MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Dina Titus (1st District of Nevada)

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee today finalized the Water Resources Development Act of 2026 to fund the Army Corps of Engineers for the next two years, including provisions proposed by Rep. Dina Titus to strengthen water conservation efforts.

“The prolonged drought and the shrinking Colorado River make it imperative that we think outside the box and use every tool possible to mitigate our water supply crisis,” Congresswoman Titus said. “This legislation strengthens the ability of the Army Corps of Engineers to protect dwindling water supplies. It includes provisions I championed to create an Office of Water Supply, Water Conservation, and Drought Resilience that would promote water conservation and drought resiliency measures at federal water projects such as those to optimize reservoir storage, support aquifer storage and recharge, and institute nature-based solutions in drought-prone areas.”

Another provision Congresswoman Titus led in the package would direct the Army Corps to consider the impact of data centers on water supply and conservation projects.

“We need to better understand the effects data centers will have on water supplies, particularly in desert areas like Southern Nevada prone to drought,” she said. “Two-thirds of proposed data centers are in drought-prone regions. Communities want transparency about how this influx of data centers will impact their water supply. We need to make sure that federal agencies follow due process and hold public hearings before transferring public lands to data center companies and using up this vital resource.”  

The WRDA 2026 bill also includes provisions championed by Congresswoman Titus to create a pilot program to use natural infrastructure in dryland streams in arid and desert regions.

This program will be beneficial in Nevada, where 88 percent of streams are ephemeral, including the Amargosa River recently labeled one of America’s most endangered rivers.

Other provisions led by Congresswoman Titus in the legislation are:

• Drought Resiliency Projects: Establishes two new programs to carry out small-scale projects for drought resiliency and flood control structure enhancement.
• Dam Safety: Reauthorizes the dam safety program through 2031 and gives states the flexibility they need to protect communities from flooding.
• Trucker River Flood Control Project: Provides needed reauthorizations to ensure continued implementation of the Truckee River Flood Management Project (TRMA). Through this project, the cities of Reno and Sparks, Washoe County and numerous other stakeholders are working together to reduce the devastating impacts of flooding along the Truckee River in Washoe County.
• Invasive Species: Adds “aquatic invasive species identification, containment, mitigation, and eradication” to the list of authorized projects under the Tahoe Section 108 program.

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

“Now, the Federal Reserve semiannual report highlights that Black people have continued to have higher unemployment rates and lower wages than white workers.”

“This is a problem. Now, it’s a problem for Black workers. It’s a problem for the Black family. But really, it’s a problem for everyone.”

Pressley Has Repeatedly Sounded the Alarm on Trump’s Unemployment Crisis, Pushout of Black Workers, Demanded Action from Federal Reserve

Video (YouTube)

WASHINGTON – Today, during a House Financial Services Committee hearing, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) urged Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh to address the alarmingly high Black unemployment rate and uphold the Federal Reserve’s mandate for maximum employment. In her question line, Rep. Pressley reiterated her demands that the Federal Reserve analyze and establish a plan of action to tackle racial unemployment disparities and protect Black workers and share this plan with the Congressional Black Caucus.

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

Transcript: Pressley Urges Federal Reserve Chair Warsh to Address Black Workers’ Unemployment Crisis, Uphold Maximum Employment Mandate

House Financial Services Committee

July 14, 2026

REP. PRESSLEY: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

And welcome, Chair Warsh, congratulations, and welcome to the Financial Services Committee.

I represent the Massachusetts Seventh Congressional District, a beautiful, dynamic district, and also one that is deeply unequal.

In fact, in a three-mile radius from Cambridge, home to your alma mater, to Roxbury, a historically Black, vibrant community in my district. That being said, median household income drops by $50,000 and life expectancy by 30 years. That’s just in a three-mile radius, and those inequities are not naturally occurring. They are man-made. They’re the result of intentional and deliberate government action.

So, I’m here, and what guides me is the work to be just as intentional and just as deliberate in making sure that government works for all people. And I know we’re just getting to know one another, but I hope I can count on your partnership in that mission, Mr. Chair.

I’m going to begin with what should be an easy yes or no question. Are you committed to fulfilling the maximum employment requirement of the Federal Reserve’s statutory mandate?

FED CHAIR KEVIN WARSH: Congresswoman, absolutely. We have no disfavored part of the job that you gave us. Price stability and maximum employment are not an either-or proposition. I’m committed to both of them.

