MIL USHOR-2b Engine

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

Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) today ripped the “logic” of President Trump’s insane tariff regime to shreds today during a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on Trump’s trade policy with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

During the course of his testimony, Greer repeatedly advocated for increased tariffs on top U.S. trading partners – tariffs Trump abruptly paused during the hearing. Greer, who ostensibly serves as Trump’s top adviser on trade policy, obliviously continued to defend the paused tariffs to members of the Committee for some time until he was informed of the sudden change.

Video of Beyer’s exchange can be viewed here. Some of his comments to Ambassador Greer: 

“Ambassador Greer, you have a most awful job: to try to convince us and the people we represent that the President’s trade policies are wise and measured when the truth is they are stupid and bad.”
…
“I want to quickly run through a few of the ways the logic behind the Trump tariffs makes no sense. You got the math wrong, according to the people whose research you cited. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record a New York Times article by former Treasury official Brent Neiman titled, ‘The Trump White House Cited My Research to Justify Tariffs. It Got It All Wrong.’ This math error had the effect of quadrupling the tariffs Trump applied to some of our biggest trading partners.

“Trump exempted some goods – notably oil – but not others, including things we simply cannot produce in the United States. Why tariff bananas? Why tariff cocoa? Why tariff coffee? We don’t have the capacity to produce these things at a scale that meets domestic demand.

“Trump logic equates any trade deficit with ‘cheating,’ in fact he called it ‘rape.’ But even this stupid logic didn’t help Australia or Brazil or Singapore, all countries with whom we have a trade surplus. How does Australia negotiate an end to a trade deficit that doesn’t exist?

“Some countries have a deficit because we import things we want but they are too poor to afford our exports. A perfect example is Madagascar. We buy something like 60 percent of our vanilla from Madagascar, but they have one of the lowest GDP-per-capita rates in the world, and they just can’t afford many of our products. We just hit them with a 47% tariff.

Trump is hinting that maybe if countries lower tariffs on us he might drop tariffs on them, a little bit or some or possibly. But Vietnam, knowing that Trump was coming, massively cut their tariffs on the U.S. to appease him ahead of his announcement last week. Instead you slapped a 46% tariff on them anyway. So what are the Vietnamese supposed to do?

“Trump declared a phony national emergency and imposed tariffs on Canada to punish our closest ally for ‘fentanyl smuggling,’ despite the fact that our own government says the amount of smuggling at the northern border is vanishingly small, less than one percent. How does Canada get out of tariffs imposed for something we admit they’re not doing?

“Trump is risking our economy to bring back factory jobs that pay far less than the 8 million jobs listed in the JOLTS report right now, 8 million jobs available in America, that pay far more in fast-growing like health care, clean energy, or data science.

“The Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, is on television raving about shifting millions of Americans to work on, and I quote, “screwing in little screws to make iPhones.”

“You guys are blasting nearly every product from nearly every country with these tariffs, Senator Tillis yesterday called it ‘a trade war on all fronts.’ It hurts our alliances, it is hurting our economy, it hurts our ability to make and keep free trade agreements – which is supposedly your job.”

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

Washington, DC – Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke on the House Floor in opposition to the reckless Republican budget which would enact the largest Medicaid cut in American history and raise cuts on hardworking American taxpayers. 

Leader Jeffries: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let me also thank the distinguished gentleman from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Representative Boyle who’s doing a tremendous job leading House Democrats on the Budget Committee.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I urged you to join me on the House Floor to debate this reckless budget one-on-one, so we would have an opportunity to fully air—in a transparent way—before the American people, Democratic values and Republican values, the Democratic perspective on this budget and the Republican perspective. I’m on the House floor right now. We’re ready to debate, one-on-one, prepared to yield to you for a colloquy at any time, so we can discuss the Democratic vision for building an affordable economy, that lowers costs and makes life better for the American people and the Republican budget proposal that would enact the largest Medicaid cut in American history in order to pass massive tax breaks for your billionaire donors like Elon Musk. Mr. Speaker, I’m ready to yield. I’m ready to debate one-on-one on this House Floor. And I promise not to rebuke you in the name of Jesus.

