Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Al Green (TX-9)
Congressman Al Green joined Democracy Now! to discuss the ICE‑involved killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, Congressman Green’s participation in a Houston rally with organizers demanding justice, and the upcoming Homeland Security Committee hearing that will examine the case.
You can access the news segment by clicking the link here.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Robert Aderholt (AL-04)
Washington, D.C. — Congressman Robert Aderholt (AL-04) today voted in favor of H.R. 139, the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025, legislation that would end the twice-yearly clock changes by making Daylight Saving Time permanent. The proposal has enjoyed broad bipartisan support among the American public for years, as many Americans have grown tired of changing their clocks every spring and fall.
“The twice-a-year time change has long been a source of frustration for families, businesses, and workers across the country,” said Congressman Aderholt. “I’ve heard from many constituents who simply want to pick one time and stick with it. The Sunshine Protection Act accomplishes that by providing consistency throughout the year.”
While supporting the legislation, Aderholt noted that permanent Daylight Saving Time presents unique challenges for communities in North Alabama, particularly during the winter months.
“One concern I do have is the impact on school children,” Aderholt said. “In December and January, permanent Daylight Saving Time would mean the sun would not rise until nearly 8:00 a.m. in much of North Alabama. That means many students would be standing at bus stops or walking to school before sunrise. As a father and soon-to-be grandfather, that’s something I take seriously.”
Aderholt said he hopes school systems, local communities, and state leaders will work together to minimize those concerns should the legislation become law.
“I believe we can enjoy the benefits of ending the clock changes while also making sure student safety remains a priority,” Aderholt continued. “Whether that means reviewing bus schedules, adjusting school start times where practical, or identifying other commonsense solutions, we should make every effort to ensure children are not routinely waiting for the bus in the dark.”
Supporters of the Sunshine Protection Act cite the benefits of eliminating the disruptive seasonal clock changes, including greater consistency for families, commerce, and travel, as well as more daylight during evening hours. The legislation has advanced with bipartisan support in Congress and has been the subject of public debate for several years.
“Like many Americans, I believe it’s time to end the twice-yearly ritual of changing our clocks,” Aderholt said. “As we move forward, we’ll continue working to ensure the transition is implemented in a way that best serves families here in Alabama.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09)
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) today announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is providing grants to Shelby County and to Memphis Shelby County Schools. Shelby County will receive $190,926 for its warning and alert system, which represents 75 percent of the cost. Memphis Shelby County Schools will receive $224,908 for security camera repairs and replacements, also repenting 75 percent of the total cost.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
“Two recent severe storms did serious damage to our safety infrastructure. I’m pleased to see these federal investments being made to shore up our ability to alert the public and critical first responders when a disaster threatens our region.”
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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (1st District of Washington)
Today, Representatives Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Terri Sewell (AL-07, Judy Chu (CA-28), and Ro Khanna (CA-17) introduced legislation to provide the IRS with the resources to improve taxpayer services and enhance tax enforcement focused on high-income tax evasion.
The Inflation Reduction Act included funding for the IRS to enhance taxpayer services, improve outdated technology systems, and target high-income tax evaders. This funding drastically improved customer service at the IRS. For example, in 2022, the average time to speak to an IRS customer service representative was 28 minutes. In 2023, it dropped to four minutes and then down to three minutes in 2024. Additionally, in 2024, $1.3 billion was recovered from high-income, high-wealth people under the IRA enforcement initiatives. Congressional Republicans cut this funding, making it harder for the IRS to enforce the tax code and provide services to taxpayers.
The Stop Corporations and High Earners from Avoiding Taxes and Enforce the Rules Strictly (CHEATERS) Act would restore the $83 billion in funding for the IRS, which would go to taxpayer services, enforcement, and modernizing the agency. These enforcement investments would ensure the wealthy and well-connected pay their fair share of taxes and is estimated to generate $998 billion in revenue, according to the Yale Budget Lab.
The $83 billion would be allocated as follows:
“For too long, wealthy individuals and large corporations have gotten away with not paying their fair share of taxes,” said DelBene. “Instead of addressing this problem, Congressional Republicans continue to cut IRS funding which makes enforcement more difficult. This bill restores the necessary funding so the agency can ensure that the tax code is enforced fairly and ensure wealthy tax evaders pay their fair share.”
