MIL USHOR-2b Engine

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

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Congressman Pete Stauber’s (MN-08) Faster Labor Contracts Act passed the House of Representatives. This bipartisan legislation will ensure that when workers vote to form a union, employers are not allowed to drag out negotiations on a collective bargaining agreement.

“As a former police officer who organized my union, I’ve seen firsthand how frustrating this process can be for workers seeking a fair and timely contract,” said Congressman Pete Stauber. “America’s workers are the backbone of our economy, yet too often employers delay negotiations or refuse to engage in good-faith bargaining when it comes to a first union contract. The Faster Labor Contracts Act will ensure employers come to the table quickly, and I look forward to seeing this legislation have a positive impact on countless union workers and their families across the Northland.”

According to Bloomberg Law, it takes an average of 458 days for unions and employers to agree on a first contract. 

The Faster Labor Contracts Act will amend Section 8(d) of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to require the following: 

• After workers have voted to form a union, employers must begin negotiating with the new union within 10 days.
• If no agreement is reached after 90 days, a government mediator will step in to assist.
• If mediation fails 30 days after that, the dispute will be referred to a binding 3-person arbitration panel made up of one representative chosen by the workers, one representative chosen by the employers, and a neutral third member. 

This bill is endorsed by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters; Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU); American Compass; Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division-International Brotherhood of Teamsters; International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE); International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers (IW); International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF); International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW); International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots; International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers; International Union of Operating Engineers; International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT); International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW); Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA); Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (M.E.B.A.); National Employment Law Project; Transport Workers Union (TWU); Transportation Communications Union (TCU/IAM); United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada (UA); United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (UBC); United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW); United Mine Workers of America (UMWA); United Steelworkers (USW); Utility Workers Union of America

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jim Costa Representing 16th District of California

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Jim Costa (CA-21), joined by Congressman David Valadao (CA-22), introduced a bipartisan resolution commemorating the Day of Portugal, Camões, and the Portuguese Communities and recognizing the contributions of Portuguese Americans across the United States.
Observed annually on June 10, Portugal Day celebrates Portuguese heritage, culture, and the legacy of Luís Vaz de Camões, one of Portugal’s most influential literary figures.
“As the grandson of Portuguese immigrants from the Azores, I am proud to help recognize the Day of Portugal, Camões, and the Portuguese Communities,”said Congressman Costa. “The Portuguese American community has played an important role in shaping the San Joaquin Valley and our nation, and this resolution honors the generations whose hard work and values continue to strengthen our communities.”
“As a proud Portuguese American and co-chair of the Congressional Portuguese Caucus, I’m honored to join Congressman Costa in recognizing June 10th as Day of Portugal, Camões, and the Portuguese Communities,” said Congressman Valadao. “The Central Valley is home to a strong Portuguese American community whose values, traditions, and work ethic have helped shaped our region for generations. As we honor the life and legacy of Luís de Camões, we also celebrate the countless contributions Portuguese communities continue to make in the Central Valley and across the nation.”
The resolution recognizes the more than 1.3 million Portuguese Americans living in the United States, commemorates Portugal Day, and reaffirms the longstanding friendship between the United States and Portugal.
Click HEREto read the full resolution.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to Congressional Republicans passing Trump’s budget that prioritizes expanding Trump’s out of ICE over lowering costs for Michigan families, Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens issued the following statement:

“Instead of helping Michigan families who are struggling to afford health care, groceries, and housing, Trump and Republicans are ramming an additional $70 billion through Congress for ICE and Border Patrol.

“This Administration could not be further out of touch with what Americans need right now.

“After gutting health care and food assistance for working families, Republicans are now handing yet another blank check to agencies that have abused their authority, operated without accountability, and even killed American citizens in broad daylight. Rather than redirect the first $75 billion slush fund they gave ICE last year, Republicans have chosen to double down and balloon ICE’s windfall at taxpayer expense.

“Michiganders are worried about the price they see at the checkout line, the cost of filling up their gas tank, and whether they can afford their next prescription. They are not asking Washington to funnel tens of billions more dollars to Donald Trump’s out-of-control ICE.

“Taking away food assistance and health care to bankroll an unaccountable and out-of-control agency that has repeatedly terrorized communities and eroded trust is not leadership. It is a betrayal of the people who sent them to Washington.

