MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green Ohio)

Today, the House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously passed Energy Subcommittee Chairman Bob Latta’s SECURE GRID Act, bipartisan legislation that empowers states to fully assess risks to the electric grid from extreme weather, physical and cyber threats, and other vulnerabilities. This bill is co-led by Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA-07).

“States must have a fully accessible plan in place to respond when threats are posed to the electric grid. As Chairman of the Energy Subcommittee on Energy and Commerce and Co-Chair of the Grid Innovation Caucus, ensuring America’s electric grid is secure and resilient for families and businesses across the country remains a top priority. I thank my Energy and Commerce Committee colleagues for advancing this legislation at today’s markup, and I urge the House to swiftly bring it to a vote,” said Latta. 

“Keeping the lights on should never be a gamble. Across America, a power outage can mean a life-threatening scenario during extreme temperatures, a parent scrambling to keep insulin cold, or a senior worrying about a medical device. The SECURE Grid Act takes a commonsense step to strengthen the local grid that serves our communities and protect it from extreme weather, physical threats, and cyberattacks. I’m glad this bipartisan bill passed out of committee, and I’ll keep pushing to get it to the House floor,” said Matsui.  

Background on the SECURE Grid Act: 

States must submit a State Energy Security Plan (SESP) annually to receive funds from the State Energy Program. State Energy Offices use these funds to implement energy security and resiliency plans, invest in domestic energy resources, reduce energy waste, pilot innovative energy projects, and more. A state’s SESP allows it to recognize, respond to, and mitigate weaknesses in its energy infrastructure. 

While SESPs are currently required to consider broad vulnerabilities, including physical and cyber-attacks, the SECURE Grid Act adds necessary detailed data to these reports, requiring states to consider: 

• threats posed to local distribution facilities and supporting grid infrastructure, like distribution substations; 
• the risks posed by increasing grid demand; 
• available technologies to mitigate threats to energy distribution and rising grid demand; 
• the distinctions between weather-related threats and threats from a physical act of violence; 
• the utility of public-private partnerships in meeting energy security needs; 
• the availability of innovative financing models that may save taxpayer dollars and increase access to digital grid technology; and 
• the role of vendors in maintaining a secure, reliable, and resilient energy distribution system. 

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

Today, U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24), a member of the House Agriculture Committee, issued the statement below following the House Agriculture Committee’s passage of the farm bill.

“The Republican farm bill fails to address the urgent crises facing agricultural communities across the country, including on the Central Coast. Our farmers are being squeezed by both sides of Trump’s trade war. The tariffs are increasing farmers’ production costs while their customer base overseas shrinks as nations retaliate with their own trade barriers. Furthermore, this legislation ignores the devastating SNAP cuts included in the ‘Big Ugly Bill,’ which threaten food security for our most vulnerable citizens as grocery prices continue to skyrocket. This bill was a missed opportunity for bipartisan, commonsense solutions. Instead, this bill betrays our farmers, which is why I voted against it and will continue to stand up for our rural communities.”

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

WASHINGTON – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Congressman Brad Finstad (R-MN) in introducing the Federal Loan Systems Modernization Act, bipartisan, bicameral legislation to create a government-wide shared services lending platform known as “Lending.gov.”

The platform would provide a single, modern front door for borrowers and a standardized set of back-end loan management capabilities for participating agencies while preserving each agency’s program authorities.

“Today, the federal government operates more than 175 loan programs on outdated, fragmented systems that waste billions of taxpayer dollars and leave the door open to fraud,” Congressman Krishnamoorthi said. “Our legislation establishes Lending.gov as a single, secure, modern platform that will streamline operations, strengthen fraud detection, and ensure assistance reaches Americans who qualify without unnecessary delays. By consolidating these systems, we can save at least $2 billion annually while delivering faster, more accountable service. This is smart government: cutting waste, protecting taxpayers, and making federal programs work the way they should.”

“Tennesseans, small businesses, and families across the country deserve a simple process that makes accessing federal loans easier,” Senator Blackburn said. “The Federal Loan Systems Modernization Act would streamline the process for borrowers and federal agencies, replacing the confusing patchwork of loan programs that frustrates Americans every day. It would also stop waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars.”

“The federal government is one of the largest lenders in the world, with programs that support housing, small businesses, infrastructure, disaster recovery, and national security. But the outdated systems used by many of these lending programs cost billions and have allowed tens of billions in fraud,” Senator Hassan said. “This bipartisan bill will modernize federal lending through a shared services platform known as Lending.gov, helping make our government more user friendly, combat fraud, and save taxpayer dollars.”

