MIL USHOR-2b Engine

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

U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA) and Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Co-Chairs of the Egypt Human Rights Caucus, urged the Egyptian government to immediately release Galal El-Bahairy, who was been imprisoned since March 2018 on baseless charges related to his writing of lyrics critical of President El-Sisi.

“Following Ahmed Douma’s sentencing, poet Galal El-Behairy, who has been held for 8 years for writing poetry, had two hearings over the past week that were postponed and are now set to occur over the next few months. Egypt continues to imprison writers for their words. The Egyptian government should release Galal immediately and end its systematic crackdown on free expression.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Richard Hudson (NC-08)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (NC-09), Fort Bragg’s Congressman, announced the introduction of H.R. 9237, The Take Care of America’s Veterans Act, a comprehensive veterans’ package which includes more than 60 bipartisan bills to modernize, enhance, and reform the delivery of health care and benefits services at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for the entire veteran community. Rep. Hudson is proud to support this legislation with House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost (R-IL) and 18 additional original cosponsors.

The Take Care of America’s Veterans Act includes H.R. 1004, Love Lives On Act, legislation championed by Rep. Hudson to protect survivor benefits for spouses of fallen servicemembers.

The Love Lives On Act allows surviving spouses of fallen servicemembers to remarry at any age without losing earned survivor benefits, including Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) and the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP). It also restores access to TRICARE health coverage if a subsequent marriage ends due to death, divorce, or annulment. The bipartisan legislation is supported by more than 50 Veteran Service Organizations and would protect benefits for nearly 30,000 surviving spouses nationwide.

In addition to Love Lives On Act, the bill includes a number of key reforms:

• Veterans’ ACCESS Act: Ensures veterans can access the health care they have earned, inside or outside VA, and without wait times. 
• Major Richard Star Act: Ends the wounded veteran tax by permitting eligible combat-injured veterans to concurrently receive their full military retirement pay alongside their VA disability compensation benefits. 
• Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act: Increases monthly VA benefits for severely disabled veterans and their families as well as veterans’ survivors and Gold Star families. 
• GI Bill Benefits Expansion: Increases the monthly housing allowance for student veterans going to school online or apprenticeships training, expands access to in-demand tech career opportunities, and reimburses servicemembers for paid-into GI Bill benefits. 
• TAP Expansion and TAP Promotion Act: Expands access to TAP services for transitioning servicemembers across the ranks. 
• VA Disability Benefits & Appeals Modernization: Implements needed reforms to ensure veterans have all the answers when it comes to their VA appeal for disability benefits, adds better tracking for claims filing, continues to study toxic exposure-related illnesses, and prohibits VA from denying claims solely because of a missed medical exam. 

Read the bill text here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE)

Congressman Adrian Smith (NE-03) announced today that his staff will hold a mobile office hour for constituents in Frontier County on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. This office hour is an opportunity for constituents to meet directly with a member of Smith’s staff about federal issues, receive assistance with a federal agency, or take advantage of the services available through his office. 

Smith, who has offices in Grand Island, Scottsbluff, and Nebraska City, will provide a staff member at the following time and location: 

Wednesday, June 24, 2026 
Frontier County Courthouse
 1 Wellington Street
 Stockville, NE 69042
 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm CT 

For more information, please contact Smith’s Grand Island office at (308) 384-3900, his Scottsbluff office at (308) 633-6333, or his Nebraska City office at (402) 874-6050.  

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ed Case (Hawai‘i – District 1)

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Representative Ed Case (HI-01) reported that his House Appropriations Committee early this morning approved its proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Homeland Security Appropriations measure over his no vote.

The Homeland Security measure is the 11^th of 12 measures taken up by Appropriations to collectively fund the federal government for FY 2027 (commencing October 1, 2026). 

The measure proposes a total $99.5 billion for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which includes FEMA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), U.S. Coast Guard, Secret Service and more.

Case is in his 8^th year on Appropriations and his 4^th year on the Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee which develops this measure. He has focused on ensuring FEMA’s continued support for Hawai‘i, investing in the Coast Guard’s presence in the Pacific and enhancing the security of Hawai‘i through significant investments in physical, cyber and infrastructure security.

