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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jerrold Nadler (10th District of New York)

Nadler Statement On Columbia University Protests

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman David G Valadao (CA-21)

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman David Valadao (CA-22) joined Reps. Doug LaMalfa (CA-01), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Jeff Hurd (CO-03), Young Kim (CA-40), Ken Calvert (CA-41), Darrell Issa (CA-48), Tom McClintock (CA-05), Vince Fong (CA-20), Adam Gray (CA-13), and Jim Costa (CA-21) in reintroducing the Forest Protection and Wildland Firefighter Safety Act. This bipartisan bill would amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to clarify that a permit is not required to use fire retardant to fight wildfires.

“California suffers from thousands of wildfires each year, and taking fire retardant away from the U.S. Forest Service is reckless,” said Congressman Valadao. “This bipartisan bill ensures the heroes fighting wildfires have every tool at their disposal to minimize damage to our forests, homes, and businesses. I’m proud to join my Western colleagues to prioritize safety and common sense over extreme environmental policies.”

“Fire retardant is one of the most effective tools we have to stop wildfires from turning into disasters—especially in the West,” said Rep. LaMalfa. “Trying to ban its use during fire season isn’t just ridiculous, it’s dangerous. These extremist environmental groups are more worried about trace amounts of retardant than the real damage caused by out-of-control fires. Entire forests, homes, wildlife, and human lives are at stake. The smoke alone from one major wildfire can choke the air for hundreds of miles. We should be focused on stopping fires early, not tying firefighters’ hands with red tape.”

“With nearly 9 million acres burned nationwide in 2024, the threat of wildfire is only growing,” said Rep. Panetta.  “This bipartisan legislation would make clear that fire retardant must remain a critical part of our wildfire response strategy.  Protecting our homes, our forests, and those on the front lines keeping us safe remains our top priority.”

“Catastrophic wildfires have swept across the West over the past decade, devastating communities, public lands, and wildlife habitats,” said Rep. Hurd. “This bipartisan legislation ensures the Forest Service has the critical tools and resources it needs, free from bureaucratic red tape, to protect lives, and I’m proud to stand with my Western colleagues to deliver real support to those on the front lines.”

“We know that regulatory ‘green tape’ blocks our firefighters from battling deadly blazes once they start, as well as preventing the wildfires we know will occur. Even though my home state of California faces the devastating threat of wildfires every year, bureaucrats in Washington and Sacramento continue to handcuff our heroes. That’s why I’m proud to sponsor the Forest Protection and Wildland Firefighter Safety Act, which will streamline the essential aerial suppression efforts of our wildland firefighters as they take on and take down our nation’s wildfires,” said Rep. Issa.

“We need all hands on deck and all the tools in our arsenal during a wildfire,” said Rep. Kim. “Fire retardant has proven to be safe and effective for containing and mitigating wildfires, and I’m proud to join Reps. LaMalfa and Panetta to ensure its continued use. As the representative of many wildfire-prone areas, including in the canyon communities of Orange County, I will keep fighting to support commonsense policies to protect our communities.” 

“The bipartisan Forest Protection and Wildland Firefighter Safety Act will ensure our most critical wildfire suppression tool, fire retardant, is available to protect our communities when we need it most,” said Rep. Calvert. “I thank Rep. LaMalfa for introducing this important bill.”

“Communities across California have been devastated by increasingly destructive wildfires,” said Rep. Gray. “In order to protect Californians, firefighters must be able to use every tool available to them. This bipartisan, commonsense bill that will empower them to do just that.”

“As climate change fuels more intense and frequent wildfires across California, we must act to protect our communities and those who risk their lives on the frontlines. This legislation strengthens our wildfire response, invests in prevention, and gives firefighters the support they need to do their jobs safely. This is about protecting lives, livelihoods, and the land we all depend on,” said Rep. Costa.

“This bill will improve wildfire response by streamlining fire suppression efforts and will eliminate the bureaucratic red tape that hinders firefighters on the front lines,” said Rep. Vince Fong. “As catastrophic megafires become increasingly common in California, firefighters must have timely access to every available tool without being delayed by cumbersome environmental waiver processes.”

“With California wildfires on the rise, it’s commonsense to allow firefighters expedient access to critical resources” said Rep. McClintock. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in co-sponsoring the Forest Protection and Wildland Firefighter Safety Act to cut bureaucratic red tape and fight fires more efficiently.”  

Background:

In 2022, the Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics (FSEEE) sued the U.S. Forest Service in a federal district court for failing to obtain a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for the application of aerially discharged fire retardant when combating fires. In 2023, the Federal court ruled in favor of the FSEEE requiring the Forest Service to obtain a NPDES permit from the EPA for aerial application of fire retardants, but did not grant FSEEE’s request for an injunction to block the Forest Service application of these products. If an injunction had been issued, millions of square miles in the West would be at risk of being lost due to catastrophic wildfires.