“By creating Lending.gov as a single, secure access point for federal loan programs, the Federal Loan Systems Modernization Act finally brings our loan systems into the 21st century,” Congressman Finstad said. “I’m proud to introduce this legislation with Sen. Blackburn and Rep. Krishnamoorthi to improve efficiency and streamline access across agencies, minimize opportunities for fraud, and deliver the kind of commonsense modernization that makes government work better for the people it serves.”

Summary of the Federal Loan Systems Modernization Act

• The Federal Loan Systems Modernization Act would:
• Build on successful centralized platforms such as Grants.gov; and
• Test a scalable model for shared services in lending that could set a precedent for future shared services initiatives in other mission areas.
• In addition to improving efficiency and customer experience, the Lending.gov platform is intended to significantly reduce fraud.
• Modern loan management systems routinely used in the private sector incorporate tools such as;
• Enhanced identity verification;
• Cross-program data matching;
• Real-time risk analytics and alerts; and
• Standardized underwriting and servicing controls.
• A centralized platform would make these capabilities more accessible across agencies, enabling earlier detection of fraudulent or ineligible applications and reducing improper payments.

The text of the bill is available here.

Endorsements of the Legislation

This legislation is supported by the Center for USA Lending, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste, Association of Government Accountants, Shared Services Leadership Council, and the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

“The communities that depend most on federal credit programs, small businesses, first-generation homeowners, students, are also the ones most harmed when systems are slow, uncoordinated, and unreliable. The Federal Loan Systems Modernization Act gets at something fundamental: that good lending policy requires good lending infrastructure. The Center for USA Lending strongly believes this proposal warrants prompt action, and we’re committed to keeping borrower experience at the center of this conversation,” said Doug Criscitello, Executive Director, Center for USA Lending.

“The Federal Loan Systems Modernization Act would establish a new website, Lending.gov, as a centralized federal lending platform.  This consolidation of information about federal loans would facilitate access and increase transparency for borrowers, reduce duplication, and improve the detection and prevention of waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement.  Agencies would benefit from the website’s shared services and infrastructure while maintaining control over their individual lending programs.  The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste supports this legislation and urges all members of Congress to support its passage,” said Tom Schatz, President, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste.

“Like in so many areas of government operations, fragmented lending systems cost taxpayers money and make it harder for agencies to do their jobs. The Federal Loan Systems Modernization Act is a practical, common-sense response to a problem that federal financial managers have flagged for years. AGA supports advancing this concept now. Modernizing shared infrastructure while keeping agencies in control of their programs is exactly the right approach,” said Ann Ebberts, CEO, Association of Government Accountants.

“Shared services works and federal lending is exactly the kind of function that stands to benefit from a common platform approach. The Federal Loan Systems Modernization Act aligns closely with what the shared services community has advocated for years: modern infrastructure, reduced duplication, and agency autonomy preserved. We’re encouraged by the direction this proposal takes and believe it deserves serious attention from both the Administration and Congress,” said John Marshall, Executive Director, Shared Services Leadership Council.

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

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

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

Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), Senator Maggie Hassan (NH), a senior member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Senator Jeanne Shaheen (NH), and Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander (NH-02), are pushing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem to definitively rule out developing any ICE facilities in New Hampshire without state and local support. 

While DHS recently confirmed that it was not moving forward with its planned project in Merrimack, the agency has refused to rule out the potential of restarting the project and refused to provide any information about whether it was pursuing plans elsewhere in New Hampshire. 

“Last week, in response to congressional inquiries, ICE stated that the agency is not moving forward with plans for a facility at 50 Robert Milligan Parkway in Merrimack at this time. However, ICE explicitly refused to comment on any other plans for ICE facilities in New Hampshire,” wrote the New Hampshire Congressional Delegation. “The people of New Hampshire have clearly and repeatedly voiced their concerns regarding potential new ICE facilities in the Granite State… While the plans for this specific proposed facility have now been paused, we continue to have strong concerns that DHS has or may develop other plans for a new ICE facility in New Hampshire without listening to and accounting for the concerns of Granite Staters.” 

In their letter, the Congressional Delegation pushed Secretary Noem to publicly provide any sites that it has evaluated for use as an ICE facility, in Merrimack or elsewhere in New Hampshire, as well as the current status of its plan, and a commitment from DHS that it will not develop or operate these facilities unless it obtains the support of local leadership, including state and local elected officials as well as law enforcement and emergency services. 

