MIL USHOR-2b Engine

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

WASHINGTON — Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Congressman Jason Crow (D-CO), members of the Senate and House Intelligence Committees, released the following statement urging both chambers of Congress to pass a War Powers Resolution to end President Donald Trump’s reckless, costly war with Iran:

“As we’ve said from the start, Congress must do its constitutional duty to stop President Trump’s dangerous and unauthorized war.

“The American people overwhelmingly do not support this war, but the President has ignored them.

“Trump’s recklessness has produced multiple strategic failures that carry real human costs. Thirteen American servicemembers and thousands of civilians are dead, over 300 servicemembers are injured, tens of billions of taxpayer dollars have been spent with no strategy, energy and gas prices are through the roof, Russia is cashing in from high oil prices, China is gaining ground while we shift focus away from Asia, and American alliances and credibility have been severely damaged around the world.

“Congress must rein in these disastrous actions before Trump and his enablers take America down an even more dangerous path. Republicans in both chambers must join us in passing upcoming War Powers Resolutions to end his war.” 

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

Reps. Joe Neguse (D-CO-02) and Jeff Hurd (R-CO-03) sat down with Shaun Boyd to speak about their bipartisan efforts to safeguard the Colorado River.  

Lafayette, CO — In case you missed it, Representatives Joe Neguse and Jeff Hurd joined CBS Colorado for a joint interview to discuss their shared efforts to protect the Colorado River for the benefit of all Coloradans. The lawmakers both represent parts of Colorado’s Western Slope, which includes the headwaters of the Colorado River. 

In August 2025, Neguse and Hurd joined members of Colorado’s congressional delegation in a letter urging the Trump administration to release critical federal drought management funding, including $40 million for the Shoshone project—funding that would allow the state to acquire some of the oldest and most significant water rights on the Colorado River. They recently renewed this call to action in a joint op-ed published in Colorado Politics earlier this year.

The lawmakers have also partnered to introduce legislation to improve snowpack monitoring, worked to prevent the sale of public lands in Colorado, and advocated for the rehiring of thousands of Forest Service workers who help combat wildfires. At a time of deep political division, their partnership stands out for its focus on delivering meaningful results for the communities they serve.

Watch the interview and read the accompanying article HERE.  

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

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

Headline: Carter celebrates record-high tax returns on Tax Day for hard-working American families

WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) today released a statement celebrating the Working Families Tax Cuts, President Trump’s landmark legislation that provided the largest tax cut in American history. Every Democrat in Congress voted against it, and had they won, American families, workers, and small business owners would be facing a massive tax increase today instead of relief.

On Tax Day, American workers are receiving record-high tax returns because of pro-worker, pro-business tax provisions in the Working Families Tax Cuts.

The provisions include the following:

• Doubled the Child Tax Credit
• Doubled the Standard Deduction
• Eliminated Taxes on Tips
• Eliminated Tax on Overtime
• Raised the Death Tax Exemption

“Through the Working Families Tax Cuts, House Republicans delivered win after win for working families. Provisions such as doubling the Child Tax Credit, No Tax on Tips, No Tax on Overtime, and raising the death tax exemption amount are lowering the burden on families and supporting small businesses and hardworking farmers in Georgia,” said Rep. Carter. “Republicans are governing with common-sense policies that are helping folks keep more of what they earn.”

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

Pressley Will Officially Move Her Bipartisan Discharge Petition to House Floor Today, Final Passage Set for Thursday

Over 350,000 Haitians Across America Could Lose Legal Status if Congress Doesn’t Act

Video (YouTube) | Photos (DropBox)

WASHINGTON – Today, ahead of a key procedural vote, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Co-Chair of the House Haiti Caucus, and Congresswoman Laura Gillen (NY-04) held a press conference alongside colleagues and advocatescalling for the extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians. Following the press conference, Congresswoman Pressley went to the House floor to advance her discharge petition on Rep. Gillen’s bill and trigger the first procedural House vote on extending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti until April 2029.

Last month, Rep. Pressley’s discharge petition successfully met the 218-signature threshold to move forward with bipartisan support.

