MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced the agency’s intent to expand unannounced inspections at foreign manufacturing facilities that produce foods, medicines and other medical products intended for American consumers and patients. In response to this announcement, U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) released the following statement:

“Through my oversight work in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, I outlined serious inadequacies with the FDA’s foreign drug inspection program. American patients and consumers deserve access to products that are safe and reliable. They should always be protected from products that are dangerous and harmful. As President Trump works to secure domestic manufacturing of products like pharmaceutical drugs, I welcome Commissioner Makary’s pledge to further evaluate the foreign drug inspection program and improve the quality and safety of products for American consumers.”

BACKGROUND

On May 6, the FDA issued a press release describing its intent to expand the use of these unannounced inspections.

Rep. Griffith introduced a bill that was signed into law in 2022, H.R. 7006 – the INSPECTIONS Act, that requires the FDA to consider the compliance history of establishments in the country or region in which the establishment is located as a factor in their risk-based inspections schedule.

In the 118^th Congress, Rep. Griffith chaired the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations.

Rep. Griffith chaired hearings on various issues, including but not limited to FDA’s foreign drug inspections program. 

Additionally, Rep. Griffith helped lead multiple letters to the FDA.

Rep. Griffith’s e-newsletter on this topic can be found here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose)

Modeled after WWII victory bonds, Clean Energy Victory Bonds would spur investment in clean-energy projects, create jobs, & help U.S. fight the climate crisis

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Representatives Zoe Lofgren (CA-18) and Doris Matsui (CA-07) and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) reintroduced the Clean Energy Victory Bond Act, bicameral legislation to give individuals the opportunity to buy Clean Energy Victory Bonds and help build America’s clean-energy future. Modeled after the highly successful victory bonds sold during World Wars I and II, which raised billions of dollars to finance the costs of war, Clean Energy Victory Bonds would help the country create jobs and save taxpayers money while investing in clean-energy infrastructure and fighting the climate crisis, protecting future generations.

The bill would direct the U.S. Secretaries of Treasury, Energy, and Defense to develop and issue $50 billion in Clean Energy Victory Bonds that support energy efficiency, solar, wind, geothermal, and electric vehicle efforts. For as little as $50, all Americans would be able to voluntarily purchase these Treasury bonds to invest in clean energy.

The sale of the $50 billion worth of bonds annually could be leveraged to inject $150 billion into clean-energy innovation and create more than one million jobs.

“As climate-related emergencies become more and more common, I often hear from people who want to do their part in the fight against climate change, but don’t know how. The Clean Energy Victory Bond Act provides Americans with an opportunity to invest, within their means, in innovative technologies that will yield profits both for themselves and the world,” said Congresswoman Lofgren, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. “This is my seventh time reintroducing this bill. I feel strongly that, as momentum continues to build in California and around the country to be good stewards of our environment, we must employ proven economic growth-based tactics to tackle climate change. We all benefit when we invest in the future.”

“Now, more than ever, we need collective action to fight climate change and support smart climate solutions,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “This legislation gives everyday Americans the opportunity to invest in the clean energy transition and help grow the American economy. This investment will flow back into our communities, creating good-paying jobs, lowering energy costs, and helping to make communities across the country more resilient to climate change, while also providing a strong return on investment and helping American families to safely and reliably grow their savings with government-backed bonds.”

“Clean energy is America’s future, no matter how hard President Trump and his handpicked Fossil Fuel Cabinet try to sabotage its deployment,” said Senator Merkley. “As the Trump Administration slashes federal funds for renewable energy projects nationwide – including right here in Oregon – I’m fighting to advance solutions that will help end our dangerous dependence on fossil fuels and instead invest in public health and our environment. This bill expands access to affordable clean energy for families across America, delivering bold action to tackle climate chaos and creating jobs in the 21st-century economy.”

Background

The Clean Energy Victory Bonds would raise extra funds for investment in clean-energy and energy-efficiency deployment, including by:

• Providing additional support to existing federal financing programs available to states for energy efficiency upgrades and clean energy deployment;
• Providing funding for clean energy investments by all federal agencies;
• Providing funding for electric grid enhancements and connections that enable clean energy deployment;
• Providing funding to renovate existing inefficient buildings or building new energy efficient buildings;
• Providing tax incentives and tax credits for clean energy technologies;
• Providing funding for new innovation research, including ARPA-E, public competitions similar to those designed by the X Prize Foundation, grants provided through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy of the Department of Energy, or other mechanisms to fund revolutionary clean energy technology;
• Providing additional funding for zero-emission vehicle infrastructure and manufacturing;
• Providing additional funding to existing federal, State, and local grant programs that finance clean energy projects; and
• Providing prioritized funding for clean energy projects that are located in and reduce energy rates in disadvantaged and vulnerable communities.  

