MIL USHOR-2b Engine

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

Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) sent the following letter to Leader Thune and Speaker Johnson laying out clear legislative actions to rein in ICE and stop the violence. The full text of the letter can be seen here and below: 

Dear Speaker Johnson and Leader Thune: 

We write with respect to fiscal year 2026 funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). For months, the American people have watched in horror as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has terrorized communities across the country. After months of escalation against everyday Americans and law-abiding immigrant families, two U.S. citizens were killed in the streets of Minneapolis. Federal immigration agents cannot continue to cause chaos in our cities while using taxpayer money that should be used to make life more affordable for working families. The American people rightfully expect their elected representatives to take action to rein in ICE and ensure no more lives are lost. It is critical that we come together to impose common sense reforms and accountability measures that the American people are demanding. We believe Congress needs to enact the following guardrails: 

1. Targeted Enforcement – DHS officers cannot enter private property without a judicial warrant. End indiscriminate arrests and improve warrant procedures and standards. Require verification that a person is not a U.S. citizen before holding them in immigration detention.
2. No Masks – Prohibit ICE and immigration enforcement agents from wearing face coverings.
3. Require ID – Require DHS officers conducting immigration enforcement to display their agency, unique ID number and last name. Require them to verbalize their ID number and last name if asked.
4. Protect Sensitive Locations – Prohibit funds from being used to conduct enforcement near sensitive locations, including medical facilities, schools, child-care facilities, churches, polling places, courts, etc.
5. Stop Racial Profiling – Prohibit DHS officers from conducting stops, questioning and searches based on an individual’s presence at certain locations, their job, their spoken language and accent or their race and ethnicity.
6. Uphold Use of Force Standards – Place into law a reasonable use of force policy, expand training and require certification of officers. In the case of an incident, the officer must be removed from the field until an investigation is conducted.
7. Ensure State and Local Coordination and Oversight – Preserve the ability of State and local jurisdictions to investigate and prosecute potential crimes and use of excessive force incidents. Require that evidence is preserved and shared with jurisdictions. Require the consent of States and localities to conduct large-scale operations outside of targeted immigration enforcement.
8. Build Safeguards into the System – Make clear that all buildings where people are detained must abide by the same basic detention standards that require immediate access to a person’s attorney to prevent citizen arrests or detention. Allow states to sue DHS for violations of all requirements. Prohibit limitations on Member visits to ICE facilities regardless of how those facilities are funded.
9. Body Cameras for Accountability, Not Tracking – Require use of body-worn cameras when interacting with the public and mandate requirements for the storage and access of footage. Prohibit tracking, creating or maintaining databases of individuals participating in First Amendment activities.
10. No Paramilitary Police – Regulate and standardize the type of uniforms and equipment DHS officers carry during enforcement operations to bring them in line with civil enforcement.

These reforms should apply to all federal activity, whether funded by FY26 appropriations, the OBBBA or any other act. 

Furthermore, there are steps that the Trump administration has the power to take right now to show good faith, including fully ramping down the surge in Minnesota and removing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem from her position. 

These are common sense solutions that protect constitutional rights and ensure responsible law enforcement.  

Sincerely, 

Hakeem Jeffries

Democratic Leader

United States House of Representatives

Chuck Schumer

Democratic Leader

United States Senate

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) joined U.S. Senators U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) and U.S. Representatives James Walkinshaw (VA-11) and Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10), and federal employee union leaders and members at a press conference to announce the launch of the Federal Workforce Caucus to protect federal workers and strengthen the merit-based federal civil service for the American people.  Below is a full transcript of his remarks:

“Thank you very, very much, and I’m pleased to be here with you. And I don’t think we had a caucus, Jim is absolutely right. But I recall we had a guy named Don Devine; he worked for Ronald Reagan, and he wasn’t quite as blunt, as – I’m going to mention our CFO, as I call him, our OMB Director, [indistinguishable]. But we had a Republican who worked with me hip to hip on federal employees, his name is Frank [Wall]. And very frankly, Don Devine ran against me for Congress in the 90s, thinking I had committed political suicide because I said, ‘We ought to pay for what we buy,’ and we were successful. We were successful because, Jim, we may not have had a caucus but we had a whole bunch of people. Republicans and Democrats [from] Virginia and Maryland. And, ladies and gentlemen, 70% of the workforce is not in the Washington Metropolitan area. It’s serving the people in every corner of this country. 