Joining Congresswomen Pressley and Gillen were House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Yvette Clarke, Congressman Maxwell Frost, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Congressman Mike Lawler, Maria Praeli, Director of Government Relations and Advocacy at FWD.us, Joshua Bernstein, Director of Immigration, Service Employees International Union, Guerline Jozef, Executive Director, Haitian Bridge Alliance, and Patrice Lawrence, Co-Director, UndocuBlack Network.

“Extending TPS for Haiti is not only the moral and humanitarian thing to do—it’s also good policy. It’s good for families, it’s good for our economy, and it’s good for America,” said Congresswoman Pressley at the press conference. “Today the People’s House has an opportunity to pass our legislation to extend Haiti TPS and save lives. And we must do just that.”

”Before I came to Congress, I made a promise to our Haitian community in Nassau County on Long Island that I would use my voice and work with anyone to help protect this community and their existing legal status here in the United States,” said Rep. Gillen. “That’s why the very first bill I introduced was a bipartisan bill to extend TPS for Haitians. Without this protection, they will be forced to return to the horrors in Haiti. It has kept hard-working, law-abiding, and taxpaying members of our community from certain death. I am proud that, with the partnership of my Democratic and Republican colleagues, including Representatives Ayanna Pressley and Mike Lawler, we were able to advance a discharge petition on this issue. This week, I intend to pass the very first bill that I introduced in Congress and deliver on a promise that I made before taking office to protect TPS for Haiti.”

“Since the start of this administration, we’ve witnessed one attack after another on law-abiding immigrants,” said Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-5). “Families are being torn apart, and fear is becoming a twisted new norm across our communities. Extending TPS for our Haitian brothers and sisters would mark a crucial step toward reining in Trump’s terror. I’m deeply grateful to Reps. Pressley and Gillen for leading the fight to save lives, safeguard basic rights, and uphold the dignity our constituents deserve.”

“I am proud to fight alongside my colleagues who have refused to stand by as the 350,000 Haitian TPS holders, whom we have come to call our neighbors, friends, and loved ones, are forced back to the same humanitarian turmoil, gang violence, exploitation, chaos, and instability that they narrowly escaped with their lives. These families embody what it means to be good, decent Americans, and they deserve more than to be treated as numbers in Donald Trump’s deportation machine,” said Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke. “Temporary Protected Status is a promise. For the sake of our Haitian neighbors’ safety and futures, we must not break it.”

“Extending TPS for Haiti is urgent and necessary,” said Rep. Maxwell Frost. “I’ve been fighting to protect Haitian families in Central Florida because Haiti is facing a devastating humanitarian crisis marked by violence, instability, and a lack of basic safety. The House must act to protect these families, and the Senate must follow with the same urgency.”

“Haiti is overrun by criminal gangs, who kidnap women and girls, extort residents for protection money, and kill with impunity. We must preserve their TPS and protect their lives and safety,” said Wasserman Schultz. “As a descendent of immigrants who fled repression and antisemitism, I’ll always fight for law-abiding immigrant families who fled desperate circumstances and who work hard, pay taxes, pass criminal background checks, and contribute to our economy and communities.”

“For Haitian nationals, these deportation threats are not policy. They are a death sentence,” said Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24). “My constituents have done everything right, and I refuse to stand by while they are sent back into violence, instability, and fear. Haiti is not safe, and we all know it. This is a humanitarian crisis, and I am demanding immediate action to extend TPS, protect these families, and stand with Haiti. I will keep fighting with everything I have until these families are protected and this injustice is brought to an end.”

“Haitian TPS holders are our family members, neighbors, and friends. They are parents raising kids here. They are caregivers, coworkers, and essential workers who contribute to the places we all call home,” said Maria Praeli, Director of Government Relations and Advocacy at FWD.us. “This bill isn’t just a statement about the conditions in Haiti, and the very real justification for continuing TPS. It is also about recognizing what TPS holders already contribute and making a decision that is in the best interest of our communities and our economy.”

