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

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Representatives Ed Case (Hawaiʻi-01) and Jill Tokuda (Hawaiʻi-02) today introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives proposed legislation to crack down on illegal fireworks by allowing prosecutors to pursue money laundering charges against criminals moving illegal fireworks across state lines. 

“Our legislation addresses the source dealers in illegal fireworks who engage in large-scale national criminal enterprise that threatens public safety, fuels illicit financial activity and has devastated communities in Hawai‘i and across the country,” said Case.

Current federal law carries a maximum prison time of only one year for those convicted of transporting illegal fireworks across state lines, which Case called a completely insufficient consequence which does not deter this source criminal activity when compared to profits realized. He said their proposed “Fireworks Trafficking and Money Laundering Prevention Act” would increase the maximum prison time for such activity to twenty years, a far more consequential sentence for highly harmful activity.

“Illegal fireworks trafficking is far more than a minor regulatory violation. It is a sophisticated interstate operation involving the unlawful transportation, distribution and sale of explosive materials in violation of federal and state law,” said Case. “These highly profitable black-market networks often operate for years, moving illegal fireworks across state lines and generating substantial criminal proceeds.”

“For too long, the punishment for trafficking illegal fireworks has not matched the danger these criminal operations pose to our communities. These sophisticated enterprises exploit our borders and ports, fueling preventable tragedies that have already cost Hawaiʻi families far too much,” said Rep. Tokuda. “This bill sends a clear message: illegal fireworks trafficking that harm our communities will not be tolerated. I’m proud to co-lead this measure with Representative Case to give law enforcement the federal tools they need to stop these shipments, crack down on illicit profits, and hold those responsible fully accountable.”

Case said: “Our legislation would strengthen law enforcement’s ability to combat these criminal networks by designating illegal interstate fireworks trafficking as a specified unlawful activity under federal money laundering statutes. Doing so would provide investigators and prosecutors with stronger tools to follow illicit proceeds, dismantle trafficking operations and hold offenders accountable with penalties that better reflect the seriousness of these crimes.”

Case emphasized that their proposal does not determine whether specific fireworks manufacture and use are illegal, as that is left to the individual states, but only that if specific fireworks are designated as illegal, a state can adequately regulate and enforce its laws.

“For our Hawai‘i, it is widely known that many if not most fireworks that we have designated as illegal and which have maimed and killed our fellow residents are either manufactured and distributed on the continent, or imported from foreign countries to the continent, and then transshipped to Hawai‘i for distribution. If we can disrupt the source distribution of illegal fireworks, then we can better enforce whatever laws we choose to enact on what is and is not permissible in our balancing of cultural traditions and public safety.”

The introduction of the measure comes after Case last week secured funding in his House Appropriations Committee of a project to better screen for illegal fireworks at Honolulu’s ports of entry. The Committee approved his request for $772,000 for the Enhancing Hawai‘i Cargo Security through Advanced High-Energy Cargo Screening Systems Project which would support the efforts of the Hawai‘i State Department of Law Enforcement to develop advanced high-energy cargo screening systems for Honolulu’s ports.

“This targeted investment will enhance the state’s ability to interdict illegal fireworks, weapons, narcotics and other contraband, while also strengthening Hawaii’s first line of defense against invasive species and other biosecurity threats entering through commercial freight pathways,” said Case.   

A copy of Case’s remarks in Congress on introduction of their measure is here.

The fireworks measure is here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mark DeSaulnier Representing the 11th District of California

Washington, D.C. – Today, 8 provisions authored by Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10) to reduce congestion, improve commutes, and protect the environment were passed by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrasutructure as part of the BUILD America 250 Act (H.R. 8870), a 5-year bipartisan surface transportation reauthorization bill that would invest $580 billion in America’s roads, bridges, transit, and rail transportation, improve safety, and create good-paying jobs. The bill passed the Committee by a vote of 62-to-2 and now awaits consideration by the full House of Representatives.

