MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Gregory W Meeks (5th District of New York)

Washington, D.C.– Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanding answers on the administration’s lack of progress to push a democratic transition forward in Venezuela, including no agenda or any sort of timeline for democratic elections:

A PDF of the full letter can be found here.

“…Four months into the administration’s engagement with Maduro’s hand-picked Vice President, the Delcy regime is still stacked with the same Maduro regime officials, the regime has yet to outline an electoral timeline, and 473 political prisoners continue to languish in prison. The administration also has yet to comment on Delcy Rodríguez’s April 24th announcement that the Amnesty Law for Democratic Coexistence was ‘coming to an end.’ We are also concerned by reported appointments of Larry Devoe as Attorney General, Eglée González Lobato as Ombudsman, and Gen. Gustavo González López as Minister of Defense, appointments that, if supported or accepted without objection, would represent missed opportunities to address endemic corruption, strengthen the rule of law, and transition away from the old repressive Maduro regime. Nor has Rodríguez’s government abandoned the regime’s destabilizing posture toward Guyana, one of the United States’ democratic partners in the Caribbean.

“These realities raise serious questions about whether the administration’s current approach is producing democratic results or simply rewarding tactical cooperation by the same political apparatus that helped sustain Maduro’s rule.

“We understand that elections and a true democratic transition cannot happen overnight. But neither will happen at all if the Trump administration fails to exercise its leverage to insist on the necessary institutional changes that would make a democratic transition possible. Democratic transitions require sustained and coordinated diplomacy across agencies and clear demands of democratization to transition away from autocratic structures and practices. As of today, the department has yet to provide any evidence the Trump administration is doing any of this hard work.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Andy Biggs (AZ-05)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, in a unanimous vote, the U.S. House of Representatives passed HR 8466, the Taxpayers Resources Used in Emergencies (TRUE) Accountability Act, sponsored by Congressman Andy Biggs (AZ-05). This bill requires agencies to develop plans to prevent fraud during an emergency or crisis. Congressman Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10) was a co-lead for the bill.

HR 8466 stipulates that two U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports – A Framework for Managing Improper Payments in Emergency Assistance Programs and A Framework for Managing Fraud Risks in 20 Federal Programs – be incorporated into agency plans so they have a proven, data-driven framework for preventing fraud. GAO estimates that the federal government loses between $233 billion and $521 billion annually to fraud. In 2020-2023 alone, GAO estimates that over $300 billion in fraud occurred across COVID-19 relief government programs, and that 19 different pandemic relief programs were targeted and defrauded as of 2024.

“For decades, fraud has run rampant in bloated government programs,”said Congressman Biggs.“American taxpayers work extremely hard for their money, and they deserve to know that government agencies are committed to wisely stewarding their dollars – not allowing the funds to be stolen by fraudulent entities, especially in times of emergency or crisis. This is an issue that Members of both parties can support, and I am grateful for Congressman Subramanyam’s partnership and today’s unanimous passage by the U.S. House of Representatives. It’s time to send a message to American taxpayers that their government officials are serious about safeguarding their dollars.”

The U.S. Senate companion to HR 8466 is S. 78, sponsored by Senator James Lankford (R-OK).

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

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Sanford D Bishop Jr (GA-02)

WASHINGTON – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) applauded the ruling by a federal judge today blocking President Trump’s $100,000 fee for employers’ H-1B applications. Judge Leo Sorokin declared in the ruling in the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts that “the substance and application of the $100,000 payment reveal that it is a tax” and that Congress had not delegated that power to the executive branch.

Hospitals and health care centers from underserved and rural areas, including Southwest Georgia, informed members of Congress that they already were facing challenges recruiting enough staff and that the Trump Administration fee made providing care even more expensive to these communities. In response, Bishop, along with Representatives Mike Lawler (R-NY), Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), and Yvette Clarke (D-NY), introduced bipartisan legislation in March 2026 (H.R. 7961), which will exempt physicians and other health care workers from the new $100,000 fee for H-1B petitions. It also prohibits new H-1B fees from being imposed on health care workers that exceed the existing fees under the U.S. Code. 

“The $100,000 fee for employers’ H1-B applications would have discouraged the best and the brightest from coming to America and helping our economy grow and to innovate,” said Congressman Bishop. “While the bipartisan legislation that I introduced earlier this year applied only to health care professionals, the ruling by Judge Sorokin is a victory for every American concerned about attracting the world’s smartest talent to our country.”

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

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded two disaster related grants to the Commonwealth of Virginia. The funding breakdown of the grants is as follows:

• $1,430,809 to support road restoration projects in Dickenson County 
• $163,925 to support asphalt roads surface repair and replacement in Buchanan County

In response to these grant notices, U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement:

“In early 2025, winter storms severely impacted transportation infrastructure in Southwest Virginia. This extreme weather event inflicted damage to roads that our communities routinely rely on for access.

“I accordingly worked to urge federal partners to approve Governor Youngkin’s Major Disaster Declaration and make additional federal resources available for Virginia’s Ninth District.