“Many of SEIU’s Haitian members with TPS provide in-home long-term care for elderly or disabled U.S. citizens who face the prospect of losing trusted aides they have relied on for intimate assistance for months or years,” said Joshua Bernstein of SEIU at the press conference. “Others play critical roles in airports, hospitals, health clinics or elsewhere. They will be difficult and costly to replace, and America will be poorer for it, their families bereft, their co-workers and employers left to fend for themselves. We hope and expect that a majority [of congressmembers] will vote tomorrow to keep them in their jobs and free from deportation.”

“350,000 people at risk right now, and those are children who are afraid to go to school because they are afraid when they come back home, their mothers, their fathers will not be here,” said Guerline Jozef with Haitian Bridge Alliance at the press conference. “Where will you be? On the right side of history? Or continuing to cause trauma to people who aren’t asking for anything other than safety and protection? We stand in solidarity with the TPS holders, and we are pushing with Congresswoman Pressley and the entire 218 members who came and signed. We are demanding every member of Congress, regardless of which side of the aisle you find yourself, to stand on behalf of the right, human thing to do right now and provide TPS for those Haitians.”

“This is deeply personal for those of us that know what it’s like to be vulnerable, for those of us who know what it’s like to be living our lives in short increments—which TPS holders do of two years at a time—folks who are parents, folks who are students, folks who are advocates, folks who are caregivers,” said Patrice Lawrence with UndocuBlack Network at the press conference. “We deserve to give them more time, and that is what we can do today and tomorrow by making sure that we say ‘Yes’ to the votes. This is not about politics—this is about Haitian people, and it is the right thing to do no matter which color you represent.”

A transcript of the Congresswoman’s remarks is available below, and the video is available here.

Transcript: Ahead of Key Procedural Vote, Pressley, Gillen Demand House Pass Measure to Extend Haiti TPS

U.S. Capitol

April 15, 2026 

Good morning, everyone and thank you for joining us. 

Thank you to my partners in this work, Congresswoman Laura Gillen, Chairwoman Yvette Clark of New York, Representatives Frost, Wilson, Wasserman Schultz. Of course, Congressman Lawler, to my Massachusetts delegation partner and our indomitable House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark — Massachusetts in the building,

To our movement partners at FWD.us and SEIU and so many others who are not here in DC but present throughout this country, including advocates like Haitian Bridge. We thank you. 

We find ourselves at a critical inflection point in our country and in our movement for immigrant justice, and today is a critical milestone.

After years of advocacy, years, after years of advocacy, relentless organizing, our discharge petition to force a vote on extending Temporary Protected Status for Haiti has officially reached the 218 signatures required to move forward with bipartisan support. 

We need to affirm and celebrate and recognize that. This is not a marathon, it is a relay race, and that was the first critical leg in this relay. Now, we find ourselves approaching the second leg in this relay. 

Let me be clear, this is historic. In the last 40 years, only 15 discharge petitions have reached this threshold. The progress is testament to the strength of our movement, the power of our collective action, and our bipartisan solidarity in this fight. 

Today, we take this fight to the House floor to move this forward, because the stakes could not be higher. 

Right now, more than 350,000 Haitian nationals living in the United States face the threat of losing Temporary Protected Status. 

In Massachusetts alone, more than 19,000 people are living with fear and uncertainty about whether they will be forced from their homes, separated from their families, and deported to a country facing profound political instability and a humanitarian crisis. 

Let us be clear about what deportation would mean. 

We would be sending parents back into danger, ripping our seniors away from their caregivers, faith leaders back into instability, and essential workers back into insecurity.

To deport anyone to a country that is grappling with layered political, humanitarian, and economic crises is unconscionable. It is dangerous and it is preventable. 

To deport anyone to Haiti right now is unlawful and it would be a death sentence. 

Haitians who have lived here for 15 years have put down roots, built families, started businesses, strengthened our communities. 

These are our neighbors, our coworkers, our friends, people we live, work and worship with, and they are part of the fabric of America. 

Our Haitian neighbors are essential to our economy and our care infrastructure. They are nurses and home health aides, childcare providers, transportation workers, entrepreneurs and educators. Haitian TPS holders contribute billions of dollars to our economy. 

Extending TPS is not only the moral and humanitarian thing to do it is also good policy. 

It is good for families.

It is good for our economy.

And it is good for America. 