“Our nation and the Bay Area are experiencing modern challenges with transportation that require modern solutions—not the same strategies we’ve been using for decades. I have been dedicated to meeting the transportation needs of our community, including initiatives to encourage and support electric vehicle use and to develop public transit and infrastructure that connects Americans seamlessly between home and work. I am proud of our continued efforts that have culminated in these impactful fixes and updates that will improve quality of life and support our communities into the future,” said Congressman DeSaulnier. 

Congressman DeSaulnier was proud to author the following initiatives that were included in H.R. 8870 as passed by the Committee:

• Reinstating the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lane Exemption Program, which would allow California to restart its program allowing solo drivers of electric and hybrid vehicles to use carpool lanes through 2031;
• Dedicated funding for electric vehicle charging infrastructure; 
• Dedicated funding for transportation workforce development and training;
• Maintaining and improving the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Discretionary Grant Program, a program Congressman DeSaulnier was initially responsible for creating, to support technologies that facilitate transportation efficiency, safety, and accessibility;
• Requiring a study on national commuting trends, including telework and hybrid work arrangements, to help modernize transportation and community planning and improve commuters’ quality of life;
• Expanding access to universal changing tables at rest stops to support the needs of adults with disabilities and their caretakers by providing states with the information they need to build accessible rest areas;
• Increased data and transparency on the state of federal highway safety with a focus on truck underride crash data; and
• Studying whether the adoption of new contracting and acquisition standards at Amtrak may impact the cost and timeliness of projects. 

More information about these provisions and the full bill can be found here.

Congressman DeSaulnier is a senior member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. He is also a former member of the California Air Resources Board and former Chairman of the transportation committees in both the California State Assembly and the California State Senate.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman John Garamendi – Representing California’s 3rd Congressional District

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

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) released the following statement in recognition of Memorial Day on Monday:

“On Memorial Day, we pay tribute to the brave men and women in uniform who gave their lives defending our nation. We reflect on their courage, commitment to our country, and sacrifices they and their families have made to keep us safe. While spending time with family and friends this holiday weekend, I appreciate your joining me in taking a moment to recognize that sacrifice.”

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

“Our collective fight for justice was strengthened by Mr. Joseph, and he will always be remembered for his dedication to uplifting community.”

Video (YouTube)

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) delivered a heartfelt speech on the House floor honoring the life and legacy of Andrew Joseph Jr., a dedicated father, beloved community member, and organizer in the fight to end police violence. Rep. Pressley lauded Andrew Joseph Jr.’s work as an advocate with Black Lives Matter Grassroots and partner in pushing for the Ending Qualified Immunity Act.

In April 2023, Rep. Pressley and Mr. Joseph participated in a press conference to announce the reintroduction of the Ending Qualified Immunity Act, which would eliminate the unjust and court-invented doctrine of qualified immunity and restore the ability for people to obtain relief when state and local officials, including police officers, violate their legal and constitutionally secured rights.

A transcript of Congresswoman Pressley’s floor speech is available below and the video is available here.

Transcript: Pressley Delivers Floor Speech Honoring the Life and Legacy of Andrew Joseph Jr.

U.S. House of Representatives

May 21, 2026

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life and legacy of brother Andrew Joseph Jr.—a father, husband, advocate, and a good man.

We first met several years ago at a protest demanding an end to police violence.

He, alongside his wife and partner of 28 years, Deanna Joseph, had experienced unspeakable heartbreak when their 14-year-old son, Andrew Joseph III, was killed as a result of police misconduct.

Mr. Joseph turned his pain into purpose and committed to organizing with Black Lives Matter Grassroots for justice at the local, state, and federal level, including advocating for the passage of my legislation, the Ending Qualified Immunity Act, to hold law enforcement accountable when they violate our rights.