“These FEMA grants for nearly $1.6 million show federal assistance is on the way to help Dickenson and Buchanan Counties rebuild road infrastructure in Southwest Virginia.”

BACKGROUND

 

FEMA funds are obligated to the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Commonwealth will be responsible for providing the funds to the sub-recipients.

These grants are related to Virginia’s Major Disaster Declaration that President Trump approved in April 2025. The amended map of localities covered by the Declaration can be found here.

Congressman Griffith worked with U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner to secure President Trump’s approval of Governor Youngkin’s Major Disaster Declaration.

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

Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries held a press conference, where he emphasized that while Republicans are voting this week to give ICE a $70 billion blank check to brutalize our communities, House Democrats remain committed to lowering the high cost of living and using taxpayer dollars to make life better and more affordable for the American people.

LEADER JEFFRIES: From the very beginning of this Congress, House Democrats have made clear that the cost of living in the United States of America is far too high and that Donald Trump promised to lower costs on day one. But costs haven’t gone down in the United States of America, costs have gone up. Grocery prices are too high. Housing costs are too high. Healthcare costs are too high. Utility bills are too high. Gas prices are out of control. America is far too expensive. And Donald Trump hasn’t made the situation better. He’s made the situation worse. The Trump Tariffs have increased costs on everyday Americans by thousands of dollars per year. The Republican assault on the healthcare of the American people has caused health insurance costs to skyrocket. And at the same period of time, Donald Trump’s reckless and costly war of choice in Iran has resulted in gas prices through the roof.

America is far too expensive. There are far too many people in this country who are working hard, they’re playing by the rules, but they are unable to thrive, and they can barely survive. And that’s not acceptable in the United States of America. So House Democrats are going to continue to fight to drive down the high cost of living and push back against the Republican effort to make life more expensive. We believe that taxpayer dollars should be used to make life more affordable for the American people, not give ICE another $70 billion blank check so they can unleash brutality on American citizens and violently target law-abiding immigrant communities. House Democrats will be a hard no on the reckless Republican budget reconciliation bill this week.

Full press conference can be watched here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose)

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), ranking member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, introduced a resolution marking 150 years since Congress authorized use of federal lands on Mount Hamilton for James Lick Observatory.

“Once housing the largest telescope on Earth, the Lick Observatory brings an immense amount of pride for Santa Clara County,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren. “Over the past 150 years, this has been the site of incredible astronomic discoveries, and it’s where thousands of visitors have discovered their love of science. I commend the University of California for its stewardship of this iconic facility. As the lead Democrat on the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, I will always advocate for federal investment in the valuable research and education programs at Lick Observatory.”

Lick Observatory, located in California’s 18^th district, was the world’s first permanently staffed mountaintop observatory. Jupiter’s moon, Amalthea, was discovered at Lick Observatory in 1892. The James Lick telescope to this day remains the 3^rd largest refracting telescope in the world.

Text of the resolution is available here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09)

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9), a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, today introduced the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) Clarification in Sciences Act to provide an accurate and up-to-date scientific basis for the evaluation of substances reviewed for scheduling under the 1970 CSA statute.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

“Accuracy in federal drug policy will ensure both fairness and safety. Much has changed since 1970 when the Controlled Substances Act was enacted. My bill will clarify and update the CSA so that the evaluation of controlled substances is made on the best scientific evidence of today, not decades-old processes and outdated knowledge. I worked diligently with the nation’s leading scientific professional societies to ensure the bill’s approach reflects the gold standards in biomedical research and contemporary healthcare. Therapeutic progress depends directly on the ability of physicians and researchers to study substances of interest.  The current law’s imprecise approach to Scheduling substances has created a system that is arbitrary and largely ignores the modern practice of medicine and public health, and has substantially hindered scientific progress.”

Congressman Cohen’s measure would amend the Controlled Substances Act to more closely align the act with modern medical knowledge, terminology and practices. This would be done by defining critical terms such as ‘accepted medical use,’ ‘physical dependence,’ and ‘potential for abuse,’ among others. Appropriately scheduling substances is critical to ensuring that researchers can access these substances for biomedical research, and patients, in accordance with the guidance of licensed health care providers, can access effective treatments.

Rather than directly regulating any given substance, this bill takes a comprehensive and procedural approach: it improves the scheduling process by tying it to the very best science, weighing costs and benefits based on actual and relative harms, and acknowledging the importance of research, experimental therapies, and the evolution of the practice of medicine.  

The bill has been endorsed by the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP), the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology (ASCP), the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET), and the Society of Biological Psychiatry (SOBP).

American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) President Dr. Deanna Barch, Ph.D., made the following statement:

“This legislation takes a long-needed step to enhance clarity and strengthen the scientific basis on which substances are reviewed for scheduling. By adding and updating critical definitions that the statute has lacked, it gives the administering agencies a sounder evidentiary foundation for their evaluations. The scheduling framework these terms support has stood since the Controlled Substances Act was enacted in 1970, and bringing its core definitions into line with current science is an important and welcome advance.”