And yet, there is an illegal effort to terminate TPS for Haiti, the latest act of targeted contempt against the Haitian community and our immigrant neighbors.

Congress must step in.

Today, the People’s House has an opportunity to pass our legislation to extend Haiti TPS and save lives. And we must do just that. 

Thank you. And now we’ll hear from Congresswoman Laura Gillen. Thank you so much for your foundational leadership in this critical first leg of this relay race.

——

Congresswoman Pressley serves as Co-Chair for the House Haiti Caucus and represents one of the largest Haitian diaspora communities in the country. She has stood in vigorous defense for Haitian communities and all immigrant neighbors amid Trump and ICE’s attacks against immigrant communities.

Congresswoman Pressley has been a leading voice in Congress pushing back against Trump’s threats to terminate Temporary Protected Status for Haitians.

This week, Rep. Pressley, alongside Rep. Wasserman Schultz and Senators Ed Markey and Chris Van Hollen, led 26 Senators and 157 Representatives in filing an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in Miot v. Trump, a consolidated case challenging the Trump administration’s unlawful termination of Haiti and Syria Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

On March 28, 2026, Rep. Pressley’s discharge petition to force a House vote on extending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti successfully met the 218-signature threshold to move forward with bipartisan support.

In March 2026, Rep. Pressley joined Haitian faith leaders and advocates to urge the Supreme Court to affirm the lower courts’ rulings that deemed Trump’s push to terminate Haiti TPS unlawful.

In February 2026, Rep. Pressley applauded a federal judge’s ruling to temporarily block Trump’s move to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians. Ending TPS for Haitians would leave over 350,000 Haitian nationals at risk of deportation, many of whom reside in the Massachusetts 7th congressional district.

In January 2026, Congresswoman Pressley, alongside Senator Markey, held a field hearing on the importance of extending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti. She documented this testimony in the legislative record. Footage from the hearing is available here and photos here.

In January 2026, Rep. Pressley also organized a press conference in D.C. in January to sound the alarm on the harm of terminating TPS for Haiti on seniors and the U.S. care economy.

