MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Salud Carbajal (CA-24)

Representatives Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) and Neal Dunn, M.D. (R-FL-02) joined Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and Ashley Moody (R-FL) to reintroduce bicameral and bipartisan legislation to incentivize investment in spaceport infrastructure. The Secure U.S. Leadership in Space Act will provide spaceports like Vandenberg Space Force Base eligibility for tax-exempt municipal revenue bonds, which are typically used to attract private investment for critical infrastructure projects.

Currently, projects such as airports and docks qualify for these tax-exempt municipal revenue bonds. The Secure U.S. Leadership in Space Act provides spaceports the same opportunities to garner needed investment for a rapidly evolving industry.

“We’re in the middle of a new space race and we need to give American spaceports the tools they need to maintain their competitive edge,” said Rep. Carbajal, senior member of the House Armed Services Committee. “Our bipartisan bill is an important step forward to improving public-private investments into our growing space industry and ensuring our country doesn’t fall behind our foreign competitors.”

Rep. Dunn said, “The United States must invest heavily in its space infrastructure to maintain our economic dominance and national security interests in space. Florida communities are eager to expand investments in space infrastructure, and Congress must be willing to facilitate these efforts. This bipartisan legislation will help secure our commercial and defense interests while paving the way for American dominance in space.”

Sen. Moody said, “I have seen firsthand how public and private entities can come together to make great strides in innovation on Florida’s Space Coast. It is vital to incentivize these partnerships and ensure the U.S. remains at the forefront of the space industry to not only build upon Florida’s economic successes but protect national security interests as well. I am thankful for my colleagues that have joined me in introducing this important legislation and look forward to bolstering Florida’s position as the leader of space exploration.”

Sen. Luján said, “As our adversaries rapidly invest in space innovation and infrastructure, we must act decisively to maintain our leadership in space innovation. Strengthening investments in spaceports – like Spaceport America in New Mexico and others nationwide – is critical to this effort. That is why I’m proud to introduce this bill that creates pathways for public and private partnerships to ensure our country remains at the forefront of space innovation.”

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

Rep. Don Beyer, who represents a Northern Virginia congressional district with one of the largest concentrations of federal workers in the U.S. House, today led a group of House Democrats in announcing the introduction of legislation to rebuild the federal workforce and protect federal workers. The REHIRE Act would make it easier for federal employees wrongfully fired by the Trump Administration to be rehired, while the PREP Act would codify rules governing probationary status for federal employees to prevent future abuses like the mass firings illegally directed by Trump and Elon Musk.

“Donald Trump and Elon Musk are doing unprecedented damage to the federal workforce and the services they provide which the American people depend on. Congress should lose no time in working to repair that damage and pass laws to stop it from happening again,” said Beyer. “My bills would pave the way to rehire many of the federal workers who devoted their careers to serving the American people, and bringing their essential expertise and experience back to public service. They would also make reforms that would prevent future mass purges like those employed by Trump and Musk, by clarifying and codifying protections in law. Congress allowed this disaster to happen, and Congress must lead in fixing it.”

The REHIRE Act (text here) would address the reckless and nonsensical firing of much-needed and skilled employees with exemplary standing. The bill extends the hiring preference to career federal employees that have been involuntarily removed from their positions in the competitive service during the Trump Administration. The REHIRE Act is cosponsored by Reps. Gwen Moore (WI), Suhas Subramanyam (VA), Rashida Tlaib (MI), Steve Cohen (TN), Sarah Elfreth (MD), Terri Sewell (AL), David Scott (GA), Chellie Pingree (ME), and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC).

The PREP Act (text here) would reform the probationary process which impacts both new hires and feds with new jobs or recent promotions to prevent future executive misuse. Currently, there is no across-the-board probationary timeline that all agencies must adhere to. This bill will provide clarity to agencies with probationary periods standards within the competitive service and will remove agency discretion from retroactively reclassifying permanent employees as probationary at the will of the executive. In particular, it will codify into law the following probationary timelines: 1 year for new hires and 6 months for non-new hires (existing feds with new jobs or promotions). The PREP Act is cosponsored by Reps. Gwen Moore (WI), Rashida Tlaib (MI), Steve Cohen (TN), Sarah Elfreth (MD), Terri Sewell (AL), David Scott (GA), Chellie Pingree (ME), and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC).