I think we still have a bipartisan coalition that understands that our federal workers compose the best civil service in the world. Is it perfect? No, but [nothing] in the world is perfect. But it’s very good, and it is not [peopled] by persons who knew somebody, as Senator Van Hollen said . It’s [peopled] by people who have the skills, the talent, and yes, the patriotism to serve their fellow citizens in the civil service.

“So, I want to thank all of you who represent so many of those people who are working, all the unions, all the other organizations, I’m particularly going to call out one person here. Skye – I got to do you – Perryman who has done such extraordinary work with Democracy Forward in protecting, Rob, our people. But more than that, protecting our government and its integrity, and its ability to serve in a nonpartisan and bipartisan, equal way, the people of the United States of America. We meet today after a critical win for our federal workers, frankly. We kept our government open, ensuring that we can continue their work for the American people, and to receive their pay that they’re due. And I want to thank Senator Kaine for the work he has done, and so successfully. But we still have a lot of work ahead. The past year has been a reminder just how important the federal workforce is to American success, and just how dangerous it is to undermine the merit-based nature of our civil service. Chris Van Hollen, my colleague in Maryland, mentioned the symbol of the chainsaw. You know, a chainsaw is a rough cut, and it fells things; it makes them fall down, it kills them. The Administration’s way is to crusade against our federal workers.

“I say this a lot; Russell Vought summed up their strategy. This is not something that they’re hiding under a cover that they’re doing, they’re doing it right out in the open. They’re telling you what they want to do. ‘We want the bureaucrats to be traumatically affected.’ That’s the CFO of [their] enterprise. Any CFO that said that of their employees in any corporation –  including the largest corporations in America – would be fired the next day by the board of directors [saying], ‘What are you doing? We want the morale of our people up. We want them confident [their] work is appreciated.’ He went on to say, ‘When they wake up in the morning, we want them not to want to go to work –’ boy, that’s a great strategy ‘– because they’re increasingly viewed as villains.’ Boy, do we need a caucus.

“You were right, Jim, we need a caucus. Subramanyam you were right, we need a caucus. Tim and I and Chris who have been there, you know, we had some new blood come in and say, ‘Let’s organize!’ (laughter) We thought we were organized but we weren’t, and you made it clear. Vought went on to say, ‘We want their funding to be shut down. We want to put them in trauma.’ And yes, they shut down the government because they didn’t want to give people health care. My colleagues and I are establishing this caucus because we know the truth: federal workers are not villains, they are patriots and heroes. I have about 75,000 federal workers living in my district. I think it’s the largest-populated federal employee district in America. But I had a Senate district for 12 years in which there were very few state employees, and I fought hard for the state employees. Why? Because I know I can say very nice things, I can pass really nice laws, but if we don’t have people who care carrying them out, it’s not worth the paper it’s written on. That’s why we’re so passionately for federal employees.

“Now, I could go on and on, as some people will attest to, who have known me for a long time. (laughter) But, the other five pages of this speech, I’m going to forgo because you get my point. This is not about Democrats or Republicans. This is about every American who regularly thinks, ‘I have a problem that needs to be solved,’ and they pick up the phone and they call some of us. (turns around and begins pointing at Members and union leaders) And they call you, you, you – and they certainly call you (laughter). You too. So, this caucus is going to energize the Congress in appreciating the work that is done every day by our federal employees, from the top level to the bottom level, who, by the way, are not paid nearly as much as their private sector counterparts. I’m glad to be a member of this caucus. I thank Jim for sort of galvanizing us. I thank Chris for doing that as well, we worked shoulder to shoulder for a long period of time. America needs our federal employees, not traumatized, but energized and uplifted.”