• On June 28, 2025, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) issued the following statement condemning the Trump Administration’s abominable termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti effective September 2nd, 2025.
• On June 5, 2025, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) issued the following statement on Donald Trump’s executive order that bans citizens of 12 countries, including Haiti, from traveling to the United States, and places partial restrictions on citizens of seven more nations.
• On March 18, 2025,  Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (NY-09), and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) led 62 of their colleagues in the House and 23 of their colleagues in the Senate in a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanding the Trump Administration redesignate and extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti, which the administration recently canceled on questionable legal authority:
• On February 20, 2025, Congresswomen Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Yvette Clarke (NY-12), and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20) issued the following statement condemning the Trump Administration’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti.
• On April 23, 2024, Rep. Pressley, alongside Co-Chairs Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), led a group of 50 lawmakers urging the Biden Administration to redesignate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), pause on deportations back to Haiti, extend humanitarian parole to any Haitians currently detained in Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s detention centers, end detention of Haitian migrants intercepted at sea, and provide additional humanitarian assistance for Haiti.
• On April 18, 2024, Rep. Pressley and Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs led a letter to House Ways and Means Committee leadership emphasizing support for the early renewal of the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement (HOPE) and the Haiti Economic Lift Program (HELP) Acts, commonly known as HOPE/HELP.
• On April 12, 2024, Rep. Pressley joined Haitian-led activists, organizations, and a directly impacted person in Haiti for a press call urging federal action to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in Haiti.
• On March 27, 2024, Rep. Pressley joined Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and her colleagues on the Massachusetts congressional delegation in urging the Biden Administration to expedite visa processing for Haitians, particularly  for relatives of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents.
• On March 12, 2024, Rep. Pressley and Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Cherfilus McCormick and Yvette Clarke issued a statement on the resignation of Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
• On March 6, 2024, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on the recent jailbreak and State of Emergency in Haiti.
• On December 8, 2023, Rep. Pressley and Congresswoman Yvette Clarke urged the U.S. Department of State to withdraw U.S. support for an armed foreign intervention in Haiti and encourage negotiations for a Haitian-led democratic political transition.
• On December 6, 2022, Rep. Pressley issued a statement applauding the Biden Administration’s extension and re-designation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti.
• On December 1, 2022, Rep. Pressley, Rep. Cori Bush, and Rep. Mondaire Jones led 14 of their colleagues on a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas urging the Department to extend and redesignate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
• On August 17, 2022, Rep. Pressley, along with Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Val Demings, Yvette Clarke, and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), called on President Biden to appoint a new Special Envoy to Haiti, a position that has remained unfilled since September 2021.
• On May 31, 2022, Rep. Pressley and Reverend Dieufort Fleurissaint, chair of Haitian Americans United, published an op-ed in the Bay State Banner in which they called on the Biden administration to withdraw support for de facto ruler of Haiti, Ariel Henry, and instead support an inclusive, civil society-led process to restore stability and democracy on the island. 
• On May 26, 2022, Rep. Pressley, along with with Representatives Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Andy Levin (MI-09), Jim McGovern (MA-02), and Frederica Wilson (FL-24), led a letter to United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Power urging her to act to ensure food security in Haiti.
• In February 2022, Reps. Pressley, Judy Chu (CA-27), and Nydia Velázquez (NY-07) led 33 other House Democrats on a letter to CDC Director Walensky demanding answers about the agency’s justification for treating asylum seekers as a unique public health threat, how these expulsions are being coordinated, how asylum seekers being returned to dangerous situations are being cared for, and more. Days later, Rep. Pressley once again called on the Biden Administration to reverse the Title 42 Order and other anti-Black immigration policies.
• On March 16, 2022, Rep. Pressley and Rep. Mondaire Jones called on Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky to fully end Title 42, cease deportations of people to Haiti and affirm their legal and fundamental human right to seek asylum.
• On February 16, 2022, Rep. Pressley joined Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01), Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), and 100 House and Senate colleagues in urging President Biden to reverse inhumane immigration policies – such as Title 42, originally introduced under the Trump Administration – that continue to disproportionately harm Black migrants.
• On February 14, 2022, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), alongside Representatives Judy Chu (CA-27) and Nydia Velázquez (NY-07), led 33 other House Democrats on a letter to Rochelle Walensky, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, demanding answers about the agency’s justification for treating asylum seekers as a unique public health threat, how these expulsions are being coordinated, how asylum seekers being returned to dangerous situations are being cared for, and more.
• In April 2022, she joined her colleagues at a press conference reaffirming her support for President Biden’s decision to end Title 42. Full video of her remarks at the press conference is available here. Rep. Pressley applauded the Biden Administration’s end of Title 42 in a statement in April 2022.
• In September 2022, Rep. Pressley and Rep. Velázquez led 54 of their colleagues on a letter calling on the Biden Administration to immediately halt deportations to Haiti and provide humanitarian parole protections for those seeking asylum. The lawmakers’ letter followed the Administration’s resumption of deportation flights to Haiti as thousands of Haitian migrants continue to await an opportunity to make an asylum claim at the border. 
• In September 2022, Rep. Pressley joined her colleagues on the House Oversight Committee in demanding answers regarding the inhumane treatment of migrants in Del Rio, Texas, by Border Patrol agents on horseback and pushing to Biden Administration to end the ongoing use and weaponization of Title 42.
• On July 7, 2022, Rep. Pressley and Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Andy Levin (MI-09), Val Demings (FL-10) and Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) released a statement marking the one-year anniversary of the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.
• On November 21, 2021, Rep. Pressley and Senator Elizabeth Warren led the Massachusetts congressional delegation on a letter to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) calling on them to coordinate with the government agencies of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to assist newly arrived families from Haiti. 
• On October 18, 2021, Rep. Pressley, and Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Val Demings (FL-10), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), and Andy Levin (MI-09) issued a statement following the kidnapping of American and Canadian missionaries in Haiti.
• On October 18, 2021, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on the civil rights complaint filed by Haitian families demanding a federal investigation into the heinous actions perpetrated by federal officials at the border.
• On October 22, 2021, Rep. Pressley, along with Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney, Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), and Reps. Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), sent a letter to Troy A. Miller, the Acting Administrator of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), demanding a briefing and answers regarding press reports of the inhumane treatment of migrants in Del Rio, Texas, by Border Patrol agents on horseback. 
• On September 17, 2021, Rep. Pressley and Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07) led 52 of their colleagues calling on the Biden Administration to immediately halt deportations to Haiti and take urgent action to address the concerns of the Haitian Diaspora after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti.
• On August 14, 2021, Rep. Pressley Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Andy Levin (MI-09) and Val Demings (FL-10) and Mondaire Jones (NY-17) released a statement regarding the recent earthquake in Haiti.
• On July 14, 2021, Rep. Pressley and Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Andy Levin (MI-09) and Val Demings (FL-10) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas calling on him to take a series of steps to support the Haitian diaspora amid ongoing political turmoil in Haiti.
• In July 2021, the Reps. Pressley, Clarke, Demings and Levin issued a statement condemning the assassination of President Moïse and calling for swift and decisive action to bring political stability and peace to Haiti and the Haitian people.
• In May 2021, on Haitian Flag Day, Reps. Pressley, Levin, Clarke and Demings announced the formation of the House Haiti Caucus, a Congressional caucus dedicated to pursuing a just foreign policy that puts the needs and aspirations of the Haitian people first.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)