The Forest Protection and Wildland Firefighter Safety Act would:

• Clarify the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to reflect that a NPDES permit is not required by the Forest Service for the application of fire retardants from planes or helicopters to combat wildfires.
• Build on the exemption already in the Federal Water Pollution Control Act where a NPDES permit is not needed for the discharge of runoff resulting from fire control activities.

Read the full bill here.

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

Source: United States House of Representatives – Reprepsentative Kathy Castor (FL14)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL-14) highlighted a recent analysis of the Republican proposals to cut health services for Americans who rely on Medicaid. The analysis, conducted by the nonpartisan, independent Congressional Budget Office (CBO), exposes the devastating human cost of Congressional Republicans’ proposed tax giveaway to the wealthiest Americans.

“Republicans propose to cut life-saving care for hundreds of thousands of my neighbors across the Tampa Bay area to fund a massive tax cut for billionaires. It’s irresponsible and wrong,” said Rep. Castor. “The non-partisan CBO analysis makes clear Congressional Republicans’ Medicaid proposals will result in millions of Americans losing their health care coverage. Republicans in Congress and President Trump claim that they will not rip health care coverage away. Yet, every single proposal would cause massive benefit cuts and coverage loss for millions, inflicting pain and exorbitant costs on pregnant women, people with disabilities, and seniors. I will not stand for it.”

CBO finds that federal reductions in Medicaid spending will result in states responding by taking a combination of four actions:

• Spending more on Medicaid by using a mix of tax increases and cuts to other programs, such as K-12 education and public safety.
• Cutting payments to health care providers.
• Cutting optional benefits, such as home-based care and mental health care.
• Taking away health insurance from people who rely on Medicaid.

Republicans’ claims that their policies will just reduce so-called waste, fraud, and abuse or that people will not lose their benefits are simply untrue.

• 100 percent of the savings from the policies that shift costs to states come from reducing payment rates to providers, limiting optional benefits, and kicking people off coverage, not eliminating waste, fraud and abuse.
• 100 percent of the savings from rescinding the eligibility and enrollment rules that are on Republicans’ chopping block come from kicking people off Medicaid.

Additional findings include:

• Eliminating states’ ability to use provider taxes will result in 3.9 million Americans losing their health insurance.
• Imposing per capita caps on people eligible for Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion will eliminate the health insurance coverage of 1.5 million.
• Cutting the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) for Medicaid expansion would result in 2.4 million people losing their health insurance.
• CBO expects that states would reduce enrollment by eliminating optional coverage categories, including Medicaid expansion, and by changing enrollment policies and procedures to make enrollment more challenging to navigate.
• Repealing the Eligibility and Enrollment final rule would result in 2.3 million Americans losing Medicaid coverage, meaning 400,000 people, including children and people with disabilities, would be uninsured. Low-income seniors who retain only Medicare coverage would see premium and co-pay increases and would be unable to access the care they need without the support of Medicaid.

“The Florida Hospital Association and leaders from Tampa Bay area hospitals, including Tampa General Hospital, BayCare, Moffitt Cancer Center, Orlando Health Bayfront, and AdventHealth visited me in Washington this week to express their strong disapproval of the cuts to Medicaid. They emphasized how the harm to Medicaid, patients and providers would negatively impact care for everyone – another reason to stand firm against health care cuts from Medicaid for a tax giveaway that disproportionately benefits the wealthy and the well-connected,” said Rep. Castor.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Glenn Grothman (R-Glenbeulah 6th District Wisconsin)

Representative Glenn Grothman (R-WI) is joined by Representative Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Mary Miller (R-IL), and Danny K. Davis (D-IL) to reintroduce the Student Loan Marriage Penalty Elimination Act. This legislation will eliminate a government-imposed punishment for marriage and ease the burden of student loan debt by amending the tax code to ensure that student loan interest is tax-deductible for each spouse independently. This bill has received endorsements from the National Taxpayers Union (NTU), the Family Research Council, and Third Way.

Grothman, DelBene, Miller, and Davis are joined by six bipartisan cosponsors, including Representatives Andrew Clyde (R-GA), John Larson (D-CT), Rich McCormick (R-GA), Kevin Mullin (D-CA), David Rouzer (R-NC), and Michael Rulli (R-OH).

“The federal government has a troubling record of polices that discourage marriage, and the student loan interest deduction is no exception,” said Grothman. “This is why I’m reintroducing the Student Loan Marriage Penalty Elimination Act to end the unnecessary marriage penalty on student loans that punish marriage and undermine the nuclear family. This is an initial dent on the war the federal government has waged on marriage.

“If two unmarried individuals each have student loans, they can each receive up to a $2,500 tax deduction, for a total of $5,000. However, their collective deduction is capped at $2,500 when married and filing jointly. My bill will rectify this anti-marriage provision by allowing each spouse to claim their full $2,500 deduction.

“Separately applying the $2,500 deductible for each spouse in a marriage is a common-sense approach that reduces financial stress for young couples and removes yet another government-imposed barrier to marriage. Our policies should support, not penalize, American families. While this is only an initial dent in the federal government’s war on marriage, it’s a meaningful step toward protecting the institution of marriage from unfair discrimination.”