“Despite the strong support this bill provides for emergency management and our Coast Guard, I could not accept the overall result, which would make Americans less safe through deep cuts to key elements of homeland security including CISA and TSA,” said Case. “I also cannot support additional funding to ICE or CBP’s Border Patrol without comprehensive, meaningful immigration enforcement reforms.”

He cited the following examples from the measure, which significantly cut or eliminated key programs including:

• A roughly 10 percent cut to CISA’s operations, leaving Americans more vulnerable to cybersecurity and infrastructure security threats at a time where there is a need for heightened security.
• The elimination of funding for the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman, whose primary responsibility is to investigate abuse, misconduct and rights violations in immigration detention facilities.
• A 12 percent cut to the DHS Office of Inspector General, which is responsible for conducting independent oversight of the DHS.
• An overall $347 million cut to TSA.

The FY 2026 appropriations process for this Subcommittee was particularly consequential and difficult.

Earlier this year, DHS experienced a record government shutdown following the tragic deaths of two Americans in encounters involving ICE and CBP agents in January 2026. Case has maintained throughout that any additional funding for immigration enforcement agencies must be paired with meaningful oversight, transparency measures and reforms to ensure accountability, protect civil liberties and restore public trust.

Congress was unable to reach a deal on reforms and funding for ICE and CBP’s Border Patrol in FY 2026, and instead it passed an annual appropriations bill funding the other non-controversial agencies in DHS. The President recently signed into law a separate reconciliation bill to fund those activities through 2029, which Congress approved solely on a partisan basis over Case’s no vote.

However, some common-sense reforms and positive additions advocated for by Case were included in the FY 2027 draft bill: 

• Bill language prohibiting the restriction of individuals from recording or documenting immigration enforcement actions.
• Bill language reinstating CBP and ICE training requirements from January 2025.
• Bill language requiring visible identification for officers carrying out immigration enforcement activities.
• Bill language prohibiting the detention or deportation of U.S. citizens.
• $40 million for the body-worn camera program.

Additionally, through his assignment on the Committee, Case secured $1.6 million in Member-designated Community Project Funding projects that specifically focus on local needs in Hawai‘i: 

·        $581,533 for the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency’s (HIEMA) Kapolei Warehouse Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Renovation. This project would fund the construction of a satellite EOC on the west side of O‘ahu in a multi-use Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) warehouse.

• $1,007,060 for HIEMA’s DHHL Warehouse Retrofit Project. This project would fund critically needed improvements to the same multi-use DHHL warehouse by installing an emergency power backup generator, automatic transfer switch and housing, ultimately strengthening Hawaii’s ability to pre-position emergency supplies and equipment on the west side of O‘ahu.

The House’s Community Project Funding rules require that each project must have demonstrated community support, be fully disclosed by the requesting Member and subject to audit by the independent Government Accountability Office. Case’s disclosures are here: https://case.house.gov/services/funding-disclosures.htm. 

Case also secured a number of key programs and provisions for Hawai‘i and the broader Pacific, including:

• 346 million for Emergency Management Performance Grants, which support state and local emergency management agencies like HIEMA.
• $353 million for FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant program, which is a major source of funding for county fire departments.
• $353 million for FEMA’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant Program.
• $117 million for increased Coast Guard operations and support funding in the Indo-Pacific, to include workforce support in housing, medical and childcare access for Coasties in Hawai‘i.
• $106 million for the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium, a $10 million increase over FY 2026, which funds University of Hawaii’s National Disaster Preparedness Training Center.
• $50 million for FEMA’s Next Generation Warning System.
• Support for Homeland Security Investigations’ Pacific Islands Liaison Initiative, an initiative based out of the Honolulu field office focused on deterring and disrupting transnational crime in the Indo-Pacific.
• Support for increased Secret Service presence in the Indo-Pacific to strengthen its investigative efforts against growing financial crimes in the region, including fraud schemes and scams that target our Hawaii’s kūpuna.
• Funding for the survey and design of an additional C-130J hangar at Barbers Point and direction to the Coast Guard to consider conducting survey and design activities for land acquisition and construction for forward operating locations in the Pacific Islands region.

