MIL USHOR-2b Engine

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

Headline: Scott Joins Virginia House Democrats to Oppose Proposed ICE Facilities in Hanover and Stafford Counties

WASHINGTON – On Friday, January 30, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) joined Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) and Representatives Don Beyer (VA-08), Eugene Vindman (VA-07), Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10) and James Walkinshaw (VA-11), in sending a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons. The letter expressed fierce opposition to the proposed purchase of a 550,000 square-foot warehouse in Hanover County to serve as an ICE processing and intake facility, as well as the potential construction of a 10,000-bed warehouse detention center in Stafford County, Virginia.

 

“Since early last year, we have witnessed an increasingly aggressive and militant ICE under your leadership,” wrote the Members. “Most recently in Minneapolis, we have seen federal immigration agents kill two American citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, and injure dozens more. These reckless raids on our communities have resulted in the wrongful detention of hundreds of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents… This disproportionate use of force is utterly unacceptable.”

 

ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have escalated their tactics in the last year, ranging from demands that individuals randomly show their IDs and verify their legal status when they are not suspected of any crime, to instigations of violence, to warrantless searches and entries into homes, businesses and schools. Combined with a refusal to cooperate with federal partners and allow for meaningful Congressional oversight, the activities of DHS have raised serious concerns for the safety of detainees and Virginians. Hanover County’s Board of Supervisors has asked DHS to reconsider its proposed facility. The Canadian-based company that owns the Hanover County warehouse has since backed out of the proposed sale.  

 

“Across the nation, there have been reports of overcrowded detention facilities with poor ventilation, inadequate climate control, limited access to shower facilities and basic hygiene, and insufficient food and access to meals,” the Members continued. “We have seen this sort of gross negligence play out firsthand in the Commonwealth. In the summer of 2025, reports emerged of severe overcrowding, a lack of food and access to basic hygiene, and limited water supplies at ICE’s Washington Field Office in Chantilly, VA. ICE stonewalled attempts by our offices to gain access to the facility and conduct proper oversight, and it continues to prevent our offices from fully understanding what conditions were like during that period.”

 

Even after increased scrutiny into the presence of ICE agents in Virginia and beyond, culminating in articles of impeachment introduced against DHS Secretary Noem, questions remain as to the conditions of current ICE facilities and measures being taken to ensure the basic needs of detainees are being met. There is no guarantee that the proposed ICE facilities in Virginia would permit Members of Congress to hold DHS accountable for any lapses in quality of care and detention.

 

“Given this history of behavior, it is no surprise that we are alarmed by the prospect of siting two enormous ICE facilities in Virginia,” the Members concluded. “We do not want the Commonwealth to be home to large detention facilities rejected by our local communities, which make no one safer. Rather, these facilities undermine public safety, erode trust between local law enforcement and the public, and place a federal agency indifferent to constitutional liberties near our schools, hospitals, and residential areas. We refuse to allow the Commonwealth to be beholden to an agency that has repeatedly failed to demonstrate the transparency, restraint, and constitutional compliance the public and Congress are entitled to expect from law enforcement.”

 

Read the full letter here. 

 

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

Headline: Scott Votes Against Funding Bill to Give DHS and ICE Unchecked Power

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on his opposition to the Senate amendments to H.R. 7148, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, which funds the Department of Homeland Security until February 13, 2026.   

 

“Americans are seeing cities taken over by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), who are arresting and detaining citizens and legal permanent residents at their churches, homes, and workplaces without valid warrants and assaulting and killing citizens in situations that should require murder investigations, and yet the Administration is fabricating stories easily contradicted by video evidence. Unfortunately, this bill does nothing to curb the abuses of authority by ICE. We should not fund the government as if nothing is happening; therefore, I cannot vote for any additional funding to the Department of Homeland Security until at least some credible progress is made to rein in the out-of-control military occupation of our cities.”