“Higher education is a critical path to economic security,” said Davis. “Unfortunately, Americans collectively struggle under $1.77 trillion in crushing student loan debt, with an average $38,375 in federal student loans.  I am proud to join my colleagues in leading this bill that would double the student loan interest deduction for married couples filing jointly.  Congress must take every opportunity to ease the heavy financial burden on student loan borrowers.”

“Young couples already face numerous financial challenges, and the federal government should not add to that burden simply because they choose to build a life together,” said Miller. “Rep. Grothman’s Student Loan Marriage Penalty Elimination Act brings much-needed fairness to the current tax system and supports both fiscal responsibility and strong families.”

 

“Student loan debt should not prevent couples from getting married. Yet, for many Americans, the cost of the marriage penalty outweighs the benefit of marriage,” said DelBene. “While making college more affordable remains a top priority, the Student Loan Marriage Penalty Elimination Act is a practical solution that would ease financial pressure on couples by ending the marriage penalty for student loan borrowers and remove an unnecessary barrier to building a future together.”

“National Taxpayers Union is proud to once again endorse the Student Loan Marriage Penalty Elimination Act,” said Thomas Aiello, Senior Director of Government Affairs at NTU. “Under current law, the tax code wrongly imposes burdens on certain taxpayers depending on if they choose to marry. Thankfully, this legislation ends that penalty and corrects the unequal tax burden that exists. We applaud Rep. Grothman for his leadership on this issue and look forward to helping this legislation become law.”

“FRC is grateful to Congressman Grothman for introducing the Student Loan Marriage Penalty Elimination Act,” said the Family Research Council. “Family is the foundation of society and family starts with a husband and wife joining in marriage. Marriage should be supported in federal legislation, not penalized.”

Background Information

Currently, interest on student loan debt, both public and private, is tax deductible up to $2,500. However, current law penalizes married couples by only allowing them to take one deduction– even if both spouses would separately qualify.

The Student Loan Marriage Penalty Elimination Act will end this unfair tax treatment of student loan interest against married couples by allowing married couples filing a joint tax return to apply the $2,500 limitation on the tax deduction for student loan interest separately to each spouse, ensuring they can receive a maximum of $5,000 in deductions and eliminating the penalty they are currently paying upon getting married.

Passing this bill will end an unfair marriage penalty in the tax code and ease the burden couples face when paying off student loan debt.

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U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Glenbeulah) serves the people of Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09)

Toledo, Ohio — Today, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), released the following statement on the announcement of Pope Leo XIV, the first American Pope:
 

“As a lifelong Catholic and proud Great Laker, I am deeply moved to witness the astounding selection of Pope Leo XIV from Chicago’s South Side. Historically, he is the first American to ascend to the Papacy. 

“He has given his life to shepherd community as a mendicant, serving others in the Order and Spirit of Saint Augustine. His faith, humility, working class spirit, and heartland values will inspire countless millions. 

“This is a true moment of grace for our nation, our Great Lakes region, and the world. May the Saints be praised.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative James E (Jim) Clyburn (6th District of South Carolina)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Congressman James Clyburn (S.C.-06), Chair of the Democratic Faith Working Group, released the following statement via X on Pope Leo XIV, the first American Pope.

“We celebrate the first American Pope—an extraordinary milestone in the life of the Catholic Church.

“May Pope Leo XIV be guided by humility, courage, and a heart for justice as he steps into this sacred calling. Our prayers are with him and with all those he is called to serve.”

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

House Votes to Codify President Trump’s Gulf of America Executive Order

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

Washington, D.C. – Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries held a press conference where he emphasized that while Rubber Stamp Republicans try to jam through their reckless budget, House Democrats will continue to push back against the scheme to enact the largest cut to Medicaid and food assistance in American history. 

LEADER JEFFRIES: Good morning, everyone. The economy is collapsing. The Trump tariffs are raising costs on hardworking American taxpayers. Small businesses are closing. Businesses and corporations are unable to invest and hire people. And Republicans are driving us toward a painful recession. Donald Trump and House Republicans promised the American people last year that they were going to lower costs on day one. But costs aren’t going down, they’re going up. Inflation is going up, and life is getting more expensive in the United States of America. The House Republican majority has been a complete and utter failure. They’ve now had the opportunity to govern for 125 days and we haven’t seen a single bill that actually has moved to the Floor that is designed to make life more affordable.

Instead, what House Republicans are doing is trying to jam this extreme budget down the throats of the American people that would visit the largest cut to healthcare in American history, and at the same time take food out of the mouths of children, veterans and families in order to pay for a massive tax cut for their billionaire donors like Elon Musk. It’s totally and completely unacceptable. And House Democrats will continue to strongly oppose it today, tomorrow, this week, next week and as long as it takes until we can bury this extreme budget in the ground, never to rise again.

Full press conference can be watched here.

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