MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) reintroduced H.Con.Res. 35, the Exposing Congressional Drug Abuse Act, which requires members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate to participate in random drug screenings.

“Elected officials in Washington, D.C. should be subject to the same kind of random drug screenings that every blue-collar, working-class American endures,” said Congressman Higgins. “As representatives of our constituencies across the country, we must live by the same rules. This legislation is about maintaining accountability and service to We, the People.”

The legislation requires members of Congress to be subject to a random drug test once per term. If a member tests positive for an illegal substance, they would be reported to the Committee on Ethics, where subsequent action would be taken. This screening will cost the American taxpayers nothing, as Members of Congress would be required to reimburse all costs of the program.

Read the legislation here.

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

Calls on Congress to Close Regulatory Gaps, Prevent Blockchain from Becoming Safe Haven for Abusers and Predators

“Protecting survivors of abuse should not be a partisan issue. And it certainly should not be an afterthought in our digital financial future.”

WASHINGTON – In a House Financial Services Committee hearing, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) highlighted how regulatory gaps in crypto blockchain enable abuse in intimate partner violence. Congresswoman Pressley called on Congress to close these gaps to prevent blockchain tools from becoming safe havens for abusers and predators.

A transcript of the Congresswoman’s question line, as delivered, is available below, and the full video is available here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Paul A Gosar DDS (AZ-04)

Washington, D.C. — Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-09), issued the following statement after reintroducing H.R. 3764, the Death Penalty for Dealing Fentanyl Act, legislation that would punish a defendant with the death penalty or life in prison if convicted of selling or distributing fentanyl that resulted in death:

“During the Biden administration, more than 80,000 pounds of fentanyl has flooded into our nation.The fentanyl crisis has strained our healthcare system and touched every community across the country, including in my great state of Arizona.   For example, the largest single fentanyl bust in history recently took place in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon and Utah.  Those arrested included a leader of a Mexican drug cartel. Whether it’s from China or Mexico, the criminal networks are producing, transporting, and marketing these drugs and are poisoning America. 

Unfortunately, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, fentanyl overdoses are the leading cause of death among Americans ages 18-44.  More than 105,000 Americans died from drug poisonings in 2023 with nearly 70 percent of those deaths attributed to synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl. 

I laud President Trump’s recent designation of deadly cartels trafficking drugs into our country as terrorist groups and calling for the death penalty for those who sell illicit drugs, including fentanyl.  As a result of President Trump’s war against drug dealers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts a 26.5% national decline in drug overdose deaths from the previous year when Biden was last in office.

More should and can be done to support President Trump’s efforts to stem the flow of deadly drugs into the United States.  That’s why I have once again reintroduced the Death Penalty for Dealing Fentanyl Act, legislation authorizing capital punishment or life imprisonment for any individual convicted of distributing, possessing with the intent to distribute, or manufacture fentanyl that resulted in death. 

Fentanyl is so potent that even a very small parcel of the drug can cause many deaths and destruction to American families. We must get tough on those criminals that are responsible for this public health crisis.  My legislation would punish anyone who knowingly traffics fentanyl with the death penalty or life in prison,” concluded Congressman Gosar.

Original Cosponsors:

Representatives Brecheen, Ezell, Higgins, Moore (AL), Luna, Ogles

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Earl L Buddy Carter (GA-01)

Headline: Carter brings 400 jobs to Charlton County with ICE detention center expansion

FOLKSTON – Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) today landed a lucrative Department of Homeland Security (DHS) contract to expand the D. Ray James Correctional Facility to become part of the Folkston Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Processing Centre, which will make it the largest facility for processing illegal immigrants in the nation.

At nearly 3,000 beds, this expansion would increase capacity and enhance federal detention operations already in place, bringing roughly 400 jobs and economic growth to the First Congressional District and solidifying Georgia’s leadership in providing for our national security.

“With this expansion, Georgia will strengthen its status as a national leader in the fight to secure our southern border. I’m proud to have worked with Charlton County to get the D. Ray James Correctional Facility expansion over the finish line, which will bring jobs and economic growth to our region, and I will continue to support our brave ICE agents as they seek to restore law and order,” said Rep. Carter.

