Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif)
Rep. Panetta speaks on the House floor against the purely partisan budget resolution.
To watch the video, clickHEREor on the above photo.
Washington, D.C. – United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) issued the following statement after the Majority in the House of Representatives passed a purely partisan budget resolution, paving the way for $95 billion in spending:
“Rather than push back and prioritize the American people, the Majority put forward a budget resolution that spends more and borrows more just to please the President and promote his pet projects. Far from reducing costs, this bill hands the Administration billions for the President’s war in Iran, despite the lack of strategy and the passage of War Powers Resolutions by both the House and Senate. This third budget resolution also papers over damaging trade policies and provides funding to deter legally eligible voters. Congress should be lowering costs, responsibly managing our budget, and encouraging every American’s right to vote. I voted against the purely partisan budget resolution because Congress shouldn’t continue to give in to this Administration, but instead, we should be demanding answers, promoting fiscal responsibility, and exercising our constitutional power.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ted Lieu (33 District of California)
WASHINGTON D.C. —Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) and Congressman Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas) introduced theAI Kill Switch Actthat would require developers of the most powerful AI systems to maintain the technical capability to throttle, suspend, or shut them down.
The act also authorizes the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce and the Director of National Intelligence, to order a slow down or shutdown of an AI system that can cause catastrophic harm.
AI companies are deploying increasingly advanced frontier models and autonomous “agentic” systems capable of independent action. There is currently no requirement that developers of these powerful models maintain a functioning ability to intervene if an AI system begins behaving in unintended or dangerous ways. Recentpollingfrom The AI Policy Institute found that 86% of voters — majorities of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans alike — support requiring this exact kind of guaranteed shutdown capability.
The danger of advanced frontier AI models is no longer theoretical. OpenAI’s GPT 5.6 Sol model recently went rogue, escaped its testing sandbox, andhackedits way into Hugging Face. Anthropic’s Mythos 5 and Fable 5 models had cyber hacking capabilities so advanced that the Department of Commerce had to awkwardly use an export law toshut downthose systems. This bill addresses the problems caused by these two recent incidents and any future incidents where a deployed AI model goes rogue or has insufficient guardrails.
“As a computer science major, I am very aware of the dramatic possibilities–both good and bad – that AI presents,” said Congressman Lieu. “We are moving from AI that answers questions to AI that takes actions, whether that be executing financial transactions or controlling transportation systems or engaging in cyber defense and offense. Unfortunately, powerful AI systems can go rogue, behave in extremely dangerous ways, or even resist human intervention. It is imperative that these AI systems have kill switches so we can keep this technology from causing catastrophic harm, and that the federal government has the clear authority and process to shut down rogue AI models.”
“AI is going to keep advancing, and it should,” Congressman Moran said. “Stewardship means making sure humans keep the capability to control the technology we build. This is exactly the kind of issue that needs serious attention and achievable policy, and I’m glad to work across the aisle with Congressman Lieu toward a solution.”
The AI Kill Switch Act would:
Require covered developers to maintain the technical ability to throttle, suspend, or fully shut down a covered AI system.
Support for this bill:
“Brakes are the reason cars go fast,” said Mark Beall, President of The AI Policy Network. “Control systems are how every transformative technology earned the trust to scale and AI is no different. Developers who can monitor and shut down their agents will ship faster, deploy into higher-stakes markets, and win customers their competitors can’t. This bill will be the braking system that lets American AI accelerate.”
“As AI systems grow more capable and more autonomous, no law guarantees that the companies building the most powerful models can actually shut a system down when it malfunctions, causes serious harm, or slips out of human control. The AI Kill Switch Act closes that gap by requiring the largest AI developers to maintain the technical ability to contain or shut down their most powerful systems and by giving the government emergency authority to order a shutdown when a serious incident occurs. Congressmen Lieu and Moran deserve credit for confronting this before a crisis forces the question, and Congress should act swiftly to ensure that humans remain the ones who can say stop, no matter how capable these systems become,” said Brendan Steinhauser, CEO of The Alliance for Secure AI.