Our collective fight for justice was strengthened by Mr. Joseph, and he will always be remembered for his dedication to uplifting community.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Joseph is survived by his daughter, Deja—who recently graduated from Howard University with honors earlier this month.

On behalf of myself, my family, and my team, I extend our deepest condolences. Ashe.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Joe Neguse (D-Co 2)

Washington, D.C. — Congressman Joe Neguse issued the following statement after the Department of the Interior’s release of $40 million in federal funding for the Shoshone Water Rights Preservation Project.  

“I have long fought for federal investments to safeguard the headwaters of the Colorado River and to protect the long-term reliability of this vital water resource. The release of $40 million in federal funding for the Shoshone Preservation Project will have a generational impact on the farmers, ranchers, and communities that I am proud to represent on Colorado’s West Slope,” said Congressman Joe Neguse. “This is truly a monumental step forward for the health of the Colorado River and everyone who depends on it. I’m proud to have worked alongside Rep. Jeff Hurd, Senator Bennet, Senator Hickenlooper, and countless local leaders across the Western Slope to get this critical funding across the finish line.”  

“Representative Neguse fought for these dollars by developing and strengthening coalitions across divides – both geographical and political. By advocating for the Shoshone Water Rights Project in Colorado and Washington, they helped deliver a durable and permanent solution for the entire Colorado River system,” said Andy Mueller, Colorado River District General Manager.

Background

For years, Congressman Neguse has led the fight in the U.S. House of Representatives to protect the Colorado River for current and future generations. Federal funding for the Shoshone Preservation Project was made possible through the Inflation Reduction Act, which he helped craft and included $4 billion for the Bureau of Reclamation to combat drought conditions across the West. 

As founder and Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Colorado River Caucus, Rep. Neguse has consistently pushed the Bureau of Reclamation to direct federal dollars toward long-term, permanent solutions on the Colorado River, including in aSeptember 2022 bicameral letter he led with Senator Michael Bennet, urging the agency to prioritize permanent drought solutions in the Colorado River Basin.

The Bureau of Reclamation awarded $152 million in federal funding for 17 critical water and drought-resiliency projects in Colorado, including $40 million for the Shoshone Permanency Project. But these awards were frozen in January 2025, prompting Rep. Neguse and the entire Colorado delegation to urge the Trump administration to release them. 

In November 2025, Neguse and Rep. Jeff Hurd commended the Colorado Water Conservation Board’s vote to move forward with the Shoshone Water Rights Acquisition, reaffirming their bipartisan commitment to ensure the full $40 million is delivered to complete the project.

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

Testimony from organizations representing health care workers reveals workers live in fear of losing legal status, patient families worry about losing committed professionals

National Domestic Workers Alliance reports workers are reducing hours, losing jobs, or leaving care work altogether because of immigration enforcement concerns

Text of Report (PDF)

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) released a new investigative report revealing how President Trump’s attempts to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti would devastate the health care, elder care, and disability care workforce, harm patients, and hurt communities. The text of the report is available here.

“During her battle with leukemia, my mother Sandy was cared for by Haitian nurses who met her with compassion—oiling her scalp, braiding her hair, and going above and beyond to comfort her before she transitioned. There are tens of thousands of people just like her across America who receive the same essential care from Haitian TPS holders,” said Congresswoman Pressley. “This report makes plain the essential role that Haitian TPS holders play in our care economy and communities writ-large, and it’s a reminder of why we must do everything possible to extend TPS for Haiti, protect our seniors, and do right by this essential workforce.”

“If the Trump administration ends legal protections for Haitian workers, everyone will be worse off,” said Senator Warren. “The health care system is already strained from significant federal budget cuts, and this cruel decision would put patient care at risk nationwide. We must keep fighting back.”

“Our care economy does not run on apps or algorithms, it runs on people. And many of those people are the Haitian TPS holders in our communities. A TPS holder cares for someone’s elderly grandparent, feeds and tends to someone’s child, and nurses back to health someone’s sick loved one,” said Senator Markey. “For decades, Haitian TPS holders have offered stability, dignity, and security to so many, and they deserve the same in return.”

