MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jerrold Nadler (10th District of New York)

Washington D.C. — Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-12) released the following statement after voting against final passage of the Surface Transportation Reauthorization bill during the Transportation and Infrastructure full committee markup:

“I appreciate the bipartisan work that went into this bill and the good faith we engaged in today, but I must oppose final passage.

“At a moment when our transportation system needs bold, balanced investment, this legislation is insufficient. It continues a familiar pattern: highways are treated as the default national priority, while rail and transit are left fighting for insufficient resources, despite carrying millions of people, supporting regional economies, and reducing congestion.

“That imbalance is especially harmful to New Yorkers. The MTA keeps the nation’s largest city and regional economy moving. The Northeast Corridor is one of the most important transportation and economic assets in the country. Unfortunately, this bill fails to provide the scale of investment needed to address aging infrastructure, improve reliability, and meet riders’ needs.

“I am concerned that this bill creates new electric vehicle fees without ensuring that those revenues support a truly multimodal transportation system. At a time when we should be encouraging American innovation, manufacturing, and adoption of cleaner vehicles, this approach risks undercutting a growing industry while locking new revenues into the same highway-dominated framework. EV users should contribute fairly, but those dollars should help build a modern system that supports transit, rail, and congestion-reducing investments—not simply reinforce the imbalances of the past.

“This bill also fails to adequately protect communities from political interference in transportation decisions. New Yorkers have seen federal power used to threaten Gateway, attack congestion pricing, and reshape Penn Station behind closed doors. Congress should be strengthening oversight and transparency, not leaving critical projects vulnerable to political gamesmanship.

“This bill is also a step backward on climate. It abandons successful IIJA programs like the Carbon Reduction Program, which helped states reduce greenhouse gas pollution from transportation, and significantly weakens EV charging programs just as the country should be building out clean transportation options. Coupled with the prioritization of highways over rail and transit, this bill opens the door to more emissions and pollution for already overburdened communities. A transportation bill should reduce emissions and give people cleaner, more efficient choices, not increase reliance on cars and trucks. I refuse to support a bill that not only fails to meaningfully address climate change but also worsens the climate emergency.”

“For these reasons, I must oppose final passage. This bill does not do enough for rail, transit, accountability, or the balanced transportation system Americans need.”

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

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

Larsen’s Bipartisan Bill Invests $580 Billion in Job-Creating Infrastructure

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

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Jesús Chuy García (IL-04)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following statement after consideration of the BUILD America 250 Act in the full committee:

“Funding our roads, bridges, transit, passenger rail, and other critical infrastructure is vital to the economic health and mobility of our communities. As a Member representing the Chicagoland region and serving on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I take this responsibility seriously.

“I appreciate the bipartisan effort from Chairman Graves and Ranking Member Larsen on the five-year surface transportation reauthorization effort. The BUILD America 250 Act is a major investment in our infrastructure and includes many provisions I pushed for, including reauthorization of the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise and Bridge Investment programs, along with significant regulations that protect drivers and operators.

“The bill is far from perfect. I have significant concerns about the lack of guardrails requiring the Trump Administration to implement these laws, the failure to prioritize fixing our existing road infrastructure before funding expansions, and the gutting of clean transportation programs. My Democratic colleagues and I offered amendments at today’s markup to address these concerns, and I strongly believe the bill should be strengthened before it comes to the floor.

“Given the enormous importance of these programs to my district and the Chicagoland region, I voted to support this bill. I will continue working with Chairman Graves, Ranking Member Larsen, and our colleagues to improve it and ensure it fully addresses the urgent needs of communities like mine.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08), sent a letter urging the Trump Administration to address deteriorating conditions in The Enchantments Wilderness, which have threatened the environment, visitor safety, conservation efforts, and local economies. 

“Over the past year, I have heard increasingly dire warnings from local officials, recreation groups, conservation organizations, and members of the public about inadequate U.S. Forest Service management of The Enchantments,” Congresswoman Schrier writes. “Maintaining sustainable access to some of our nation’s most beautiful wilderness matters economically as well as environmentally, helping sustain the businesses and communities connected to recreation in Central Washington.” 

The letter continues, “I urge the Forest Service to address these persisting issues by restoring sufficient staffing and implementing a thoughtfully-designed day use management system that aligns with the capacity of the landscape and infrastructure.”

This effort builds on Congresswoman Schrier’s past actions, including letters urging the Trump Administration to address poor Forest Service trail conditions and insufficient staffing in The Enchantments Wilderness Area. 

To read the full letter, click here. 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Levin (CA-49)

May 21, 2026

Watch Rep. Levin’s Remarks Here

Washington, D.C.—During a House Appropriations Committee markup, Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49) introduced an amendment to prevent federal elected officials from receiving any money from the U.S. Treasury Judgment Fund in response to the creation of President Trump’s $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund.” The amendment was rejected by Republicans on the Appropriations Committee, who voted to allow themselves to receive money from the fund.