“Advanced AI models should never be deployed without a reliable off switch. The AI Kill Switch Act establishes a commonsense safeguard by requiring leading AI companies to maintain the ability to shut down their models and empowering the federal government to act when a deployed system poses a credible risk of catastrophic harm. This is an important step toward ensuring that humans have both hands firmly on the wheel—and a foot ready at the brake—as advanced AI systems are deployed,” said Brad Carson, President of Americans for Responsible Innovation.
“As AIs grow more autonomous and dangerous, the government must have the power to shut them down when they threaten national security. The AI Kill Switch Act gives the U.S. government powers to do just that: a common sense action that Americans overwhelmingly support. More work is needed to address the risk of human extinction posed by superintelligent AI, and this is a great step in the right direction,” said Connor Leahy, US Executive Director of ControlAI.
This bill is supported by: The AI Policy Network, Americans for Responsible Innovation, ControlAI, and The Alliance for Secure AI.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Angie Craig (MN-02)
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig released the following statement on her vote against House Republicans’ disastrous and blatantly anti-democratic budget reconciliation package that does nothing to lower costs for Minnesotans.
“Today, Congressional Republicans jammed through their third disastrous budget bill this Congress — a plan that includes an additional $73 billion in defense and surveillance spending and $10 billion to implement President Trump’s election-rigging legislation.
“At a time when folks across this country are reeling from the impacts of President Trump’s short-sighted economic policies and his illegal war in Iran, the last thing we should be doing is allocating more money to an administration that clearly prioritizes the President’s own political and foreign policy objectives over the livelihoods of the American people.
“I am disappointed in my Republican colleagues for yet again bending to President Trump by enabling his dangerous efforts to rig our nation’s elections. This budget plan is a threat to our democracy, our national security and to every Minnesotan already struggling to make ends meet.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Bryan Steil (Wisconsin-1)
(July 22, 2026) Washington, D.C. – Congressman Bryan Steil (WI-01) issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 7008, the Stop Insider Trading Act.
“The Stop Insider Trading Act is a major step forward for ethics reform on Capitol Hill. It ensures no lawmaker can profit off of insider information,” said Steil. “I urge my Senate colleagues to quickly take it up and send it to President Trump’s desk.”
The Stop Insider Trading Act bill prohibits Members of Congress, spouses, and dependent children from purchasing publicly traded stocks. The bill also requires public notice 7 days before a lawmaker, spouse, or dependent child may sell a stock. Finally, the bill institutes strict penalties for any violation.
Watch Chairman Steil’s closing remarks on the House Floor in support of the billhere.
Background:
In January 2026, Chairman Steil introduced the Stop Insider Trading Act.
The legislation:
Bans Members, their spouses, and their dependent children from purchasing a security issued by a publicly traded company.
Requires Members of Congress to file a public notice at least 7 days, but no more than 14 days, in advance for each intended sale with the Clerk of the House of Representatives or Secretary of the Senate.
Penalties for a violation:
Requires the respective ethics committees to issue a fee equal to $2,000 or 10% of the value of the covered investment, whichever is greater.
Also requires forfeiture of any realized profit from a sale.
The Stop Insider Trading Act passed the House on a bipartisan vote of 232-198.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Riley Moore (WV-02)
Washington, D.C.– Today, Congressman Riley M. Moore joined his Republican colleagues in voting to pass the Budget Resolution for Reconciliation 3.0 – the SAVE and Protect America Act – and H.R. 7008, the Stop Insider Trading Act, two key measures advancing election integrity, government accountability, and President Trump’s America First agenda.
The Budget Resolution for Reconciliation 3.0 paves the way for legislation to enact the SAVE America Act, strengthen America’s national defense, and protect the nation’s food supply. The Stop Insider Trading Act prohibits Members of Congress from purchasing individual stocks, helps prevent lawmakers from profiting from inside information, and includes a provision requiring federal voter ID at polling places.
Congressman Riley M. Moore released the following statement:
“Today, House Republicans delivered on two key priorities that the American people have been demanding: restoring trust in our government and securing our elections. By passing the Budget Resolution for Reconciliation 3.0, including the SAVE America Act, and the Stop Insider Trading Act, including a requirement to show an ID when voting in federal elections, we are sending a clear message: we will not tolerate election fraud or putting personal gain over public service anymore. I urge the Senate to pass these critical bills immediately.”