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

“During negotiations on DHS funding, Democrats must prioritize giving power to the people to protect their rights.”

“People should be allowed to sue ICE agents for violating their rights and killing their loved ones. Period.”

Pressley Legislation Would Hold Federal Law Enforcement Officers Accountable for Breaking the Law and Killing Our Neighbors

WASHINGTON – During Oversight Democrats’ bicameral shadow hearing on the use of violence by ICE held yesterday, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley demanded Congress end qualified immunity to ensure federal law enforcement officers are held accountable for breaking the law and murdering civilians. Rep. Pressley called on her colleagues not to settle for bare minimum reforms in funding negotiations for the Department of Homeland Security, instead urging them to fight to rebalance power and restore accountability.

Rep. Pressley highlighted the urgency of the moment by uplifting stories of traumatized community members she met with during her trip to Minnesota with Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05), many of whom deserve accountability for ICE agents violating their rights or killing their loved ones.

Rep. Pressley leads the Qualified Immunity Abolition Act, which would grant victims the right to sue federal law enforcement officers—not just state and local—for civil rights violations by abolishing the defense of qualified immunity in these lawsuits.

A transcript of Congresswoman Pressley’s remarks at the shadow hearing is available below, and the video is available here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Sanford D Bishop Jr (GA-02)

WASHINGTON – Yesterday, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) voted to support a combined funding bill which will provide full-year funding for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 to the U.S. Departments of Labor, Education, and other departments and agencies that support affordable housing and health care and advance medical research; workforce training as well as entrepreneurs and small business owners; and America’s military families, national defense, diplomacy, and election security. The bill also froze funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) which includes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

“This funding bill keeps the federal government open and working for the American people for the remainder of the fiscal year so that families have access to safe, reliable, and affordable utilities, health care, housing, roads, railways, and air travel as well as job and entrepreneurial opportunities. This bill will help ensure our military families are cared for, our national defense is strong, and our election security remains vigilant,” said Congressman Bishop. “Hardnosed negotiations over the last year made sure this bill reasserted Congress’s Constitutional powers of the purse, staved off destructive cuts, and eliminated poison pill amendments that would have hurt families.”

Constructive and realistic discussions about the needs of the American people led to improvements in the funding bill that provide $432 billion to make housing more affordable, help families with $170 million for Child Care as well as Head Start, protect $415 million in life-saving medical research at the National Institutes of Health, and deliver a 3.8% pay raise for military personnel – all of which earned bipartisan support in the end.

“I am outraged that ICE is aggressively sweeping up American citizens and law-abiding immigrant families. We need guardrails to protect the public’s safety and make sure immigration enforcement is just, fair, and humane. Rather than providing ICE with a blank check, this bill froze its funding,” added Congressman Bishop. “The ten-day freeze of DHS funds will allow Congress to make a full court press on urgently needed changes to ICE without the distraction of funding the remainder of the government.”

Last month, Congressman Bishop voted against an earlier version of the Homeland Security appropriations bill which would have provided funding for DHS through the end of September. Americans have been horrified by ICE’s behavior in the past months on streets in communities across the country and have demanded dramatic changes before DHS is funded for the full year. Commonsense protections include a mask ban, judicial warrant requirements, independent investigations when agents break the law, use of force protocols, mandatory body cameras, and an end to the storming of sensitive locations like houses of worship, schools, and hospitals.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ben Cline (VA-06)

This week, President Trump signed the Fiscal Year 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill into law, which included $17 million for widening projects and safety enhancements along Interstate 81. The funding, championed by Rep. Ben Cline (VA-06), advances key improvements and potential expansion of the corridor and underscores his work on the House Appropriations Committee on behalf of Virginia’s Sixth District.