The City of Folkston will receive approximately $600,000 a year in revenue from water and sewer services to the facility.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (12th District of Michigan)

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-06) introduced a resolution recognizing the first week of June as Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) Awareness Week.

“Hidradenitis Suppurativa affects millions of Americans, causing physical pain and emotional distress,” Dingell said. “We recognize this week as HS Awareness Week to bring renewed attention to the importance of federal research into new treatments and advanced understanding of the disease to improve patient outcomes.”

View the text of the resolution below and here.

RESOLUTION

Expressing support for the recognition of “Hidradenitis Suppurativa Awareness Week”.

Whereas Hidradenitis Suppurativa (in this resolution referred to as “HS”) is a chronic, inflammatory skin disease that affects approximately 3,300,000 people in the United States;

Whereas HS causes painful, boil-like nodules and abscesses anywhere on the body, and can progress to form tunnels under the skin and cause extensive scarring;

Whereas individuals with HS frequently suffer from 5 primary domains of physical and emotional suffering, pain, drainage, odor, itching, and profound psychological distress;

Whereas HS is associated with one of the highest completed suicide rates among dermatological diseases, second only to melanoma;

Whereas 75 percent of individuals with HS are misdiagnosed or not diagnosed until after age 25, missing critical windows for early intervention and care;

Whereas delayed diagnosis contributes to worsening disease progression, higher healthcare costs, avoidable emergency room visits, and unnecessary procedures;

Whereas individuals are often diagnosed with HS in the prime of their lives, affecting their ability to work, maintain relationships, and participate fully in society;

Whereas, as of June 1, 2025, there are only 3 biologic therapies approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of HS;

Whereas additional research is urgently needed to develop new treatments, understand the pathogenesis of the disease, identify biomarkers of HS, and improve outcomes for HS patients;

Whereas Federal policy can play a critical role in improving access to biologic therapies, wound care, and comprehensive care for HS patients; and

Whereas designating the first week of June as “Hidradenitis Suppurativa Awareness Week” would increase public awareness, foster understanding, and catalyze progress in diagnosing, treating, and ultimately curing HS:

Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

(1) supports the recognition of “Hidradenitis Suppurativa Awareness Week”; and

(2) recognizes the importance of—

(A) increasing awareness and education about HS among the public and health professionals;

(B) promoting timely and accurate diagnosis of HS through improved screening and culturally competent care;

(C) supporting biomedical research to better understand HS pathogenesis, treatment efficacy, and long-term outcomes;

(D) accelerating the development of effective treatments and expanding access to existing therapies for HS; and

(E) advancing policies that address disparities in access to care for patients with HS and improve the quality of life for individuals living with HS and the caregivers of such individuals.

###

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

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)

Today, Congressional Arts Caucus Co-Chairs Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Congressman Mike Turner (R-Ohio) led more than 120 of their colleagues in urging President Trump to restore National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant funding approved by Congress. The bipartisan push comes after the Trump Administration canceled NEA grants to hundreds of community organizations, many of which had already begun the projects for which they had been awarded. 

“Many grantees are anchors in their communities, whether as employers and educators, prominent Main Street destinations, and tourist attractions,” the lawmakers wrote. “Lost grants will hurt budgets, contract programming, and may lead to layoffs – right as the crucial summer season kicks off for many organizations and small businesses.”

They further explained that the NEA underpins a $1.2 trillion cultural sector, representing 5.4 million jobs and a $36.8 billion trade surplus. “In short, the bang for our buck delivered by the NEA is too significant to ignore,” Pingree, Turner, and their colleagues said. 

The full text of the letter is copied below and available here. 

In addition to cancelling NEA funds already appropriated by Congress, the President has proposed eliminating the agency entirely in his budget.

Pingree recently penned an op-ed in the Portland Press Herald condemning President Trump’s attacks on arts and culture and warning that his actions mirror the authoritarian playbooks of regimes in Turkey and Hungary.