“As working families continue to struggle to afford the rising cost of gas and groceries, Donald Trump and Republicans are rigging the economy to benefit themselves and their wealthy friends while dodging accountability. That is why I am proud to support the Stop CHEATERS Act to restore essential IRS funding and shift auditing and enforcement toward high-income individuals and large corporations,” said Sewell.
“When the ultra-wealthy and corporations cheat our system by not paying their fair share of taxes, working-class taxpayers and our economy suffer. Unfortunately, Republicans have only greenlit millionaire and billionaire tax cheats by slashing IRS staffing and funding that Democrats have fought so hard to bolster,” said Chu. “Our bill would restore $83 billion in IRS funding to strengthen taxpayer services while ensuring the ultra-wealthy finally pay their fair share.”
“Too many ultra-wealthy individuals and large corporations have exploited an underfunded IRS to avoid paying what they owe. The Stop CHEATERS Act gives the IRS the funding it needs to stop tax evasion by those at the top and would raise nearly $1 trillion in revenue over the next decade,” said Khanna.
The bill is cosponsored by Representatives Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Don Beyer (VA-08), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Andre Carson (IN-07), Danny Davis (IL-07), Chris Deluzio (PA-17), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), Valerie Foushee (NC-04), Jesús García (IL-04), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Maggie Goodlander (NH-02), Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07), Steven Horsford (NV-04), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Hank Johnson (GA-04), John Larson (CT-01), Summer Lee (PA-12), Sarah McBride (DE-At-Large), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Gwen Moore (WI-04), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Joe Neguse (CO-02), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-At-Large), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Emily Randall (WA-06), Linda Sánchez (CA-38), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Tom Suozzi (NY-03), Dina Titus (NV-01), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Paul Tonko (NY-20).
The legislation is endorsed by AFL-CIO, AFSCME, American Federation of Teachers, Americans for Financial Reform, Americans for Tax Fairness, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, Groundwork Action, Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, Main Street Alliance, National Treasury Employees Union, Patriotic Millionaires, Progressive Policy Institute, Public Citizen, P Street, SEIU, Small Business for America’s Future, Small Business Majority, Take on Wall Street, Taxpayers for Common Sense, Tax the Greedy Billionaires, and Third Way.
The text of the legislation can be found here.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (8th District of Illinois)
WASHINGTON — Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) released the following statement after two American service members were killed in an Iranian attack:
“The deaths of two American service members in today’s Iranian attack are a tragic reminder of the escalating human cost of this illegal war of choice waged by Donald Trump. Iran must immediately cease its attacks against Americans and abandon any threats against civilians, or face even greater international isolation and military consequences. The conflict is now spiraling, and we cannot allow it to become another forever war that costs more American lives abroad and drives up prices here at home. President Trump must work with our friends, partners, and allies to pursue a real diplomatic path to end the war he recklessly started.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Al Green (TX-9)
(Washington, DC) — On Thursday, July 16, 2026, Congressman Al Green delivered remarks on the House floor warning the public that President Donald Trump will pardon ICE officers if federal crimes are proven.
You can access and listen to Congressman Al Green’s speech on his official YouTube page or by clicking here. The floor speech highlighted is also accessible on various social media platforms, including Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly known as Twitter).
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Gregory W Meeks (5th District of New York)
Washington, D.C. – House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY), Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA), Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-NV), and Congressman James Walkinshaw (D-VA) today introduced the Foreign Service Test-Free Reentry Act to help rebuild America’s diplomatic corps by eliminating unnecessary and unprecedented barriers for experienced Foreign Service Officers who were involuntarily separated during the Trump Administration’s mass reductions in force (RIF) beginning in January 2025. The legislation would allow eligible officers to return to service without having to retake the same written and oral entry exams they already passed before their service.
Normally, Foreign Service Officers reappointed within five years of leaving the Service are not required to retake the Foreign Service Officer Test or its written and oral examination components to rejoin the Service after separation. The Foreign Service Test-Free Reentry Act would authorize the Secretary of State to waive those entry examinations when reappointing eligible career Foreign Service Officers who were involuntarily separated through RIFs between January 20, 2025, and January 31, 2030. The legislation applies only to career Foreign Service Officers who were serving in good standing at the time of their dismissal.