Today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) announced three students she nominated have been accepted to U.S. Service Academies. Reed Proscia of Freeport High School and Alberto Cutone of Kennebunk High School will both attend the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., and Kaitlyn Dostie of Camden Hills Regional High School will attend the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y. 

“Earning acceptance to a U.S. Service Academy is an extraordinary accomplishment and a testament to a student’s hard work, leadership, and commitment to service,” said Pingree. “Reed, Alberto, and Kaitlyn have each distinguished themselves through their academic achievements, strength of character, and dedication to serving something larger than themselves. I’m incredibly proud to have nominated them and thrilled to see them accepted to the Naval Academy and Merchant Marine Academy. I know they will represent Maine well, and I wish them every success as they begin this next chapter.”

“My desire to serve as a commissioned officer in the United States Navy is rooted in my passion for leading people around me, whether it be my teammates as captain, my class as a student officer, or the future generation as their sports coach,” Reed wrote in her nomination request. “Everything I have worked towards on the field and in the classroom aligns with the Naval Academy’s commitment to developing physically and intellectually fit leaders of the country. I am confident my athletic and academic mindset have prepared me for the rigor of the Academy. I aim to lead with integrity, serving alongside others with the same mindset, and positively contribute to the Navy’s mission.”

“I’m drawn to the Naval Academy because it’s more than just college. It is a place that pushes you to be your best and values high standards. The chance to learn alongside people committed to service, academic excellence, and moral integrity is exactly the environment I want. I’m driven to grow and succeed, never resting on past achievements, and I believe the Naval Academy is where I can do that,” Alberto wrote in his request for a nomination to the United States Naval Academy. “Serving my country is a responsibility I hold with deep respect, and I’m eager to give everything I have to that mission. I don’t know exactly what my future role in the Navy will be, but the idea of leading, growing, and serving with likeminded people deeply motivates me.”

“The United States Merchant Marine Academy represents everything I value: service, challenge, discipline, and purpose. From my earliest maritime experiences to my academic preparation and extracurricular involvement, each step has strengthened my commitment to serving a greater mission and pursuing a life at sea,” Kaitlyn said in her nomination request. “The motto of USMMA, ‘Acta Non Verba’ or ‘Deeds Not Words’, captures exactly how I strive to live. It is not enough to say I am committed; I must prove it through action, and USMMA will allow me to do so in service to my country. I am ready to embrace the Academy’s demands, both in and out of the classroom, and to grow into the kind of leader USMMA is known for producing.”

To be considered for an appointment to a service academy, applicants must be nominated by an authorized nominating source, which includes Members of Congress.

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

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Bryan Steil (Wisconsin-1)

Washington D.C. – Today, Congressman Bryan Steil (WI-01), introduced the Protecting Americans’ Retirement Savings from Politics Act. This legislation will impose new rules on the proxy advisor duopoly that require strong transparency disclosures and prevent conflicts of interest that have tarnished proxy advice and corrupted corporate governance. Congresswoman Ann Wagner (MO-02) is an original cosponsor of this bill.