Here in America, we were told—we were told by Donald Trump and House Republicans that you were going to lower the high cost of living for everyday Americans. In fact, we were told that you were going to do it on day one, and it hasn’t happened. President Trump and House Republicans told us that you were going to deliver the golden age of America. But over the last several months, we haven’t witnessed the golden age of America. We’ve witnessed a rotten age. You are crashing the economy in real time, driving us toward a Republican recession that’s going to hurt children, hurt families, hurt seniors, hurt everyday Americans, hurt veterans and hurt people across the land.

You haven’t done anything to address the high cost of living. As Democrats, we recognize that America is too expensive. The cost of living in this great country is far too high. Housing costs are too high. Grocery costs are too high, insurance costs are too high, utility costs are too high and childcare costs are too high. America is too expensive. We should be working to lower the high cost of living. Far too many people in this country can’t get ahead, and they can barely get by, struggling to make ends meet, living paycheck to paycheck. We should be acting decisively to address the high cost of living. President Trump promised costs would go down on day one. Costs aren’t going down, they’re going up. Inflation is going up. Consumer confidence is coming down. And these reckless policies, including the Trump tariffs, are driving us toward a recession. And on top of it all, you are presenting a budget that’s going to make things worse.

So we stand here today in strong opposition to this reckless Republican budget. It’s a cruel budget. It’s a budget that will have catastrophic consequences on everyday Americans. It’s an assault on the economy, it’s an assault on Medicaid, an assault on health care, an assault on nutritional assistance to children and families, it’s an assault on older Americans, an assault on hospitals and nursing homes and Community Health Centers, it’s an assault on veterans, which is why we reject it, because we’re going to stand on the side of the American people.

Now, there are so many different problems with this budget resolution, but let’s begin with the fact that Republicans are setting in motion the largest Medicaid cut in American history. That’s going to hurt people all across this country, in small-town America, in urban America, in rural America, in the heartland of America, in Appalachia. All across this country, people will be hurt. Health care will be taken away from children, pregnant women, everyday Americans with disabilities, older Americans, people in nursing homes, people who are receiving long-term care. Nursing homes will close. That will impact everybody in a given community. Hospitals will shut down in rural America, in small-town America, all across America. The largest Medicaid cut in American history. It’s completely and totally unacceptable.

At the same period of time, targeting nutritional assistance for children, infants, women, families, veterans, older Americans—literally taking food out of the mouths of babies in the United States of America, the wealthiest country in the history of the world. This is why we say it’s a cruel budget. It’s a callous budget. It’s a budget that will have catastrophic consequences. Veterans will be hurt—people who have served this country admirably. They stood up for us. We should always stand up for them, not target them, as will be the case in this reckless Republican budget.

And so, we’re here to make it clear. Hands off Medicaid. Hands off the health care of the United States of America. Hands off nutritional assistance. Hands off veterans. Hands off everyday Americans struggling to make ends meet. Republicans do nothing to lower the high cost of living. In fact, you’re making the affordability crisis in America worse, not better, then you target earned benefits and things that are important to the American people, like Medicaid, to visit upon it such an extreme cut. And what are you doing it for? What is it in service of? All to pass massive tax breaks for your billionaire donors like Elon Musk. The president himself has made that clear. At the end of the day, that’s what this is all about. How extraordinary is that? As Democrats, we support tax cuts for everyday Americans, tax cuts for small businesses, tax cuts for family farmers, tax cuts for those who need relief, not tax cuts for the wealthy, the well-off and the well-connected. And so, we stand in strong opposition to this GOP tax scam.

The reason why, Mr. Speaker, I’ve said, let’s debate this on the House Floor, directly, through a colloquy, transparently, to make it clear to the American people where we stand and where Republicans stand at such a fragile moment with so many people in this country struggling to make ends meet. And so, as House Democrats, we’re going to continue to stand on the side of the American people. We’re going to stand on the side of our children, of our families, of our veterans, of older Americans, of everyone aspiring to achieve the American dream. Stand up in defense of Medicaid, stand up in defense of veterans benefits, stand up in defense of nutritional assistance, stand up in defense of economic opportunity and a fair tax code that is designed to build an economy that actually works for everyday Americans, as opposed to an economy of the billionaires, by the billionaires and for the billionaires. That is why we strongly oppose this reckless Republican budget resolution and we will not rest until we bury it in the ground, never to rise again. I yield back.

Full speech can be watched here.