“The Trump purge of seasoned experts from the State Department have jeopardized the State Department, U.S. National Security and led to the greatest brain drain from our diplomatic corps in modern history,”said Ranking Member Meeks. “This legislation takes a positive step towards making it easier to reemploy those who were baselessly fired from their posts, and re-infuse our diplomatic corps with the expertise needed to address today’s many modern challenges.”
“President Trump and Secretary Rubio’s reckless purge of the State Department inflicted lasting damage on America’s diplomatic capacity by driving out some of our nation’s most experienced public servants,”said Rep. Beyer. “Our Foreign Service Officers have dedicated their lives to advancing America’s interests, protecting our national security, supporting American citizens overseas, and strengthening our alliances abroad. After years of distinguished service, they shouldn’t have to jump through unnecessary bureaucratic hoops to return to jobs they never should have lost in the first place.”
“Those who dutifully served as Foreign Service officers before the Trump Administration wrongfully terminated their service included some of our most talented and skilled international affairs experts in the United States government,”said Rep. Titus. “Our national security cannot afford to lose this institutional knowledge. The Foreign Service Test-Free Reentry Act would remove a barrier of reentry for these officers and ensure that they can continue to serve their country and foster a critical aspect of the nation’s soft power.”
“The Trump Administration’s cuts to the State Department have cost our country experienced diplomatic talent critical to protecting our national security and advancing America’s interests abroad,” said Rep. Walkinshaw. “I’m proud to support Congressman Don Beyer’s Foreign Service Test-Free Reentry Act, which ensures career Foreign Service Officers forced out through no fault of their own do not have to retake a test for jobs they are already qualified to hold. This commonsense legislation will help strengthen America’s diplomatic corps and make our nation safer.”
Congressman Johnny Olszewski (D-MD) and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) are original co-sponsors of the Foreign Service Test-Free Reentry Act.
This legislation is also supported by the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE).
“The Foreign Service Test-Free Reentry Act would quickly bring back experienced professionals who were involuntarily separated through no fault of their own, while protecting them from future policies requiring them to retake any part of the entrance exam,” said AFSA President John Dinkelman. “With critical staffing gaps, we cannot afford to sideline proven talent and years of institutional knowledge when they are ready to return and fill essential roles for our country.”
Full text of the Foreign Service Test-Free Reentry Act is available here.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jimmy Gomez (CA-34)
Washington, July 17, 2026
LOS ANGELES, CA — An unannounced congressional inspection by Congressman Jimmy Gomez today revealed that ICE is temporarily closing its B-18 detention facility in Downtown Los Angeles and transferring all 22 people currently detained there to a facility in Santa Ana.
ICE officials disclosed the planned closure and transfers after Gomez arrived at B-18 without advance notice to inspect conditions inside the facility. Officials told Gomez that the facility is being temporarily closed because ICE expects demonstrations in the area this weekend.
The closure and transfers had not been publicly announced before Gomez’s inspection.
“The public only knows about this because we showed up unannounced and demanded answers,” said Congressman Gomez. “I sued the Trump administration to protect Congress’s right to conduct these inspections, and I won. ICE cannot operate behind closed doors, and I will keep showing up to hold them accountable.”
Today’s disclosure demonstrates the importance of preserving Congress’s authority to conduct unannounced inspections of immigration detention facilities. After the Trump administration attempted to block Members of Congress from entering ICE facilities without advance notice, Gomez personally sued the administration and won, restoring Congress’s ability to conduct surprise oversight visits.
Since the Trump administration began its immigration raids in Los Angeles, Gomez has repeatedly confronted ICE and worked to protect the constitutional rights of people in his district. He went directly from the airport to Chinatown during the initial raids and successfully pressed federal agents to leave the area to defuse the situation. He has also conducted repeated detention-facility inspections, trained community members to serve as legal observers, organized town halls and provided legal resources to thousands of constituents.
