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Source: {United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bobby Scott (3rd District of Virginia)

Headline: Democrats Demand McMahon Reverse Abrupt Policy Change Halting Funding for Schools Nationwide

Top authorizers and appropriators press Trump’s Department of Education for details about its’ abrupt halt of funding for state governments and school districts that adds a bureaucratic hurdle to reimbursement and will harm student recovery following the pandemic.

Source: {United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bobby Scott (3rd District of Virginia)

Headline: Education Leaders Demand Answers on Trump’s Attempts to Dismantle Museum and Library Services

As originally released by the Committee on Education and Workforce, Democrats

WASHINGTON – House Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee Ranking Member Alma S. Adams (NC-12) are demanding answers from Institute of Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS) Acting Chair Keith Sonderling following President Trump’s executive order to unilaterally eliminate the agency. 

“We write seeking document and information from the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS) about its response to recent actions by President Trump dismantle the agency, actions which threaten the ability of libraries and museums across the country to serve their communities,”wrote the Members.  “Libraries provide not only books and reference materials but serve as a natural hub for a multitude of community services including early and adult literacy programs, workforce development opportunities, broadband and technology access, and resources for individuals with disabilities. 

The Members continued, “IMLS has a legal responsibility to continue administering all grants authorized and appropriated by Congress, and we urge you to take this responsibility seriously, and others mandated under MLSA.” 

On Friday, March 14, President Trump issued Executive Order 14238 (EO), “Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy.” This EO purportedly eliminated IMLS within the bounds of the law.  However, subsequent actions taken by IMLS have been inconsistent with the EO. 

As the sole federal agency supporting museum and library services, the letter follows reports of IMLS grants canceled without cause and the subsequent quiet placement of employees on administrative leave with device access revoked.  

To read the full letter, click here.

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Source: {United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bobby Scott (3rd District of Virginia)

Headline: Labor Leaders Introduce Bill to Raise Minimum Wage

The Raise the Wage Act of 2025 would gradually raise the minimum wage to $17 by 2030 and give roughly 22 million Americans a long-overdue raise.

Source: {United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bobby Scott (3rd District of Virginia)

Headline: Scott Slams Republican Budget Resolution

WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), a member of the House Budget Committee, spoke during floor debate ahead of a vote on the Trump-Republican budget resolution.

 

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in opposition to this resolution, yet again. We hear speech after speech from the other side about the deficit and debt and, here, we see this resolution which increases the deficit. Let’s start with some facts. Every single Democratic presidential administration since Kennedy has left for their Republican successor a better deficit situation than they inherited. And every Republican president since Nixon, their administration has left for the Democrats a WORSE deficit situation than they inherited. All without exception.

“So here we are again. A Republican president following a Democratic president. And once again we have a budget that will explode the deficit and national debt just like clockwork with their tax cuts for corporations and the top 1%. Trump’s first term added over $7 trillion to the national debt. And he wants to double down, and do it all over again.

“As the Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and Workforce, I am particularly outraged that Republicans want to partially fund tax cuts for corporations and billionaires by making cuts to education programs and child nutrition programs. And this resolution will direct them to cut Medicaid, ripping health care away from millions of Americans.

“There is nothing fiscally responsible about this budget. It will add to the deficit and the resolution wants to further inflict pain on working families and the middle class.

“Mr. Speaker, I would ask my colleagues to oppose this resolution for the damage it will do to the economy and to the deficit. Thank you, I yield back.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II (5th District Missouri)

The Raise the Wage Act would gradually raise the minimum wage to $17 by 2030 and give roughly 22 million Americans a long-overdue raise

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

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) today introduced a bill to make the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation (USRC), a nonprofit responsible for managing and operating Union Station in D.C., eligible for funding under several federal transportation grant programs.

“Union Station is the second busiest Amtrak station in the country. It is an architectural marvel that has played a vital role in our nation’s history. Yet, it has not undergone major renovation in nearly 40 years,” Congresswoman Norton said. “The planned redevelopment and expansion of Union Station represents a historic transportation and economic development opportunity for D.C. and the National Capital Region, but billions of dollars are needed to carry it out. This bill would give USRC access to critical funding.”

“Union Station is the gateway to our nation’s capital for visitors and regional commuters alike, including thousands of Marylanders and District residents every day, but it is long overdue for critical upgrades. This legislation will unlock major federal funding opportunities for this important regional transit hub,” said Senator Van Hollen.

Union Station is a vital local, regional and national intermodal transportation hub that welcomes approximately 70,000 travelers and visitors each day—more than either Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport or Washington Dulles International Airport. It is owned by the federal government, and USRC manages and operates it exclusively under a lease. Due to its federal ownership and management structure, it is currently ineligible for federal grant funding. As such, the station has not undergone major renovation since the 1980s.

