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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Nydia M Velázquez (D-NY)

WASHINGTON — Yesterday, H.R. 6644 the Housing for the 21st Century Act, which includes key provisions secured by Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) to expand access to affordable housing through cooperative ownership models while strengthening Congressional oversight to protect tenants in federally monitored public housing authorities, passed in the House of Representatives.

 

Velázquez successfully included targeted language in Sections 101, 201, 405, 406, and 407 of the legislation to explicitly recognize housing cooperatives as eligible entities for federal housing programs and funding. These clarifying provisions added the term “cooperative(s)” where applicable, ensuring that cooperative housing developments are not excluded from participating in existing programs due to ambiguous statutory language. 

 

“Cooperative housing is one of the strongest tools we have to preserve long-term affordability and keep working families in their communities,” said Velázquez. “In a city like New York, where rising housing costs are driving displacement, cooperatives provide a resident-owned model that stabilizes neighborhoods and protects affordability from market pressures. The provisions I secured ensure cooperatives remain accessible, sustainable, and a central part of our affordable housing strategy.”

 

Cooperative housing provides financially stable, resident-owned housing to more than 1.5 million families nationwide and remains a critical source of affordable homeownership and housing stability, in New York City. 

 

In addition to expanding cooperative housing, Velázquez secured new oversight and transparency requirements in Section 502 to strengthen accountability for public housing authorities overseen by a federal monitor or receiver.  The provision responds directly to chronic maintenance issues at New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and the court-appointed federal monitor’s lack of coordination and collaboration with the city’s Congressional Delegation. 

 

This enhanced oversight ensures taxpayer dollars are being used effectively, residents’ needs are addressed, and lawmakers are providing NYCHA and other struggling PHAs with the resources and tools they need to improve their operations and conditions.   

 

“For too long, NYCHA residents have endured unsafe conditions while the court-ordered federal monitor has had limited interaction with our city’s Congressional delegation.  Today we are changing that.  By requiring monitors and receivers to provide annual reports and testimony to Congress we can help provide public housing authorities around the country with the resources they need to facilitate repairs and improve the lives of residents,” said Velázquez.   

 

The provisions advance a comprehensive approach to affordable housing and deliver meaningful protections and opportunities for New Yorkers facing a housing affordability crisis.

 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — During a Ways & Means Committee hearing on Tuesday which addressed the foreign influence in American non-profits, U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA), Chairman of the Ways & Means Subcommittee on Tax, called out foreign billionaires and other foreign entities for exploiting American tax-exempt and nonprofit laws. Kelly also expressed concerns about foreign entities funding protests and protests throughout the U.S., such as recent protests in Minneapolis.

Prominent examples include the People’s Forum, a 501(c)(3) organization that supports disorderly conduct resulting in arrests, which received over $20 million from Neville Roy Singham, a U.S. tech-mogul who resides in Shanghai with close ties to the Chinese Communist Party. Recently, the People’s Forum has joined calls for a national day of protest against ICE and has played an active role in organizing anti ICE protests in Minneapolis, MN and across the country.

Kelly also highlighted how the tax-exempt nonprofit economy now comprises 15% of GDP, spans more than 1.8 million organizations, and manages over $8 trillion in assets.

“The American people are starting to look at foreign influence like this and say, ‘what’s the return on my investment as a taxpayer?'” Rep. Kelly said. “From a national security concern, we should be incredibly concerned. Somebody is picking up the tab, and it’s becoming clear foreign groups are cheating American taxpayers.”

BACKGROUND

The Committee has called on both the Biden IRS and Trump IRS to investigate potential revocation of nearly a dozen nonprofits with links to foreign terrorist groups, as well as organizations linked to violence and unrest in the United States. Groups include Americans for Justice in Palestine Education Foundation, American Muslims for Palestine, WESPAC Foundation, Alliance for Global Justice, and The People’s Forum.

Kelly and Ways & Means Republicans also called for greater transparency, accountability, and oversight of foreign money flowing through U.S. nonprofits to ensure the American tax-exempt privilege is protected.