Pingree is Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, which oversees the NEA, and is an ex-officio member of the National Council on the Arts.

+++

Dear President Trump,

We write to express our deep concern about recent grant cancellations at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). These cancellations will have a resounding impact on communities in every part of the country, costing jobs and harming local economies. We urge you to direct their immediate reversal and restore full funding of the NEA as authorized by statute and approved by Congress.

The NEA is a small but efficient agency, using its modest resources to ensure that the benefit of federal funds reaches every Congressional district. The cancellation of hundreds of grants threatens a wide range of initiatives, from apprenticeship programs to youth engagement to economic development planning. Many grantees are anchors in their communities, whether as employers and educators, prominent Main Street destinations, and tourist attractions. Lost grants will hurt budgets, contract programming, and may lead to layoffs – right as the crucial summer season kicks off for many organizations and small businesses.

Our relatively minimal federal investment reaches Americans who would not otherwise benefit from the arts. In 678 counties across the country – primarily in rural areas – the Endowment does more to fund the arts than the top 1,000 foundations. And the benefit is not just local. It underpins the $1.2 trillion economic powerhouse that is the cultural sector, representing 5.4 million jobs and a $36.8 billion trade surplus. In short, the bang for our buck delivered by the NEA is too significant to ignore.

The NEA fulfills an essential role in our nation’s economic and cultural life, particularly as we look toward America250 celebrations next year. The Endowment’s support for local arts organizations remains a cornerstone of its statutory purpose and of its value to local communities across the country. We urge you to restore the full potential of that value by reversing grant cancellations to local arts organizations.

Sincerely,

###

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Scott Peters (52nd District of California)

San Diego, CA — Today, Representatives Scott Peters (CA-50) and Juan Vargas (CA-52), along with Representatives Sara Jacobs (CA-51) and Mike Levin (CA-49), and U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) demanded answers from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over the outrageous and militarized ICE Raid at Buona Forchetta, a community restaurant.

In addition to this letter, Reps. Peters, Vargas, Jacobs, and Levin, and U.S. Senators Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) sent a letter to Sec. Noem expressing their concern over the deliberate targeting of immigrants trying to follow the legal process at courthouses, such as the San Diego Immigration Court located in the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building.

In their letter, the members stated, “In 2024, President Trump’s now ‘border czar,’ Tom Homan, said immigration enforcement would focus on immigrants who are ‘public safety threats and the national security threats first.’  According to the facts outlined in the government’s warrant, the workers at Buona Forchetta do not appear to meet this standard. Instead, many immigrants, like those targeted in the operation, work challenging jobs and fill labor gaps in sectors like agriculture and construction. Immigrants are critical to the local and national economy, with those in the San Diego metro area contributing $11.3 billion in taxes annually.”

They continued, “The role of law enforcement is to keep our community safe. The incident at Buona Forchetta last week did not make us safer. Witness accounts and video recordings show over 20 ICE and [Homeland Security Investigations] agents present on the scene, many armed with assault weapons and fitted in military tactical gear. Agents were then witnessed aggressively entering the restaurant to handcuff all employees—including those who were not enforcement targets. Agents also used three noise flash diversionary devices, which produce loud bangs and smoke, to disperse civilians at the scene. These tactics created chaos and fear, all to arrest four immigrants reportedly working hard as dishwashers and servers… The Administration’s use of these tactics also suggests the intent of the raid was not uphold the law in a responsible manner, but rather to intimidate. This is unacceptable. The use of such tactics to execute warrants for non-violent crimes not only harms public trust in HIS and ICE, it also raises legitimate questions about the Department of Homeland Security’s stewardship of taxpayer dollars.”

And they concluded by asking that Sec. Noem promptly respond to the following questions:

1. Has ICE or HIS received any new directive or informal communications from the Administration to expand enforcement priorities to immigrants who are not violent criminals or public safety threats?
2. What is the process by which Department determines it is necessary to arm agents with assault weapons and military equipment during raids?
3. How does Department account for the level of public safety threat of enforcement targets or the likely concentration of civilians when it makes these determinations?
4. What tactics did ICE use to attempt to disperse the crowd before escalating to use noise flash diversionary devices?
5. Prior to the operation, did ICE consider any of the targeted immigrants to be public safety or national security threats?