The New Hampshire Congressional Delegation has continued to push the Department of Homeland Security to listen to local voices when it comes to the development of ICE facilities. The Delegation repeatedly highlighted for Secretary Noem the local concerns with its planned facility in Merrimack, which resulted in the cancellation of the project. The New Hampshire delegation introduced bicameral legislation requiring DHS to solicit public comments and receive written approval from state and local officials before constructing, acquiring, or operating any new ICE facility. 

Click here to read the New Hampshire Congressional Delegation’s letter to Secretary Noem, or see below: 

Dear Secretary Noem: 

We write today to seek information about Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans regarding new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities in New Hampshire.  

Last week, in response to congressional inquiries, ICE stated that the agency is not moving forward with plans for a facility at 50 Robert Milligan Parkway in Merrimack at this time. However, ICE explicitly refused to comment on any other plans for ICE facilities in New Hampshire. 

The people of New Hampshire have clearly and repeatedly voiced their concerns regarding potential new ICE facilities in the Granite State. Local leaders were left out of discussions with DHS regarding the facility at 50 Robert Milligan Parkway in Merrimack, creating a situation where DHS plans continued to move forward without crucial local input. While the plans for this specific proposed facility have now been paused, we continue to have strong concerns that DHS has or may develop other plans for a new ICE facility in New Hampshire without listening to and accounting for the concerns of Granite Staters. 

Please provide answers to the following questions no later than Friday, March 13, 2026: 

• We understand that DHS has paused its plan to purchase property and operate an ICE facility at 50 Robert Milligan Parkway in Merrimack, New Hampshire. Is DHS guaranteeing that project will not move forward, or leaving open the possibility of resuming it in the future?
• Since January 20, 2025, has DHS evaluated any sites in Merrimack for potential use as ICE facilities other than 50 Robert Milligan Parkway? 
  • If so, please provide a list of locations considered, the current status of these projects, and all documents prepared for these projects including but not limited to any economic impact analyses. 
• Since January 20, 2025, has DHS evaluated any other locations for potential new ICE facilities elsewhere in New Hampshire?
  • If so, please provide a list of locations considered, the current status of these projects, and all documents prepared for these projects including but not limited to any economic impact analyses. 
• Since January 20, 2025, has DHS evaluated expanding or increasing capabilities at any existing federal government owned or operated locations in New Hampshire to support DHS immigration enforcement, detention, or removal operations? 
  • If so, please provide a list of locations considered, the current status of these projects, and all documents prepared for these projects including but not limited to any economic impact analyses.
• Is DHS continuing to explore the possibility of developing and operating a new ICE facility in New Hampshire at this time?
• Will DHS consider developing and operating a new ICE facility in New Hampshire in the future?
• Will DHS commit to not developing or operating any new ICE facilities in New Hampshire unless it obtains the support of local leadership, including state and local elected officials as well as law enforcement and emergency services? 

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

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

DelBene on Noem Firing: Accountability ‘Doesn’t Stop with One Firing’

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

Headline: Carter secures key wins for Georgia farmers in Committee-passed bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) today praised the passage of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, The Farm Bill, out of the House Committee on Agriculture, which includes hard-fought wins and recognitions for Georgia farmers.

Included in this bill is Rep. Carter’s request for a study on the Hurricane Insurance Protection – Wind Index (HIP-WI) program and renaming of the U.S. National Poultry Research Center in Athens, Georgia, after the late President of the Georgia Poultry Federation, Francis “Abit” Massey.

“Representing the number one state in which to do business, where agribusiness is our top industry, this bill has my strong support. It will bring great relief to farmers who work hard every day to feed our nation while honoring a remarkable Georgian whose legacy should never be forgotten,” said Rep. Carter.

“The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 is such a strong piece of legislation because of the commitment of Members like Rep. Carter,” said Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA), Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture. “This study is a step in the right direction for providing adequate risk management tools for producers during extreme weather.”

The HIP-WI program is a wind-based insurance option managed by the USDA designed to protect farmers impacted by hurricanes. However, Hurricane Helene exposed that the program is vulnerable to inaccuracies, leaving farmers who experienced significant crop losses without protection. This bill would authorize a study to examine the loss of crop insurance coverage caused by a weather station outage, assess contingency plans, and report on the feasibility of obtaining data from land-grant colleges and universities or other third-party sources to support HIP-WI and Georgia farmers.

The bill also includes a provision to rename the U.S. National Poultry Research Center in Athens, Georgia, after the late Francis “Abit” Massey, who passed away in June 2024 at the age of 96. Mr. Massey served as President of the Georgia Poultry Federation for 48 years and was recognized statewide for his leadership and instrumental role in establishing Georgia as a leading poultry producer, now a multi-billion-dollar industry.