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

Text of Letter (PDF)

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) joined 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), Stephen Lynch (MA-08), and Bill Keating (MA-09) – in demanding 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.

Congresswoman Pressley has been a leading voice in Congress speaking out against Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s unprecedented assault on our democracy and federal agencies, and she has been a steadfast advocate for protecting the essential services that federal workers and agencies provide.

• On April 9, 2025, Rep. Pressley led lawmakers in sending a letter to Trump’s trade official demanding he resign from holding multiple positions with clear conflicts of interest that would further harm federal workers.
• On March 28, 2025, Rep. Pressley issued a statement slamming Trump’s executive order to end collective bargaining rights for hundreds of thousands of federal employees.
• On March 21, 2025, Rep. Pressley led Massachusetts lawmakers in a letter to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) sharply criticizing and demanding answers about the impact of the Musk-Trump Administration’s mass firings of federal workers in Massachusetts.
• On March 11, 2025, Rep. Pressley spoke out against the U.S. Department of Education’s mass layoffs of over 1,300 workers, which effectively guts the agency.
• On March 11, 2025, Rep. Pressley voted against Republicans’ shameful government budget bill, which would harm vulnerable families and provide a blank check for Elon Musk and Donald Trump to continue their unprecedented assault on our democracy. She later issued a statement condemning its final passage in the Senate.
• On March 11, 2025, Rep. Pressley joined 13 of her colleagues on a letter to the Department of Homeland Security demanding answers and the immediate release of Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil, whose illegal abduction is an attack on his constitutional right to free speech and due process.
• On March 4, 2025, Rep. Pressley walked out of the House chamber in protest during Donald Trump’s presidential joint address to Congress.
• On March 4, 2025, Rep. Pressley welcomed Claire Bergstresser, an Everett constituent, dedicated public servant, AFGE union member, and former HUD worker who was unjustly terminated as part of Musk and Trump’s assault on federal agencies as her guest to the presidential joint address to Congress.
• On February 28, 2025, Rep. Pressley led 85 lawmakers in a letter urging the Office of Special Counsel to immediate reinstate and expand protections for all unfairly fired federal workers.
• On February 28, 2025, Rep. Pressley joined over 200 Democrats in filing an amicus brief defending the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau before a U.S. District Court.
• On February 26, 2025, in a House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Pressley discussed what true government efficiency looks like and denounced Elon Musk and Donald Trump for utilizing DOGE to gut the essential services that keep people safe, fed, and housed.
• On February 25, 2025, in a House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Pressley condemned Elon Musk’s abuse of government efficiency through the fraudulent Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
• On February 25, 2025, Rep. Pressley delivered a floor speech in which she railed against Republicans’ cruel budget resolution that would slash Medicaid by nearly $1 trillion.
• On February 20, 2025, Rep. Pressley and her Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs issued a statement condemning the Trump Administration’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti.
• On February 13, 2025, in a House Financial Services Committee hearing, Rep. Pressley emphasized the critical role of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in safeguarding consumers and sharply criticized Donald Trump and Elon Musk for halting the critical work of the agency.
• On February 10, 2025, Rep. Pressley rallied with Senator Elizabeth Warren, Ranking Member Maxine Waters, and advocates to protest Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s unlawful takeover of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
• On February 11, 2025, in a House Financial Services Committee hearing, Rep. Pressley criticized the Trump-Musk administration for halting the critical work of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) with crypto scams on the rise.
• On February 10, 2025, Rep. Pressley issued a statement slamming the Trump Administration’s harmful cuts to National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding to support hospitals, universities, and research institutions conducting lifesaving research.
• On February 10, 2025, as Trump and Musk threaten to dismantle the essential work of the U.S. Department of Education, Rep.  Pressley delivered a powerful floor speech to affirm the role of public education in American democracy.
• On February 6, 2025, in a House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Pressley delivered a powerful rebuke of Republicans’ efforts to gut diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and eliminate essential services for vulnerable communities.
• On February 5, 2025, Rep. Pressley rallied outside the U.S. Department of Treasury to protest Elon Musk’s unlawful assault on federal agencies and our democracy.
• On January 30, 2025, Rep. Pressley slammed Donald Trump for blaming the tragic plane crash at Reagan National Airport, which killed over 60 people, including some families from Massachusetts, on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
• In January 2025, Rep. Pressley issued a statement slamming Trump’s illegal freeze on federal grants and loans and its harmful impact on vulnerable communities.
• On January 23, 2025, Rep. Pressley delivered an impassioned floor speech condemning Republicans’ cruel anti-abortion bill that criminalizes providers and denies families care.
• On January 23, 2025, Rep. Pressley joined her colleagues to reintroduce the Neighbors Not Enemies Act, a bill to repeal an outdated law that has been used to target innocent immigrants without due process rights.
• On January 22, 2025, Rep. Pressley issued a statement condemning the Trump Administration’s harmful executive actions on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

