MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bill Foster (11th District of Illinois)

Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL), Congress’ only PhD physicist, led 112 Members of Congress in expressing their concern with the Trump Administration’s directive for the National Science Foundation to freeze all grant funding.

In a letter to President Trump, the Members wrote:

“The NSF has, for decades, been a cornerstone of American innovation, funding groundbreaking research that has led to advancements in medical imaging, artificial intelligence, geographic information systems, and numerous other fields. Central to the NSF’s success has been its commitment to a merit-based, peer-reviewed grant process, ensuring that funding decisions are made based on scientific excellence and potential impact, free from political or ideological influence.

“Changes to this commitment have far-reaching implications. They not only disrupt ongoing research but also erode the confidence of the scientific community in the federal funding apparatus. Moreover, in an era of intense global competition, particularly with nations like China investing heavily in science and technology, these actions risk ceding our leadership position and compromising our ability to address critical challenges.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bill Foster (11th District of Illinois)

Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) joined 141 of his colleagues in sending a letter to President Trump regarding Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a legal U.S. resident who was wrongfully detained and deported to El Salvador last month. In the letter, the Members requested an immediate update on the administration’s plans to ensure Mr. Abrego Garcia’s safe return to the United States.

“The Supreme Court ordered the Trump Administration to facilitate Mr. Abrego Garcia’s return, yet we have seen no meaningful action or heard of any plans indicating their effort to comply. Mr. Abrego Garcia is a legal resident of the United States, and he is entitled to due process under the law,” said Foster. “The administration’s failure to correct this unlawful deportation is both morally indefensible and an overstep of their authority. The administration must act immediately to bring him home and ensure this never happens again.”

The letter reads: 

Dear President Trump: 

We write to you with grave concern about Kilmar Abrego Garcia of Beltsville, Maryland, who was wrongfully detained and deported to El Salvador last month. We respectfully request an immediate update on his wellbeing and detailed plans on how all relevant executive agencies plan to ensure his safe return to the United States. 

As you know, on March 12, 2025, Mr. Abrego Garcia was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with his 5-year-old son in the backseat of his car. Mr. Abrego Garcia was then deported, along with alleged Venezuelan and Salvadoran gang members, to El Salvador. It is our understanding that he is currently being held in the Terrorism Confinement Center in El Salvador. 

While Mr. Abrego Garcia is a citizen of El Salvador, he had legally been granted withholding of removal in 2019 by a United States immigration court based on his fear of persecution by gangs in El Salvador. He has no criminal record and has been residing in Maryland with his U.S. citizen wife and family. 

Your administration has admitted that Mr. Abrego Garcia’s removal was an “administrative error.” As such, the Supreme Court of the United States ordered, in a unanimous ruling, that your administration must “facilitate” Mr. Abrego Garcia’s “release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador.” This would mean his return to the United States. Despite these clear instructions, the federal district court judge overseeing Mr. Abrego Garcia’s case has indicated your administration has made no effort to comply with the Supreme Court’s order.

As President, you have the authority to get Mr. Abrego Garcia back to the U.S. from El Salvador despite your administration’s insistence otherwise. If there is evidence of any wrongdoing by Mr. Abrego Garcia, he is entitled to a chance to contest such allegations. Mistakenly removing a U.S. resident that has protection from deportation legally granted to him by an immigration court and then making no effort to get him back not only places Mr. Abrego Garcia’s life in danger, but also violates the basic principles of due process and the rule of law. 

The U.S. government must comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling and do everything in its power to get Mr. Abrego Garcia back to his family in the United States as quickly as possible. We appreciate your urgent attention to this matter and we look forward to receiving your response.

A copy of the letter can be found here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09)

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) today announced that St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital will receive a grant of $913,225 to the study the Proteogenomics of Splicing Proteinopathies in Neurodegeneration from the National Institute on Aging.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

“I am always pleased to see one of our National Institutes of Health supporting research at our premier children’s research hospital. The study is likely to yield insights that will benefit both the old and young, and improve health outcomes.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09)

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) today welcomed the choice of Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago as the first American pope to be known as Leo XIV, and made the following statement:

“I am very pleased to welcome the first American pope in history, a man from Chicago, my mother’s hometown. He has the potential to follow in Francis’ footsteps, caring for the sick, the poor and the disabled. I hope to see him visit Memphis. It was Cardinal Archbishop Samuel Stritch of Chicago who told Danny Thomas to build St. Jude in Memphis.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09)

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9), a senior member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, today announced that the Memphis-Arkansas-Mississippi urban area will receive $18,246,472 in the current fiscal year from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).