The full text of the letter can be found here. 

###

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)

WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Ranking Member of the Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee, today hosted a Shadow Hearing titled Kidnapped and Disappeared: Trump’s Lawless Third Country Disappearances, to dive deeper into the cases of those lawlessly kidnapped and disappeared to third countries like El Salvador, Panama, Costa Rica, South Sudan, and Libya. This hearing was the first in a series she plans to hold on Trump’s immigration actions. 

“Since taking office in January, President Trump has shown nothing but utter contempt for the Constitution.  He has ignored and decimated the traditional role of Congress and defied and defamed the courts, doing untold damage to our democracy.  He has attacked the rights of all people, starting with and especially immigrants. In his obsession to deport as many immigrants—lawful and undocumented—as he can, he has violated multiple constitutional rights,” said Congresswoman Jayapal. “Due process is the critical protection that requires anyone, no matter their citizenship status, to have their opportunity to present evidence, to be able to counter a government or any party falsely accusing them of being a terrorist or a gang member or of being kidnapped off the street and disappeared.”

The witnesses at this hearing included Lindsay Toczylowski the President and CEO of Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef) and legal counsel for Andry Romero, Robyn Barnard, the Senior Director of Refugee Advocacy at Human Rights First, Lee Gelernt the Deputy Director of the Immigrants’ Rights Project at American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and Beatriz Guzman, a Venezuelan-American immigrant and immigration attorney.

“The Trump administration has used a pattern of disappearances to detain, remove, and expel people to countries which are not their countries of origin, and for which no removal proceedings have been conducted nor the required fear screenings. These actions are part of a broader effort to subvert due process and the checks and balances that are central to the U.S. Constitution,” said Robyn Barnard, Senior Director, Refugee Advocacy, Human Rights First. “Before being disappeared to these third countries, many asylum seekers were detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in unbearable conditions. They went days or weeks without any contact with the outside world. They were subject to medical neglect, physical and psychological mistreatment, and intolerable living conditions that are especially traumatizing for children.”

“Andry Hernández Romero’s story is truly a canary in the coalmine, a warning of what happens when the rule of law and due process are trampled upon. If being denied due process and sent to a third country happened to him – a gay makeup artist with no criminal record and targeted solely for having tattoos – it could happen to me, it could happen to you, it could happen to any one of us,” said Lindsay Toczylowski, CEO and President of Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef). “ Andry’s case, and those of the 230+ men who were disappeared to El Salvador’s CECOT gulag, is about whether we will fight to uphold the rights enshrined by the Constitution. It  is about the future of our democracy. If we fail him, we will have failed our country.”

“People that are detained have no knowledge of our laws, often don’t speak English, and if a habeas corpus petition is not filed, they are deported to a gulag in El Salvador with no due process,” said Lee Gelernt, lead counsel in the ACLU’s legal challenges to the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act. “At the same time the government has taken the position that once immigrants are deported to El Salvador, they can not be returned, no matter how many mistakes they have made. Even if immigrants are given due process, we do not think that this wartime authority can be used during peacetime.”

“Venezuelan immigrants have become a target despite the love we have for this country–the only place we can call home. Just like my kid clients who are now scared to go to school and who feel that pit in their stomach—that this country is not safe for them–now my parents and family feel that too. We feel it too even when we leave our homes with U.S. passports,” said Beatriz Guzman, Venezuelan-American U.S. citizen and immigration attorney for children.  “And this is all a flashback for my father–a reminder of the culture of fear that comes in the early days of authoritarianism. It is difficult for him to watch the first steps of those same changes that he fled over 20 years ago, happening now in his new home and country.”

The hearing was attended by Representatives Becca Balint (VT-AL), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Jesús G. “Chuy” García (IL-04), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Glenn Ivey (MD-04), Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Deborah Ross (NC-02), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Mark Takano (CA-39), and Juan Vargas (CA-52).

Issues: Immigration