Further, foreign actors also use complex systems of multiple tax-exempt organizations to cloud transparency and skirt IRS requirements while trying to influence American elections. For example, Hansjorg Wyss, a Swiss billionaire, used his 501(c)(3) Foundation and the closely tied 501(c)(4) Action Fund to influence American elections, donating $208 million to help “Democrats…win the White House and control of Congress.”

You can watch the full hearing here.

Source: {United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bobby Scott (3rd District of Virginia)

Headline: Scott Presses Secretary Collins on Staffing Failures at VA Chesapeake North Battlefield Clinic

“This lack of focus on adequately staffing VA’s clinics and hospitals in Hampton Roads comes after a year of attacks on the federal workforce.”

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

WASHINGTON — Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ranking Member of the Oversight Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services, today condemned the Trump administration’s decision to claw back $600 million in congressionally approved public health funding from states led by Democratic governors, including Illinois, California, Colorado, and Minnesota—a move that strips critical resources from hospitals, health departments, and community-based providers responsible for disease prevention, public health monitoring, and continuity of care.

“Donald Trump’s administration is ripping $600 million in congressionally approved public health funding away from states he doesn’t like, and Illinois is squarely in the crosshairs,” said Congressman Krishnamoorthi. “In Chicago, more than $5 million is being cut from Lurie Children’s Hospital—funding that supports HIV prevention, community outreach, and continuity of care. These cuts weaken hospitals, undermine disease tracking, and put lives at risk in the middle of real public health threats. This is politically motivated cruelty masquerading as policy, and I will fight to reverse it.”

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

Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) and Congresswoman Janelle Bynum (OR-05) introduced the Supporting Projects to Unleash Residential (SPUR) Housing Act to lower the cost of building new housing developments. The bill will increase the housing supply by establishing a five-year $1.5 billion grant program through the Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide funds to housing developers to offset state and local impact fees. Eligibility for the program would require state and local governments to also match half of the project taxes or fees.

New Hampshire continues to face a housing crisis, and it’s estimated that the state needs 90,000 more units by 2040. The SPUR Housing Act would provide cost relief and cut red tape to make it affordable for Granite Staters to build more homes.

“Addressing the shortage of affordable housing should be a top priority of everyone in Congress, and I’m committed to finding common sense ideas that will increase supply and lower costs,” said Congressman Pappas. “I’m pleased to introduce this legislation which creates a new grant program to reduce building project costs and speed the development of new housing.”

“First-time home buyers should not have to wait 20-plus+ years to afford a home,” said Congresswoman Bynum. “This bill will make crucial progress toward making it easier, faster, and more affordable to build a home. Oregonians deserve affordable housing and I will keep fighting for it in Congress.”

This bill is endorsed by the National Association of Realtors.

You can find the full text of the bill here.

Background:

Pappas is working to ensure Granite State communities have the resources they need to increase the affordable housing stock and tackle the housing crisis. His bipartisan Accelerating Home Building Act to support local governments in speeding up the permitting and home building process and lowering costs for Granite Staters passed the House this week. 

In April, Pappas introduced the bipartisan Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act to support the financing and development of affordable housing by expanding and strengthening the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit. In 2024, Pappas and the New Hampshire delegation welcomed more than $30 million in federal grants to build more affordable housing across the Granite State. 

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

This week, Pappas also introduced bipartisan legislation to lower taxes and fees associated with new housing developments

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28)

Today, U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar, Ph.D. (TX-28), highlighted provisions he helped secure in the most recent appropriations package, which was signed into law,  that prevent federal health agencies from delaying or canceling grants by cutting the staff needed to administer them: 

“South Texas depends on federal health and research dollars to keep clinics open, support rural providers, and protect public health. I worked to stop disruptions that would have hit Laredo and communities across our region. 

“This bill includes enforceable guardrails to make sure agencies cannot undermine grants by cutting the personnel needed to process and manage them. That means funding administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the Health Resources and Services Administration, among many others, can keep moving as Congress intended.