 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jim Baird (R-IN-04)

Today, Congressman Jim Baird (IN-04) applauded the passage of his legislation, the Nicholas Dockery Medal of Honor Act, to allow the President of the United States to award Major Nicholas Dockery with the Medal of Honor for his heroism in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Dockery is an Indianapolis, IN native and is the sole Army officer and one of only two U.S. officers to receive two Silver Stars for gallantry in the post-9/11 era. This legislation passed the U.S. House unanimously.

“I am pleased to see that my legislation to award Major Dockery with the Medal of Honor has passed the U.S. House,” said Congressman Baird. “Major Dockery demonstrated extraordinary heroism, going above and beyond the call of duty, while serving in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom, and selflessly risked his own life many times to save his soldiers. I hope the Senate passes this bill quickly so it can get signed into law by President Trump and award this American hero with the recognition he deserves.”

Additional Background on Major Nicholas Dockery:

Lieutenant Dockery received a Silver Star for his acts of valor on October 2, 2012. Then-Second Lieutenant Nicholas Dockery was serving as a Rifle Platoon Leader with the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. While providing security for a meeting between U.S. and Afghan leaders in Kapisa Province, Lieutenant Dockery’s platoon was ambushed by Taliban fighters utilizing a mosque for cover. Under heavy fire, Lieutenant Dockery dismounted his vehicle and moved through the engagement area to support and re-establish communications with Afghan National Army (ANA) and Police (ANP) units that were pinned in place by enemy fire. Due to the dense maze of structures, Lieutenant Dockery formulated a plan to enter the village on foot to secure the village’s outer cordon. While securing the village, one U.S. team was forced into a compound and surrounded by Taliban fighters. Upon hearing that one of his soldiers was critically wounded by gunfire, Lieutenant Dockery ran through enemy fire to lead reinforcements to the compound.

During the fight, Lieutenant Dockery led his team in breaching six rooms, killing one enemy fighter, uncovering IED-making materials, and detaining two others. As the fighting continued, when enemy fighters threw hand fragmentation grenades over the compound walls, one landed in front of a fellow soldier. Seeing the grenade, Lieutenant Dockery shoved the soldier behind cover and shielded him from the blast with his own body.

Lieutenant Dockery then led the team into an adjacent alleyway to secure the compound.  Facing a barrage of machine gun fire from 40 feet away, an RPG blast destroyed his team’s cover, wounding Lieutenant Dockery. Despite being wounded, he realized two soldiers were missing. Lieutenant Dockery located the first soldier; he carried him to safety and immediately returned to find two enemy fighters who were approaching the second unconscious soldier. Killing the two enemy fighters, he recovered the soldier, carried him to safety, performed CPR, and saved the soldier’s life. Lieutenant Dockery was simultaneously directing “danger close” 81mm mortar fire to suppress the enemy. When the rounds began hitting close to his position, Lieutenant Dockery used his own body to shield the wounded soldier as the rounds impacted nearby.

Air assets were unable to distinguish friendly forces from enemy, so Lieutenant Dockery left his position of safety and utilized an M320 grenade launcher to mark the enemy location for aerial assets to engage with 2.75mm rockets. In doing so, he saw two enemy fighters attempting to re-enter the building, which he killed with the grenade launcher. Despite Lieutenant Dockery’s efforts, aerial assets still could not distinguish between enemies and allies, so Lieutenant Dockery climbed on the roof to mark their location with colored smoke, running past a yet-unexploded enemy grenade to do so. The colored smoke attracted heavy rifle and machine gun fire from the enemy. With only a two-foot wall on the roof for cover, Lieutenant Dockery held the rooftop for over 30 minutes and held the enemy in place.

Later, during the exfiltration of his team and the wounded, his element again came under heavy fire. As the enemy closed in on their location, Lieutenant Dockery stayed behind to ensure the wounded made it safely back to the casualty evacuation point. Moving about the battlefield, he directed the Afghan Army Soldiers to fire RPGs on the enemy, effectively halting their final attack.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Lois Frankel (FL-21)

Today, Rep. Lois Frankel (FL-22) released the following statement after voting no on a measure that would extend funding for the Department of Homeland Security without significant reform to rein in Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE).