“We applaud the actions of Congressman Buddy Carter and the House Agriculture Committee to include a report investigating the reliability of data coming from NOAA weather stations,” said Tom McCall, President of the Georgia Farm Bureau. “Our farmers are completely reliant on these weather stations functioning accurately every day of the year, but especially when natural disasters strike. This report marks a great step forward to ensure any problems standing in the way of that goal are addressed.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Robin Kelly IL

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02), who’s leading impeachment efforts against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, released the following statement on President Trump firing Noem:

“Good riddance, Kristi Noem.”

“President Trump fired Kristi Noem because he knew Congress was going to remove her. My impeachment efforts against Noem gained momentum every time she opened her mouth and terrorized our country. She was an incompetent leader who enriched her friends and unleashed her Gestapo agents with no regard for the law or human life. It’s time for her to go home and never enter public service—or adopt a dog—again.”

Congresswoman Robin Kelly introduced H.Res.996, Impeaching Kristi Lynn Arnold Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security, for high crimes and misdemeanors. Rep. Kelly’s impeachment articles attracted 187 cosponsors, representing over 3/4 of the House Democratic Caucus. 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Aumua Amata (Western Samoa)

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is hailing House passage of the Territorial Student Access to Higher Education Act, H.R. 6472, a bipartisan bill she co-led, and a policy she has worked on persistently for several Congresses, to guarantee in-state tuition rates for students from the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa. 

The three Members of Congress from the US territories in the Pacific

This bill, a collaborative effort by the territories’ Representatives, passed the House on Wednesday following debate and a recorded vote of 351-72, and requires Senate passage to become law. This marks a historic milestone in the effort to expand affordable higher education access for territory students pursuing degrees on the mainland, with the support of House Education and Workforce Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI).

“Thank you to Chairman Walberg, my colleagues Representatives Moylan, King-Hinds, Plaskett, and Hernández Rivera, along with special appreciation to former Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, as this is a longtime shared priority that we worked on together in prior Congresses,” said Congresswoman Aumua Amata. 

Congresswoman Amata continued, “This is great news for our students, and a successful bipartisan collaboration. Our students deserve the best possible access to four-year University degrees. Millions of American students benefit from in-state tuition, and this innovative bill extends this sensible policy to the islands. With strong bipartisan passage this week by the full House, we’re a big step closer to fairness, and making a major difference in opportunity in the lives of our students.”

The legislation amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require public institutions receiving federal funds to charge eligible territorial residents no more than the in-state tuition rate. Since out-of-state tuition can be two to three times higher than in-state rates, causing a significant deterrent for families who already face higher costs of living, limited degree options in the islands, and the added burden of long-distance relocation.

The bill would ease the financial burden and open options to many universities around the country. 

“The passage of H.R. 6472 marks a significant step toward ensuring true parity for American students living in the territories,” Congressman Moylan said. “Too many of our students leave home to pursue degrees that simply aren’t available locally, and too often the financial burden places that opportunity further out of reach for hardworking families. This measure strengthens the pipeline of skilled professionals who will help build a stronger, more resilient Guam. It’s about empowering our youth to pursue their dreams without being priced out of them, and ensuring that when they return home, they are ready to lead the next chapter of Guam’s growth.”

“Students from the Northern Mariana Islands bring talent, dedication, and a strong commitment to their education when they pursue opportunities across the United States. H.R. 6472 helps expand access to affordable higher education by allowing students from U.S. territories to qualify for in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities. For many CNMI families, higher education requires significant sacrifice, and this bipartisan legislation helps open more doors for our students while strengthening pathways to build the skilled workforce our islands and our nation need,” said Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds.

Congresswoman Amata and Congresswoman Plaskett

“Today is a historic day for students and families across the U.S. territories. Since my first term in office, I have advocated for legislation to expand in-state tuition access for students in the Virgin Islands and the other U.S. territories,” said Congresswoman Plaskett. “Today, the House has spoken clearly: our students deserve the same educational opportunities and pathways to success as their peers in the states. Guaranteeing in-state tuition is essential to reducing the burden of student debt and opening doors to the careers and training needed to strengthen our local economies. I am proud to have fought alongside my colleagues to advance this legislation, and I urge the Senate to act swiftly so that we can deliver this long-overdue relief to territorial students and families.”

The bill, introduced with all five territory representatives from the start, is sponsored by Rep. James Moylan, and original cosponsors Reps. Aumua Amata, American Samoa; Kimberlyn King-Hinds, CNMI; Stacey Plaskett, USVI; and Pablo Hernández Rivera, Puerto Rico. 

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