and sexual healthcare rights. 

• On the first anniversary of the Dobbs decision, Rep. Pressley introduced the Abortion Justice Act, sweeping, intersectional legislation to address access to abortion care and put forth a comprehensive vision of a just America where abortion care is readily available—without stigma, shame or systemic barriers—for all who seek it, regardless of zip code, immigration status, income, or background.
• Rep. Pressley is a lead co-sponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA), bicameral federal legislation to guarantee equal access to abortion care, everywhere. 
• Rep. Pressley is also a lead co-sponsor of the EACH Act, bold legislation to repeal the Hyde Amendment and help guarantee abortion coverage—regardless of how a patient gets their health insurance.
• Shortly before the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, Rep. Pressley led a group of her Black women colleagues in writing to President Biden urging him to declare a public health emergency amid the unprecedented threats to abortion rights nationwide. 
• Rep. Pressley condemned the Supreme Court’s leaked draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade., and implored the Senate to protect abortion rights and slammed the white supremacist roots of anti-abortion efforts.
• In October 2024, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on Josseli Barnica, who died on Sept. 3, 2021 after being denied emergency abortion care in Texas as she suffered a miscarriage.
• In September 2024, in a House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee Hearing, Rep. Pressley highlighted the harmful and deadly impact of abortion bans in America to date, and outlined in detail the shameful circumstances under which Amber Nicole Thurman died after being denied necessary abortion care in Georgia.
• In June 2024, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on the Supreme Court’s ruling in Idaho v. United States; Moyle v. United States – the case about whether emergency abortion care is included under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). 
• In May 2024, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on a Louisiana bill that would classify medication abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol as controlled substances. 
• In April 2024, at a House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Pressley played “Fact or Fiction” with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert Califf to emphasize the safety and efficacy of medication abortion drug mifepristone.
• In August 2023, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on the Fifth Circuit Court decision in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA.
• In July 2023, Rep. Pressley, alongside Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Rep. Cori Bush (MO-01), and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), reintroduced the Reproductive Health Care Accessibility Act, legislation to help people with disabilities—who face discrimination and extra barriers when seeking care—get better access to reproductive healthcare and the informed care they need to control their own reproductive lives.
• In July 2023, Rep. Pressley applauded the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of over-the-counter birth control.
• In May 2023, Rep. Pressley applauded the FDA Advisory Committee’s unanimous, 17-0 vote to recommend the approval of the first-ever application for over-the-counter birth control. She and Senator Murray also held a press conference applauding the decision and urging the FDA to approval over-the-counter birth control without delay.
• In May 2023, Rep. Pressley, along with Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) and Ami Bera, MD (CA-06) and Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), reintroduced their bicameral Affordability is Access Act to ensure that once the FDA determines an over-the-counter birth control option to be safe, insurers fully cover over-the-counter birth control without any fees or out-of-pocket costs.
• In April 2023, Rep. Pressley issued a statement condemning the Texas court ruling on mifepristone, and discussed the Texas case in a recent floor speech in which she affirmed medication abortion as routine medical care and access to mifepristone as essential. She later joined Governor Maura Healey, Senator Elizabth Warren (D-MA), and local leaders in announcing action to protect Mifepristone in Massachusetts.
• In March 2023, Rep. Pressley, along with Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Reps. Schakowsky, Lee, DeGette, Torres and Strickland, reintroduced the Abortion is Healthcare Everywhere Act harmful and discriminatory Helms Amendment and expand abortion access globally.
• In March 2023, Rep. Pressley and Senator Hirono led their colleagues in reintroducing a bicameral congressional resolution honoring abortion providers and clinic staff. 
• In March 2023, Rep. Pressley delivered a speech in which she discussed the pending court case in Texas, which aims to restrict access to medication abortion across the entire nation. In her remarks, Rep. Pressley affirmed medication abortion as routine medical care, and accessibility to the abortion pill mifepristone as essential.
• In September 2021, Rep. Pressley issued a statement condemning the Supreme Court’s inaction on SB-8, Texas’ restrictive abortion law. Later that month, she participated in a House Oversight Committee hearing to examine the threat posed by abortion bans and underscored the urgency of the Senate passing the Women’s Health Protection Act. 
• In April 2021, Rep. Pressley, along with Congresswomen Barbara Lee (CA-13), Diana DeGette (CO-01) and Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), led a group of 131 Democratic members in reintroducing the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance Act or the EACH Act, which would repeal the Hyde Amendment and ensure that all people, regardless of income, insurance or zip code, can make personal reproductive healthcare decisions without interference from politicians. She re-Introduced the legislation In January 2023.
• Rep. Pressley has led calls in Congress for the FDA to remove medically unnecessary restrictions on the medication abortion drug mifepristone, and applauded the FDA’s action in January 2023 to allow retail pharmacies to dispense abortion medication pills.
• As Chair of the Pro-Choice Caucus’s Abortion Rights and Access Task Force, Congresswoman Pressley has led the fight to repeal the Hyde Amendments from annual Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies appropriations bills and in July 2020 published a Medium post on the importance of doing so. She applauded the removal of the Hyde Amendment in President Biden’s FY2022 budget.
• In May 2020, she led more than 155 Members of Congress in calling on House Democratic leadership to ensure that any future COVID-19 relief packages rejected Republican efforts to use the public health crisis to diminish abortion access.
• In August 2021, Rep. Pressley, Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, and Pro-Choice Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Diana DeGette and Barbara Lee led more than 70 of their House Democratic colleagues in introducing a resolution in support of equitable, science-based policies governing access to medication abortion care. 
• In January 2023, Rep. Pressley introduced a resolution to condemn all forms of political violence in the U.S., regardless of its target or intent. That same day, she delivered a powerful speech on the House floor slamming Republicans’ harmful, misleading anti-abortion resolution.
• In September 2022, Rep. Pressley hosted U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra at the Codman Square Health Center in Dorchester for a convening on their work to address the Black maternal health crisis and the criminalization of abortion care in states across the nation following the harmful U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health. 
• In May 2019, she led more than 100 colleagues in introducing H.Con.Res.40, a resolution reaffirming the House of Representative’s support for Roe v. Wade.
• In June 2019, Rep. Pressley introduced H.R. 3296, the Affordability is Access Act, to make oral contraception available without a prescription. 
• In September 2016, as a member of the Boston City Council, Pressley championed a resolution calling on Congress and President Obama to repeal the Hyde Amendment and reinstate insurance coverage for abortion services.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Norma Torres (35th District of California)