“Michiganders deserve better.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Andy Biggs (AZ-05)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Congressman Andy Biggs (AZ-05) led a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, expressing support for her department’s response to the New World screwworm and highlighting Arizona’s unique ability to support long-term prevention, surveillance, and response efforts.

Following USDA’s announcement of the first confirmed New World screwworm detection on Wednesday, June 3, four additional cases have been confirmed in New Mexico and Texas. These revelations have caused great concern among Americans, who fear an outbreak would threaten cattle, sheep, goats, horses, wildlife, and pets while imposing substantial economic costs on producers and consumers. As the letter recognizes, USDA has demonstrated a willingness to act early, coordinate across agencies, and deploy available resources to protect American agriculture – rather than waiting for a crisis to emerge.

“I’m grateful for USDA’s proactive response to address the New World screwworm threat at our southern border,”said Congressman Biggs.“These decisive federal actions will certainly help protect America’s food supply and livestock industry. As the administration carries out its strategy, Arizona stands ready to support USDA’s long-term response. With our border access, transportation networks, livestock expertise, and university-led research, Arizona is well positioned to help prevent an outbreak, protect producers, and strengthen regional stability before this pest can take hold on American soil.”

One Arizona infrastructure pivotal to this national effort would be the Douglas sterile fly facility site, which remains a strategically valuable location for future production capacity and strengthens the state’s ability to support containment actions.

Joining Congressman Biggs on the letter to USDA are Congressmen Abraham Hamadeh (AZ-08), Eli Crane (AZ-02), Paul Gosar (AZ-09), and Juan Ciscomani (AZ-04).

Read the letter here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL)

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10) and Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Co-Chairs of the Congressional Hellenic Israel Alliance (CHIA), sent a bipartisan letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging the Department of State to publicly oppose any effort by Turkey to codify the controversial “Blue Homeland” (Mavi Vatan) doctrine into Turkish law.  The lawmakers warned that formalizing Turkey’s expansive and heavily disputed maritime claims would threaten stability in the Eastern Mediterranean, undermine NATO cohesion, jeopardize regional energy cooperation, and negatively affect U.S. national security interests. 

The letter states: “The United States has a longstanding interest in promoting stability, security, and cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkey’s reported consideration of legislation to codify the Blue Homeland doctrine would further inflame regional tensions, challenge internationally recognized maritime norms, and threaten important partnerships that strengthen our collective security. At a time when NATO must remain united against growing global threats, actions that deepen divisions among allies serve only to benefit our adversaries.” 

Bilirakis and Schneider emphasized that codification of the Blue Homeland doctrine would directly undermine the objectives of the Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act of 2019, landmark legislation that strengthened strategic cooperation among the United States, Greece, Cyprus, and Israel while advancing regional energy security and diversification.  They further noted that increased maritime tensions and legal uncertainty could discourage investment, delay critical energy and infrastructure projects, and weaken broader efforts to reduce strategic vulnerabilities throughout the region. 

“The Eastern Mediterranean remains a strategically vital region for the United States and our allies,” the lawmakers continued. “The United States must continue to champion freedom of navigation, peaceful dispute resolution, and adherence to internationally recognized legal principles. Any attempt to formalize disputed maritime claims through domestic legislation risks increasing instability, heightening the potential for conflict, and diminishing opportunities for diplomatic solutions.” 

 In the letter, Bilirakis and Schneider urged Secretary Rubio and the Department of State to: 

• Publicly oppose any Turkish legislation that codifies the Blue Homeland doctrine or otherwise formalizes disputed maritime claims; 

• Communicate U.S. concerns directly to senior Turkish officials; 

• Reaffirm U.S. support for freedom of navigation, peaceful dispute resolution, and internationally recognized maritime norms; and 

• Work with allies and partners to preserve stability, reduce tensions, and strengthen cooperation throughout the Eastern Mediterranean. 

 The lawmakers concluded that while Turkey remains an important NATO ally, codification of the Blue Homeland doctrine would represent a direct challenge to American strategic interests and the security of key U.S. partners in the region. They stressed that a clear and unequivocal response from the United States would reinforce longstanding American commitments to regional stability, alliance unity, and national security. 

The full letter is linked here and below. 