“Interstate 81 is a critical component of the Shenandoah Valley and plays an outsized role in the region’s economy and daily life,” said Rep. Cline. “From local commuters and families to farmers, manufacturers, and truck drivers, countless Virginians rely on this corridor every day. This funding allows us to begin tackling persistent safety and congestion challenges while laying the groundwork for future capacity improvements. Adding a third lane to I-81 will improve reliability, support economic growth, and deliver lasting benefits for communities throughout the entire Sixth District and beyond.”

BACKGROUND:

The I-81 Corridor handles an enormous volume of freight and passenger traffic. Each year, more than 12 million commercial trucks travel along the interstate, moving over $300 billion in goods. As traffic increases, so does the need to modernize the highway to support on-time delivery and reduce disruptions that hurt both local businesses and national commerce.

Originally built over 50 years ago, I-81 has not kept up with growing traffic and freight demands. A 2018 state report identified urgent needs along the corridor, and while Virginia has taken important steps to address them, additional federal investment is necessary.

Travel delays are becoming more frequent and unpredictable, impacting both freight movement and personal travel. To help fix this, Virginia’s Interstate 81 Corridor Improvement Program (CIP) includes plans to widen the road from two to three lanes in critical sections. These upgrades will reduce congestion, create more room for emergency response vehicles, and lower the risk of crashes by allowing more space for vehicles to maneuver.

Congressman Ben Cline represents the Sixth Congressional District of Virginia. He previously was an attorney in private practice and served both as an assistant prosecutor and a Member of the Virginia House of Delegates. Cline and his wife, Elizabeth, live in Botetourt County with their two children.

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

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08) today celebrated the House passage of his legislation, H.R. 4090, the Critical Mineral Dominance Act. This bipartisan legislation codifies several of the Trump Administration’s executive actions aimed at establishing the United States as the world’s leading producer of critical and rare earth minerals. The legislation will help strengthen national security and reduce the United States’ dangerous mineral dependence on foreign adversaries like China.

“President Trump has been a champion for American mineral dominance from day one, and by codifying the administration’s domestic mining policies into law, we can ensure that these pro-mining policies stay in place no matter who is in the White House,” said Congressman Stauber. “This legislation will help enable us to mine here domestically, create good-paying, union jobs, enhance our national security, and position the United States to lead and win in the 21st Century economy.”

“For far too long, America’s reliance on imports has left us vulnerable, with China controlling roughly 60 percent of global critical mineral production, 90 percent of processing, and 75 percent of manufacturing. The Chinese Communist Party has repeatedly weaponized this dominance through export restrictions and trade leverage, creating uncertainty for key U.S. industries. Previous administrations exacerbated this issue by reversing project approvals and restricting development on millions of acres of public lands, stifling domestic mining efforts,” Congressman Stauber added.

H.R. 4090 requires the Department of the Interior (DOI) to assess the economic costs of our import reliance for each critical mineral and incorporate this data into annual USGS summaries. The legislation also requires DOI to identify expedite approval of proposed priority mining projects on federal lands, while exploring opportunities for the utilization of products from active, inactive, or proposed mines. Additionally, it calls for DOI to report to Congress on the barriers to such byproduct production and recommendations to overcome them.

The full text of H.R. 4090, the Critical Mineral Dominance Act, is available here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Ilhan Omar (DFL-MN)

WASHINGTON — Today, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (MN-05) spoke on the House Floor calling to abolish ICE and end the federal occupation of Minnesota. In 2026 alone, federal immigration agents have fatally shot two Minneapolis residents, Renee Good and Alex Pretti. In her speech, Rep. Omar also demands a full, independent investigation into both shootings. You can watch the full video here. Below is a transcript of her remarks:

“Two of my constituents, Renee Good and Alex Pretti — beloved neighbors and community members were murdered by federal immigration enforcement agents. 

“These were not distant headlines. These were beloved community members fighting to protect their neighbors.  