The state of Tennessee will receive $132,363,425 in funding through FTA formula programs statewide.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

“Many residents of the 9^th Congressional District rely on public transit to get to work, go shopping or visit doctors and a reliable source of funding guarantees their continued ability to do so.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09)

WASHINGTON – Representatives Steve Cohen (TN-9), a senior member of the Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee and a passionate advocate of passenger rail service; Dina Titus (NV-1), the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials, and Hillary Scholten (MI-3), a member of the T&I Committee, today introduced a bill to reauthorize the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail (FSP) Program through Fiscal Year 2031. Currently, authorization for FSP is set to expire at the end of Fiscal Year 2026.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funded the FSP to provide competitive grants for improving existing rail corridors and developing emerging corridors. Through December of 2024, $25.7 billion in FSP grants have been awarded for crucial repairs, infrastructure improvements and new intercity rail services across the country.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

“As a longtime advocate of passenger rail service, I urge my colleagues to support the federal-state partnership that is preparing the United States for a surge in rail travel. I am looking forward to one day taking Amtrak along the recently identified Memphis-Nashville-Chattanooga-Atlanta corridor that is being funded by a Corridor ID grant and, eventually, along a route linking Memphis to Little Rock and beyond. Passenger rail is the future, and this bill ensures its ongoing support.”

Congresswoman Titus made the following statement:

“Funding from the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail grant program is helping Brightline West bring high speed rail to Las Vegas. We need to reauthorize this critical program to improve and bring passenger rail service to more communities across the United States. Expanding service will make traveling safer and more enjoyable and be a boon to local economies.”

Congresswoman Scholten made the following statement:

“Connecting people to jobs, schools, and families through safe and reliable rail services are one of the smartest investments we can make to support our economy and our environment. In Michigan, we’ve already seen how programs like the Federal-State Partnership and Corridor ID help improve passenger rail services and help boost local economies. I’m proud to support this reauthorization so we can keep moving forward with better rail options for communities across the country.”

The bill would reauthorize both the FSP program and the Corridor ID program with $7.5 billion between Fiscal Years 2027 and 2031.

The bill is endorsed by the following organizations: Rail Passengers Association, SMART Transportation Division, Southern Rail Commission (SRC), Transportation for America (T4A)

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09)

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) noted the acquittal of three former Memphis police officers charged in the beating death of Tyre Nichols this afternoon and made the following statement:

“I am disappointed with the verdicts. But as an attorney, I understand the role of a jury in our system of justice and the verdicts must be respected. These former officers were found guilty in federal court so justice will be done.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN)

Washington, DC – U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03) introduced the bipartisan Benton MacKaye National Scenic Trail Feasibility Study Act, which would authorize a study to designate a 287-mile trail linking Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina as a National Scenic Trail. A companion bill was introduced in the Senate by U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC). The trail, which crosses mountains and valleys and passes alongside streams and waterfalls, is on federal land for 95 percent of its length and would be administered by the U.S. Forest Service.

“I am proud to lead this effort and work with my bipartisan colleagues in the House and Senate to designate the beautiful Benton MacKaye Trail as a National Scenic Trail. The Benton MacKaye Trail is an invaluable part of my district in East Tennessee that thousands of Tennesseans and Americans hike each year, and the trail connects some of the most beautiful and pristine parts of Tennessee with Georgia and North Carolina,” said Congressman Fleischmann. “The Benton MacKaye Trail deserves a National Scenic Trail designation. I call on my colleagues in the House and Senate to act quickly to pass our bipartisan bill and send it to President Trump for his signature.”

“The Benton MacKaye trail is deserving of consideration as a National Scenic Trail. I’m pleased to join my fellow Tennessean Congressman Fleischmann and Senators Tillis and Warnock on legislation to do just that,” said Rep. Steve Cohen. “National designation would mean increased tourism and enjoyment of the outdoors along the entire 287-mile stretch of the trail.”

“Completed in 2005, the Benton MacKaye Trail provides an exceptional opportunity for tens of thousands of people to get outdoors each year and experience the stunning beauty of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. The legislation introduced today, the Benton MacKaye National Scenic Trail Feasibility Study Act of 2025, is a critical step forward in the process of evaluating the trail’s potential to become our nation’s 12th National Scenic Trail,” said Bob Cowdrick, President of the Benton MacKaye Trail Association. “This study would help protect our storied outdoor heritage for future generations, support local economies, and provide a wide array of recreation opportunities for everyone from day hikers to thru-hikers and solo trekkers to families. We are grateful to Congressman Fleischmann for championing this effort to preserve a trail that means so much to so many.”