“President Trump’s immigration enforcement has become a campaign of cruelty–tearing families apart, hollowing out businesses, and paralyzing neighborhoods with fear,” said Rep. Frankel. “While I support the bipartisan agreements we reached in the House to fund most of the government, I could not vote for a package that funds the Department of Homeland Security without immediate reforms to stop ICE from its violations of the law and human rights. Security does not require brutality. Enforcement does not require lawlessness. And our immigration policy should reflect our values—not force us to abandon them.”

To view Rep. Frankel’s full remarks on the House Floor, click here. 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (1st District of Washington)

Today, bipartisan legislation to increase the number of living organ donors eligible for federal assistance was signed into law. The Honor Our Living Donors (HOLD) Act, introduced by Representatives Suzan DelBene (WA-01) and Jay Obernolte (CA-23), will allow more donors to qualify for wage, travel, and caregiver reimbursement when donating organs. 

“No one should be prevented from saving a life because of the bills they incur during the process. This law will help ensure that living donors have the support they need during the donation process and that patients waiting for transplants have a greater chance at receiving one,” said DelBene.

“The HOLD Act removes unnecessary financial barriers that can prevent Americans from becoming living organ donors. No one should be forced to choose between saving a life and absorbing thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs. By ensuring federal support is based on the donor’s circumstances rather than the recipient’s, this law expands access to transplantation, supports donors, and helps more families get the second chance they are desperately need,” said Obernolte.

Income restrictions currently limit who can be reimbursed for becoming a living organ donor. 91% of living donors are forced to shoulder the financial burden of their donation because of the income of the organ recipient. The HOLD Act eliminates these income-based eligibility restrictions, helping ensure that all living donors, regardless of the recipient’s financial status, will be able to access the federal organ donation reimbursement program. This law will support the more than 37 million Americans living with chronic kidney diseases, including the more than 800,000 patients with kidney failure.

The HOLD Act was introduced in the House of Representatives in January 2025. It passed the House in the government funding package on January 22. The Senate changed the larger funding package on January 30 and sent it back to the House. The House approved the amended funding deal on February 3, and the president signed it later that day.   

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Alma Adams (12th District of North Carolina)

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12) voted against H.R. 7148, a bill that would direct funding to the Department of Homeland Security.

“In July, Republicans handed ICE a blank check to brutalize our communities—$75 billion with no strings attached as part of their One Big Ugly Bill—while slashing healthcare and making the largest cut to food assistance in our nation’s history” said Congresswoman Adams. “The bill gave the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) $191 billion overall, increasing ICE’s budget to seven times its annual funding, while also allowing it to continue operating even during a shutdown. That reckless decision has put communities, including Charlotte, in harms way.

Even though the bill passed by a three vote margin, I stand united with Democrats in opposing this cruelty and demanding real change at DHS, including holding ICE agents to the same commonsense standards required of law enforcement nationwide and the impeachment of Secretary Kristi Noem.

My constituents have made their voices heard, loud and clear: there should be no additional funding for ICE without meaningful reform. 

Until a deal is secured, I cannot support any continued funds for ICE. I made a promise to the people I represent, and I intend to keep it.

I support funding the other agencies, which is why I voted to pass their funding in the House last week. Because the Senate returned the bill as a single package including DHS, I cannot support it. That is why I voted no on the funding bill.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Earl L Buddy Carter (GA-01)

Headline: A New Era for Patients: Carter celebrates President Trump signing PBM reforms into law

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) today celebrated President Trump’s signing into law key portions of Rep. Carter’s PBM Reform Act as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026. 

After more than a decade of advocacy, Rep. Carter’s efforts have resulted in a major win for patients and pharmacies that will increase transparency, preserve patient access to care, and lower health care costs by reforming the middlemen – pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).

