MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH)

Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) and Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17) led a group of 44 members in calling on the Department of Health and Human Services to release more than $400 million in undistributed Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding.

The members wrote, “Electricity costs have increased 13 percent over the past year, and crude oil prices have spiked more since the beginning of the year than in any quarter since 1988. With this past winter’s record-setting cold temperatures across the United States, households and families need more support, not less.”

“We urge you to do everything possible to distribute LIHEAP funds to states and families without delay. Families should not have to choose between staying warm and other essential items like food, medication, or rent,” they wrote. 

Pappas and his colleagues reiterated their concern over LIHEAP’s ability to operate since Secretary Kennedy fired all LIHEAP staff last April, writing, “We additionally continue to have serious concerns about LIHEAP’s capacity to operate effectively without dedicated staff. We urge you to ensure that necessary personnel and resources are in place to support LIHEAP’s continued success.”

LIHEAP assists low-income individuals and families with the costs of heating and cooling their homes and helps to mitigate the impacts of rising energy costs and extreme weather events. Across the nation, LIHEAP helps nearly 6 million households, including over 28,000 in New Hampshire, afford their energy bills. Today roughly 10% of the $4.45 billion allocated for LIHEAP for Fiscal Year 2026 remains undistributed. 

Last week Pappas led 73 of his colleagues in a letter to House Appropriations Committee leadership urging the rejection of President Trump’s budget proposal to eliminate LIHEAP.

Read the full letter here and below: 

Dear Secretary Kennedy,

We write with concern following recent reporting that more than $400 million in Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding has yet to be distributed to states. We appreciate the agency’s responsiveness following last year’s lapse in appropriations and all that was done to ensure LIHEAP funds were distributed expeditiously. We write once again to urge the agency to ensure all LIHEAP funds are delivered as quickly as possible to the nearly six million households that rely on this assistance.

The remaining undistributed LIHEAP funds represent roughly 10 percent of the $4.45 billion allocated for Fiscal Year 2026. While we understand that the majority of LIHEAP funds are distributed in late fall, with the remaining percentage, usually around 10 percent, distributed the following year in late winter and early spring, states usually receive the entirety of their funds by the end of March. We are concerned that without a prompt disbursement of the remaining funds, states will run out of funds and be forced to halt assistance to households in immediate need.

Electricity costs have increased 13 percent over the past year, and crude oil prices have spiked more since the beginning of the year than in any quarter since 1988. With this past winter’s record-setting cold temperatures across the United States, households and families need more support, not less.

While states do protect households with utility shutoff moratoriums throughout the coldest months of the year, these moratoriums typically end by late March or early April. In New Hampshire, the “winter period” ends on March 31st, while in New York, protections against shutoffs extend through April 15th.

We additionally continue to have serious concerns about LIHEAP’s capacity to operate effectively without dedicated staff. We urge you to ensure that necessary personnel and resources are in place to support LIHEAP’s continued success. 

We urge you to do everything possible to distribute LIHEAP funds to states and families without delay. Families should not have to choose between staying warm and other essential items like food, medication, or rent. We appreciate your attention on this urgent matter and stand ready to support the agency in assisting the American people. 

Sincerely,

Background:

In 2025 Pappas led 90 of his Congressional colleagues in calling for the protection of LIHEAP and the rehiring of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) staff who manage the LIHEAP program that were fired, and he supports the bipartisan LIHEAP Staffing Support Act, which would set a minimum staffing level within HHS to administer LIHEAP. In the House-passed HHS appropriations funding package, Pappas helped secure language requiring HHS to report to Congress on their current staffing levels to ensure LIHEAP is properly staffed.

Pappas is a fierce advocate for efforts that lower energy costs for Granite Staters and programs that help low-income families pay their bills. He has repeatedly called on both Democratic and Republican administrations to stop the export of oil to foreign adversaries and protect and strengthen LIHEAP, including successfully pressing the Department of Health and Human Services last year to take all necessary steps to ensure that LIHEAP funds were distributed to states by November 30, 2025. He has also previously introduced, cosponsored, or called for the passage of the following legislation: his bipartisan Energy Burden Tax Credit Act, his bipartisan Transmission Facilitation Program Reauthorization, his Heroes Home Energy Savings Act, his bipartisan Bolstering Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve Act, the bipartisanBanning Oil Exports to Foreign Adversaries Act, theEnergy Independence and Affordability Act, the bipartisan Weatherization Enhancement and Readiness Act of 2025. He also helped launch the Congressional Lowering Utility Bills Caucus earlier this year. 