Congresswoman Norton and Senator Van Hollen’s Union Station Redevelopment Corporation Funding Eligibility Act allows USRC to apply for funding under four major U.S. Department of Transportation infrastructure funding programs: the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail (FSP) Program, the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program, the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Program and the National Infrastructure Project Assistance Program, also known as the Mega Program.

Norton’s introductory statement follows.

 

Statement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton

On the Introduction of the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation Funding Eligibility Act

April 9, 2025

Today, I introduce the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation Funding Eligibility Act, which would make the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation (USRC) eligible for funding under the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail (FSP) Program, the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program, the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Program and the National Infrastructure Project Assistance Program, also known as the Mega Program.  Funding under these transportation programs is essential to implement the planned expansion and modernization of Union Station in the District of Columbia, known as the Washington Union Station Expansion Project (USEP).  Senator Chris Van Hollen has introduced this bill in the Senate.

Union Station is owned by the federal government, and USRC, a nonprofit, manages and operates the station under a lease with the federal government. The members of USRC’s board of directors are the Federal Railroad Administration, Amtrak, the Federal City Council, the District of Columbia and the USRC President and CEO.  USRC is the only entity exclusively dedicated to the management and operations of Union Station and therefore should be eligible for funding under the FSP Program, the CRISI Program, the BUILD Program and the Mega Program.

Union Station is a vital local, regional and national intermodal transportation hub that, pre-pandemic, welcomed more than 100,000 travelers and visitors each day—more than either Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport or Washington Dulles International Airport.  Located five blocks from the U.S. Capitol, Union Station serves as a gateway to the nation’s capital, as well as the backbone that connects East Coast passenger rail lines to the north and south.  People rely on Union Station every day to get to work and to visit the nation’s capital. 

Despite the vital role Union Station plays in the nation’s capital, it has not undergone major renovation since the 1980s.  The USEP represents a historic transportation and economic development opportunity for the nation’s capital and the national capital region, but billions of dollars are needed to carry it out.  This bill would give USRC access to critical funding.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (8th District of Illinois)

WASHINGTON – This week, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) joined his colleagues on the House Committee on Government Oversight and Reform in urging Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to stop his dangerous purge of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) staff. In the letter to the secretary, Congressman Krishnamoorthi raised the concern of increased outbreaks and more contaminated food and foodborne illness if President Donald Trump and his administration continue their mass firings of staff and threats to the agency’s funding. Congressman Krishnamoorthi, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services, was joined on the letter by Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Ranking Member of the full Oversight Committee, and Congressman Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the Military and Foreign Affairs.

“We write with concern that the Trump Administration’s decision to fire thousands of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) staff will cause rampant outbreaks of foodborne illness and make food products less safe for consumers. Staff reductions like those championed by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk will undermine FDA’s ability to ensure the safety of our nation’s food supply,” the Members wrote. “We request information pertaining to the Trump Administration’s decision to eliminate FDA staff responsible for monitoring the safety of our food supply and preventing foodborne illness.” 

On March 24, 2025, HHS announced plans to purge 3,500 people from FDA, a 20% cut to the agency’s workforce. These dramatic cuts include more than 170 FDA staff from the Office of Inspections and Investigations, despite the fact that food safety programs at FDA have been chronically underfunded for decades.  

In 2024, FDA employed only 443 food safety inspectors to inspect every food processing facility in its jurisdiction—far short of the 1,500 inspectors the agency estimates it would need to inspect 36,600 food facilities in the United States and abroad.   

“We urge you to halt all further cuts to FDA personnel. FDA workers protect the safety of our food and ensure that companies do not profit from lax oversight at the expense of American consumers. FDA should continue to use every tool in its arsenal to protect our most vulnerable. Cutting food safety personnel when foodborne illnesses are on the rise directly contradicts the agency’s mission of protecting public health,” the Members concluded. 

The Members requested that Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. provide documents and information by April 22, 2025.

Click here to read the letter to Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Richard Neal (D-MA)

Letter Text PDF

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Richard E. Neal, Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Committee, and the entire Massachusetts Congressional delegation – Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), and Representatives Jim McGovern (MA-02), Lori Trahan (MA-03), Jake Auchincloss (MA-04), Katherine Clark (MA-05), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Stephen Lynch (MA-08), and Bill Keating (MA-09) – demanded answers from the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. after the abrupt shuttering of the entire HHS Regional Office (RO) in Boston, Massachusetts, on April 1, 2025.