The Budget Resolution now heads to the Senate, where passage will allow House committees to begin drafting the reconciliation legislation. The Stop Insider Trading Act also advances to the Senate for consideration.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Austin Scott (GA-08)
WASHINGTON, D.C.– U.S. Representative Austin Scott (GA-08), a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), released the below statement upon the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passing out of the House of Representatives, this afternoon, by a vote of 216–212.
“America’s military must remain the strongest, best-equipped, and most capable fighting force in the world,”Rep. Austin Scottsaid.“The amendments I sponsored strengthen our warfighters at Robins and Moody Air Force Bases, improve military readiness of our National Guard, modernize our defense enterprise, and reinforce the partnerships that are essential to deterring aggression. They reflect a commitment to ensuring our servicemembers have every advantage should they ever be called upon to defend our nation.”
Scott continued,“From protecting our Special Operations Forces and strengthening our defense industrial base to expanding cooperation with trusted allies like Poland and enhancing critical military capabilities, the amendments I have sponsored this cycle help ensure the United States is prepared to meet the security challenges of today and the threats of tomorrow.”
“Representative Austin Scott continues to be a leader on the House Armed Services Committee, advancing thoughtful reforms that strengthen our military and improve our nation’s readiness. His amendments strengthen our military from the tactical level to the strategic level—supporting our Special Operations Forces, National Guard, defense industrial base, key allies, and critical warfighting capabilities such as the A-10. I appreciate his leadership and the significant contributions he made to this year’s National Defense Authorization Act,”said House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (AL-03).
Representative Scott successfully secured adoption of 26 floor amendments that:
Protect the identities of Special Operations Forces and other personnel involved in sensitive military activities.
Strengthen intelligence and analysis of foreign defense-industrial supply chains supporting peer adversaries.
Improve National Guard readiness by expanding counterdrug authorities and enhancing the National Guard’s representation across the joint force.
Preserve the E-11 Battlefield Airborne Communications Node mission at Robins AFB and authorize expanded procurement of P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.
Improve expeditionary infrastructure and contested logistics through enhanced Seabee readiness.
Codify the Joint Special Operations University as the Department of Defense’s principal institution for special operations education, research, and professional development.
Ensure deployed servicemembers are not charged for meals while serving aboard deployed or underway U.S. naval vessels.
Expand U.S.-Poland cooperation through new military space and special operations partnership programs.
Extend and modernize the Indo-Pacific Maritime Security Initiative through 2031.
Increase funding for the Regional Defense Fellowship Program to strengthen security cooperation with allies and partners.
Support military history, professional education, and institutional knowledge through statutory authorization of the Department of the Navy Library.
Honor America’s naval heritage by expressing the sense of Congress that future Navy ships should bear the names USS United States and USS Shangri-La.
The Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act authorizes funding for the Department of Defense and establishes policies to strengthen the readiness, capabilities, and effectiveness of the United States Armed Forces.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, released the following statement on the passage of H.R. 8800, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2027.
“This year’s NDAA strengthens America’s standing as the most powerful military force the world has ever known. President Trump has brought new meaning to the term ‘Peace Through Strength.’ This legislation provides American warfighters with the tools they need to win in any conflict, anywhere around the world. As I ascend in seniority on the Armed Services Committee, we will continue to perform for the country and fight for Louisiana priorities.”
In his role on the Armed Services Committee, Congressman Higgins helped secure many provisions in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act that will directly benefit Louisiana. These include:
$259M for Yard, Repair, Berthing, and Messing (YRBM) barge craft.
$152M for the procurement of US Navy 40-foot Patrol Boats.
$5M for Louisiana industry to develop unmanned Arctic-capable vessels.
$35M for defense technology innovation programs in partnership with the Louisiana Defense Research Consortium (LDRC) and UL-Lafayette.
Language directing the Navy to develop and report on clear performance standards for integrating mission payloads onto unmanned surface vessels (USVs).