Recently, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the establishment of an “Anti-Weaponization Fund” as part of the settlement to end President Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS. The Judgment Fund would transfer nearly $1.8 billion to the slush fund to benefit President Trump’s allies, including Senators who believe they were victim to government weaponization and January 6^th insurrectionists who attacked U.S. Capitol police officers. The U.S. Attorney General would be responsible for appointing a five-person commission to administer the payouts, and the President can fire the commissioners at any time.

Rep. Levin’s amendment would have made the President, Vice President, and Members of Congress ineligible for payouts from the Judgment Fund unless the funds were explicitly distributed through a final judgement or issued by a court. The construction of this amendment would have still allowed for elected federal officials to obtain funds from the Judgment Fund through the legal process – the process that every individual awarded a payment already has to go through.

Read Rep. Levin’s remarks as prepared for delivery below:

My amendment does one simple thing. It prohibits the arbitrary use of the Judgment Fund to pay elected officials of the United States unless there is a binding order from a court.

That is the entire amendment. And I would submit to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle that this is not a controversial proposition. It should not be a partisan one.

So let me explain why we need it, and why we need it now.

The Judgment Fund is a permanent appropriation. It was created by this Congress, in 1956, for a specific and narrow purpose. It exists so that when the federal government loses a lawsuit or settles a claim, the Treasury can pay what is owed without each one of us having to vote on every individual payment.

It is not a policy tool. It is not a campaign account. It is not a discretionary pool for any administration to draw from at will.

But that, Mr Chairman, is exactly what it is becoming.

Two days ago, the Department of Justice announced what it is calling an “Anti-Weaponization Fund.” Nearly $1.8 billion dollars. Drawn directly from the Judgment Fund. To be paid out to claimants the Attorney General selects, by a commission the Attorney General appoints, and that the President can fire at will. The processing window closes at the end of 2028 before the next Inauguration.

Mr. Chairman, that timeline should give every member of this committee pause.

Now, DOJ points to the Keepseagle settlement as precedent. With respect, the two are not comparable. Keepseagle was a court-supervised class action. The claimants were a defined group of Native American farmers and ranchers who had pursued their case through the federal courts for more than a decade. A federal judge signed off on the settlement and on who got paid.

What was announced this week is something else entirely. A permanent congressional appropriation. Repurposed by executive memo. With no enabling statute. No eligibility criteria written into law. No audit requirements. No reporting back to this body. And a commission fireable at the political whim of the very official whose allies stand to collect.

I want my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to hear me clearly on this, because I am asking you to think one administration ahead.

Imagine the next Democratic president. Imagine that president’s Attorney General standing at a podium and announcing a $1.8 billion fund. Claimants selected by the AG. Commission appointed by the AG. Fireable at the President’s discretion. Processing window conveniently closing before the next election.

Every member on your side of the aisle would be outraged. And you would be right to be.

The structure is the problem. Not the party in power. The structure.

Last November, some members will remember, the Senate slipped a provision into a continuing resolution to allow eight senators to sue the federal government for at least $500,000 apiece in connection with phone records collected during the investigation of the 2020 election. Members on both sides recoiled.

The Speaker of the House said he was “very angry,” called it self-dealing, and said it was “way out of line.” Other Republican members called it, and I quote, “stupid, quite honestly, to put that language in the bill.” Another said constituents would see it as “self-serving, self-dealing kind of stuff. And I don’t think that’s right.”

I agreed with every word of that. And this body moved, on a bipartisan basis, to repeal it.

What I am offering today is the same principle, applied prospectively, so we don’t have to do that cleanup again. The Judgment Fund should not pay elected officials. Not Democrats. Not Republicans. Not the President. Not members of Congress. Not in this administration, not in the next one, not in any future administration of either party.

This is a guardrail we should have had in place decades ago.

If you believe no elected official of either party should be cashing checks written this way out of the Treasury, with no court order, vote yes.

I want to be very explicit. My amendment includes an exception if the funds are distributed by operation of a final judgment or other binding order approved or issued by a court of the United States

I urge adoption of this amendment, and I yield back Mr. Chairman.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

20 May 2026

Contact: jin.choi@mail.house.gov

Representatives Nanette Barragán, Robert Garcia, and Senators Alex Padilla, Adam Schiff on DOD’s decision to bypass ILWU Local 56 for hazardous materials services during LA Fleet Week 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Representatives Nanette Barragán (CA-44) and Robert Garcia (CA-42), along with Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) issued the following statement over the Department of Defense’s (DOD) decision to contract WayPoint LLC, an out-of-state company that does not uphold local labor standards and worker protections, to perform marine and industrial hazardous materials services during LA Fleet Week: 

“We strongly disagree with the Department of Defense’s decision to bypass ILWU Local 56 for hazardous materials services during LA Fleet Week in favor of a non-union contractor. Federal investments should protect the longstanding labor standards that our communities have fought for generations to build, not engage in practices that drive down wages and working conditions in a race to the bottom. Protecting these standards supports our families and the middle-class jobs that sustain them. 