In addition to Congressman Fleischmann’s support, H.R. 2768 is cosponsored in the House of Representatives by Reps. Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chuck Edwards (NC-11), and Lucy McBath (GA-06). The bill, introduced by Sen. Thom Tills (R-NC) in the Senate, is cosponsored by Sens. Ted Budd (R-NC) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA).

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO-02)

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Johnson today announced a Congressional delegation, led by Majority Leader Scalise, along with Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO) and a bipartisan group of their House colleagues, is traveling to the Vatican to attend the funeral service of His Holiness Pope Francis. The funeral will take place on Saturday, April 26, in St. Peter’s Square.

“I am humbled and honored to represent Missouri on this Congressional Delegation with Leader Scalise to the funeral of His Holiness Pope Francis.  It was just a year ago yesterday that Ray and I were blessed to meet with the Holy Father at the Vatican and pray,” said Congresswoman Wagner.  “He has left a legacy of service and selflessness that will echo through future generations.  Tomorrow we will be mourning with those touched by his faith and devotion to the Greater Glory of God.” 

“Our prayers are with the many Christians who mourn the passing of Pope Francis,” Speaker Johnson said. “It is my honor to send this Congressional delegation, during which participating Members will celebrate the life of Pope Francis and the teaching of the Catholic Church. I’ve asked the House’s highest ranking Catholic, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, to lead this bipartisan group on this faith-filled visit.”

“I am honored to be asked to lead the Congressional delegation of the House Representatives to attend the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican this weekend. The Holy Father humbly devoted his life in service to the Church, and he was dedicated to spreading the Gospel of the Lord to the world,” said Leader Scalise. “As a lifelong Catholic, I am honored to represent the House in paying our respects and praying for the soul of Pope Francis, as Catholics all around the world grieve, and as Church leaders prepare to elect a new pope in the coming weeks.”

The Members of the Congressional delegation are:

1.         The Honorable Steve Scalise

2.         The Honorable French Hill 

3.         The Honorable Nancy Pelosi 

4.         The Honorable Brendan Boyle 

5.         The Honorable Ann Wagner 

6.         The Honorable Tom Suozzi 

7.         The Honorable John Joyce 

8.         The Honorable Pete Stauber 

9.         The Honorable Scott Fitzgerald 

10.       The Honorable Laura Gillen

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO-02)

Washington, D.C. – House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Subcommittee on Open-Source Intelligence Chairman Ann Wagner (R-MO) recently returned from a congressional delegation (CODEL) to Europe and the Middle East. The purpose of the CODEL was to hear from key U.S. allies on the security challenges they are facing and strengthen U.S. global alliances through strategic engagements. Chair Wagner and the delegation were hosted at a series of meetings with high-ranking country leaders. 

In the United Kingdom, Chair Wagner met with the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Foreign Secretary. They discussed shared security concerns with the U.S., including the desire to end the war in Ukraine and address Iran’s persistent fueling of terrorism throughout the world by way of its proxies: Hamas, the Houthis, and Hezbollah. 

In Jordan, the delegation met with His Majesty King Abdullah II and his key high-ranking officials to discuss their top national security concerns and how they view changes in the region. 

Lastly, the delegation visited Israel during Holocaust Remembrance Day and joined a powerful remembrance ceremony. Chair Wagner met with family members of the hostages taken on October 7^th by Hamas terrorists and reinforced the U.S. support for Israel’s efforts to return the hostages. Additionally, the delegation had the opportunity to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu and discuss his continued efforts to return the Israeli hostages, defeat Hamas, and achieve stability in the Middle East. 

“I held an informative meeting in London with intelligence officials on our shared mission to stand up against the ongoing threats Russia, China, and Iran pose to innocents worldwide.  Our nations comprise a vital partnership where we share intelligence that keeps us ahead of our adversaries so we can confront threats before they reach us here at home. While in London, I was also able to have a productive meeting with St. Louis companies with business overseas where we spoke on our mutual economic interests.  As Chair of the Open-Source Intelligence Subcommittee, in addition to my duties as Co-Chair of the Abraham Accords Caucus, I especially appreciated meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu in Israel to underscore our commitment to helping Israel destroy Hamas, deter Iran, and ensure greater stability in the Middle East.  The threats facing the United States are real and they have the potential to threaten the very stability of our world that keeps our children safe,” said Chair Wagner. ” Our allies know the United States is a key partner for economic and security matters, but it was also encouraging to hear them recognize that the United States cannot shoulder the burdens of the world alone. Under the leadership of President Trump, nations across the globe are stepping up to protect our shared interests and defend against our adversaries.”

View pictures from Chair Wagner’s CODEL here.