REP. PRESSLEY: Well, that was my next question—if you viewed this mandate as equally important as the price stability mandate.

Now, since Trump took office, hundreds of thousands of people have been pushed out of the federal workforce. The current unemployment rate is 4.2%, which is higher than when Biden left office. And if you look deeper into the data, Black unemployment writ large is at 6.6%.

Now, the Federal Reserve semiannual report highlights that Black people have continued to have higher unemployment rates and lower wages than white workers.

This is a problem. Now, it’s a problem for Black workers. It’s a problem for the Black family. But really, it’s a problem for everyone.

It’s a problem for workers like Teresa in my district, who, despite being educated, qualified, and good at her job, was let go from her public health position due to government funding cuts. And with the state of HHS, our country needs to employ all of the public health experts that we can find.

But this is also a problem for our national economy and financial stability.

Let me illustrate what I mean. According to one report, Black Americans held a buying power of $1.6 trillion in 2020. Economists estimate that 2% of Black women being fired has led to $37 billion being lost in GDP spending.

So when that money is lost, it impacts everyone. It impacts our small businesses that spur local economies and workforces.

So the point is, when Black workers lose, everyone loses.

So Chair Warsh, given the persistent racial disparities in unemployment, will you, as Federal Reserve Chair commit to confronting these workforce challenges that Black workers are forced to endure?

CHAIR WARSH: So, Congresswoman, I’ll say this, which is the U.S. can ill afford to leave any individuals behind. The economic opportunity, which is essential for America’s growth trajectory over the next 5 and 10 years, means that every American needs to have opportunities to be productive.

And I believe, unlike some in the economics profession, that productivity-led economic growth is a good thing, not a bad thing. And I’m hopeful that the Fed can be supportive of opportunities for economic growth.

REP. PRESSLEY: Thank you, Mr. Chair. And I want to say specifically for Black workers, because if a problem of this magnitude—there are 700,000 unemployed Black women right now. If a problem of that magnitude was happening to any other group, we would do the analysis and we would have a plan.

So I’m going to ask of you what I asked of your predecessor—for you to come and brief the Congressional Black Caucus on your strategies and efforts specifically to the Black worker, given the disparate impact.

You know, you’ve talked about your refusal to tolerate a persistent high inflation. I need the same rigor, the same rigor, the same vigor, and the same commitment when it comes to the Black worker. It’s already a part of your mandate.

CHAIR WARSH: So American workers, no matter their background, have my commitment to do what we can at the Federal Reserve to make sure they have all the opportunities in front of them, regardless of any characteristic.

REP. PRESSLEY: Well, Mr. Chair, experts believe we need targeted structural efforts to address unemployment disparities. So I’m asking for focused—

FSC CHAIR HILL: The gentlewoman’s time is expired. I invite the Chairman to answer your question in writing.

REP. PRESSLEY: Thank you.

—

In September 2025, Congresswoman Pressley wrote to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell sounding the alarm on the rising unemployment rate for Black women in the United States and demanding the Fed take immediate action to uphold its mandate of maximum employment for all. The Congresswoman’s letter came amid the Trump Administration’s mass federal workforce layoffs and anti-DEI policies disproportionately impacting Black women and as Donald Trump attempted to seize control of the Fed by illegally firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. A copy of the Congresswoman’s letter is available here.

In December 2025, Rep. Pressley and Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Yvette Clarke followed up to Rep. Pressley’s demands and wrote to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell demanding a briefing for members of the Congressional Black Caucus on how the Federal Reserve is responding to this growing crisis. 

In May 2026, Rep. Pressley vehemently opposed Republican legislation that would strip the Federal Reserve’s mandate for maximum employment, emphasizing the Fed’s essential role in ensuring economic health, community well-being, and personal dignity in work especially under Trump’s unemployment crisis. During debate, Rep. Pressley combatted Republicans’ anti-worker legislation through four amendments affirming the importance of the Fed’s mandate for maximum employment.

In March 2026, Reps. Pressley and Summer Lee (PA-12) introduced the Better Labor Statistics Act, or the BLS Act, legislation that would codify the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ mandate to report unemployment data publicly, online, and at the first Friday of each month to ensure transparency and accuracy in unemployment data collection. The BLS Act would also codify the publication of unemployment data broken down by race and ethnicity, gender, geography, and industry.