This decision also sends the wrong message about the value of fair labor standards, local jobs, and the communities that support major public events like Fleet Week. Union workers have long been the backbone of safe and efficient operations in our ports. Sidelining them in favor of non-union labor erodes those standards. We stand with workers calling for fair wages, safe working conditions, and area-standard labor practices, and we support the right of ILWU Local 56 members to raise awareness about these concerns. We urge the DOD to engage in good-faith dialogue and pursue solutions that uphold area-standard wages, fair working conditions, and respect for local workers.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

11 May 2026

Contact: jin.choi@mail.house.gov

Congresswoman Barragán Leads Bicameral Opposition to New EPA Rule Along with Senators Blunt Rochester, Booker, and Rep. DeSaulnier

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.-44), Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.-10) led 38 members from both chambers in opposition of EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s Risk Management Program (RMP) Rule. The Common Sense Approach to Chemical Accident Prevention rule would weaken 2024 protections enacted to keep workers, emergency responders, and communities safe from chemical disasters.

“[This] proposal would undo core preventive measures and unnecessarily threaten the lives and health of workers, emergency responders, and fenceline communities, including the one in three children who go to school in a chemical danger zone,” the Members wrote in a letter to Administrator Zeldin. “Recent chemical emergencies and disasters such as the deadly explosions at the Valero refinery in Ardmore, Oklahoma and at Koch foods in Fairfield, Ohio—along with the recent findings of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board—highlight the shortcomings of the proposed rule and demonstrate the risk these rollbacks pose to the workers at RMP facilities and to the communities near them.”

“All communities deserve to live their daily lives free from toxic exposure,” the Members continued. “We call on you to fully implement, not undo, the 2024 Safer Communities by Chemical Accident Prevention rule and we look forward to working with you to ensure that the communities we represent, and those across the country, are protected from the danger of chemical disasters by a truly preventative Risk Management Program.”

In addition to Congresswoman Barragán, Senator Blunt Rochester, Senator Booker, and Rep. DeSaulnier, the letter was signed by Senators Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), as well as Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.-08), John Garamendi (D-Calif.-08), Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.-20), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.-Del.), Lateefah Simon (D-Calif.-12), Adam Smith (D-Wash.-09), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.-12), Maxine Waters (D-Calif.-43), Betty McCollum (D-Minn-04), Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.-15), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.-09), Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.-07), Madeline Dean (D-Penn.-04), Julia Brownley (D-Calif-26), Dwight Evans (D-Penn.-03), Mike Thompson (D-Calif.-04), Rob Menendez (D-N.J.-08), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.-09), Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.-04), Deborah Ross (D-N.C.-02), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.-51), Sean Casten (D-Ill.-06), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.-17), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.-06), Don Beyer (D-Va.-08), Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.-01), and Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.-07).

The full text of the letter can be found here. 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

11 May 2026

Contact: jin.choi@mail.house.gov

Congresswoman Nanette Barragán Urges HHS Secretary RFK Jr. to Expand Access to Life-Saving Glucose Monitoring Technology

Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Nanette Barragán (CA-44) called on Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to take immediate action and work with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to expand Medicare coverage of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) for the millions of Americans living with diabetes.

In a letter sent following Secretary Kennedy’s testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, Rep. Barragán highlighted how current policies limit coverage for glucose monitors for millions of seniors and vulnerable populations across the country. During the hearing on April 21st, Rep. Barragán had shared her own mother’s experience navigating Medicare and Medicaid, through which access to the glucose monitoring technology was limited until her condition worsened. Currently, Medicare coverage of CGMs is limited to individuals with diabetes who use insulin or individuals who can document severe hypoglycemic events— criteria that exclude the majority of Medicare beneficiaries living with diabetes.

“Our healthcare system is failing patients by waiting until it is too late to act,” said Congresswoman Barragán. “We should be investing in prevention, not just treatment. Continuous glucose monitors give patients the ability to manage their health in real time and avoid life-threatening complications. Expanding access to CGMs is a commonsense step that will save lives and reduce long-term health care costs. I thank Secretary Kennedy for his willingness to work with Congress and solve this problem. We have the tools and the evidence—now we need the policy to match.”

Diabetes affects more than 38 million Americans, including approximately one in three Medicare beneficiaries, and costs the U.S. healthcare system over $400 billion annually. Individuals with diabetes face medical expenses more than twice as high as those without the condition, largely due to preventable complications. CGMs are a major advancement in diabetes care, which allow patients to track glucose in real time, reduce dangerous hypoglycemic events, and lowers hospitalizations and emergency room visits—key drivers of Medicare spending.

In her letter, Rep. Barragán called on HHS and CMS to:

• Use its existing regulatory authority to expand Medicare coverage of CGMs to all beneficiaries with diabetes; and
• Provide a detailed update on steps being taken to improve access to glucose monitoring technologies for Medicare and Medicaid patients.

To view the full letter, click HERE. 

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