The Clean Energy Victory Bonds would:

• be available to the public in denominations as low as $50;
• accrue interest based on savings achieved through reduced-energy spending by the federal government and interest collected on loans provided from proceeds of the bonds; and
• be capped at $50 billion each year.

Click here for full text of the Clean Energy Victory Bond Act.

In Connecticut, “Green Liberty Bonds” have been issued, and batches have sold out because the demand is so great. 

Support from Sustainability & Business Groups

The bill is supported by numerous organizations, includingGreen America, Communitas Financial Planning PBC, Transformative Wealth Management, Natural Investments, American Sustainable Business Council, Impact Investors, School Sisters of Notre Dame Collective Investment Fund, Figure 8 Investment Strategies, Greenvest/Vanderbilt Financial Group, Change the Chamber, Harkins Wealth Management, SharePower Responsible Investing, Your Best Path, LLC, and Chicory Wealth.

“Americans from around the country support clean energy that will create jobs while addressing the climate crisis. In World War II, Victory Bonds offered Americans a way to support the war effort. Now, Clean Energy Victory Bonds will offer all Americans a safe investment, open to anyone, to support the rapid adoption of the solar, wind, and battery storage technologies that will benefit communities, workers, and the planet,” said Todd Larsen, Executive Co-Director For Consumer and Corporate Engagement, Green America.

“Clean Energy Victory Bonds will provide a much-needed economic boost to our businesses and economy. This bill provides a reliable and highly-accessible financing mechanism that allows all Americans to provide the needed dollars for building a vibrant economy.” In an environment of reduced Federal Government spending this enables everyone to invest and work hand in hand with the private sector,” said David Levine, Co-founder and President, American Sustainable Business Council.

“Taking a step forward to adjust our energy industry to meet the needs of the changing country, the Clean Energy Victory Bonds Act uses historical precedence to advance the U.S. toward a cleaner, brighter future for youth like us. While the transition to a clean energy economy may seem ambitious at times, this Act will allow everyday Americans to create an economy that works for all of us. It provides Americans the opportunity to help incentivize cleaner infrastructure and energy, paving the way for future steps to better our nation’s energy and climate,” said Evey Mengelkoch, Erika Pietrzak, and Sarah Hill, Climate Fellows of Change the Chamber

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-42)

Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-41) joined together with Rep. Laural Lee (R-FL-15), Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ-4), and other House members to cosponsor the Canadian Snowbird Visa Act, H.R. 3070, a bipartisan bill to extend the duration Canadian citizens who own or lease a residence in the United States may stay—from 182 days to 240 days annually. Rep. Calvert is an original cosponsor of the bill. 

“The Canadian Snowbird Visa Act will provide an important boost to the economic engine of the Coachella Valley, which is fueled by visitors from Canada and all over the world,” said Rep. Calvert. “I’ve joined together with my colleagues on a bipartisan basis to introduce this bill to give those who own or lease homes a longer window to enjoy their time in our country. This new policy will ultimately create jobs and expand economic growth in the Coachella Valley.”

“I’m proud to cosponsor the Canadian Snowbird Visa Act because it’s a win for America’s economy. Canadian residents contribute billions of dollars each year to our small businesses, real estate markets, and local economies—especially here in Florida. By extending the time Canadian visitors who own or lease homes can spend here, we’re supporting job growth, strengthening our bond with our closest neighbors, and helping local communities thrive,” said Congresswoman Laurel Lee.

According to an economic impact study conducted by Visit Greater Palm Springs, more than 300,000 visitors from Canada spent $236 million in 2017. In a study conducted by the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership, seven percent of Coachella Valley properties are owned by Canadians – making them the largest source of non-U.S. owners in the region. 

 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH)

During a House Veterans’ Affairs markup, Pappas advocated for veterans left out in the cold by the Trump administration’s cancellation of the VASP program.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH)

This week Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) received the National Health Leadership Award from the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) for his advocacy on behalf of nurses, as well as his support for increasing access to health care, expanded tuition assistance for aspiring nurses, and the bipartisan Improving Care and Access to Nurses (I CAN) Act.

The bipartisan I CAN Act would increase health care access, improve quality of care, and lower costs by removing the remaining barriers imposed by the federal government in the Medicare and Medicaid programs that prevent Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) from practicing the full scope of their education and clinical training to the level that is approved in the state where they practice.

“Nurses in New Hampshire and across the country continue to answer the call and serve our communities and provide patients with the highest level of care,” said Congressman Pappas. “I’m committed to continuing to support their work in Congress by strengthening nursing workforce development, increasing tuition assistance for aspiring nurses, and more. Passing the I CAN Act would allow nurses to provide care in settings consistent with their training and ensure those services are covered by Medicaid, increasing health care access, reducing wait times, and lowering costs. I’m honored to receive this award and will continue to advocate for our CRNAs and all health care workers.”