In December 2025, Rep. Pressley, along with Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Black Women & Girls, Congresswomen Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09), Robin Kelly (IL-02), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), led 19 of their colleagues demanding the Department of Labor (DOL) take immediate action to address the rising unemployment crisis among Black women that has taken shape since the start of the second Trump Administration.

In November 2025, Rep. Pressley convened Black women, economists, civil rights leaders, and community members for an urgent discussion about the unemployment crisis facing Black women and its impact in Massachusetts and beyond.

In September 2025, Congresswoman Pressley convened a press conference with a coalition of Black women activists and civil rights leaders to continue sounding the alarm on the rising number of Black women forced out of the workforce in the United States.

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

July 14, 2026

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) joined the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) to speak out against ICE’s brutality and the killings of 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston, Texas, and of 26-year-old Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine.

View press conference clip here.

Remarks as delivered below:

I’m Joaquin Castro, and proud to represent San Antonio, Texas, here in the U.S. Congress. And want to say thank you to my colleagues in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, most especially Representative Silvia Garcia, who, after the shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, did so much work in the community to try to start to heal the community, but also to get answers to why ICE brutally murdered Lorenzo. And also to other members of the Houston delegation who were here, Lizzie Fletcher and Christian Menefee, who have also been very helpful in Houston.

We are confronted once again with the fact that ICE has become, under Donald Trump, an abusive and rogue agency that should be broken up and disbanded. Yesterday, a woman walked out of her home and into the chaos of the street, where she saw a young girl, no more than three years old.

ICE had just shot and killed a 26-year-old man, shot him six times. While he was lifeless on the floor, they handcuffed him. Neighbors said the man was the father of that young girl. It was seven o’clock in the morning, and the young girl was still wearing her Bluey pajamas. The woman said, “things like this never happen.”

Except under Donald Trump, they seem to happen every week. And if we let this go longer, they will happen every day. I have said for a while that there is a brutality by ICE on the streets and behind the prison walls of places like Dilley, and Karnes, and Pearsall, and so many other detention centers across the country. This is an agency that is targeting, that is profiling, that is stalking Latinos across the country. I found it very interesting that in both cases, ICE has admitted that neither man was targeted. That they were not the targets of enforcement.

I think there’s a reason for that, because they have contracted people who are essentially bounty hunters, as well as their regular agents, to go out in the streets to look for people in beat up work trucks, to look for Latino men early in the morning and coming home at night, who are going to and from construction sites, who are going to stores to buy supplies for construction and home building, and they’re targeting those folks. So, they don’t need names on a paper. They’re driving around to see who’s brown, driving around to see and listen to who speaks Spanish out in public, and then they’re stopping those people. They’re asking them whether they have papers, and in these last two cases, they’ve engaged in cold-blooded murder.

I think you’ll agree with me that when law enforcement has video to prove its case, it releases it right away. They release the video evidence right away, and yet ICE has released nothing in either case. In Lorenzo’s case, they literally have not released a shred of evidence to support their claim that he was a danger to them. They were a danger to him. They were a danger to the Latino community, and all of this is driven by a racial animus out of the White House—not just Donald Trump, but Stephen Miller, who’s the architect of this racial animus and hatred and bigotry, so Americans have to stand up together, have to refuse to be silent.

We have to disband ICE in this Congress. We have to freeze their hiring. We should give them no more money. Congress has to use every leverage that it can to change ICE’s behavior. Otherwise, these killings will continue. There will be another victim in a few days or a few weeks. I want to say thank you to the communities in Houston and throughout Texas who have spoken up loudly, the neighbors in Maine who got out yesterday into the streets in protest, and Americans across the country who have done the same thing. Your words matter, your voices matter, your actions matter.

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND:

According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is contracting private companies to track and locate people, a bounty hunting process known as skip tracing. According to the American Immigration Council, these private contractors receive up to 50,000 names per month and use data tools, online research, and artificial intelligence to locate people and inform ICE where and when operations should take place.

###

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

Letter to Homeland Security Secretary Mullin asks if ICE has hired January 6 defendants

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Diana DeGette (First District of Colorado)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Diana DeGette (CO-01), Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01), Congressman Henry C. “Hank” Johnson (GA-04), and Congressman Don Bacon (NE-02) introduced the Cure Hepatitis C Act, which would implement a national test-and-treat program to help eliminate the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the United States.