“These dollars are not abstract. They support patient care, mental health services and frontline public health work. I will keep fighting to ensure federal health funding reaches South Texans reliably and on time.”

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Congressman Henry Cuellar, Ph.D. is a senior member of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee. Previously, he served as a Texas State Representative and Texas Secretary of State.  

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

Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke at a press conference, where he emphasized that ICE, CBP and the Department of Homeland Security are harming the American people and should all be dramatically reformed before continued funding for DHS is passed.

KATY TUR: Joining us, House Minority Leader Congressman Hakeem Jeffries. Thank you very much for joining us, sir.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Great to be with you.

KATY TUR: All right. Let’s talk about a deal. The White House says one thing. You say another. Republicans say a third. Are you going to get there?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, the ball is in the Republicans’ court right now. We’ve made clear that taxpayer dollars should be used to make life more affordable for the American people, not brutalize or kill them. That shouldn’t be a controversial proposition. We know that ICE is completely and totally out of control. They’ve gone way too far, and they need to be reined in so that immigration enforcement in this country is fair, is just and is humane. And the only way to bring that about right now is for there to be dramatic changes in the way in which DHS conducts itself before any funding bill moves forward on Friday.

KATY TUR: There’s talk in the Senate about maybe extending this CR even further if there are good-faith negotiations. Some Democrats have said they believe that the White House and Republicans are trying to get there, and they may be willing to extend the CR. Do you believe the Republicans and the White House are negotiating in good faith? And would you agree to extending the CR?

LEADER JEFFRIES: I’m not supportive of a continuing resolution extension, in part because I haven’t seen any evidence that the White House and Republicans are willing to negotiate in good faith. We sent over a very detailed list of demands, common-sense proposals, including but not limited to a judicial warrant requirement that they’ve chosen to reject out of hand. The Fourth Amendment is not optional. It’s not inconvenient. It’s something that everyone should comply with. And our basic premise here is that ICE should be compelled to act like every other law enforcement agency in the country. That’s what we need to bring about. They’ve got legislative language that Senate and House Democrats have sent over to them. We’ve heard nothing but crickets in response in terms of a serious counterproposal. And so were we to agree to a continuing resolution in the absence of good-faith negotiations, that’s just a delay and a stall tactic that this administration will be utilizing.

KATY TUR: It sounds like you think there’s going to be a partial government shutdown on Friday.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, we can either have dramatic reform of DHS, ICE, CBP and the way in which immigration enforcement is undertaken here in the country. Listen, these people, Katy, they promised that immigration enforcement was going to target violent felons who are here illegally. That’s not what’s taking place. They’re targeting American citizens, law-abiding immigrant families and American communities, which is why the American people are so horrified. And so, we either need dramatic change on the one hand, or listen, Republicans are going to make the decision to shut down FEMA, shut down the Coast Guard and shut down TSA, and that would be very unfortunate.

KATY TUR: I was going to ask about that, but again, it does sound like you’re pessimistic. What we understand about the White House’s counter-proposal is that they—it’s a non-starter, the judicial warrants. What else can you tell us about their counterproposal?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, listen, they’ve indicated that they’ve got a problem with judicial warrants. They have a problem with any reform of the manner in which detention is being conducted. They’ve got a problem with prohibiting ICE agents from wearing masks. By the way, police officers don’t wear masks. State troopers don’t wear masks. County sheriffs don’t wear masks. Again, ICE should conduct itself like every other law enforcement agency in the country. The White House apparently has a problem with independent investigations. Our view is that when ICE agents, under the color of law, are actually violating the rights of American citizens or law-abiding immigrant families, when they’re breaking state and local law, they should be held accountable. So, state and local officials should have the ability to investigate or prosecute violations of their law. These are all areas where the White House has indicated they’re not willing to go down that road, which basically means they wanna shut down DHS.