Fuel and electric assistance programs funded by LIHEAP are available through New Hampshire Community Action Agencies to help Granite Staters afford to heat and cool their homes. Granite Staters can apply through their CAP agency.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH)

Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01),  Senator Jeanne Shaheen (NH), Senator Maggie Hassan (NH), and Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander (NH-02) are calling on the U.S. Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon to rescind the TRIO Talent Search and Educational Opportunity Center grant competition announcements and for current programs to receive a one-year extension. The push comes after changes were made to the applications that would threaten the future programs of organizations who receive these grants and the Granite State students and families they serve. In their letter, the NH Delegation notes that the Department’s changes to applications for both grant programs alters the scope from supporting postsecondary access for first-generation and disadvantaged students to a focus on workforce training.

The New Hampshire Delegation wrote, “as members of the New Hampshire Congressional delegation and as strong supporters of TRIO, we write with serious concern over the Trump Administration’s actions to weaken and divert the focus of the Federal TRIO programs away from college preparation, access, and success […] Congress established TRIO in the 1960s with the intent of helping students from disadvantaged backgrounds complete high school, access postsecondary education, and graduate from college. TRIO invests in the potential that all students have to succeed in college and helps students and their families realize that potential by breaking down barriers to access and support.” 

“The Department of Education’s March 17 grant competition announcement for the TRIO TS program and the March 30 grant competition announcement for the TRIO EOC program would significantly shift the purpose and structure of these programs from postsecondary access and success to a focus on workforce training. Extensive workforce training programs, which this delegation strongly supports, already exist […] TRIO serves an important complementary purpose to those workforce programs, especially for first-generation college students and students from low-income backgrounds, by supporting them in preparing for and succeeding in the postsecondary education of their choice as they pursue their goals. Your effort to change the TRIO program focus and funding from postsecondary education access and success risks diluting the programs’ effectiveness and potentially limits students’ options. Students from low-income and disadvantaged backgrounds need more, not less, support to achieve their college dreams,” they continued.

“We urge the Department of Education to rescind, revise and re-issue the March 2026 TS and EOC grant announcements to advance the mission of the TRIO programs as Congress intended. We request that you ensure there is no lapse in TRIO program operations during this competition revision process. We also request that current TRIO TS and EOC grantees in good standing receive a one-year extension of their grants to ensure uninterrupted service to the hundreds of thousands of students and families that rely on their services,” concluded the Congressional Delegation.

A copy of the letter is here.

The New Hampshire Delegation has been outspoken in standing up for Granite State students in the wake of the Trump administration’s cuts to programs that support New Hampshire’s schools and universities. In September, the delegation called on the U.S. Department of Education to restore Congressionally approved funding for the Education Alliance for New Hampshire’s Statewide Family Engagement Center grant, TRIO grants for the University of New Hampshire’s (UNH) Talent Search and McNair programs, and the state’s Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP). 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH)

Today Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, introduced the Highway Fair Share Act, legislation to increase federal funding for infrastructure and transportation projects for New Hampshire by requiring that each state receive at least .5% of the total federal-aid highway formula funding. Maine, Delaware, Hawaii, and D.C. are also underfunded under the current formula; Ranking Member of Highways and Transit Subcommittee Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), and Representatives Jared Golden (ME-02), Sarah McBride (DE-AL), and Maggie Goodlander (NH-02) are original cosponsors of this legislation.

Of the 50 states, New Hampshire has received the least amount of annual funding for decades, leaving the state lacking needed funding. A March 2026 report on New Hampshire found a third of state and locally-owned roads are in poor or mediocre condition, 192 bridges were identified as in poor condition, and the state’s 10-year transportation improvement plan is significantly underfunded. Poor roads cost New Hampshire drivers an estimated additional $551 in yearly vehicle maintenance.