In the letter, the lawmakers write, “It is impossible to overstate the lasting consequences this reckless action will have on every single person in this region—whether the families who rely on Region 1 employees dutifully overseeing child care licensing systems to ensure they deliver quality care to our children, or the coordination these civil servants conduct with state survey agencies to make sure all our nursing homes meet federal safety standards. Through steadfast commitment to the programs they oversee, employees of ROs provide a service to all of us whether we know it or not.”

The HHS Boston RO employs hundreds of workers who serve Americans from Maine to Connecticut. As the economic catastrophe caused by Trump’s Tariff Tax devastates communities and businesses across the country, the administration continues to make senseless layoffs, adding even more individuals to the ranks of the unemployed. These job losses will have trickle-down effects on other businesses in the area during an already challenging time.

The Boston RO specializes in health care innovation, partnering with drug companies, biotech groups, and other innovators to ensure gaps in research are being filled and the cures of tomorrow come to fruition. Eliminating the Boston RO will both deny the people of New England access to public health officials with expertise in our local communities and halt innovation in its tracks, with ramifications felt by the whole country for generations to come.

The ROs are also on the front lines of fighting fraud, waste, and abuse alongside local law enforcement, as well as the vanguard coordinating responses against disease and outbreaks. Its closure will leave our communities and our programs less safe.

The lawmakers continue, “It could open our region to massive risks of fraud and abuse of our vital federal programs. And it could provide the pathway for another pernicious disease to sweep the nation, absent vital on-the-ground detection and coordination among public health experts. We do not take lightly this attack on the health of our constituents and the unceremonious termination of thousands of experts living in our communities who make us all safer.”

The Boston Regional Office property is desirable real estate and appeared on an early list of properties Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) group wished to “auction off”, raising questions about whether this action has ulterior motives – enabling Trump acolytes to cash in on real estate deals while ordinary Americans suffer from loss of services. The Trump Administration has shown a complete disregard for Americans’ needs, closing Social Security offices and curtailing customer service. This RO closure is just another effort to make it more difficult for our constituents to access the health and safety protections they count on the federal government to provide.

The lawmakers are demanding detailed answers as to the basis of this decision, its effect on constituent health, and how HHS will continue serving individuals in the region. They request answers to the following questions by April 18:

·       Please provide a list of each division within the Boston RO that was eliminated, a description of its core functions, a summary of staff expertise, program staff caseloads for each overseen program at the time of closing, and all documentation justifying the Department’s decision to close each division within the RO.

·       Please provide the Department’s analysis of the impact this regional closure will have on costs and health outcomes for the 15 million residents of New England, as well as the local economy.

·       Please provide a detailed analysis of how the remaining five ROs will take over the responsibilities of the Boston RO, including total caseloads, in beneficiaries served and dollars managed, for the staff taking over New England responsibilities, and any anticipated hirings or training to offset the caseload inundation and loss of regional expertise.

·       Please provide a detailed analysis of anyways responsibilities of the Boston RO which will be absorbed by HHS headquarters, including the current and new responsibilities of any headquarters staff assuming responsibilities and any anticipated hirings to offset the caseload inundation and loss of regional expertise.

·       Please provide a detailed analysis of the anticipated additional wait times for services previously provided by staff at the Region 1 RO, such as the approval of Medicaid State Plan Amendments, enrollments of new providers into Medicare, surveys of nursing homes, child care licensing inspections, state plan approvals, and cost allocation agreements.

·       Please explain the Administration’s plan for the now-vacant real estate that previously housed the Boston RO.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11)

WASHINGTON, DC — As Speaker Mike Johnson and Washington Republicans continue to enable President Trump’s unprecedented attacks on federal judges, Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) re-introduced legislation to prevent right-wing manipulation of the court system through a tactic known as “judge shopping.” Judge shopping is utilized by Republican activists, like anti-abortion advocates, to cherry-pick ultra-conservative judges — and guarantee favorable decisions — by filing lawsuits in single-judge divisions of United States District Courts. 

Meanwhile, House Republicans brought legislation to the floor for a vote — the No Rogue Rulings Act — that would limit district court judges from issuing nationwide injunctions, curbing their constitutional authority, and pairing back our system of checks and balances. 

“House Republicans are abdicating their constitutional responsibility to serve as a check on the illegal actions of the Trump administration. Instead, they are attempting to strip federal judges of their authority to stop the President’s unlawful orders. If Washington Republicans were serious about addressing court manipulation, they would support my bill to crack down on judge shopping, a tactic deployed to obtain favorable decisions from hand-picked judges.

“Judge shopping was the tool right-wing extremists used to attack access to mifepristone, a form of medication abortion — along with other health and safety regulations conservatives opposed. My bill would end this unfair practice, because I refuse to let conservative activists weaponize the court to further their agenda and strip away our fundamental rights,” said Rep. Sherrill.