“Thanks to the tireless efforts of biomedical researchers and innovators, hepatitis C is curable. Yet far too many people remain undiagnosed or unable to access treatment, and dozens die from the disease every day,” said DeGette. “This is simply unacceptable. We have the tools to stop this epidemic and curb the human and financial costs of this disease going untreated. I am pleased to work with my colleagues on this legislation, which will have the greatest positive impact to public health of any bill passed this Congress.”

“As a physician, I have seen what happens when a curable disease goes untreated simply because a patient couldn’t access care,” said Dr. Miller-Meeks. “Hepatitis C is beatable. We have the tools to eliminate it, and this bill puts them within reach of the Americans who need them most. This is a commonsense, fiscally responsible effort that will save lives and save taxpayer dollars. I am proud to lead it alongside my colleagues on both sides of the aisle.” 

“I am asking that we work together to raise awareness about hepatitis C – a silent killer – so that others at risk can get tested and treated,” said Johnson.

“This legislation represents a rare opportunity to improve health outcomes while reducing long-term health care costs,” said Tim Leshan, Chief External Relations and Advocacy Officer at Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health. “We commend Representatives Miller-Meeks, DeGette, Johnson and Bacon for their bipartisan leadership and commitment to ending hepatitis C in the United States. By investing in testing, treatment, and coordinated public health efforts today, Congress can prevent liver cancer, cirrhosis, and liver transplantation tomorrow while also strengthening our nation’s public health infrastructure.”

“It’s vital to the health of the American people that Congress passes the Cure Hepatitis C Act,” said Saul J. Karpen, MD, PhD, FAASLD, President of American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. “Hepatitis C affects 4 million Americans, many of whom are not aware of their disease or the ready availability for a cure, leading to a gap for these Americans regarding their future health. This bill directly addresses these gaps with practical, rapid and effective approaches that will save lives and reduce costs. We are thankful that Representatives Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Congressman Henry C. “Hank” Johnson (D-GA), and Congressman Don Bacon (R-NE) seized this opportunity to move this forward on behalf of patients living with hepatitis C.”

Estimates show that between 2.4 million and 4 million Americans are infected with HCV, with between 69,000 to 100,000 new cases of infection added each year. The virus is often asymptomatic, leaving many of those infected unaware of their condition. 

HCV is curable with oral medication, which makes this bill even more consequential. Using a treatment course of direct-acting antivirals, more than 95 percent of people with the infection are cured in approximately 8-12 weeks. If HCV is left untreated, it can lead to lifelong chronic health issues and even death.

Additionally, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects this policy could save the country more than $6 billion over the next decade.

Read the bill text here.

###

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

WASHINGTON — Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) today sent a letter to Polymarket seeking information about the company’s paid influencer partnerships following recent reporting that raised questions about whether the platform sponsored influencers who promoted election denial claims while advertising active election betting markets. The letter requests information about Polymarket’s relationships with election deniers, safeguards governing paid partnerships, and internal communications concerning election-related promotional activities. 

The Congressman writes:

“Recent reporting has raised significant questions about how election-related prediction markets are promoted and whether existing safeguards are sufficient to prevent the spread of misleading narratives about election integrity. Reporting regarding prediction market platforms suggests that weaknesses in influencer, affiliate, and sponsored-content programs may allow election misinformation to be amplified while generating financial benefits for the platforms, influencer affiliates, and market participants.” 

He continues:

“These dynamics create dangerous incentives. When political influence and financial incentives become intertwined, platforms risk incentivizing premature claims, misleading narratives, and false allegations before votes are fully counted or certified. When coupled with a documented history of intentionally misleading consumers in advertising, members of the public are incentivized to create and spread election denial information for the false promise of a large payout.” 

The Congressman requested responses to the following questions by July 28, 2026:

1. Knowledge of election deniers
   1. At the time you entered or renewed these arrangements, did your company know that any influencers or paid partners had publicly promoted election denialism or repeatedly questioned the legitimacy of U.S. elections?
   2. Please identify those individuals or entities and the basis for your knowledge.
2. Policies and practices for paid partnerships
   1. What policies govern paid promotions, affiliate programs, and influencer partnerships related to election-related markets?
   2. Do these policies address content that questions election integrity or promote claims of voter fraud, and if so, how?
   3. How are these policies enforced to ensure that election deniers are not platformed?
3. Documents and communications
   1. Vetting, approval, or monitoring of influencers, affiliates, or other paid partners promoting election-related markets.
   2. Internal discussions or policies regarding relationships with individuals or entities known for promoting election denialism or election-related conspiracy theories.
   3. Any guidelines, manuals, training materials, or enforcement records concerning paid promotion of election-related markets, including any safeguards intended to prevent the use of your markets or market data to spread false or misleading claims about election integrity. 