 The measure also includes the following priorities requested by Case: 

• $15.4 billion overall for the Coast Guard.
• $69 million for the National Computer Forensic Institute, through which 404 state and local law enforcement officers from agencies in Hawai‘i have received a host of forensic training courses
• Language encouraging CISA’s to bolster the cybersecurity of partners in the Indo-Pacific region.
• $127 million for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program.
• $599 million for the Urban Area Security Initiative under FEMA.
• $507 million for the State Homeland Security Grant Program, which provides funding to protect against terrorism and other threats.
• $100 million for the Transit Security Grant Program, which protects critical transportation infrastructure from acts of terrorism.
• $97 million for FEMA’s Port Security Grant Program.
• $46 million for the TSA Law Enforcement Officer Reimbursement Program. 

A summary of the DHS Appropriations bill is available here. The bill now moves on to the full House of Representatives for its consideration. 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Scott Perry (PA-10)

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Scott Perry (R-PA), joined by Congressman Tim Burchett (R-TN), and Congressman Randy Fine (R-FL), introduced two landmark bills at a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol targeting child exploitation and closing yet another loophole that’s endangering our National security. The “Protecting Kids from Creeps Act” (H.R. 9131) imposes penalties on surrogacy agencies that enter into agreements with sex offenders. The “Preventing International Surrogacy Exploitation Act (H.R. 9132),” prohibits foreign nationals from obtaining children through a U.S.-based surrogacy agency.

“There was a time in our society when the welfare of a child was of the highest concern; however, regarding the commercial surrogacy process, that’s not the case – at least not enough. The lack of legal guardrails in many states allow sex offenders and other criminals to obtain children via surrogate.  One instance of child endangerment is one too many, and a recent case in Pennsylvania – for which there’s no state law to prevent – was absolutely mind numbing. I was stunned not only about the cavalier attitude regarding babies for sale – like commodities – but also the lack of due diligence to ensure the child’s safety; not even a criminal background check, let alone actually selling a baby to a sex offender? It’s more difficult to rescue a dog from a shelter than it is for a sex offender to purchase a child. It’s horrifying, and it’s disgusting. 

Perry continued, “With regard to the international commercial surrogacy process – or “birth tourism” – it’s being exploited by wealthy foreigners who get the benefits of children who later provide dual citizenship for the foreign parent.  The fact that a foreign national can just order babies from the U.S. – 200 in one case from China – and just drive somewhere to pick up their unseen, unknown child like a cheeseburger is ethically and morally outrageous, and it’s also imperiling our National security. This is child exploitation at minimum, slavery and child trafficking at worst, and a means by which our adversaries can gain future access to our Country.  There’s a reason so many other countries ban “birth tourism” – ironically, China is one of them. It’s ludicrous that nothing’s been done here to stop this thus far.”

“I’m proud to cosponsor Congressman Perry’s Protecting Kids from Creeps Act and Preventing International Surrogacy Exploitation Act. These bills stop sex offenders from purchasing children through surrogacy and prevent foreign nationals from exploiting the system to obtain American passports. We will always put our kids first and shut down these predators,” said Congressman Fine.

“Perry is one of those Members of Congress who takes a stand on the tough issues. Why are there not more Members here? Well, dadgum it, I’ll tell you why; because you got money on one side, and you got the people on the other, and so many times the people get stomped on and in this case, it’s little kids, and it sickens me to my core,” said Congressman Burchett. “The “Protecting Kids from Creeps Act” aligns with policy I’ve been working on since I was in the state legislature. Our children are our future; they deserve to be protected. A sex offender, these dirtbags, we need to send them all to hell, but they have no right to obtain a child through surrogacy. The U.S. birth clause also needs to be protected. Birth tourism has risen dramatically over the last decade, I mean what the hell are we thinking as a Nation – “birth tourism” – how is that even possible in this day and age? This is the type of bill there ought to be very little discussion about and gets to the President. Call on your legislators.”