“TPS was created to give people fleeing unrest in their home countries a safe place to call home, born out of the American spirit of welcoming immigrants seeking a better life,” said Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester. “Across the country, immigrants have started businesses, own property, have given back through faith-based and community organizations and more. Welcoming those who need a safe place to call home is part of who we are as Americans. We’ll continue to fight to protect our neighbors.”

In February, the lawmakers, along with nearly 60 other members of Congress, wrote to LeadingAge, the National Domestic Workers Alliance, National Nurses United, MASS Senior Care Association, The Arc of Massachusetts, Massachusetts Nurses Association, SEIU 509, and the Association of Developmental Disabilities Providers, asking them to share how the termination of TPS for people from Haiti would affect their staff and patients.

The lawmakers’ investigation found that:

• President Trump’s attempted termination of TPS would exacerbate health care workforce shortages, causing a significant loss of essential workers nationwide. LeadingAge members reported that “TPS terminations and ongoing uncertainty around immigration status are already constraining access to care and weakening provider capacity … as experienced staff lose work authorization or depart preemptively due to fear and instability.”

• Staff shortages caused by the termination of TPS and other Trump administration immigration policies would increase health care wait times, reduce availability of health care services, and endanger patients. One respondent with The Arc of Massachusetts explained that “these workforce losses translate to reduced service availability, program closures, longer waitlists, and disruptions to medical and behavioral supports.”

• Terminating Haiti TPS will jeopardize health care providers’ ability to provide expert, high-quality care. One home care worker explained that “(s)ome people…have had the same job for 10 years and lose it. And what you lose is the experienced workers. The patients’ quality of care goes down as a result.”

• The TPS action and other parts of the Trump administration’s immigration agenda are undermining health care workers’ morale and hurting retention and recruitment. The National Domestic Workers Alliance reported that workers repeatedly referenced “fear” in interviews and described workers reducing hours, losing jobs, or leaving care work altogether because of immigration enforcement concerns.

• The Massachusetts health care sector would be disproportionately impacted by the termination of TPS for Haiti. The Massachusetts Senior Care Association warned that staffing losses resulting from the end of TPS for Haiti could “force some facilities to limit new admissions (of patients) thereby aggravating existing bottlenecks in the broader health care system.”

“At precisely a time when the United States needs more health care and elder care providers for its aging population…the Trump Administration is forcing legal, trained care providers out of the workforce,” concluded the lawmakers. “(T)he end of Haiti TPS would deepen workforce shortages across aging, disability, home care, and long-term care sectors, endangering some of the most vulnerable patients, including older adults and people with disabilities.”

Congresswoman Pressley serves as Co-Chair for the House Haiti Caucus and represents one of the largest Haitian diaspora communities in the country. She has stood in vigorous defense for Haitian communities and all immigrant neighbors amid Trump and ICE’s attacks against immigrant communities.

Congresswoman Pressley has been a leading voice in Congress pushing back against Trump’s threats to terminate Temporary Protected Status for Haitians.

In April 2026, the House of Representatives passed Congresswoman Pressley’s bipartisan discharge petition by a vote of 220-207 to extend Haiti TPS for three years. Congresswoman Pressley won a key procedural vote on the discharge petition and managed debate on the House floor prior to the successful final passage vote. Last month, Rep. Pressley’s discharge petition successfully met the 218-signature threshold to move forward with bipartisan support—only the 15^th discharge petition to do so in the last 40 years.

In April 2026, Rep. Pressley held a press conference alongside colleagues and a coalition of seniors, care workers, advocates, and allies to demand the Supreme Court defend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) ahead of hearing oral arguments in a case involving the Trump Administration’s efforts to end TPS for Haiti, Venezuela, Syria, and other nations grappling with layered crises.