“Through his leadership, Representative Pappas continues to be a champion for patients’ access, including veterans, to healthcare,” said AANA President Jan Setnor, MSN, CRNA, Col. (Ret), USAFR, NC. “He understands the important role CRNAs play in delivering quality, safe anesthesia care and has taken a leadership role on critical healthcare issues. Patients and veterans are unable to access timely anesthesia care. Representative Pappas knows care can’t wait and it is time to cut the red tape.”

BACKGROUND:

APRNs are nurses prepared at the master’s or doctoral level to provide primary, acute, chronic, and specialty care to patients of all ages and backgrounds, in all settings. Their qualifications enable them to treat and diagnose illnesses, advise the public on health issues, manage chronic disease, order and interpret diagnostic tests, prescribe medication, and direct non-pharmacologic treatments for their patients. Over 40 years of vigorous, peer-reviewed research has verified the safety, quality, satisfaction, and cost-effectiveness of APRN care. This has led the National Academy of Sciences to call for the removal of laws, regulations, and policies that prevent APRNs from providing the full scope of health care services they are educated and trained to provide. 

Currently, several federal statutes and regulations, as well as certain state practice acts and institutional rules, require physician oversight and limit APRN practice. These barriers reduce access to care, create disruptions in care, increase the cost of care, and undermine efforts to improve the quality of care. Specifically, the I CAN Act would remove remaining barriers in the Medicare and Medicaid programs that prevent APRNs from practicing to the full extent of their education and clinical training. Importantly, this bill does not expand scope of practice or impede upon state law. Rather, the bill would simply ensure that the federal government honors state laws, including New Hampshire state law, ensuring that Medicare and Medicaid patients living in states where nurses have already been granted full practice authority are permitted to choose to seek care from a nurse practitioner.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH)

This week Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), alongside Representatives Mike Lawler (NY-17), Haley Stevens (MI-11), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), and Pat Ryan (NY-18) introduced the PFAS-Free Procurement Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at reducing harmful chemical exposure by prohibiting the procurement of products containing perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) or perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), commonly known as PFAS. 

These chemicals are linked to a variety of health issues, including cancer, liver damage, and developmental harm. The bill would prioritize the procurement of safer, PFAS-free products by prohibiting federal agencies from renewing or entering into contracts for products containing PFOS or PFOA, including nonstick cookware, cooking utensils, furniture, carpets, and rugs treated with stain-resistant coatings. The legislation takes effect six months after enactment and would apply to all contracts entered into after that date.

“PFAS and other toxic forever chemicals continue to pose health risks to Granite Staters and communities nationwide. We must take comprehensive and commonsense action to combat PFAS contamination and ensure the well-being of Americans,” said Congressman Pappas. “This bipartisan legislation would require federal agencies to prioritize procuring PFAS-free products to protect federal employees and individuals who visit federal facilities, like veterans at VA and seniors at Social Security offices. The federal government should be a leader in addressing PFAS contamination, and this bipartisan legislation is an important step forward.”

Pappas has been a leader in addressing PFAS and advocating for improved standards, increased investment, and a stronger national focus on PFAS contamination. In 2024, following his calls for EPA to establish water quality criteria and limits on industrial PFAS discharges into water and to water treatment plants as required by his Clean Water Standards for PFAS Act, EPA finally finalized a PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulation which issues strict Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL) for PFAS chemicals and announced $1 billion in funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law would be directed to help address PFAS contamination in both municipal systems and private wells, with a focus on small and rural communities.

Pappas also leads the PFAS Research and Development Reauthorization Act, the PFAS Registry Act, and the No Taxation on PFAS Remediation Act.

Full text of the PFAS-Free Procurement Act can be found here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH)

Today Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), Co-Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus and New Hampshire’s first openly gay member of Congress, helped re-introduce the Equality Act in the 119th Congress. Pappas is an original co-sponsor of this legislation, which passed the House in the 117th Congress.

This legislation amends existing civil rights statutes to provide LGBTQ+ Americans with the same protections all other Americans enjoy in key areas of life, including employment, housing, public accommodations, federally funded programs, education, jury selection, and credit.  The Equality Act strengthens protections not just for LGBTQ+ people but also women, as it ensures nondiscrimination protections on the basis of sex in federally funded programs and public accommodations—two areas of law where sex discrimination is currently not prohibited. The Equality Act has overwhelming public support, with more than seven in ten Americans supporting it.