Other agencies and subject matter experts also weighed in on the critical nature of these bills.“Congressman Perry’s Preventing International Surrogacy Exploitation Act closes a glaring loophole that foreign adversaries—especially China—have exploited to manufacture American citizens for geopolitical advantage. Under the current interpretation of birthright citizenship, cross-border commercial surrogacy has enabled a high-tech form of birth tourism that puts citizenship up for sale and allows foreign nationals to sidestep traditional immigration pathways banking on a green card the moment their surrogate-born child turns 21, despite that child being raised entirely abroad. This bill puts the security of our nation and the welfare of children ahead of the profits of a largely unregulated industry. This common-sense legislation reflects the courageous leadership Congressman Perry has consistently shown in defending American sovereignty, protecting vulnerable women and children, and refusing to let political convenience stand in the way of doing what is right,” said Emma Waters, Senior Policy Analyst at the Center for Technology and the Human Person, The Heritage Foundation.

According to Kallie Fell, Executive Director for the Center for Bioethics and Culture, “For far too long, reproductive technologies and the commercial surrogacy industry have advanced faster than the laws designed to govern them. As surrogacy has become increasingly commercialized, globalized, and complex, meaningful safeguards for women and children have too often been treated as an afterthought.  Commercial surrogacy has created a marketplace in which children can be bought, sold, and transferred across borders through contractual arrangements that too often prioritize the desires of adults over the rights and welfare of children. Congressman Perry’s legislation confronts two of the most troubling consequences of this industry: the exploitation and commodification inherent in international surrogacy arrangements, and the placement of children into situations that would not be permitted under U.S. adoption law. Children should never be treated as products of a contractual transaction, nor should public policy ignore the vulnerabilities created by a rapidly expanding fertility marketplace. We’re proud to support these bills and commend Congressman Perry for his leadership in advancing policies that protect vulnerable women and children while placing the dignity, safety, and best interests of children first.”

Terry Schilling, President, American Principles Project (APP):  “Surrogacy violates the dignity of all parties involved, reducing kids to property and rendering moms and dads disposable. And now this for-profit industry is even selling kids to sex offenders and foreigners to pad its bottom line. These abuses must end. These bills put the safety of children first, ensuring that bad actors no longer prey on vulnerable mothers. APP commends Rep. Perry for his leadership on this critical issue.”

“Unregulated surrogacy allows foreign nationals to exploit a glaring backdoor in our immigration laws to secure automatic citizenship and future immigration benefits. Congressman Perry’s Preventing International Surrogacy Exploitation Act shuts this loophole down by completely voiding these international contracts and denying any subsequent immigration status derived from them. We applaud Congressman Perry for prioritizing the rule of law and protecting national sovereignty,” said Grant Newman, Director of Government Relations, Immigration Accountability Project.

 

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

WASHINGTON — This morning, Speaker Johnson delivered remarks after House Democrats overwhelmingly voted against a clean, three-week extension of FISA Section 702, a critical national security tool that protects Americans against foreign terror attacks, used solely to spy on foreign adversaries in foreign territories. FISA 702 authorities are responsible for nearly two-thirds of the President’s daily intelligence brief. After they voted to make FISA Section 702 go dark, House Democrats shamelessly applauded on the House floor.

“We did everything within our power to try to ensure that this statute does not expire, and the Democrats are using it as a political hostage now. This is their custom in the 119th Congress. This is what Democrats do now,” Speaker Johnson said. “That is what the current Democrat Party stands for in Washington. They are willing to jeopardize the safety and the security of the American people to make a cheap political point.”

Watch Speaker Johnson’s remarks here.

Below are Speaker Johnson’s full remarks as delivered:

I don’t know if the American people just saw what happened on the floor, but it is shameful and it is very, very dangerous. Let me just tell you what’s happened here today. We just offered a simple, clean, three-week extension of the FISA national security law. The Democrats, 199 of them, voted against a clean three-week extension for political purposes. And when the bill went down, they applauded. They applauded it. That record and that video is going to live in infamy. I pray that we do not have a serious calamity on our shores.