Dear Secretary Rubio, 

We write to express severe concern regarding reports that Turkey is considering legislation to codify the “Blue Homeland” (Mavi Vatan) doctrine into Turkish law. We urge the Department of State to oppose publicly any such effort and communicate directly to Turkish officials that formalizing expansive and heavily disputed maritime claims would undermine regional stability, energy cooperation, NATO cohesion, and U.S. national security interests. 

The United States has a strong interest in preserving peace and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and has long supported initiatives that strengthen energy diversification and resilience among allies and partners. Codification of the Blue Homeland doctrine directly challenges the intent of the Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act of 2019, which we worked so hard to get passed into law. Maritime tensions and legal uncertainty surrounding energy development and infrastructure projects will discourage investment, impede regional cooperation, and weaken broader efforts to reduce strategic vulnerabilities.

It would undermine NATO at a critical moment. As the Alliance continues to face unprecedented challenges, disputes among NATO allies divert military resources, diplomatic attention, and political capital away from shared security priorities. Alliance cohesion remains one of the United States’ greatest strategic advantages, and actions that deepen divisions among allies or risks conflict ultimately benefit America’s adversaries. 

Most importantly, it would increase risks in a strategically vital operating environment for U.S. forces. The Eastern Mediterranean remains essential to U.S. and allied military operations linking Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. Escalating maritime disputes increase the likelihood of incidents, miscalculation, and crises that could threaten regional stability and require American intervention and diplomatic management. 

The United States has consistently supported freedom of navigation, peaceful dispute resolution, and the resolution of maritime disagreements through diplomacy and internationally recognized legal principles. Codifying controversial and disputed maritime claims into domestic law risks setting a troubling precedent and reducing opportunities for negotiated solutions. 

Accordingly, we respectfully urge the Department of State to: 

• Publicly oppose any Turkish legislation that codifies the Blue Homeland doctrine or otherwise formalizes disputed maritime claims; 

• Communicate U.S. concerns directly to senior Turkish officials; 

• Reaffirm U.S. support for freedom of navigation, peaceful dispute resolution, and internationally recognized maritime norms; and 

• Work with allies and partners to preserve stability, reduce tensions, and strengthen cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean. 

Turkey is an important NATO ally, but codification of the Blue Homeland doctrine is a direct threat to American interests and steadfast American allies across the region. A clear statement from the United States opposing the codification of disputed maritime claims would reinforce longstanding American interests in regional stability, alliance unity, and American national security.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn)

The $1,072,210,299,000 Pentagon budget is the most expensive in U.S. history, a $234 billion increase

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

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

Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA), who serves on the House Ways and Means Committee and as Senior House Democrat on Congress’ Joint Economic Committee, today released the following statement after the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)’ Consumer Price Index report showed inflation rising 4.2 percent over the past year and 0.5 percent in May alone, the highest annual inflation rate since 2023:

“Americans are paying more to drive to work, more to keep the lights on, more for rent, and more to feed their families. Today’s inflation report is yet another painful reminder that American families are paying the price for President Trump’s disastrous policies while the Republican-controlled Congress continues to enable him. 

“Any real wage gains have been swallowed up by higher prices. Families are working just as hard and finding that they can afford no more than they could months ago – and these higher prices are the direct result of President Trump’s choices. He imposed sweeping tariffs that economists repeatedly warned would raise costs for American consumers and forced our country into a reckless war in Iran that continues to drive up energy prices.

“And yet, my Republican colleagues in Congress seem far more interested in advancing the President’s agenda than in lowering costs for the families they were elected to serve. Just yesterday, Congress approved another $70 billion for DHS while refusing to fund critical tax credits that would lower healthcare costs for American families. At the same time, Republicans remain unwilling to stop President Trump from restoring a nearly $2 billion slush fund or from pursuing tax immunity that shields himself, his family, and his businesses from being prosecuted for future financial crimes. Families watching their paychecks buy less every month have every right to ask why Congress has endless enthusiasm for funding the administration’s political priorities but cannot find the urgency to lower costs.