Rep. Carter stands beside President Trump during Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 bill signing

“As a pharmacist from coastal Georgia, I came to Congress with the goal of building a health care system that put patients before profits,” said Rep. Carter. “Today, I can proudly say that we have enacted the first major PBM reform in decades, a meaningful step toward achieving that goal. PBMs have been stealing hope and health from the American people for decades, inflating prescription drug costs, forcing pharmacy closures, and blocking access to medications. To that I say: Not on my watch. The PBM mafia has officially been put on notice. I’m excited to continue working with President Trump help build a quality, accessible, and affordable health care system for patients.”

Included in this funding package are Rep. Carter’s policies to:

• Prohibit PBMs and their affiliates from deriving remuneration for covered Part D drugs based on the price of a drug; Require PBMs to define and apply drug and drug pricing terms in contracts with Part D plan sponsors transparently and consistently; Set out annual requirements for PBMs to report on drug price and other information to Part D plan sponsor clients; and, Empower Part D plan sponsors with new audit rights with respect to PBMs.

• Promote price transparency for prescription drugs purchased by employer health plans by ensuring PBMs provide group health plans and issuers with detailed data on prescription drug spending at least semi-annually. Such data includes gross and net drug spending, drug rebates, spread pricing arrangements, formulary placement rationale, and information about benefit designs that encourage the use of pharmacies affiliated with PBMs. The section also ensures that health plans and individuals can receive a summary document regarding information about the plan’s prescription drug spending.

• Require Part D plans to allow any willing pharmacy that meets standardized, reasonable contract terms to participate in their networks, beginning in 2029, and direct CMS to gather input on contracting practices, ensure contract terms are fair, and improve oversight of pharmacy and plan relationships. Additionally, it establishes a new category of “essential retail pharmacies” in underserved areas and requires regular federal reporting on their reimbursement, participation in networks, and cost sharing impacts. It also establishes a formal process for pharmacies to report contract-related violations without fear of retaliation and authorizes enforcement actions and penalties against plans or PBMs that fail to comply.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA)

Congress passed and President Donald Trump signed into law the appropriations package H.R. 7148, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026.

U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) secured federal funding in the appropriations package for the following Ninth District project: 

Project Name: Corridor Q – U.S. 460 Connector Phase II Paving Project

Recipient Name: Virginia Coalfields Expressway Authority

Amount Received: $3,000,000

Following presidential approval of the appropriations package and the inclusion of federal funding for this Ninth District project, Congressman Griffith issued the following statement: 

“This government funding package, which I supported, delivers critical funds to Ninth District community projects. In this package, I helped secure $3 million for the Virginia Coalfields Expressway Authority.

“With this federal funding available to the Authority, the Virginia Coalfields Expressway will expand.”

BACKGROUND

In October 2025, Congressman Griffith attended a ribbon cutting for new sections to the Coalfields Expressway.

The above community project funding request was submitted by Rep. Griffith for fiscal year 2026. 

Appropriations bills approved in this package include the labor, health and human services appropriations bill, defense appropriations bill and transportation, housing and urban development appropriations bill.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA)

Congress passed and President Donald Trump signed into law the appropriations package H.R. 7148, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026.

U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) secured federal funding in the appropriations package for the following Ninth District project: 

Project Name: Mitigating Against and Preventing Wastewater Bypass in Richlands, VA Project

Recipient Name: County of Tazewell, Virginia

Amount Received: $500,000

Following presidential approval of the appropriations package and the inclusion of federal funding for this Ninth District project, Congressman Griffith issued the following statement: 

“This government funding package, which I supported, delivers critical funds to Ninth District community projects. In this package, I helped secure $500,000 for Tazewell County.

“With this federal funding available to Tazewell County, local access to flood preventative measures and resources will improve.”

BACKGROUND

The above community project funding request was submitted by Rep. Griffith for fiscal year 2026. 

Appropriations bills approved in this package include the labor, health and human services appropriations bill, defense appropriations bill and transportation, housing and urban development appropriations bill.

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