The Highway Fair Share Act would reinstate a 0.5% minimum apportionment of the highway formula funding for each state, as included in previous surface transportation bills. It is estimated that this change would increase New Hampshire’s apportionment from the current $232 million to $286 million, an 23% increase.

“Several states including New Hampshire are being shortchanged in badly-needed federal funding for transportation projects due to an outdated formula. This hinders our state’s ability to maintain and repair our roads, bridges, and other infrastructure, risking public safety and ultimately costing taxpayers more at the repair shop,” said Congressman Pappas. “Federal funds are crucial for our state to maintain and modernize our infrastructure, so I’m fighting to make sure New Hampshire receives its fair share of highway formula dollars. As we continue to craft this year’s bipartisan surface transportation reauthorization, I will continue working to pass this legislation so that small states like New Hampshire get the resources we need to build for the future.”

“New Hampshire’s transportation system is vital to our economic growth and quality of life. Congressman Pappas’s legislation would provide more federal funding to make smart investments in our roads and bridges to ensure that this vital infrastructure can benefit Granite Staters today, tomorrow, and into the future,” said Alex Koutroubas, Executive Vice President of Associated General Contractors of New Hampshire.

As a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Pappas has worked to ensure New Hampshire receives key federal dollars for transportation and infrastructure projects in every surface transportation reauthorization. Pappas helped craft provisions of the bipartisan infrastructure law (the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act) that was passed and signed into law in 2021. In 2019, Pappas successfully fought for the repeal of the FAST Act rescission to protect states from a $7.6 billion loss in highway funding. 

Read the bill text here. 

Background:

The regular reauthorization of our nation’s surface transportation programs is vital to national and economic security. Multi-year reauthorizations provide states with the long-term certainty they need to plan and execute many important surface transportation infrastructure projects. The most recent surface transportation reauthorization was included in the much broader Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA); it expires on September 30, 2026. One of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s main priorities for the 119th Congress is passing the next bipartisan, multi-year surface transportation reauthorization before the current law expires.

In January 2025, the Committee began holding hearings to examine different aspects of our highway, transit, and rail transportation programs and ensure that Committee Members gather information in preparation for the development of this legislation.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jason Crow (CO-06)

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jason Crow (D-CO), a former paratrooper and Army Ranger who serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement in response to his vote blocking a long-term extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA): 

“Donald Trump and his administration have shown no respect for following the law. From deporting American citizens, to raiding election offices, to sending the Justice Department after their perceived political opponents, they have proven they are willing to weaponize the government for their own corrupt means.

“FISA 702 is an important tool for our intelligence community. But we need additional safeguards to protect the civil liberties of Americans. Trying to rush bills through in the middle of the night is no way to legislate.

“I’ll continue to work with my colleagues on the Intelligence Committee to find commonsense reforms that will keep Americans safe.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Joe Neguse (D-Co 2)

Washington, D.C. — In case you missed it, Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse managed Floor debate against a Republican-led Rules package providing for consideration of four bills, including H.Res. 1156—a non-binding resolution that seeks to rename the widely unpopular “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” to the “Working Families Tax Cuts.” In the measure, Republicans also express support for the policies enacted under this legislation, which cut taxes for the richest 10% of Americans while kicking 15 million people off their health care coverage, gutting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and adding $5 trillion to the national debt. 

The Rule also provided consideration for H.R. 6387, the FIRE Act; H.R. 6409, the FENCES Act; and H.R. 6398, the RED Tape Act. These bills seek to amend the Clean Air Act and give handouts to polluters.  

Democrat slams GOP for commemorating devastating tax law

Democratic Rep. Joe Neguse of Colorado criticized Republicans on the House floor Wednesday for wasting Tax Day—after a two-week Easter vacation—patting themselves on the back for their “One Big, Beautiful Bill” instead of doing anything remotely useful. 

“Republicans control the floor. They could put a bill on the floor to address cost of living issues. They could put a bill on the floor to address soaring gas prices. They could put a bill on the floor to address rising health care costs,” Neguse said. “But instead we’re here to debate a commemorative resolution. It is absurd.” 