Over the past few weeks, we have done everything we possibly can. House Republicans are trying to govern. We’re trying to keep the American people safe. On April 29, we passed a three-year extension of the FISA national security law. It has been sitting over in the Senate, and because the Democrats and the Senate are playing political games as well, they’re unable to pass it. So, we did everything within our power to try to ensure that this statute does not expire, and the Democrats are using it as a political hostage now.

This is their custom and the 119th Congress. This is what Democrats do right now. You will remember that earlier this year, they took the Department of Homeland Security – two of its most important agencies – and turned those into hostages. They shut down the government. They shut down TSA agents and border security and cybersecurity capabilities and the Coast Guard. Why? Because they were insistent that we no longer secure the national border. They wanted to give $0 to that, and they were insistent that we do not continue to remove criminal, illegal aliens from American communities to keep the American people safe. That is what the current Democrat Party stands for in Washington. They are willing to jeopardize the safety and the security of the American people to make a cheap political point.

Now, Hakeem Jeffries is the Democrat leader in the House. They put out a statement this morning saying that. What is their reason? What is their excuse for this? Their excuse is that they’re upset about a very temporary appointment that the President of the United States has already said would be very temporary in nature, while he searches for and selects a new Director of National Intelligence. That is an important process that takes some time and thought and deliberation, and the President of the United States has the right, the ability, the responsibility, the duty to do that. Well, he has a lot going on right now, as we all know, and the President is deliberate about that. I spoke with him less than an hour ago about it. He is very close to a decision, and the Democrats know that. But they see this as a political moment that they can somehow score political points. It is detestable; it is dangerous. It is going to jeopardize the safety and security of the American people.

We all know what’s going on around the country right now. We’re hosting the FIFA World Cup. We have big soccer matches all around the country, – 11 cities around America. We have the America 250, Freedom 250 events going on here in the Capitol and all around the country. There are large sporting events, local communities – those things are in jeopardy right now because the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is exactly what the name implies. It is how we monitor terrorists who are plotting and planning dangerous events in the country in our homeland. The reason we have not had a mass casualty event like 9/11 since that great tragedy is because we have this statute. And today, the Democrats in the House just voted it down. 199 of them voted against it, and they applaud it. They applauded when the statue went down. I think that speaks for itself.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Al Green (TX-9)

(Washington, DC) — On Thursday, June 11, 2026, Congressman Al Green delivered remarks on the House floor condemning racism and all other forms of invidious discrimination by the President.

You can access and listen to Congressman Al Green’s speech on his official YouTube page or by clicking here. The floor speech highlighted is also accessible on various social media platforms, including Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly known as Twitter). 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Dan Newhouse (4th District of Washington)

Headline: Newhouse Votes to Fund Vital CBP, Coast Guard, ICE Operations

Press Release 
For Immediate Release: June 11, 2026
Contact: Juan Ayala, (202) 713-7750 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) released the following statement upon Committee passage of the Fiscal Year 2027 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act.

“Supporting the men and women who keep America secure remains a central focus for House Republicans, and this legislation advances this goal,” said Rep. Newhouse. 

Newhouse continued, “The bill includes resources to sustain our Border Patrol operations and overtime pay, bolsters the Administrations custody operations—strengthening efforts to deport and remove criminal illegal aliens, and modernizes Coast Guard operations, safeguarding maritime borders. These provisions will help ensure our homeland is safe from foreign adversaries and potential terrorists and I look forward to supporting it on the House Floor.”

The Homeland Security Appropriations Bill provides a total discretionary allocation of $64.9 billion for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), of which $2.9 billion is provided for defense activities. The bill also includes $6.2 billion in discretionary appropriations that are offset by fee collections and $28.39 billion as an allocation adjustment for major disaster response and recovery activities.