The REHIRE Act and PREP Act are endorsed by the American Federation of Government Employees, the National Treasury Employees Union, the National Federation of Federal Employees, the Service Employees International Union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, and the Endangered Species Coalition.

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

Know Your Immigration Rights

If you or a loved one encounter immigration enforcement officials, it is essential that you know your rights and have prepared your household for all possible outcomes.

Ask for a warrant: The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution protects you from unreasonable search and seizure. You do not have to open your door until you see a valid warrant to enter your home or search your belongings.

Your right to remain silent: The Fifth Amendment protects your right to remain silent and not incriminate yourself. You are not required to share any personal information such as your place of birth, immigration status or criminal history.

Always consult an attorney: You have a right to speak with an attorney. You do not have to sign anything or hand officials any documents without speaking to an attorney. Try to identify and consult one in advance.

The New York City Office of Civil Justice and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) support a variety of free immigration legal services through local nonprofit legal organizations. To access these resources, dial 311 and say “Action NYC,” call the MOIA Immigration Legal Support Hotline at 800-354-0365 Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. or visit MOIA’s website.

Learn more here: KNOW YOUR IMMIGRATION RIGHTS  – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (21st District of New York)

Stefanik Statement on Disgraceful Assisted Suicide Bill Passed by New York State Assembly | Press Releases | Congresswoman Elise Stefanik

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA-03)

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03), who previously announced an effort to update the Privacy Act of 1974 to better protect Americans’ sensitive data, and House Oversight and Government Reform Ranking Member Gerald E. Connolly (VA-11) demanded information from the National Labor Relations Board regarding potential violations of federal privacy laws by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffers at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
“We write with an urgent request for information related to the disclosure by a National Labor Relations Board whistleblower that agency officials possibly affiliated with the Department of Government Efficiency may have illegally exfiltrated multiple gigabytes of sensitive data, including the personal information of Americans who reported unfair labor practices,” the lawmakers wrote. “We are deeply concerned that these actions may constitute violations of the Privacy Act of 1974, which can carry criminal penalties, and the Federal Information Security Modernization Act, which requires agency heads to notify Congress of major data breaches.”
The request follows a whistleblower at NLRB sounding the alarm about DOGE representatives removing approximately ten gigabytes of sensitive data, including the personal information of Americans who have previously reported unfair labor practices, and then attempting to cover up their actions. The data removed from the agency could also include companies’ proprietary information.
In addition to concerns about Musk’s conflicts of interest with his company SpaceX currently fighting NLRB complaints, the unverified and unreported exfiltration of Americans’ personal data could constitute violations of both the Privacy Act of 1974, which regulates how the federal government stores and uses Americans’ sensitive data, and the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA), which requires that federal agencies notify Congress when Americans’ data is breached.
“Based on our understanding of the whistleblowers’ disclosure, we are concerned that NLRB officials, especially those affiliated with DOGE, may have violated both the Privacy Act and FISMA. With respect to the Privacy Act, it is overwhelmingly likely that one or more NLRB employees–and not foreign actors or criminals–perpetrated the massive data exfiltration on March 4th, violating the Act’s disclosure requirements. Moreover, it appears that these officials did so without obtaining written consent nor receiving agency approval for an ‘exception’ to the consent requirement, meaning they could be subject to criminal penalties,” the lawmakers concluded. “And with respect to FISMA, it appears that the whistleblower discovered a ‘major incident’ under any definition of the term proposed by OMB. NLRB subsequently failed to notify Congress, in apparent violation of its statutory requirements: as of writing, neither the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee nor House Education & the Workforce Committee have received notification with the required information about the incident.”
The lawmakers are requesting answers to the following questions by May 16, 2025:

All reports, communications, and written documentation produced during NLRB’s investigation into Mr. Berulis’s concerns that Tim Bearese, the NLRB’s acting press secretary, confirmed took place in a statement to National Public Radio (NPR).
A signed attestation that NLRB determined the events which Mr. Berulis discovered qualify as a “major incident” under the definitions proposed by OMB or, alternatively, an explanation of why the NLRB did not make such a determination.
Why has the NLRB failed to notify relevant Congressional committees as required by FISMA, including the House Oversight and Government Reform and House Education & the Workforce Committees?
For each official who holds, or has previously held since January 20th, 2025, access to NLRB information technology systems:

a.    What is the nature of that employee’s relationship with NLRB?
                                      i.        If the employee is full-time, to what other agencies are they detailed?
                                     ii.        If the employee is detailed to NLRB, from what agency are they detailed?
                                    iii.        If the employee is a contractor, what firm do they work for?
b.    For each NLRB system that the employee previously had access to, currently has access to, or will have access to:
                                      i.        What level of access to the system does the employee currently possess?
                                     ii.        Who provided such access to the system?
                                    iii.        What was the justification for providing such access to the system, especially if no other agency official had previously been granted the same level of access?
                                   iv.        When was access to the system provided?
                                     v.        What training, including security and privacy, were provided to the employee regarding their access to the system? Did this training take place before or after access was provided?
                                   vi.        To the extent that access to the system was provided under a Privacy Act exception, what exception was invoked?
                                  vii.        What security controls were implemented, if any, as a result of your granting the employee their access to the system?
                                 viii.        Did the NLRB official who granted access to the system consider the cyber, operational, or privacy risks before doing so?
                                   ix.        Has the employee modified, copied, shared, or removed any records from the system?
                                     x.        Has the employee modified the system in any way?
                                   xi.        Has the employee granted, revoked, or otherwise modified access to the system for any other users?
c.     Can you commit to preserving all system logs related to access, development, exfiltration consistent with the Federal Records Act?
d.    Can you commit to otherwise documenting all critical decisions related to information technology systems at NLRB?
A copy of the letter sent today can be accessed HERE.
This request for information follows an effort Trahan led last month requesting an independent investigation into DOGE’s alleged mishandling of Americans’ sensitive data housed in the Treasury Department’s payment system. In March, Trahan announced that she will be introducing legislation to rewrite the Privacy Act for the first time since its passage in 1974.
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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)

WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Ranking Member of the Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee, is leading 142 Members of Congress in demanding answers regarding the termination of students’ legal status. Despite the Trump Administration’s claim last week that it would reverse course, only Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has made any policy change.  While students are no longer immediately deportable, they will be unable to return to the United States once they go home after the semester ends, as the State Department is not restoring students’ visa status. 

“This is not about national security. It is about using immigration enforcement as a weapon to stifle political dissent, restrict due process, and enforce an exclusionary and nativist vision of America that runs counter to everything our institutions of higher learning stand for,” wrote the Members. “Across the country, students are being picked up – in some cases by masked immigration agents in unmarked cars – and being held in detention facilities with no warning and limited information as to why they are being deported.”

According to recent reporting, more than 1,800 students and recent graduates across 280 colleges and universities have had their visas revoked. Since Trump took office, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has also confirmed that at least 4,736 have had their legal status terminated in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). However, DHS does not have the authority to terminate this legal status except under very specific circumstances, none of which have been met in the vast majority of these cases.

“Our campuses have been spaces where students and scholars from around the world come together to challenge assumptions, push the boundaries of knowledge, and foster the innovation that has made our country a global leader,” continued the Members. “But today, the Trump administration’s heavy-handed and politically motivated immigration enforcement is turning university campuses into places of fear, rather than learning, and these actions deter students from coming to study at U.S. institutions.”

Reporting has also shown that the State Department has been using Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to identify students to target through their social media accounts. This aspect is especially troubling as social media accounts may not feature students’ names, and AI facial recognition is often prone to mistakes, at significantly higher rates when identifying people of color.

The full text of the letter can be read here. 