$125M for the Platform Supply Vessel Program to support offshore maritime logistics.
Language directing the Navy to evaluate the industrial base’s maintenance, logistics, and sustainment capacity needed to support large unmanned undersea vehicles.
$733M for the Ship to Shore Connector program. The NDAA also authorizes advanced procurement for the Ship to Shore Connector program to maintain its production schedule.
Language directing a Navy and U.S. Marine Corps study to inform future requirements for advanced reconnaissance vessels for constituent shipbuilders.
$7M for aerial computer sensor manufacturing in Louisiana.
Language directing the Navy to develop a strategy to maintain a competitive and resilient unmanned surface vessel (USV) industrial base.
Support for design and testing of USVs operating in contested environments.
Supporting continuity of mission and readiness during the transition of F-5 to F/A18 fighter aircraft which will directly benefit Joint Reserve Base New Orleans.
$53M for M917A3 heavy dump trucks for the Louisiana National Guard.
Language directing the Army to assess how autonomous unmanned surface vessels (USVs) could protect U.S. watercraft in contested environments.
Authorization for the Louisiana National Guard and Navy Reserve to procure F-15EX fighter jets.
$70M for 48-meter autonomous M3OPVs, supporting the Pentagon rapid prototyping initiative for autonomous vessels in contested logistics environments.
$25M to modernize B-52 Agile Pod systems at Barksdale Air Force Base.
Language requiring a quality-of-life assessment for the garrison at Joint Reserve Base New Orleans.
$916M for funding additional C-130J aircraft for the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve.
Language directing, when possible, the domestic production and sourcing of critical minerals for defense supply chains.
Language prohibiting the procurement of vehicles and vehicle technologies from adversarial nations like China and Russia.
$25M for the development of a directed energy satellite missile defense system.
$133M and report language for advancing sea-based petroleum distribution systems.
$13.5M for maneuverable spacecraft prototyping to support the U.S. Space Force.
Language establishing the National Guard Homeland Defense Service Ribbon for personnel engaged in missions to protect federal personnel and property, support law enforcement, secure the border, and restore public order.
Language directing the U.S. Census Bureau to coordinate with the Department of War to provide an accurate count of personnel living on U.S. military installations, to prevent undercounting for congressional apportionment.
Congressman Higgins also worked with his colleagues to align this year’s NDAA with President Trump’s agenda, securing the following conservative victories:
Stopping government waste, fraud, abuse, and theft by cutting nearly $30B in wasteful programs, as well as providing new authorities to stop fraudulent payments.
Strengthening nuclear deterrence, missile defense, as well as our critical resource supply chains to counter adversaries like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
Expanding American production ability by cutting red tape for private sector innovators, and creating thousands of new jobs for Americans.
Codifying over 65 of President Trump’s executive orders and legislative proposals, fully funding the America First defense policy agenda.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) released the following statement after the House passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2027:
“Hardworking civilian federal employees at the Defense Department are no less deserving of an annual raise than their compatriots in uniform. Oftentimes, civilian and military personnel work side by side doing similar work at the Pentagon and on bases across the world, yet this National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) gives military personnel as much as a 7% raise while leaving civilian employees behind. That disparity is wrong, and it’s why I did not support this bill, which balloons the defense budget by over 28% and will cost more than a trillion dollars but cannot find enough funds to ensure parity in raises between civilian and military personnel. The Trump Administration should be ashamed of itself for proposing this pay disparity, and I urge the Senate to address it and insist on parity. All those who serve ought to receive our gratitude and respect.”
HOYER: “Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. First, let me say I think we have two thoughtful Members of the Congress of the United States presenting these proposals. Senator Lankford has represented that in the House and now represents [that] in the Senate. And as I’ve told Mr. McClintock, I always enjoy hearing him speak because I think he speaks [the] truth and with good analysis. However, I disagree with both of you strongly. Mr. McClintock – Congressman McClintock, you just said what I think is the real issue, and you said that no legislation or rule can replace political will.”
LANKFORD: “Yes.”