“Too often, proxy advisors have encouraged votes that run counter to the economic interests of retirees and seniors. Investment advisors and pension funds should be focused on securing your retirement, not advancing their political agenda,” said Steil. “My bill will bring accountability and transparency to the proxy advisor duopoly and help end the politicization of Americans’ retirement funds. I’d like to thank Congresswoman Wagner in joining me on this important legislation.”

The Protecting Americans’ Retirement Savings from Politics Act will:

• Provide transparency and accountability to the proxy advisory industry, prohibit robo-voting, prohibit the inherent conflict of interest associated with consulting services, and require proxy advisory firm clients to issue annual public reports on their proxy voting. 
• Require large asset managers to explain how they use proxy advisor recommendations and put their customers’ economic interests first. 

Background:

• Roughly 70% of the outstanding shares in publicly traded U.S. companies are held by institutional investors such as mutual funds and pension funds. American families depend on these institutional investors to manage their retirement savings, including voting their shares. However, to save costs, many institutional investors rely on proxy advisory firms for recommendations on how to vote the shares under their control.
• The market for proxy advice is dominated by two firms, Glass Lewis and Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), which jointly have 97% market share. ISS is a German-owned company and Glass Lewis is owned by Peloton Capital, a private equity fund. Often, these two proxy advisory firms successfully pressure institutional investors to vote contrary to shareholder economic interests and in support of woke political initiatives.
• Steil previously introduced similar legislation in the 118^th Congress, where it passed by a vote of 215-203.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)

WASHINGTON — This morning, House Republicans hosted a press conference on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to celebrate the transformational benefits of Republicans’ Working Families Tax Cuts on Tax Day. House Republicans were joined by Americans from across the country who are already benefitting from tax provisions such as No Tax on Tips, No Tax on Overtime, the expanded Child Tax Credit, Trump Accounts, and more.

“Every single Democrat in Congress, every single Democrat, voted to raise your taxes. Every Republican standing behind me and all the rest voted for the Working Families Tax Cuts so Americans can keep more of their own hard-earned money,” Speaker Johnson said.

Watch Speaker Johnson’s remarks here.

On the Working Families Tax Cuts:

It is a great day because this filing season, three things are happening: lower taxes, bigger refunds, and more money in the pockets of hardworking Americans. We did that intentionally, and that’s exactly what’s happening. Thanks to the Working Families Tax Cuts, Americans in all 50 states are benefiting from taxes that are lower and simpler and fairer for their families. This legislation is so revolutionary because it is permanent. That’s a big thing.

In the past 40 years, since the administration of Ronald Reagan, this country has only seen temporary tax cuts. But because of the extraordinary leadership of the Republicans standing behind me and all the rest who work in this Congress to get this done, our Chairman Jason Smith, and the committees of jurisdiction, we did it. Our historic bill does that. For the first time since 1986, Americans’ tax rates are permanently reduced.

Now it’s been noted, and we’re going to continue to remind the voters of this country. Every single Democrat in Congress, every single Democrat, voted to raise your taxes. Every Republican standing behind me and all the rest voted for the Working Families Tax Cuts so Americans can keep more of their own hard-earned money. We don’t believe you should send it all here to Uncle Sam. We want you to keep it.

On Democrats voting to raise taxes on every American:

Here’s just a few numbers. $10,000: that’s the increase in annual take-home pay for the typical working family. That’s the average, and some have much higher. 15%: that’s the average tax cut for a family earning between $15,000 and $80,000 annually. $3,400: that’s the value of the average tax refund—that’s the biggest refund American taxpayers have seen in decades. How did we do that? We started by following a straightforward approach. Simplify the tax code, reduce the tax burden on families, and advance the policy agenda that rewards hard work and puts working- and middle-class families first. These were our three guiding tenets, but really, we can boil the strategy down to just two words. It’s called common sense. Republicans have adopted an agenda of common sense across every area of public policy.