“Alex Pretti was a 37-year-old ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA who cared for veterans. He was a healer. He should be alive. 

“And Renee Good, a 37-year old beloved wife, mother, community member — should be alive. 

“Kristi Noem’s DHS must be held accountable. 

“We cannot continue to operate as if this terror is acceptable.

“We cannot allow a federal agency — one that was created for one purpose to terrorize — to function as an occupying force in our communities.

“Real accountability starts with abolishing ICE, impeaching Kristi Noem, and rethinking how we enforce immigration policy in this country.

“And we cannot stop there. 

“We must demand that those responsible for terrorizing our communities are investigated thoroughly, not by the agencies that oversee them, but by truly independent authorities.

“We have seen federal agencies block state investigators and stonewall accountability. That is unacceptable. 

“Our system of justice cannot tolerate a situation where people are killed, and the only response is silence, spin, or justification from administration officials.

“Minnesota was once known as a place of refuge. It has now been turned into a war zone, by a federal government that has lost sight of the values that make America great. 

“Everything we love, our communities, our rights, our Constitution, our humanity is on the line right now.

“We have to fight like our future depends on it because it does.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Barry Loudermilk (R-GA)

Washington, D.C. (February 4, 2026) | Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) issued the following statement:

“Serving the people of Northwest Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives is a tremendous honor; and throughout my six terms, I have focused on upholding the Constitution and representing the values of the Eleventh Congressional District and the great state of Georgia.

“I first ran for election to Congress in 2014 and, as I stated then, representing the people in Congress is a service, not a career; and although I continue to have strong support from the people of the Eleventh Congressional District, I believe it is time to contribute to my community, state, and nation in other ways. Therefore, I have decided not to seek re-election at the end of my current term in Congress.

“I have learned throughout my life that doing what is right is not always easy, convenient, or popular. My wife and I have prayed diligently and discussed this extensively; and, while this is not an easy decision, we believe it is the right one. While serving my constituents in Congress ranks among my greatest honors, being a husband, a father, and a grandfather holds even greater importance to me; and at this time, I wish to spend more dedicated time with my family.

“Thank you to the great people of Georgia’s Eleventh Congressional District for allowing me to serve you, and to my incredible staff for your years of outstanding service to our district, state, and nation.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rick Larsen (2nd Congressional District Washington)

Larsen Releases Statement on Trump’s Threats to Aircraft Manufacturing

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

Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries held a press conference with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and members of House and Senate Democratic leadership, where he emphasized that taxpayer dollars should not be used to fund the Department of Homeland Security without dramatic changes to ICE and CBP operations that are harming the American people.

LEADER JEFFRIES: We had a very productive discussion, House and Senate Democrats standing together firmly on behalf of the American people. Taxpayer dollars should be used to make life more affordable for everyday Americans, not to brutalize or kill them. ICE is completely and totally out of control. Immigration enforcement should be just, it should be fair and it should be humane. That is not what is taking place right now. Dramatic changes are necessary at the Department of Homeland Security with respect to its enforcement activities so that ICE and other agencies are conducting themselves like every other law enforcement agency in the country, not, in so many instances, in a rogue or lawless manner.

There are several demands that we will articulate on behalf of the American people, which, of course, include, but are not limited to, mandatory body cameras. Judicial warrants, which, in our view, should be required before everyday Americans are ripped out of their homes or snatched out of cars violently. The Fourth Amendment is not an inconvenience. It is a requirement embedded in our Constitution that everyone should follow. Certainly, I think there’s agreement that no masks should be deployed in an arbitrary and capricious fashion, as has been the case, horrifying the American people. And of course, I think the American people believe that ICE shouldn’t be able to detain and deport American citizens, which we know is taking place right now. These are just some of the common-sense proposals that the American people clearly would like to see in terms of the dramatic changes that are needed at the Department of Homeland Security before there’s a full-year appropriations bill.

Full press conference can be watched here.

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