HOYER: “Let me speak just a little bit about political will. Ronald Reagan – as Jim Lankford just pointed out – was president for eight years. Bush was president for four thereafter. We had twelve years; we essentially had eight days of shutdown – or 12 days. Eight years of Reagan, one-and-a-half-day average shutdown. Why? Because the political will of the president and the political will of the Congress was to reach agreement. That does not now exist.
“The Director of OMB has made it clear: ‘We want their funding to be shut down.’ That’s a quote of Mr. Vought. Mr. Trump said we had two shutdowns – excuse me, this was Mr. Gingrich – two shutdowns in 1995 and became the first reelected GOP majority since 1928. Speaker Gingrich [pointed] out that that was a successful effort. Mr. McCarthy said, ‘Nobody wins in a government shutdown. Nobody wins in a government shutdown. I’ve been here.’ He said that on September 14th, 2023. He believes, partially, he was removed for facilitating agreement between the two parties rather than a partisan shutdown and confrontation.
“I believe these proposals do exactly the opposite of what we need to do in the sense that I think they weaken greatly the Congress and strengthen – even more than has happened today – the presidency, making the executive extraordinarily powerful and the Congress much weaker. Essentially, it makes the Appropriations Committee irrelevant and powerless to carry out the founders’ intent to give paramount and exclusive authority to the Congress for the spending of taxpayer money. And furthermore, I think that shutting the government down has been a tool of political choice by many Republican leaders, including Newt Gingrich, Donald Trump, and many others, including Vought, and it is a tool which has been employed by Democrats as well. So, no one has clean hands, if you will, on this issue.
“But let me refer to the [former] Director of OMB. Director Young, when Congress provides only broad, outdated funding through CRs, who makes the operational decisions about what is delayed, reduced, or prioritized?”
YOUNG: “That is typically some combination of agencies and the Office of Management and Budget, and probably some insight from the White House if it is consequential enough.”
HOYER: “So, in fact, what a shutdown does, by the failure of the political will of which Congressman McClintock talked about, it enhances greatly the authority and ability of the President of the United States and through OMB and through his agencies to set policies for those agencies.”
YOUNG: “Yes. During a shutdown, each agency has to tell the American people what is open, what is closed, and as we all know, that is different even within the same administration. One year it could be, ‘This is,’ and it was politically tough and they changed their shutdown plans to something else. So, there is a lot of latitude for the president to make those decisions.”
HOYER: “Let me say to Senator Lankford, I represent approximately 77,000 federal employees. I feel their pain. I know their pain. And obviously, that pain visited not only government employees, but our others as well, is reflected in how many people are looking for a solution. But I really say that as we did under Ronald Reagan – I was here all eight years he was president – and George Bush, we rarely shut down the government. Under Joe Biden with a Republican Congress, we didn’t shut down the government at all. Not once, because we reached [an] agreement. And political will, I suggest again, Congressman, is, in fact, the answer, not weakening the Congress of the United States. Not saying somebody else will get the government going.
“The incentive for the administration to undermine agreement is heightened by, I think, these proposals, although I would like to see the Senate – I’m one of those that thinks the Senate needs to reform itself so that it can do its business. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09)
Bloated, irresponsible spending by Hegseth on an unnecessary war linked to a SAVE Trump voting bill
WASHINGTON — Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) today voted against the massive, $1.15 trillion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which included the SAVE Act requiring proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections, a major Trump priority.
The measure passed on a vote of 216 to 212.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
“I could not in good conscience hand Pete Hegseth $1.15 billion with another supplemental spending bill for his unnecessary war in Iran pending. The Defense Department has never passed an audit. How could it with Hegseth spending millions on lobster tails, king crab and ribeye steaks? There are some important provisions in this legislation that I support, such as the pay raise for our troops and assistance for military families. I understand better than many, as a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the threat posed by Russia, China, North Korea and Iran, but we must spend American tax dollars responsibly and the Trump Defense Department has established it is incapable and unwilling to do that.
“The inclusion of the SAVE Trump Act which the president thinks will help him retain a Republican majority in the House, and avoid oversight in his final two years in office, made my decision on this vote even easier.”