In April 2026, Rep. Pressley, alongside Rep. Wasserman Schultz and Senators Ed Markey and Chris Van Hollen, led 26 Senators and 157 Representatives in filing an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in Miot v. Trump, a consolidated case challenging the Trump administration’s unlawful termination of Haiti and Syria Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

In March 2026, Rep. Pressley’s discharge petition to force a House vote on extending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti successfully met the 218-signature threshold to move forward with bipartisan support.

In March 2026, Rep. Pressley joined Haitian faith leaders and advocates to urge the Supreme Court to affirm the lower courts’ rulings that deemed Trump’s push to terminate Haiti TPS unlawful.

In February 2026, Rep. Pressley applauded a federal judge’s ruling to temporarily block Trump’s move to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians. Ending TPS for Haitians would leave over 350,000 Haitian nationals at risk of deportation, many of whom reside in the Massachusetts 7th congressional district.

In January 2026, Congresswoman Pressley, alongside Senator Markey, held a field hearing on the importance of extending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti. She documented this testimony in the legislative record. Footage from the hearing is available here and photos here.

In January 2026, Rep. Pressley also organized a press conference in D.C. in January to sound the alarm on the harm of terminating TPS for Haiti on seniors and the U.S. care economy.

• On June 28, 2025, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) issued the following statement condemning the Trump Administration’s abominable termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti effective September 2nd, 2025.
• On June 5, 2025, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) issued the following statement on Donald Trump’s executive order that bans citizens of 12 countries, including Haiti, from traveling to the United States, and places partial restrictions on citizens of seven more nations.
• On March 18, 2025,  Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (NY-09), and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) led 62 of their colleagues in the House and 23 of their colleagues in the Senate in a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanding the Trump Administration redesignate and extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti, which the administration recently canceled on questionable legal authority.
• On February 20, 2025, Congresswomen Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Yvette Clarke (NY-12), and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20) issued the following statement condemning the Trump Administration’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti.
• On April 23, 2024, Rep. Pressley, alongside Co-Chairs Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), led a group of 50 lawmakers urging the Biden Administration to redesignate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), pause on deportations back to Haiti, extend humanitarian parole to any Haitians currently detained in Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s detention centers, end detention of Haitian migrants intercepted at sea, and provide additional humanitarian assistance for Haiti.
• On April 18, 2024, Rep. Pressley and Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs led a letter to House Ways and Means Committee leadership emphasizing support for the early renewal of the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement (HOPE) and the Haiti Economic Lift Program (HELP) Acts, commonly known as HOPE/HELP.
• On April 12, 2024, Rep. Pressley joined Haitian-led activists, organizations, and a directly impacted person in Haiti for a press call urging federal action to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in Haiti.
• On March 27, 2024, Rep. Pressley joined Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and her colleagues on the Massachusetts congressional delegation in urging the Biden Administration to expedite visa processing for Haitians, particularly  for relatives of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents.
• On March 12, 2024, Rep. Pressley and Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Cherfilus McCormick and Yvette Clarke issued a statement on the resignation of Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
• On March 6, 2024, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on the recent jailbreak and State of Emergency in Haiti.
• On December 8, 2023, Rep. Pressley and Congresswoman Yvette Clarke urged the U.S. Department of State to withdraw U.S. support for an armed foreign intervention in Haiti and encourage negotiations for a Haitian-led democratic political transition.
• On December 6, 2022, Rep. Pressley issued a statement applauding the Biden Administration’s extension and re-designation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti.
• On December 1, 2022, Rep. Pressley, Rep. Cori Bush, and Rep. Mondaire Jones led 14 of their colleagues on a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas urging the Department to extend and redesignate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
• On August 17, 2022, Rep. Pressley, along with Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Val Demings, Yvette Clarke, and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), called on President Biden to appoint a new Special Envoy to Haiti, a position that has remained unfilled since September 2021.
• On May 31, 2022, Rep. Pressley and Reverend Dieufort Fleurissaint, chair of Haitian Americans United, published an op-ed in the Bay State Banner in which they called on the Biden administration to withdraw support for de facto ruler of Haiti, Ariel Henry, and instead support an inclusive, civil society-led process to restore stability and democracy on the island. 
• On May 26, 2022, Rep. Pressley, along with with Representatives Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Andy Levin (MI-09), Jim McGovern (MA-02), and Frederica Wilson (FL-24), led a letter to United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Power urging her to act to ensure food security in Haiti.