The letter was signed by Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Gabe Amo (RI-01), Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Jake Auchincloss (MA-04), Becca Balint (VT-At Large), Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Joyce Beatty (OH-03), Wesley Bell (MO-01), Ami Bera (CA-06), Donald S. Beyer, Jr. (VA-08), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Shontel Brown (OH-11), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), André Carson (IN-07), Troy Carter (LA-02), Greg Casar (TX-35), Sean Casten (IL-06), Kathy Castor (FL-14), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Judy Chu (CA-28), Gilbert Cisneros (CA-31), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05), Steve Cohen (TN-09), Gerald Connolly (VA-11), J. Luis Correa (CA-46), Angie Craig (MN-02), Jason Crow (CO-06), Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Madeleine Dean (PA-04), Diana DeGette (CO-01), Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Chris Deluzio (PA-17), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Dwight Evans (PA-03), Cleo Fields (LA-06), Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), Bill Foster (IL-11), Valerie Foushee (NC-04), Laura Friedman (CA-30), Maxwell Frost (FL-10), John Garamendi (CA-08), Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Maggie Goodlander (NH-02), Al Green (TX-09), Jahana Hayes (CT-05), Jim Himes (CT-04), Steven Horsford (NV-04), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Glenn Ivey (MD-04), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (GA-04), Julie Johnson (TX-32), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), William Keating (MA-09), Robin Kelly (IL-02), Timothy Kennedy (NY-26), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Rick Larsen (WA-02), John Larson (CT-01), Summer Lee (PA-12), Teresa Leger Fernandez (NM-03), Mike Levin (CA-49), Sam Liccardo (CA-16), Ted Lieu (CA-36), Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), Stephen Lynch (MA-08), Seth Magaziner (RI-02), John Mannion (NY-22), Doris Matsui (CA-07), Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), Betty McCollum (MN-04), James P. McGovern (MA-02), LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), Gregory Meeks (NY-05), Robert Menendez (NJ-08), Dave Min (CA-47), Gwen Moore (WI-04), Joe Morelle (NY-25), Kelly Morrison (MN-03), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Johnny Olszewski (MD-02), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Nancy Pelosi (CA-11), Scott Peters (CA-50), Brittany Pettersen (CO-07), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Emily Randall (WA-06), Luz Rivas (CA-29), Deborah Ross (NC-02), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Linda Sánchez (CA-38), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Terri Sewell (AL-07), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Adam Smith (WA-09), Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10), Eric Swalwell (CA-14), Mark Takano (CA-39), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Mike Thompson (CA-04), Bennie G. Thompson (MS-02), Dina Titus (NV-01), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Lori Trahan (MA-03), Lauren Underwood (IL-14), Juan Vargas (CA-52), Gabe Vasquez (NM-02), Marc Veasey (TX-33), Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07), Maxine Waters (CA-43), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), and Nikema Williams (GA-05).

It was also endorsed by AFL-CIO; American Friends of Combatants for Peace; American Friends Service Committee; Amnesty International USA; Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC; Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago; Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California; Brooklyn for Peace; Center for Constitutional Rights; Center for International Policy Advocacy; Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA); CODEPINK; Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR); DAWN; Friends Committee on National Legislation; Habonim Dror North America; Hindus for Human Rights; HIstorians for Peace and Democracy; IfNotNow Movement ; Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights; IMEU Policy Project; Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC); Indivisible; International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW); J Street; Jewish Voice for Peace Action; MADRE; Minnesota Peace Project; MPower Change Action Fund; National Immigrant Justice Center; New Jewish Narrative; Nonviolence International; OneAmerica; Partners for Progressive Israel; Peace Action; Presbyterian Church (USA), Office of Public Witness; Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration; Reconsider; Service Employees International Union (SEIU); Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC); Stop AAPI Hate; United Church of Christ.

Issues: Arts & Education, Immigration

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)

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

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Donald Norcross (1st District of New Jersey)

CHERRY HILL, NJ — Today, the office of Congressman Donald Norcross issued an update on the Congressman’s recent medical incident.

“Congressman Donald Norcross has been discharged from Cooper Hospital following his recent serious medical incident and has begun his rehabilitation. The Congressman is making remarkable and steady progress and is well on his way to making a full recovery. The Congressman thanks the entire Cooper team for the excellent care he received, especially the doctors and nurses who saved his life.  

“Congressman Norcross is in constant contact with his staff and actively monitoring events in Washington and South Jersey as he continues to fight for senior’s health care and access to affordable prescription drugs. He and his family continue to be overwhelmed by the support and well wishes they have received.”