“There will always be some gamesmanship by parties when deciding which federal court to file their lawsuit in. But there’s forum-shopping and then there are guaranteed judge draws, the latter of which are assured in single-judge divisions and are antithetical to the American legal system’s goal of fairness. Thankfully, Congress possesses the constitutional authority to modify the structure of the federal courts, and I commend Rep. Sherrill’s legislation to do so by restoring the veil of ignorance to judicial assignments, thereby making our courts more trustworthy and impartial,” said Gabe Roth, Executive Director, Fix the Court. 

“A litigant should not be able to handpick the judge who will hear their case,” said Debra Perlin, Vice President for Policy at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. “But no federal law prevents judge shopping, thus allowing litigants to effectively choose who will oversee their litigation by filing actions in divisions with only a single judge. By preventing cases of nationwide consequence from being filed in a single-judge division, however, Rep. Sherrill’s End Judge Shopping Act prevents this manipulation of the judicial system. CREW applauds Rep. Sherrill for reintroducing this commonsense legislation to restore public faith in the independence and impartiality of our judiciary.”

In February, the American Bar Association adopted a resolution supporting congressional action to address judge shopping, and in a recent publication, the Harvard Law Review highlighted Rep. Sherrill’s bill in discussing the benefits of restricting judge shopping. 

Rep. Sherrill is a former federal prosecutor and has been a strong champion for abortion rights. In the wake of the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA case in Texas, Rep. Sherrill gathered leaders from Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and Agile Therapeutics for a panel discussion on the threat to abortion access in New Jersey. She has also introduced legislation on protecting the reproductive rights of servicewomen and access to emergency abortion care. 

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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) and U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) are raising the alarm over escalating violence in the West Bank, especially following the violent assault of Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, an Oscar-winning co-director of the documentary, No Other Land. The letter demands President Trump reinstate sanctions against individuals who perpetrate violence that undermines regional stability and security in the West Bank.

“The assault on Mr. Ballal occurred against the backdrop of intensified Israeli military operations across the West Bank,” wrote the Members. “Given the gravity of this attack and its implications on the ability of Palestinian civilians to advocate for self-determination peacefully, the U.S. must put pressure on the Israeli government to hold perpetrators accountable.”

On March 24, 2025, Ballal was attacked by a group of Israeli settlers in the village of Susiya in the occupied West Bank. The account of the attack from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) differs greatly from witness reports, which also claim that the IDF did not intervene and instead handcuffed Ballal after he sustained serious injuries.  

“Given Mr. Ballal’s platform, we are especially concerned that this violent attack and failure to hold his

perpetrators accountable suppresses his freedom of speech and those who tell Palestinian stories,” continued the Members. “While it is important to dismantle militant cells in the West Bank that

threaten the security of the Israeli people, we are concerned recent Israeli operations have

disproportionately impacted Palestinian civilians.”

This assault occurred as tensions continue to rise in the occupied West Bank during intensified military operations by the IDF forces. Since January, operations have displaced more than 40,000 Palestinians. 

Ballal is a director of the Oscar-winning documentary, No Other Land, which chronicles how difficult life is for Palestinians under occupation. 

The full letter can be read here.

The letter was also signed by Bernard Sanders (I-VT) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) as well as Representatives Becca Balint (VT-AL), André Carson (IN-07), Greg Casar (TX-35), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05), Steve Cohen (TN-09), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Maxwell Frost (FL-10), Jesús G. “Chuy” García (IL-04), Jonathan L. Jackson (IL-01), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson Jr. (GA-04), Seth Magaziner (RI-02), Betty McCollum (MN-04), James P. McGovern (MA-02), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Janice D. Schakowsky (IL-09), Melanie A. Stansbury (NM-01), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07), Maxine Waters (CA-43), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12).

It is also endorsed by Endorsing Organizations: American Friends of Combatants for Peace, CAIR Action, Center for Jewish Nonviolence, Church Women United in New York State, Christian-Jewish Allies for a Just Peace for Israel/Palestine, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), Friends Committee on National Legislation, Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA), IfNotNow Movement, J Street, Jahalin Solidarity, MARUF CT, Medglobal, Minnesota Peace Project, MPower Change Action Fund, Muslim Civic Coalition, Muslims United PAC, New Jewish Narrative, Oasis Legal Services, Partners for Progressive Israel, Peace Action, Peace, Justice, Sustainability NOW!, ReThinking Foreign Policy, RootsAction, Upte Members for Palestine, Voices for Justice in Palestine, WILPF, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, US Section (WILPF US), and Win Without War.

Issues: Foreign Affairs & National Security