• In February 2022, Reps. Pressley, Judy Chu (CA-27), and Nydia Velázquez (NY-07) led 33 other House Democrats on a letter to CDC Director Walensky demanding answers about the agency’s justification for treating asylum seekers as a unique public health threat, how these expulsions are being coordinated, how asylum seekers being returned to dangerous situations are being cared for, and more. Days later, Rep. Pressley once again called on the Biden Administration to reverse the Title 42 Order and other anti-Black immigration policies.
• On March 16, 2022, Rep. Pressley and Rep. Mondaire Jones called on Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky to fully end Title 42, cease deportations of people to Haiti and affirm their legal and fundamental human right to seek asylum.
• On February 16, 2022, Rep. Pressley joined Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01), Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), and 100 House and Senate colleagues in urging President Biden to reverse inhumane immigration policies – such as Title 42, originally introduced under the Trump Administration – that continue to disproportionately harm Black migrants.
• On February 14, 2022, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), alongside Representatives Judy Chu (CA-27) and Nydia Velázquez (NY-07), led 33 other House Democrats on a letter to Rochelle Walensky, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, demanding answers about the agency’s justification for treating asylum seekers as a unique public health threat, how these expulsions are being coordinated, how asylum seekers being returned to dangerous situations are being cared for, and more.
• In April 2022, she joined her colleagues at a press conference reaffirming her support for President Biden’s decision to end Title 42. Full video of her remarks at the press conference is available here. Rep. Pressley applauded the Biden Administration’s end of Title 42 in a statement in April 2022.
• In September 2022, Rep. Pressley and Rep. Velázquez led 54 of their colleagues on a letter calling on the Biden Administration to immediately halt deportations to Haiti and provide humanitarian parole protections for those seeking asylum. The lawmakers’ letter followed the Administration’s resumption of deportation flights to Haiti as thousands of Haitian migrants continue to await an opportunity to make an asylum claim at the border. 
• In September 2022, Rep. Pressley joined her colleagues on the House Oversight Committee in demanding answers regarding the inhumane treatment of migrants in Del Rio, Texas, by Border Patrol agents on horseback and pushing to Biden Administration to end the ongoing use and weaponization of Title 42.
• On July 7, 2022, Rep. Pressley and Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Andy Levin (MI-09), Val Demings (FL-10) and Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) released a statement marking the one-year anniversary of the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.
• On November 21, 2021, Rep. Pressley and Senator Elizabeth Warren led the Massachusetts congressional delegation on a letter to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) calling on them to coordinate with the government agencies of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to assist newly arrived families from Haiti. 
• On October 18, 2021, Rep. Pressley, and Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Val Demings (FL-10), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), and Andy Levin (MI-09) issued a statement following the kidnapping of American and Canadian missionaries in Haiti.
• On October 18, 2021, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on the civil rights complaint filed by Haitian families demanding a federal investigation into the heinous actions perpetrated by federal officials at the border.
• On October 22, 2021, Rep. Pressley, along with Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney, Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), and Reps. Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), sent a letter to Troy A. Miller, the Acting Administrator of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), demanding a briefing and answers regarding press reports of the inhumane treatment of migrants in Del Rio, Texas, by Border Patrol agents on horseback. 
• On September 17, 2021, Rep. Pressley and Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07) led 52 of their colleagues calling on the Biden Administration to immediately halt deportations to Haiti and take urgent action to address the concerns of the Haitian Diaspora after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti.
• On August 14, 2021, Rep. Pressley Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Andy Levin (MI-09) and Val Demings (FL-10) and Mondaire Jones (NY-17) released a statement regarding the recent earthquake in Haiti.
• On July 14, 2021, Rep. Pressley and Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Andy Levin (MI-09) and Val Demings (FL-10) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas calling on him to take a series of steps to support the Haitian diaspora amid ongoing political turmoil in Haiti.
• In July 2021, the Reps. Pressley, Clarke, Demings and Levin issued a statement condemning the assassination of President Moïse and calling for swift and decisive action to bring political stability and peace to Haiti and the Haitian people.
• In May 2021, on Haitian Flag Day, Reps. Pressley, Levin, Clarke and Demings announced the formation of the House Haiti Caucus, a Congressional caucus dedicated to pursuing a just foreign policy that puts the needs and aspirations of the Haitian people first.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (District of Columbia)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — After the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee (T&I) marked up and passed the surface transportation reauthorization bill, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said she was pleased with the victories she was able to secure for D.C. in the bill, particularly the defeat of an amendment by Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) that would have struck a provision extending authorization of grant funding for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Perry’s amendment to eliminate this extension of grant funding for WMATA was soundly defeated by nearly 40 votes with every Democrat present voting against it in addition to more than half of the Republicans. 