Read HERE. 

‘It Was So Unpopular That They Had To Change The Name’: Joe Neguse Hammers GOP On Big Beautiful Bill

NEGUSE: “[L]ast month, Speaker Johnson gaveled out this chamber and sent members of Congress home for a 2-week recess. He did so despite the fact that the Department of Homeland Security has been shut down for 60 days—and counting. Despite the fact that President Trump had made a reckless and unlawful declaration of war without congressional authorization. Despite soaring gas prices and the ongoing cost of living crisis stretching from New York, the home of my distinguished colleague, to Colorado. Despite the heat, the drought, and the wildfire records being shattered in the western United States. Despite all of that, Speaker Johnson made the decision to gavel the house out of session and send everybody home. And now we’re back. 2-week recess concluded. What has the Republican majority decided is the most pressing challenge and issue for this august body to debate? I’ll tell you, Mr. Speaker. Apparently, it’s a resolution commemorating a bill that Republicans passed last year. That’s what we’re here to debate. Republicans control the floor. They could put a bill on the floor to address cost of living issues. They could put a bill on the floor to address soaring gas prices. They could put a bill on the floor to address rising health care costs. But instead, we’re here to debate a commemorative resolution. It is absurd.” 

Watch HERE. 

‘The Bills Before Us Do Nothing’: Neguse Torches GOP Legislation Amid Affordability Concerns 

NEGUSE: “Week after week, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have opted to take up a variety of legislation. The one common thread is that it fails to meet the moment. Americans sent us here to work on the issues that they care most about. That have the most impact on their everyday lives. The rising affordability crisis. Expanding access to affordable health care. Protecting our environment and public resources. Not to gut air pollution standards and pass commemorative resolutions, patting ourselves on the back—patting themselves on the back. That’s not how Congress should be spending its precious time. The bills before us do nothing, nothing to improve the lives of working families in our country. And it’s why I would encourage my colleagues to oppose the previous question, the rule, and the underlying bills.” 

Watch HERE.  

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

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

WASHINGTON — Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi sent a letter on April 16, 2026, to Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler and the SBA Office of Advocacy demanding immediate federal action to support Illinois small businesses harmed by Operation Midway Blitz and calling for a formal public assessment of the operation’s economic impact, including the losses suffered in Broadview and communities across the state.

In the letter, Krishnamoorthi raises alarm over the “severe economic impact that Operation Midway Blitz has had on the small business community in Illinois” and calls on the SBA “to immediately take action to support small businesses across the state of Illinois and any other communities that have documented substantial economic losses due to immigration enforcement operations.”

The letter details the extensive economic fallout from the operation, including year-over-year revenue declines of 20 to 50 percent for many local enterprises, steep declines in foot traffic, workforce instability, and mounting risks to long-term business viability.

Krishnamoorthi specifically highlights the economic damage in Broadview, writing that the village has been “ground zero for DHS and its unlawful actions during Operation Midway Blitz” and noting that, according to Mayor Katrina Thompson, businesses in the village have collectively lost over $350,000 in revenue as a direct result of the operation.

“For a small community, this level of economic loss is devastating and underscores how quickly federal enforcement actions can destabilize local economies,” Krishnamoorthi wrote.

The Congressman also calls on the SBA Office of Advocacy to “immediately undertake a formal economic impact assessment of Operation Midway Blitz, including neighborhood-level data on business closures, revenue losses, and employment disruption,” and requests that the findings be made public and transmitted to his office by June 15, 2026.

Krishnamoorthi adds that “the scale of these impacts raises serious questions regarding the absence of safeguards or mitigation measures for small businesses caught in the wake of federal operations” and demands that the SBA use “any tools at your disposal” to support Chicago-area small businesses facing documented revenue losses.

The letter is available here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Joaquin Castro (20th District of Texas)

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Ilhan Omar (DFL-MN)

WASHINGTON – Workforce Protections Subcommittee Ranking Member Ilhan Omar (MN-05) delivered the following opening statement at today’s subcommittee hearing entitled, “Building an AI-Ready America: Understanding AI’s Economic Impact on Workers and Employers.”

“Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to the witnesses for joining us today.