Please produce documents from January 20, 2025, to the present that relate to:

The full text of the letter is available here.

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

WASHINGTON — Congressmen Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Seth Moulton (D-MA), along with Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ), on Monday led Representatives Chris Deluzio (D-PA), Steven Horsford (D-NV), Sylvia R. Garcia (D-TX), André Carson (D-IN), Jason Crow (D-CO), and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) in sending a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche regarding reports that the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Justice (DOJ) are diverting personnel, funding, and operational focus away from counterterrorism, transnational crime, anti-corruption, and other core public safety missions in favor of large-scale civil immigration enforcement. The letter raises serious questions about whether Congress’s appropriations are being used to carry out the Departments’ core statutory responsibilities. 

The lawmakers write:

“We are writing to express our grave concerns regarding public reports of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) diverting critical personnel, resources, and operational focus away from core national security and public safety missions such as counterterrorism, transnational crime, and anti-corruption efforts in favor of large-scale civil immigration enforcement. This redirection raises serious questions about whether resources appropriated by Congress are being used to carry out the Departments’ core statutory mandates.” 

The lawmakers further write:

“There is substantial evidence that significant DOJ resources have been diverted from criminal cases in pursuit of civil immigration cases. Recent reporting brought to light the scale of this shift at DOJ. The Department has declined to pursue more than 23,000 criminal cases in the first six months of the second Trump Administration. According to analysis, these cases included 1,300 terrorism-related cases, nearly 5,000 drug cases, and over a thousand white-collar and public corruption cases. At the same time, DOJ has significantly increased immigration prosecutions, bringing over 32,000 new immigration cases in that same six-month period, nearly triple the number under the Biden Administration.” 

The lawmakers requested responses to the following questions by August 10, 2026:

• What analysis or decision-making process was used to justify reallocating personnel, funding, and prosecutorial capacity from core law enforcement and national security missions to civil immigration enforcement?
  • Please provide updated information on the current number of HSI, CBP, and USCIS personnel who have been diverted to assist with immigration enforcement.
  • Please provide updated information on the current number of U.S. Marshals, FBI, DEA, and ATF agents who have been diverted to assist with immigration enforcement.
  • Please provide the number of cases declined in each month since the last month of available data (July 2025) listed by relevant categories (terrorism-related, national security, drug cases, and white-collar and public corruption cases).
  • Please provide the number of requests for judicial security—including courthouse security, judicial protective details, threat investigations, and prisoner transport—that have been delayed, reduced, or declined due to personnel or capacity constraints in the past year.
• How are DHS and DOJ ensuring that core mission areas, including counterterrorism, transnational crime, narcotics enforcement, public corruption, addressing gun violence, and civil rights enforcement, are being fully executed while resources are being redirected to immigration enforcement?
• What steps are being taken to ensure that these reallocations do not degrade mission readiness in counterterrorism, transnational crime, and other critical enforcement areas?
• What steps, if any, are being taken to restore personnel and resources to core mission areas affected by these reallocations, and what is the timeline for doing so? 

The full text of the letter is available here.

 

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

WASHINGTON — Congressman Austin Scott (R-GA), Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence’s National Intelligence Enterprise Subcommittee, and Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, today sent a bipartisan letter to Acting Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Acting Director Nick Andersen following new reporting that a group of Russian hackers were behind last year’s devastating cyberattack against Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) in the United Kingdom. The lawmakers urge CISA to develop and share a strategy to thwart such attacks while strengthening cybersecurity across American companies, government networks, and critical infrastructure.

The lawmakers write:

“Given that JLR is a major component of the UK defense industrial base, the attack raises significant concerns over Russian-backed efforts to sabotage manufacturers critical to defense supply chains here in the United States as well. Therefore, we urge you to develop and share a strategy to thwart such attacks and outline how you will support stronger cyber defenses across American companies, government networks, and critical infrastructure.”

The lawmakers further write:

“While authorities are still determining the extent of the involvement of the Russian state, this cyberattack must cause us to question our own cyber defenses and whether cyber actors could infiltrate U.S. systems to shut down defense production and/or disrupt access to critical infrastructure including communications, electricity, transportation, and water.”