And Democrats, by stark contrast, have adopted a very different set of policies and politics. Theirs is characterized by one word, crazy. From New York to California, Democrats are proposing some of the most anti-growth, anti-American policies in the history of our tax code. They want to raise your taxes because they want government to grow, to spend more recklessly, and families are literally fleeing those blue states. Because of that, the contrast really couldn’t be any clearer.

While Republicans are cutting taxes for families for lower- and middle-class hardworking Americans, Democrats are trying to raise those taxes. While Republicans are making it easier to build and invest in America, Democrats want a return to the policies that ship American jobs overseas. While Republicans are working to make everyday life easier and more affordable, Democrats want to go back to the nightmare of Bidenomics. It’s common sense versus crazy. Y’all, as we say in Louisiana, this tax season, the American people are seeing the real and positive change of Republicans’ commonsense leadership that is making their lives better.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II (5th District Missouri)

(Washington, D.C.) – This week, U.S. Representatives Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) and Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA), along with Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA), introduced legislation to protect communities from toxic waste at Superfund sites that are vulnerable to natural disasters and the effects of climate change. The Preparing Superfund for Climate Change Act would require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to account for climate change risks, including natural disasters and extreme weather hazards, when managing toxic waste sites, enhancing protections for nearby communities. 

There are currently 39 Superfund sites in Missouri and 3 in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Twenty of these sites were deemed currently “vulnerable” to climate change by the GAO.

“As natural disasters become more prevalent and intense due to climate change, it is critically important that we take preemptive action to protect communities near Superfund sites across the country, particularly those that are vulnerable to floods and fires,” said Congressman Cleaver. “By requiring the EPA to account for climate change in their management of Superfund sites, we can safeguard American families from the toxic waste contained at these sites in the event of a disaster. I’m proud to introduce this commonsense legislation with Representative Kamlager-Dove and Senator Schiff as we seek to prevent avoidable and unnecessary tragedies.”

“As the climate crisis causes more and more extreme weather, we must ensure our communities have the resources they need to be resilient,” said Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove. “With 15 active EPA Superfund sites across LA County, climate-driven disasters like last year’s LA Fires threaten to upend pollution cleanup efforts that keep our neighbors safe. I’m proud to join Sen. Schiff and Rep. Cleaver in introducing this legislation that would better prepare us for climate disasters and help protect our communities from toxic waste.”

“With the ongoing and ever-worsening climate crisis, we must take strong action to mitigate the climate risks on Superfund sites across California and the country as more and more of these toxic sites become vulnerable to natural disasters. As the EPA manages and plans the cleanup of these sites, they must account for and recognize the impacts of climate change in order to protect the health and wellbeing of the public,” said Senator Schiff.

In 2019, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report concluding Superfund sites throughout the United States are severely underprepared to weather the exacerbating threat of climate change, risking calamity for surrounding communities that would be impacted by a potential breach. In the report, the GAO found that hundreds of Superfund sites across the nation face risks from flooding, storm surge, rise in sea level, and wildfires. For instance, in 2017, Hurricane Harvey caused flooding at 13 Superfund sites as well as breaches at two others. In 2018, a California wildfire burned through the Iron Mountain Mine site, causing pipes to catch fire with the potential to lead to an explosion that would have released dangerous chemicals into the neighboring communities.

Reports last month from the EPA’s Office of Inspector General found that 100 of the nation’s most contaminated federal Superfund sites are in areas prone to flooding and wildfires.

The Preparing Superfund for Climate Change Act would take steps to install precautions at Superfund sites and protect communities by:

• Requiring the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to incorporate the potential threat to human health and the environment associated with local natural disasters and hazards due to climate change into any plans to clean-up a Superfund site; and
• Requiring that local natural disasters and extreme weather hazards, including any projected exacerbation or change in those disasters and hazards due to climate change, be taken into account in the periodic review of whether a clean-up plan is adequately protective.

The Preparing Superfund for Climate Change Act is endorsed by Climate Protection and Restoration Initiative, Climate Accountability Institute, and Missouri Sierra Club.

The Preparing Superfund for Climate Change Act is cosponsored by Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI).

Official text of the Preparing Superfund for Climate Change Act is available here.

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee’s Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.