“Today marks the seventh hearing this Committee has held on artificial intelligence (AI) this Congress.

“To put things into perspective, here is a list of issues in our jurisdiction that we haven’t held even a single hearing on— the healthcare workforce shortage, plummeting wages, school meal access, fair scheduling practices, wage theft, worker misclassification, gig economy protections, heat stress, and child labor prevention.

“And is this singular focus even amounting to anything? After seven AI hearings, Committee Republicans have not produced a single plan or bill to protect workers from AI risks.

“Republicans also have no plan to tackle the current cost-of-living crisis. President Trump’s reckless policies and Congressional Republicans’ ‘Big, Ugly Bill’ are only making things worse.

“Millions of working families are struggling to afford rent, groceries, and gas.  Many working-class Americans are being forced to dip into their retirement savings or sell their plasma to help pay their bills.

“And AI has the very real potential to deepen this economic hardship and inequality. Congress cannot stand on the sidelines and hope that corporations are going to do the right thing for workers.  

“For example, more companies are using automated technologies to constantly monitor their workers: from tracking their bathroom breaks to checking the tone of their voice.  Some employers have even used AI-powered tools as a weapon to retaliate against workers who might want to unionize.   

“These AI tools are also becoming widespread in the employment process, with more cases of AI-enabled discrimination in hiring.

“Despite instances of AI labor abuses, there have been successful efforts to keep this technology in check.  Labor unions have been at the frontlines in this fight by using their power to bargain over working conditions to prevent the reckless use of AI and guarantee that workers have a voice in its development and implementation.

“Additionally, some states have stepped up to protect workers by passing their own guardrails on the use of AI.  But instead of holding tech companies accountable, the Trump Administration is actively undermining these states’ AI laws and looking to pass legislation to preempt any regulation. 

“As critical as it is to establish new guardrails on AI, we also cannot forget about enforcing our existing worker protection laws.  While AI may be new, there is no AI loophole for wage theft, union-busting, and antidiscrimination laws. 

“Agencies like the National Labor Relations Board and the Department of Labor have the duty and the power to protect workers during the rise of AI, but they need more resources.  Unfortunately, these agencies have been hollowed out by the Trump Administration’s vicious campaign to slash the federal workforce.  And in his latest budget, Trump is also proposing to cut funding for these severely understaffed agencies. 

“If we are going to uplift working Americans, a bold pro-worker AI agenda must help more workers join unions, place appropriate limits on AI, safeguard worker privacy, and enforce worker protections. 

“At the end of the day, AI is a tool.  Whether this tool will benefit corporations and their wealthy executives or the working class and the middle class is a policy choice.  It is up to Congress to make the right choice—and that starts with centering American workers, their livelihoods, and their well-being.

“Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield back.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Michael McCaul (10th District of Texas)

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) — chairman emeritus of the House Foreign Affairs Committee — and Congressman Morgan Luttrell (R-Texas) wrote a letter to President Donald Trump, highlighting the mounting evidence that neuroplastogen medicines, particularly ibogaine, can accelerate the healing process for veterans struggling with mental health and substance addictions. In the letter, McCaul and Luttrell urged the Trump administration to expand access to these life-saving treatments for our nation’s heroes.

“Every day, an average of 17 veterans take their own lives. These are men and women who survived combat, who came home, and who then lost a quieter and longer war against the invisible wounds they carried with them. Evidence is mounting that neuroplastogen medicines, such as ibogaine, can provide a durable path to healing where traditional medicine has failed,” the members wrote.

They continued, “This breakthrough rests on a new understanding of how these medicines interact with the brain. Unlike traditional treatments that manage symptoms, ibogaine appears to work at a deeper level, stimulating the brain’s own repair mechanisms and encouraging the growth of new neural connections that can bypass the damaged pathways underlying PTSD, depression, TBI, and addiction. A 2024 study from Stanford University found that a single ibogaine treatment produced dramatic reductions in PTSD, depression, and anxiety among veterans with traumatic brain injuries, along with meaningful improvements in cognitive function. No approved treatment has come close to this level of impact, and larger controlled trials are needed to fully understand it.”

Click here to read full text of the letter.

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