Gomez also introduced the Make Housing Affordable and Defend Democracy Act, legislation that would redirect the Trump administration’s $175 billion funding increase for ICE and Customs and Border Protection toward housing affordability and working families.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman French Hill (AR-02)
Today, Rep. French Hill (AR-02) voted for H.R. 8595, the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2027, which passed the House with a bipartisan vote of 217-209. The bill strengthens American diplomacy and national security abroad, cuts foreign aid and counters our adversaries while supporting key allies, and supports education programs abroad like the Fulbright Exchange Program.
Rep. Hill said, “House Republicans are bringing sanity back to foreign spending and making sure every dollar we send abroad serves America’s national security. Arkansans never asked for their hard-earned tax dollars to be spent pushing ‘woke’ fads like DEI programs and gender ideology experiments on our strategic partners and allies. I voted for this bill to fund the things that actually advance our best interests, our diplomatic and intelligence operations, security assistance for real allies, and programs that reflect American values like religious freedom, the fight against human trafficking, and the Fulbright Exchange program. We’re also cutting off the regimes that work against America and demanding more accountability from those receiving our money. This bill respects taxpayers, advances our actual interests, and delivers the foreign policy Americans have been asking for.”
Background:
H.R. 8595, the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2027, provides a total discretionary allocation of $47.32 billion, which is $2.69 billion, or 6 percent, below the FY26 enacted level. The bill champions a foreign policy agenda that supports our allies, counters our adversaries, and eliminates contributions to organizations that are wasteful and contradictory to American values. It codifies President Trump’s executive orders to completely defund DEI programs, climate change mandates, and radical gender ideology programs, and maintains all long-standing pro-life provisions. It also counters the malign influence of the Chinese Communist Party by fully funding the Countering PRC Influence Fund at $400 million, denying the CCP access to U.S.-backed resources, and prohibiting countries from using U.S. aid to repay debts owed to Communist China.
Rep. Hill’s Priorities
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bruce Westerman (AR-04)
We all have a story to tell regarding our time in the classroom. Whether it was staying up late to finish a homework assignment, gathering with classmates to prepare for an upcoming exam, or even participating in extracurricular activities, our time from elementary to high school was deeply rooted in our homes and our communities.
For many of us – especially those who grew up in more rural areas like much of the Fourth District – school didn’t just stay on the campus; it extended into our everyday lives. Teachers led Sunday school and attended the same churches, coaches wandered through the produce section at our local grocery stores, and school administrators frequented the same restaurants, enjoying a meal with their own families.
Our education system is woven into the fabric of our personal lives and our community. And as such, the decisions made to best serve our schools, teachers, and students must be made at the state and local levels.
My time serving on a local school board and in the state legislature made that very apparent. A bureaucrat in Washington has no idea what is going on in the small town of Magnolia. They have no idea what funding priorities could have the greatest impact on students’ learning in Booneville or on supplying teachers with better resources in Hope.
Education works best when decisions are made as close to our students and their families as possible. That’s why I was pleased to see the U.S. Department of Education’s approval for Arkansas’ Returning Education to the States Waiver this week.
This waiver provides the Natural State with the flexibility needed to empower our local school districts while reducing overarching, out-of-touch federal bureaucracy. Education funding will become more streamlined, allowing local leaders to decide how federal funds are best spent. We’ll see greater accountability for alternative learning environments. At the heart of this waiver, our schools will be able to receive the resources they need to meet the unique needs of the students in their classrooms.
We’ve seen the latest testing results from this past school year, and we’ve been encouraged by the number of success stories, the students who are learning more effectively, and our teachers who feel more supported. Through the excellent work at the state level, we are preparing our students well for success through learning.
This waiver is another excellent step in the right direction for placing our local and state leaders back in the driver’s seat when it comes to Arkansas’ education system. In Washington, I remain committed to working on the federal level to champion legislation like my bill, the Focus on Learning Act, that empowers our states, uplifts our teachers, and supports our students.
Arkansas has the opportunity to lead the nation and set the standard for public education. By shifting the focus away from bureaucratic standards, we can begin to prioritize what is most important: teacher and student success. I look forward to continuing my work in Congress to achieve that goal not just for Arkansas, but for the United States as a whole.