“Full equality under the law. Nothing less, nothing more. That’s what the Equality Act means to LGBTQ+ Americans who for far too long have gone without these same legal protections guaranteed to others,” said Congressman Chris Pappas. “No one should be discriminated against because of who they are or whom they love. Passing the Equality Act will steer our nation closer to the promise of its founding principles by guaranteeing equality for all under the law. It’s past time to ensure the LGBTQ+ community is protected by our nation’s civil rights statutes and to move our country forward.”

Pappas serves as Co-Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus and is New Hampshire’s first openly gay member of Congress. In his role as Co-Chair of the Equality Caucus, he has helped to introduce and pass the Equality Act through the House of Representatives and enact the Respect for Marriage Act into law. Pappas also leads the LGBTQ+ Panic Defense Prohibition Act, which would ban the use of panic defenses based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression in federal courts; the SERVE Act, which would guarantee and protect VA benefits for LGBTQ+ veterans; and led successful calls for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reassess policy that blocked members of the LGBTQ+ community from donating blood. 

Watch his full remarks here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH)

Following the Francis Scott Bridge tragedy last year, Portsmouth’s Memorial Bridge was identified by NTSB to lack up-to-date vulnerability assessments

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Darren Soto (D-FL)

Soto hosted a roundtable to discuss recent attacks on Social Security with advocates and labor leaders for House Democrats’ Social Security Day of Action

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Scalise (1st District of Louisiana)

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), and Chairman Roger Williams (R-Texas) to discuss the progress Republicans have made on reconciliation which will champion small businesses, avoid tax hikes for 95% of Americans, unleash American energy production to bolster the economy, and strengthen our military. Leader Scalise touted our Committee Chairmen’s wins, as eight of 11 Committees will have completed their reconciliation markups by the end of the week.

Click here or the image above to view Leader Scalise’s full remarks. 
On protecting small businesses through reconciliation:“It was great to hear from our Chairman of the Small Business Committee, Roger Williams. Nobody understands the value of small businesses, the importance of promoting small businesses in America better than Roger. And as chairman, he has ushered in policies and bills through that committee to allow small businesses to thrive.“If you look at the work we’re doing with the one big, beautiful bill, the reconciliation package, this is a bill that will grow more small businesses across America. It’ll create more jobs across America. It’ll create stability. If you think about the idea that if Congress were to take no action this year, there would be a four-and-a-half trillion dollar tax increase on American families. Over 95% of Americans would see a tax increase. And yet, every Democrat in Washington will be voting no on that package and would like to see every family pay more in taxes. There are so many other provisions that are so critical to getting our economy back on track, to lowering inflation, to lowering the cost of things at the grocery store, at the gas pump, that are in this bill. And we are still moving through.”On House and Senate Republicans unifying around President Trump’s agenda:“Last week, I applaud, seven Committees in Congress did their work, completely finished their work on reconciliation here in the House. Today, the Natural Resources Committee will take up their portion of the bill. That’ll be eight committees out of 11 that will already be done with all of their work this week. Then next week, the final three committees, Agriculture, Energy and Commerce, and Ways and Means, will take up and finish their work to get this big, beautiful bill not only through the House process, but over to the Senate. The Speaker and I met with [Chairman] Jason Smith and [Chairman] Brett Guthrie last week in the White House with President Trump to go through some of the final details that we are getting agreement on. We’ve been working incredibly closely with the White House and with the Senate every step of the way because this bill is critically important to American families. This bill is a big piece of carrying through that Trump agenda, the mandate that the American people gave us when they elected not just Donald Trump in the White House, but a Republican House and a Republican Senate to go deliver for the families who have been struggling for way too long.”On wins in the one big, beautiful bill:“We do that with this one big, beautiful bill. Everything from tax stability in the tax code so that nobody sees a tax increase, bringing trillions of dollars of private investment back into the economy, opening up more energy production in America to reverse some of the damage Joe Biden did. Everywhere from ANWR in Alaska, some of the great work that Congressman Begich just came into Congress, vowing to fight for the citizens of Alaska and open up more areas for production there. That’s going to be in this bill. All the way down to the Gulf of America, opening up more areas for lease sales and production in the Gulf as well. All of those things are going to be in the bill. More defense funding, more border security, giving protection and technology to our border patrol agents. All of that is in the bill, too. Confronting the debt ceiling, dealing with rules and regulatory reform, all in this powerful bill. What the Education and Workforce Committee did to protect students from higher student debt. We actually protect students so that they’re not saddled with high student loans when they graduate from college. That’s in this bill as well, standing up and holding accountable the universities that were failing kids for so many years, saddling them with $200,000, $300,000 in debt without the ability to pay it back.“So many good provisions. We’re going to be bringing that bill to the floor once it’s all finished next week, and then we compile it in Budget Committee and bring it as one big, beautiful bill to the House floor and then pass it on to the Senate so that they can continue this work.”