“Republicans in Congress should be ashamed of themselves. As working families struggle with rising costs and the President openly abuses the powers of his office for personal benefit, congressional Republicans have stood by in silence. Their abdication of responsibility is a stain on this institution, a betrayal of the American people, and a failure that will be remembered long after today’s inflation report is forgotten.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Michael McCaul (10th District of Texas)

WASHINGTON – At this week’s House Foreign Affairs Committee markup, Chairman Emeritus Michael McCaul (R-Texas) urged his colleagues to support his amendment, which updates makes undeniably clear that the U.S. government recognizes the Dalai Lama’s succession as a private spiritual matter governed entirely by his office — and the CCP has no role.

Click to watch

 

Remarks as delivered:

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In 2024, I led a bipartisan delegation to Dharamsala, India, and had the honor of sitting down with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He is one of the most remarkable persons I have ever met — full of warmth, wisdom, and full of humor. At one point he looked at me and smiled, and told me he plans to live to 110.

I hope he’s right. But we cannot build American foreign policy on the hope that one man lives forever. The Dalai Lama has said he will not be reborn in China, but rather [in] freedom. The question [of] who succeeds the Dalai Lama is coming, and Beijing knows this.

Beijing has already built the machinery to hijack this process. Back in 2007, the Communist Party handed itself the supposed authority to approve who may and may not be reincarnated. Let that sink in — an officially atheist government claiming the power to license reincarnation for the Tibetan people. And just this March, the CCP instituted a new law — the Orwellian-named “Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress” — which stamps out minority languages, minority faiths, and minority cultures, all in the name of “ethnic unity.”

In 2020, this committee did historic, bipartisan work by passing the Tibetan Policy and Support Act, establishing a powerful framework to defend the religious freedom of the Tibetan people. But as the CCP’s tactics evolve, our statutory language must keep pace with that.

The Dalai Lama has already laid out how his successor is to be recognized after he is gone — placing that authority within his own office and the senior leaders of his faith. My amendment affirms that this is the process that U.S. policy recognizes, and the CCP has no role in that.

This is not only a matter of faith, Mr. Chairman. It is a matter of national security. If we sit on our hands, Beijing will name a counterfeit Dalai Lama — a spiritual figurehead loyal not to the Tibetan people, but to the Communist Party — and it will use him as an instrument of influence across the entire Himalayan region: in Nepal, in Mongolia, and right along the border of our partner, India. We cannot let the CCP weaponize a centuries-old institution of peace to extend its own control.

When I visited the Dalai Lama, again he told me, “I will not be reborn in China. I will be reborn in freedom.” We must honor that wish by ensuring that this decision rests with him and his people — not with a government that has spent decades trying to erase them — and to erase him. Protecting Tibet has always been a bipartisan cause in this committee, and our law should say so just as clearly. So with that, Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support the amendment, and I yield back.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Paul A Gosar DDS (AZ-04)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Paul Gosar, DDS (AZ-09) issued the following statement after the House Natural Resources Committee approved H.R. 8686, the Yuma Defense Readiness Act, during today’s markup:

“The House Natural Resources Committee’s passage of H.R. 8686 is a major win for military readiness, national security, and Arizona. 

The Yuma Proving Ground in my district is one of the premier testing and training facilities in the world and generates more than $1.1 billion in economic activity for western Arizona. As the only facility capable of supporting high-altitude flight testing for next-generation defense technologies, it is critical that our warfighters have the space and resources necessary to prepare for evolving threats.

My legislation expands the Proving Ground’s safety zone, establishes a clearer and safer boundary for Yuma residents, and strengthens America’s defense capabilities while supporting a vital economic engine for our region. 

I thank Chairman Westerman and my colleagues on the Committee for advancing this commonsense, bipartisan legislation. I look forward to securing its passage on the House floor and urge my colleagues to support our brave servicemembers and this important national security measure,” stated Congressman Paul Gosar.

“A strong national defense begins with ensuring our military has the space and certainty needed to train and test the technologies that keep America safe. H.R. 8686 withdraws and reserves public lands adjacent to Yuma Proving Ground, helping support critical military operations while reducing conflicts with incompatible development.  I appreciate Rep. Gosar’s efforts to strengthen military readiness and reinforce the long-term mission of one of our nation’s premier testing and training facilities,” added House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Westerman.

Background:

H.R. 8686 authorizes the withdrawal and reservation of approximately 22,000 acres of federal land adjacent to the Yuma Proving Ground to enhance military testing and training operations while improving public safety and land management.