The lawmakers requested responses to the following questions by July 28, 2026:

1. What assessment has CISA made of the cybersecurity posture of the U.S. defense industrial base with respect to disruptive ransomware and cyberattacks designed to halt production rather than just steal data?
2. Has CISA identified any sectors of U.S. critical infrastructure or manufacturing that are particularly vulnerable to a Jaguar-style attack? If so, what steps are being taken to address those vulnerabilities?
3. Is there currently any evidence of similar network infiltrations, state-backed or otherwise, in the United States?
4. What lessons, if any, has CISA drawn from the Jaguar incident, and how are those lessons being incorporated into guidance, assessments, or cybersecurity programs for U.S. industry?
5. What is the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and CISA’s current capacity to share threat indicators from foreign incidents like Jaguar with U.S. private sector partners in real time? How have the resource and personnel cuts since January 1, 2025 impacted CISA’s capacity to share information with the private sector?
6. What additional actions are DHS and CISA taking to protect American companies and critical infrastructure from these kinds of hacks? Does DHS have a government-wide strategy to thwart these kinds of hacks?
7. How has the administration pushed back against nation-state sabotage efforts in the United States or among our treaty allies?
8. How is CISA working to ensure that small and medium-sized manufacturers—many of which lack dedicated cybersecurity personnel—receive timely threat intelligence and cybersecurity assistance? Does CISA have the proper resources to support this effort?
9. What authorities does CISA currently lack, if any, that would improve its ability to identify or mitigate threats to critical infrastructure and manufacturing networks?

The full text of the letter is available here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)

Watch the full video of the press conference HERE.

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, standing alongside Epstein survivors, U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D‑NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, introduced legislation designed to safeguard survivors whose personal information was improperly disclosed during the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) release of records related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and prosecution. The Recovery, Enforcement, and Damages to Assure Confidential Treatment (REDACT) Act, would establish clear accountability for the DOJ and reinforce protections against future breaches of personally identifiable information.

On November 19, 2025, the Epstein Files Transparency Act was signed into law, requiring the DOJ to publicly release all unclassified records related to the Epstein investigation within 30 days. The law required the DOJ to protect survivors’ identities by redacting their personally identifiable information from any published documents. The DOJ failed to meet this obligation. Instead, the Department released tens of thousands of records containing unredacted personal information belonging to nearly 100 survivors, including an email that identified 31 child victims with only a single redaction. As of February 2026, DOJ has been forced to retract approximately 9,500 documents containing survivor information. These disclosures subjected survivors to harassment, traumatization, and threats to their personal safety.

The REDACT Act would amend the Epstein Files Transparency Act to allow survivors to hold the DOJ accountable for these privacy violations and seek compensation for harm resulting from the unlawful disclosure of their personal information.

“The Epstein Survivors have fought for years to get justice and reveal the powerful predators in Jeffrey Epstein’s orbit. Their fight for justice was met by an incredibly incompetent DOJ that released their private information, while protecting abusers. Because of this, they have faced serious retraumatization and harassment. Our legislation will get the survivors the accountability they deserve from a DOJ that has failed them, ” said Jayapal. 

“No survivor should have to relive unimaginable trauma because the federal government failed to protect their privacy,” said Booker. “I’ve heard directly from survivors about what this recklessness has cost them — harassment, traumatization, threats to their safety. Survivors deserve to be made whole, and I will keep fighting to hold the DOJ accountable and stand up for the people it was supposed to protect. If legislation is what it takes to force the DOJ to meet its obligations, then Congress has a duty to act and pass this bill.”

“The rule of law means little if the government is free to violate the rights of the very people the law was written to protect. Survivors should never bear the cost of the Department of Justice’s failures, nor should they be left without a remedy when those failures cause profound and lasting harm. The REDACT Act affirms a principle that should never have been in doubt: victims’ rights do not end where government negligence begins, ” said Liz Stein, Epstein Survivor. 

The REDACT Act would specifically authorize survivors to:

• Seek a court order requiring DOJ to remove unredacted personal information from public records;
• Recover statutory or compensatory damages, including the greater of $50,000 or proven damages such as emotional distress; and
• Recover reasonable attorney’s fees and litigation costs.

To read a one-pager on the bill, click here.

To read the full text of the bill, click here.

Issues: Civil Rights, Public Safety & Criminal Justice

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Salud Carbajal (CA-24)

U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) announced the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee advanced a bipartisan bill containing more than $66 million for Central Coast water projects. The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2026 will now need to be considered by the full House and Senate for final passage. 