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

Stefanik, Messmer’s Bill Expanding Child and Dependent Care Advances out of Committee | Press Releases | Congresswoman Elise Stefanik

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Sean Casten (IL-06)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Raul Ruiz (36th District of California)

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz joined Ranking Member Diana DeGette and fellow members of the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee in demanding a meeting with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., amid growing concerns over his DOGE-directed staff cuts and the escalating bird flu and measles outbreaks.

For more than two months, the Energy and Commerce Committee has requested a meeting or hearing with Secretary Kennedy’s office—requests that have gone entirely unanswered.

This morning, the members arrived at the Department of Health and Human Services headquarters seeking a long-overdue conversation. They were met by two security officers who allowed them entry but offered no further communication. No Assistant Secretary, Under Secretary, or representative from Secretary Kennedy’s office came to the lobby to acknowledge or respond to the delegation.

After waiting for over 30 minutes without any engagement from the Department, Congressman Ruiz and the Subcommittee members stepped outside to hold a press conference highlighting the continued lack of transparency and responsiveness from Secretary Kennedy’s team.

A small portion of the Congressman’s remarks are quoted below, and the full video can be found at the bottom of this press release: 

“We want to know why in the middle of a measles outbreak, with over 640 cases, 3 deaths. Why are they cutting the [HHS] staff who are keeping us safe, to do the research, to help us administer the vaccines in the communities?

“One out of four people have been fired from Health and Human Services. In addition to that, they have cut nearly 12 billion dollars in funding that help promote the vaccine throughout our country and this is despicable, when we know that the most effective way of preventing measles is the MMR vaccine.”

For pictures of the press conference click here.

For video of the press conference click here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Juan Vargas (CA-51)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Juan Vargas (CA-51)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Representatives Mike Kelly (R-PA), Marilyn Strickland (D-WA), Pat Harrigan (R-NC), and Nikema Williams (D-GA) announced the reintroduction of the House Small Brewers Caucus in the 119th Congress. These members will serve as caucus co-chairs.

“Small breweries are also small businesses. They employ thousands of people across Pennsylvania and contribute more than $5 billion to the commonwealth’s economy,” said Rep. Kelly. “As Co-Chair of the House Small Brewers Caucus, I look forward to working on policy that keeps Pennsylvania’s beer industry brewing for years to come.”

“Small brewers are a critical part of the Washington and South Sound economy,” said Congresswoman Strickland. “Relaunching this caucus means that this industry, small businesses, and their workers are supported across our region, and our country.” 

“North Carolina is home to some of the most innovative and hard-working brewers in the country,” said Congressman Harrigan. “These small businesses create jobs, attract investment, and strengthen the fabric of our communities. I’m proud to support them and to help lead this caucus as we work to cut red tape and keep this industry growing.”

“In Georgia’s Fifth District and across the country, small brewers are making a big splash. With a market value of $715 million in Georgia, small brewers demonstrate the impact small businesses can have on a community. These establishments create jobs, engage with their local neighborhoods, and promote economic and structural development. I am proud to help small brewers grow everywhere,” said Congresswoman Williams.

BACKGROUND

The House Small Brewers Caucus advocates for the 9,736 small and independent breweries in the United States. Craft breweries are vital small businesses and focal points of the communities in which they reside. In 2024, craft breweries supported nearly 460,000 jobs nationwide and contributed $77.1 billion to the U.S. economy, according to the Brewers Association.

Pennsylvania ranks third nationally with 530 craft breweries calling the Keystone State home.

Previously, as Co-Chair of the House Small Brewers Caucus, Rep. Kelly led the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act. This legislation would make permanent the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act’s (TCJA) excise tax reduction on breweries, wineries, and distilled spirits producers.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Huffman Representing the 2nd District of California

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