Dr. Randy Hall, Ph.D., President of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, made the following statement: 

“The Controlled Substances Act Clarification in Sciences Act of 2026 introduces key definitions that clarify gaps in the original Controlled Substances Act (CSA), aligning these definitions with current scientific knowledge and representing progress toward a more robust framework for reviewing substances for scheduling. It also addresses a barrier the research community has faced in studying controlled substances. In many cases, the constraints of scheduling status prevent scientists from understanding whether a substance may, in fact, have medical utility. These updates will facilitate the investigation of the use of many substances in a variety of therapeutic areas.”

Dr. Dost Öngür, MD, Ph.D., President of the Society of Biological Psychiatry stated:

“This bill is a service to science and to patients. For too long, the law has trapped promising treatments in a circular standard that blocks the very research needed to prove their value. By insisting that drug scheduling rest on evidence, this legislation reopens the door to discovery for the millions of Americans living with depression, PTSD, and other serious psychiatric conditions.”

See a one-pager on the measure here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative James E (Jim) Clyburn (6th District of South Carolina)

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representative James E. Clyburn (SC-06), Chair of the Democratic Faith Working Group, and U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), with Representatives Andre Carson (IN-07), Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Jerry Nadler (NY-12), Hank Johnson (GA-07), and Ro Khanna (CA-17) led 119 Democratic Members in a letter condemning the establishment of the bicameral, anti-Muslim, self-styled “Sharia-Free America Caucus,” which would promote legislation that discriminates against the faith tradition of American Muslims. Ugly voices are growing louder and threatening to strip away our First Amendment rights to freely practice our faith and to violate the Constitutional prohibition of government picking one religion over another. We must oppose efforts to spread racist and xenophobic misrepresentations that sow more ignorance and hate.  

The premise underlying this caucus and the measures associated with it reflects longstanding Islamophobic narratives and anti-Muslim sentiment rather than any demonstrated policy need.

In their letter, the lawmakers denounced the hateful caucus and urged leadership to speak clearly against initiatives that discriminate and stigmatize against any religious community.

“To be clear, American Muslims serve this nation in every capacity and are entitled to the same constitutional protections as all other Americans. They are guided by both faith and civic responsibility to respect the U.S. Constitution, follow the law, and contribute positively to their communities and to the nation they call home. Congress must not legitimize anti-Muslim proposals that undermine those protections or foster division among the people we represent.”

The lawmakers condemned the following legislation associated with the “Sharia-Free America Caucus”:

• Preserving a Sharia-Free America Act (H.R. 5722 / S. 3009)
• No Shari’a Act (H.R. 5512 / S. 3008)
• Protecting Puppies from Sharia Act (H.R. 7611)

The lawmakers continued, “These proposals address no identifiable gap in U.S. law and raise serious constitutional concerns. The U.S. Constitution already makes clear that federal and state law govern civil and criminal matters, and courts have repeatedly invalidated measures that single out a particular religion for disfavored treatment.

“Sharia, like Catholic canon law and Jewish Halakha, is a system of personal religious guidance developed through centuries of religious scholarship. For American Muslims, it primarily governs matters of faith and ethics, such as prayer, charity, honesty, family responsibilities, and service to others, and does not supersede U.S. law. Islamic teachings emphasize that Muslims should honor the laws of the country in which one resides.”

The full letter can be found here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (3rd District of Ohio)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) joined Representatives Zach Nunn (IA-03), Don Bacon (NE-02), Greg Landsman (OH-01), and Mike Carey (OH-15) in introducing the bipartisan Housing Opportunities for Moving to Empowerment (HOME) for Foster Youth Act, legislation to help foster youth access stable housing as they transition into adulthood.

The bill streamlines access to housing assistance through the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) program, helping vulnerable young people secure housing before they experience homelessness.

Across the country, nearly one in four foster youth experience homelessness within four years of aging out of care, and roughly 50% of the nation’s homeless population has spent time in the foster care system.

 

“Too often, the foster care system fails to set young people up for success as independent adults,” said Congresswoman Beatty. “Having a home is not a privilege, it is a basic right that everyone deserves. I’m proud to introduce this bill to streamline the Foster Youth to Independence program and allow young people a safe transition into adulthood. Every child should have the security of a stable home and opportunity to build a successful future.”

 

The HOME for Foster Youth Act improves and streamlines the FYI voucher program by: 

• Extending the voucher application window from 90 to 180 days before a youth exits foster care 
• Removing duplicative language requiring foster youth to already be homeless or at risk of homelessness to qualify for assistance 
• Clarifying that Education and Training Vouchers (ETV) are excluded from income calculations for FYI voucher eligibility 
• Strengthening coordination between HUD and HHS to improve access to housing assistance for foster youth 

In 2019, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) launched the Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) program to help foster youth secure stable housing as they transition into adulthood. However, a HUD Office of Inspector General report found that only 31% of FYI vouchers are currently utilized due to inconsistent implementation and administrative barriers.

 

Congresswoman Beatty has long championed policies that expand affordable housing and housing stability for vulnerable populations. The HOME for Foster Youth Act builds on her efforts to ensure every young person has access to safe, stable, and affordable housing.

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