The legislation includes resources to protect the homeland and keep American communities safe, secure, and resilient. The bill provides the necessary personnel, training, and technology to secure our air, land, and maritime borders and the nation’s critical infrastructure against nation-state adversaries. 

Rep. Newhouse’s opening statement can be found here.  

The full committee markup can be viewed here. 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08) joined Congressman Brad Finstad (MN-01), Majority Whip Tom Emmer (MN-06), and Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach (MN-07) in sending a letter to Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, calling for their immediate resignations from office following a bombshell House Oversight Committee report exposing that both officials knew about the rampant fraud in Minnesota since 2019 and did nothing to stop it. 

“The House Oversight Committee’s bombshell report concludes that Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison knew about the rampant fraud in Minnesota since 2019 and failed to act, allowing billions in taxpayer dollars to be stolen. Their inaction seriously betrayed the trust of Minnesota’s taxpayers,” said Congressman Stauber. “I commend Vice President Vance for referring both Walz and Ellison to the Department of Justice for criminal investigation. As the DOJ reviews the evidence, they must resign from office immediately.” 

“The leaders and officials who are responsible for safeguarding taxpayer dollars have allowed fraud to plague our federally funded assistance programs and must be held accountable,” said Congressman Finstad. “It is absolutely unacceptable that Governor Walz and Attorney General Ellison were not only aware of the fraud running rampant throughout our state but also possessed the legal and procedural authority to prevent it, ignored and dismissed warnings from employees and whistleblowers, and still repeatedly failed to act. As a result of the inaction of our state’s so-called leaders, billions of hard-earned taxpayer dollars were diverted to bad actors instead of helping Minnesotans in need.” 

“If these allegations are true, Tim Walz or Keith Ellison should leave office in handcuffs. At the very least, they should resign from office in disgrace. Public officials need to be held accountable for allowing billions of taxpayer dollars to be stolen from Minnesotan and American taxpayers. We’ve had enough,” said Majority Whip Emmer.  

“The House Oversight Committee’s report strips away any doubt that Governor Walz and Attorney General Ellison not only turned a blind eye to the fraud, they actively protected it. Since 2019, they have silenced and intimidated whistleblowers who tried to sound alarms,” said Congresswoman Fischbach. “Their negligence has turned Minnesota into a playground for criminals. If Walz & Ellison have any respect left for the Minnesotans they betrayed, they will resign immediately.”  

Read the full letter to Walz & Ellison here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Frank Pallone (6th District of New Jersey)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) today demanded urgent action from Amtrak leadership following weeks of service disruptions along the Northeast Corridor, warning that the rail system’s recent failures raise serious concerns about its readiness to handle the millions of visitors expected for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and America’s 250th anniversary celebrations.

“Amtrak must take prudent, extraordinary measures to reduce the likelihood of disruptions and maximize its ability to restore service quickly if an issue occurs. Amtrak has had years to prepare for this historic event, and we’re concerned that you are turning the ball over at the very last minute. Millions of fans and commuters are counting on you to get this right,” Pallone wrote.

In his letter to Amtrak President Roger Harris, Pallone expressed alarm that major infrastructure problems are continuing just days before the first World Cup matches in New Jersey, including ongoing impacts from a May 29, 2026 fire involving an Amtrak contractor vehicle in the Hudson River tunnels. Nearly two weeks later, commuters continue to face delays caused by catenary issues and repair work in one of the busiest rail corridors in the country.

Pallone noted that transportation officials are already discussing contingency plans involving buses and ferries should additional rail disruptions occur during World Cup events, underscoring growing concerns about the reliability of the Northeast Corridor as the tournament begins.

Beyond seeking answers about Amtrak’s readiness for the World Cup, Pallone called on the railroad to immediately implement a series of extraordinary operational measures designed to prevent service disruptions and speed recovery should problems occur. These include enhanced inspections of tracks, signals, catenary systems, and power infrastructure before every matchday; additional day-of-match inspections; deferral of non-essential maintenance work; strategic placement of specialized repair crews and emergency equipment along the Northeast Corridor; increased staffing at dispatch and control centers; and real-time coordination with NJ TRANSIT and other transportation partners.