The grant funding Perry’s amendment would have eliminated was first authorized for fiscal year 2009 and has since been reauthorized in subsequent surface transportation bills, most recently in President Biden’s Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA), passed in 2021. The bill the Committee passed early this morning would extend the authorization to fiscal year 2031, when the Committee is expected to begin developing the next surface transportation reauthorization bill.

The surface transportation bill is reauthorized every five years and sets the funding, policies, and priorities for the nation’s highways, public transit, and rail programs. The last reauthorization was included in the 2021 IIJA. 

“I’m pleased to have secured critical victories for the District in the surface transportation reauthorization bill, most notably the resounding defeat of Rep. Perry’s partisan attempt to eliminate essential federal grant funding for WMATA,” Norton said. “By a nearly 40-vote margin, a bipartisan majority of the Committee rejected this reckless amendment, ensuring that Metro can continue to safely and reliably move D.C. residents, the federal workforce, and millions of visitors across our region. This bill extends WMATA’s grant authorization through fiscal year 2031, providing the long-term stability our transit system needs to remain the backbone of the nation’s capital.

“I’m also pleased that, despite the increasingly polarized and partisan state of our politics, this bipartisan bill managed to contain so many victories for the nation and its capital, including four of my bills. It enables critical investments in passenger rail, including making the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation eligible for five significant federal grant programs. It equips the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration with the tools needed to protect consumers from predatory household moving company fraud, and it makes ‘blue envelope’ programs, which improve interactions between police officers and drivers with difficulty communicating through speech during traffic stops, eligible for federal transportation grants for the first time. Significantly – and unusually, for the current Congress – the bill passed out of committee contains no riders targeting D.C.

“The bill delivers broad investments in our nation’s roads, bridges, transit, and bike infrastructure, which will boost our economy by increasing the country’s capacity to safely transport goods and people. I’m proud of the scope of critical issues this legislation addresses and look forward to its House passage.”