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

Mary from Michigan: “I’m a hospice nurse who works four days a week. My son, Michael, was diagnosed with autism when he was two years old… These politicians don’t care about people like my son. They would rather that people like my son would just die. They don’t think that he contributes to society or is worth anything. But as his mom, I know that is so, so, so, wrong.”

Pressley Also Introduced Amendments to Strengthen CFPB, Expose Harmful Impact of DOGE

Video (YouTube)

WASHINGTON – In the House Financial Services Committee’s markup of the Republican reconciliation bill, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) condemned the bill’s proposed cuts to Medicaid and shared the story of Mary Marinelli, a 70-year-old hospice nurse from a Republican district in Michigan whose family depends on Medicaid to care for their autistic son. Congresswoman Pressley also introduced several amendments to the legislation to strengthen the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and expose the harmful impact of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Congresswoman Pressley’s amendments to the reconciliation bill would:

• Ensure the CFPB remains fully funded so that it may continue returning billions of dollars to consumers by charging risk-based assessments to the largest banks and non-bank financial companies, including big tech payment providers and payday lenders
• Ensure the CFPB remains fully funded by changing its funding structure so that any company found to have violated a consumer financial protection law since 2010 would pay annually to fund the CFPB through an annual assessment.
• Conduct a study on the types and amounts of sensitive data that DOGE has been provided access to, and to assess whether such information sharing has undermined data privacy, competition, cybersecurity or other financial stability considerations.
• Conduct a study to evaluate the damage and risk posed to our financial systems by DOGE cuts, as well as the concerning impacts on consumer and investor protection

Republicans rejected every amendment proposed by Pressley and her Democratic colleagues.

A transcript of the Congresswoman’s testimony on behalf of Ms. Marinelli is below and the video is available here.

Transcript: Pressley Condemns Reconciliation Bill, Shares Heartbreaking Story of Family from GOP District at Risk from Medicaid Cuts

House Financial Services Committee

April 30, 2025

Democrats have been sounding the alarm on the hurt and harm this Republican bill will unleash. 

In my district, the Massachusetts 7th, I’ve been holding town halls, listening to my constituents who oppose this bill for many reasons, but especially the Medicaid cuts.

Republicans were told to not host town halls, and they definitely haven’t been listening to the people in their district. It’s gotten so bad that people living in Republican districts are now reaching out to my office to have their voices heard.

Here is a letter from a constituent of Rep. McClain’s, who sits on this very committee. These are the words of Mary Marinelli:

“I’m a hospice nurse who works four days a week. My son, Michael, was diagnosed with autism when he was two years old. He’s non-verbal. He cannot be left alone and needs to be supervised 24/7. Through Medicaid, my youngest son, Sean, gets paid to be a caretaker for Michael, which really helps us out. 

“When Michael became 18, he got on Medicaid and Medicare. It pays for his medication, treatment, hospital stays, and allows us to do some different therapies with him. He’s also on Social Security, which he started receiving at the age of 18. It gives us extra money, about $900 a month, to take care of him. 

“I am 70 years old. I am still working as a hospice nurse four days a week. If they take Medicaid away, I don’t know what I’ll do. I’d have to get a second job. I received a letter on Friday. They want me to come into the Social Security office to talk about Michael’s benefits. They’ve never done that before, and I was in despair all weekend, worried about them taking away his benefits. 

“I don’t know how we would function without Medicaid. It’s already stressful enough, even with these services. I can’t imagine how much worse things will get. It would be a death sentence. 

“As a nurse, I can talk about a lot of different angles to this, the physical ramification of patients falling more between the cracks. These politicians don’t care about people like my son. They would rather that people like my son would just die. They don’t think that he contributes to society or is worth anything. But as his mom, I know that is so, so, so, wrong. 

“Michael is a wonderful person who brings so much. I don’t know what I would have done without Medicaid.”

I don’t know if Rep. McClain is here and has anything to say to Mary, her constituent, communicating to you through me. 

Silence.

The American people do not support this bill, and that includes those living in Republican districts.

Mr. Chair, I’m grateful for the reconciliation survival kit that you gifted to members. I only wish I had one for the American people.

I yield back.

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