A copy of the letter can be found here and below: 

Dear Mr. Harris,

The unique combination of America’s 250th anniversary and hosting the World Cup in the same year is a historic opportunity not only for our country, but for New Jersey. This summer we’re expecting visitors from around the world to visit our great state, but we are deeply concerned that Amtrak’s recent service disruptions in the weeks leading to the World Cup threaten to create another Summer of Hell for fans and commuters alike.

On Friday May 29, an Amtrak contractor vehicle caught fire in the south tube of Hudson River tunnels suspending rail traffic between New York Penn Station and Newark Penn Station for most of the day and creating delays that lasted through the weekend. Now, nearly two weeks since the fire, residual catenary wire issues and lingering repairs in the tunnels continue to disrupt the commutes of millions of passengers. 

Two years ago, I wrote to Amtrak when New Jersey’s commuters faced the Summer of Hell, where we heard story after story of rail passengers being left stranded due to failing infrastructure. In one case, passengers were stuck in a tunnel for hours in a dark rail car without air conditioning. In response, I demanded answers and worked with Amtrak, NJ Transit, and the U.S. Department of Transportation to ensure that millions of dollars in federal funding would prioritize upgrading the region’s ancient rail infrastructure, including catenary wires, signal equipment, and substations. 

With the first New Jersey game of the World Cup taking place this weekend, concerns remain that these repairs are not complete and millions of fans and commuters will suffer as a result. Earlier this week, NJ TRANSIT announced contingency plans that would utilize buses and even ferries to bring fans to the games if Penn Station is shut down. 

Amtrak, as the owner and operator of the Northeast Corridor infrastructure, must take extraordinary steps to inspect critical assets, strategically position personnel and equipment, strengthen coordination with NJ TRANSIT, and ensure the fastest possible response and recovery should an incident occur during the World Cup tournament. For those reasons, I am requesting that you urgently implement the following measures:

•               Enhanced pre-event inspections of critical Northeast Corridor infrastructure in the days leading up to each matchday, including tracks, switches, signals, catenary systems, power substations, and interlockings.

•               Additional day-of-match inspections of key infrastructure components prior to the start of peak passenger movements.

•               Deferral of non-essential maintenance activities that could reduce operational flexibility or introduce unnecessary risk during designated World Cup operating windows.

•               Pre-positioning of specialized maintenance personnel at strategic locations along the Northeast Corridor to ensure the fastest possible response to any infrastructure issue.

•               Strategic staging of repair equipment and materials, such as hi-rail vehicles, signal repair equipment, catenary maintenance vehicles, generators, replacement components, and other resources necessary to address common infrastructure failures.

•               Enhanced staffing of dispatching and control centers responsible for overseeing Northeast Corridor operations during periods of peak World Cup travel demand.

•               Real-time coordination between Amtrak, NJ TRANSIT, and other affected operators to ensure immediate communication and joint decision-making if service disruptions occur.

•               Heightened monitoring of critical assets during matchday operating periods to identify emerging issues before they become service disruptions.

•               Readiness of overhead wire and signal personnel to respond immediately to issues involving the two infrastructure systems most likely to cause widespread Northeast Corridor delays.

•               Availability of mechanical rescue resources capable of removing disabled trains from service and reopening tracks as quickly as possible.

•               Continuous coordination with utility providers to ensure rapid response capabilities in the event of external power-related incidents affecting railroad infrastructure.

•               Timely and transparent customer communication protocols so that, if an infrastructure issue does occur, accurate information can be provided quickly to affected passengers.

•               Post-event operational reviews following each match to identify lessons learned, evaluate the effectiveness of response measures, and implement adjustments before subsequent matches.

Amtrak must take prudent, extraordinary measures to reduce the likelihood of disruptions and maximize its ability to restore service quickly if an issue occurs. Amtrak has had years to prepare for this historic event, and we’re concerned that you are turning the ball over at the very last minute. Millions of fans and commuters are counting on you to get this right. 

Sincerely,

Frank Pallone