Norton secured the following victories in the bill:

• Provides $1.596 billion for D.C. in federal-aid highway funding over the five-year life of the bill, compared to $1.342 billion over the five-year life of IIJA. The amounts for all core transit formulas go up, and D.C. is added to several new transit formulas it was excluded from in the IIJA.
• Includes the full text of the Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act, a Norton bill to equip the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) with the necessary tools to protect consumers from a growing type of fraud perpetrated by scammers in the interstate transportation of household goods and also establishes a household goods consumer protection working group (Sec. 5301-5305).
• Extends section 601(f) of the Passenger Rail Improvement Act of 2008 to provide federal funding for Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority capital projects and preventive maintenance through 2031 (Sec. 3109).
• Includes the full text of the District of Columbia Transportation Funding Equality Act, a Norton bill that would treat D.C. the same as the states within the Bus and Bus Facilities formula program (Sec. 3024) and the Growing States and High-Density formula program (Sec. 3025) and would make D.C. eligible for grants under the Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program (Sec. 1119) and the National Culvert Removal, Replacement and Restoration Grant Program (Sec. 7107).
• Includes provisions from Norton’s Union Station Redevelopment Corporation (USRC) Funding Eligibility Act, making USRC eligible for grants under the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant program, Mega, Consolidated Rail Infrastructure Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant program, and National Intercity Passenger Rail Partnership program (NIPRP, formerly Federal-State Partnership), as well as the new Surface Transportation Accelerator Grant program (BUILD—Sec. 7506; Mega—Section 7505; CRISI—Sec. 10104; NIPRP—Sec. 10106; STAG—Sec. 1124).
• Includes Norton’s Blue Envelope Act of 2025, making blue envelope programs eligible for funds under NHTSA’s 402 grant program (Sec. 4002).
• Clarifies the Secretary has the power to remove a commercial driver training provider from the official Training Provider Registry for failure to maintain and enforce policies against sexual assault (Sec. 5204).
• Codifies the Transit Workforce Center to train frontline transit workers and funds the Center at the same levels as the National Transit Institute with dedicated Highway Trust Fund dollars (Sec. 3010).
• Does not include any riders targeting the District of Columbia.

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

Washington D.C. — Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-12) released the following statement after voting against final passage of the Surface Transportation Reauthorization bill during the Transportation and Infrastructure full committee markup:

“I appreciate the bipartisan work that went into this bill and the good faith we engaged in today, but I must oppose final passage.

“At a moment when our transportation system needs bold, balanced investment, this legislation is insufficient. It continues a familiar pattern: highways are treated as the default national priority, while rail and transit are left fighting for insufficient resources, despite carrying millions of people, supporting regional economies, and reducing congestion.

“That imbalance is especially harmful to New Yorkers. The MTA keeps the nation’s largest city and regional economy moving. The Northeast Corridor is one of the most important transportation and economic assets in the country. Unfortunately, this bill fails to provide the scale of investment needed to address aging infrastructure, improve reliability, and meet riders’ needs.

“I am concerned that this bill creates new electric vehicle fees without ensuring that those revenues support a truly multimodal transportation system. At a time when we should be encouraging American innovation, manufacturing, and adoption of cleaner vehicles, this approach risks undercutting a growing industry while locking new revenues into the same highway-dominated framework. EV users should contribute fairly, but those dollars should help build a modern system that supports transit, rail, and congestion-reducing investments—not simply reinforce the imbalances of the past.

“This bill also fails to adequately protect communities from political interference in transportation decisions. New Yorkers have seen federal power used to threaten Gateway, attack congestion pricing, and reshape Penn Station behind closed doors. Congress should be strengthening oversight and transparency, not leaving critical projects vulnerable to political gamesmanship.

“This bill is also a step backward on climate. It abandons successful IIJA programs like the Carbon Reduction Program, which helped states reduce greenhouse gas pollution from transportation, and significantly weakens EV charging programs just as the country should be building out clean transportation options. Coupled with the prioritization of highways over rail and transit, this bill opens the door to more emissions and pollution for already overburdened communities. A transportation bill should reduce emissions and give people cleaner, more efficient choices, not increase reliance on cars and trucks. I refuse to support a bill that not only fails to meaningfully address climate change but also worsens the climate emergency.”

“For these reasons, I must oppose final passage. This bill does not do enough for rail, transit, accountability, or the balanced transportation system Americans need.”

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