“Like many communities across the nation, the Central Coast has some water systems that are aging beyond their intended service life or must be upgraded to accommodate our region’s growth. As a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I’m proud to have secured federal funding in this committee-passed bill to strengthen water infrastructure throughout the Central Coast. As the bill moves toward final consideration, I will continue working to ensure this essential investment is delivered to our communities,” said Rep. Carbajal, a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

The following projects and authorizations have been included in the committee-passed bill.

• $30,000,000 for the Los Olivos Community Services District (LOCSD). The funding will be used for a new septic-to-sewer project. Once completed, the proposed project will collect wastewater from the LOCSD and send the waste approximately 3.5 miles to a connection point with the City of Solvang. The City of Solvang will then treat and dispose of the LOCSD’s wastewater at their regional facilities.
• $25,000,000 for the City of Ojai. The project would replace the metal pipes that service the City’s storm water collection system. These pipes are at the end of their expected life, having been in place since the early 1960s.
• $3,200,000 for Summerland Sanitary District to upgrade water and wastewater infrastructure.
• $6,300,000 for the City of Lompoc. The City’s projects include the modernization of the City’s water treatment plant and construction of a stormwater treatment and flood control system.
• $2,000,000 for the City of Solvang to improve its water and water supply infrastructure, including the distribution systems.
• Authorization of the City of Morro Bay’s seawall repair and harbor enhancements project. 

“The City of Solvang is grateful for Congressman Carbajal’s leadership and continued advocacy for Solvang. His support helps advance important infrastructure priorities that are essential to the long-term health, reliability, and resilience of our community,” said Mayor David Brown. 

“The legislative language advocated by Congressman Salud Carbajal will ensure the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lives up to its responsibility to repair and maintain breakwater, revetment, and seawall infrastructure that is vital to ensuring safe navigation and operations in Morro Bay Harbor. We appreciate Rep. Carbajal’s leadership and his hard work in Washington, D.C. on behalf of Morro Bay and California,” said Mayor Carla Wixom. 

“The Summerland Sanitary District is incredibly grateful to Congressman Carbajal for his continued advocacy for our coastal infrastructure. Securing this $3.2 million authorization in the draft WRDA bill is a vital milestone in rehabilitating our ocean outfall. This federal partnership establishes the critical pathway we need to protect our local environment and ensure reliable wastewater services for our community,” said Diantha Glaser, General Manager of the Summerland Sanitary District. 

“Building a sewer system to solve a problem that has persisted for more than 50 years isn’t glamorous, and it certainly is not easy. We are deeply grateful to Congressman Salud Carbajal for his leadership and support in helping secure funding for this critical community infrastructure. This investment gives Los Olivos a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build the solution our community has long supported while ensuring that local decisions remain in local hands. It allows us to move forward with a project that reflects the needs and priorities of the people who live and work here,” said Los Olivos Community Services District President Julie Kennedy.

“Congressman Carbajal’s work to continue advancing the Lower Mission Creek Flood Control Project through WRDA 2026 is a very welcome shot in the arm. He has been an essential and long-time champion of the project. With construction now over 50% complete, renewed Federal investment is critical to finishing this complex and urgently needed project to protect our densely developed urban core from recurring flooding,” said Santa Barbara County Public Works Director Chris Sneddon.

“Safety and infrastructure have been central priorities for this Council and City staff, with enhanced public participation, deferred maintenance budgeting, and focused timelines as key progress indicators. We are extremely grateful for our Federal agencies in partnering with the City of Ojai to bring our storm systems to proper order, helping to sustain a community that can remain resilient, safe, and efficient now and for decades to come,” said Ojai’s Mayor Andy Gilman.

The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to carry out critical water infrastructure projects nationwide, including flood risk reduction, ecosystem restoration and navigation improvement. WRDA is biennial legislation crafted by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. By authorizing these projects through WRDA, Congress helps unlock future federal funding. 

The bill supports locally-driven projects that also deliver regional and national benefits to strengthen U.S. global competitiveness and supply chain, grow the economy, move goods throughout the country, protect communities from flooding, and more. In addition, investments in water infrastructure help lower everyday costs for Americans. Modernizing aging infrastructure reduces water loss and lowers maintenance expenses, helping keep water rates more affordable for households and businesses. 

Click here for legislative text and here for a summary of WRDA 2026.