KATY TUR: Well, that to me sounds like there’s no compromise. There’s no middle ground. You’ve asked for a slew of things, and the White House is denying all of those things. So there’s nothing there that you guys can agree on as of now?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, the White House has indicated that there’s some openness to mandating body cameras. That’s important, but that can’t be the only thing that is done moving forward. That’s not dramatic change, and the White House has not even gone as far as saying we agree, mandatory body cameras, no exceptions. Their response, even in that area, has been ambiguous.

KATY TUR: I’m curious if I can ask you more broadly about immigration while I have you, because we’re obviously in an election season. Immigration is a very hot topic right now. It’s one that Republicans have used to try to paint Democrats as weak on the border and weak on immigration. And they say that Democrats are harboring criminals and putting Americans’ lives at risk. I obviously know Democrats would deny all of those counts. I wonder, though, if you have thought of a strategy on immigration for your party going into the midterms. And I’m just curious if we could put it between these two poles here. On the one hand—I’m going to play this—a sound bite from President Obama back when he was running for office the first time—I think it’s 2008—in a debate with Hillary Clinton. And then the second one is, I believe, Delia Ramirez, who spoke today at this House hearing with ICE and CBP, saying what she believes should happen to that agency. Let me play both.

RECORDING OF FORMER PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: It is absolutely critical that we tone down the rhetoric when it comes to the immigration debate because there has been an undertone that has been ugly. Oftentimes, it has been directed at the Hispanic community. We have seen hate crimes skyrocket in the wake of the immigration debate as has been conducted in Washington, and that is unacceptable. We are a nation of laws and we are a nation of immigrants, and we can reconcile those two things. So, we need comprehensive reform. We need comprehensive reform, and that means stronger border security.

RECORDING OF REP. DELIA RAMIREZ: As I’ve said before, DHS, ICE and CBP, they’re not really rogue. Congress designed DHS to violate our rights under the pretense of securing our safety. I’m going to say it loud and clear, and I’m proud to stand by what I say. DHS cannot be reformed. It must be dismantled, and something new must take its place, because if we let DHS persist, there will continue to be a weapon that can be pointed at anyone the government considers the public enemy.

KATY TUR: So, among the things that President Obama proposed back then was that immigrants had to learn English. He believed that anybody who crossed here illegally had to get to the back of the line. There was a fine that should be paid as well. It’s not something you hear generally speaking from Democrats today. So if you’re looking at the two polls that we just put in front of you, where do you believe the Democratic Party messaging should be?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, first, we believe that the border should be safe, it should be strong and it should be secure. We certainly believe that our immigration system is broken and it needs to be fixed, but it should be fixed in a comprehensive way and in a bipartisan way. At the same period of time, we are a nation of immigrants and, of course, a nation of laws as well, as President Obama indicated, and we can reconcile the challenges there. That means that we, as Democrats, we’re going to always stand up for Dreamers, stand up for farm workers, stand up for law-abiding immigrant families who are contributing to this country in so many meaningful ways. And the American people know it, which is why they supported the notion of targeting violent felons who are here illegally and figuring out a pathway towards citizenship for others who are here working hard in their communities in order to bring to life that notion that we have been a nation of immigrants, are a nation of immigrants and part of our exceptionalism will continue to be as a nation of immigrants.

KATY TUR: Leader Jeffries, I know I’ve run out of time with you, but I appreciate you joining us, and if you ever want to have a longer conversation about immigration and where the party should stand on it, I’d love to have you back, sir. Thank you so much for coming on today.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Thank you so much.

Full interview can be watched here.

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

Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke on the House Floor, where he emphasized that the American people are suffering under the Trump-Republican economy and that President Trump’s tariffs are making life unaffordable for many Americans.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to this rule, another reckless effort by the Republican majority to stop this House from doing something to stop the reckless Trump tariffs.

Mr. Speaker, the House of Representatives, part of this Congress, is a separate and co-equal branch of government. We don’t work for Donald Trump. We don’t work for JD Vance. We don’t work for Republican billionaire donors. We work for the American people. And the Constitution, Mr. Speaker, gives this House the explicit authority with respect to tariffs. And yet, because apparently my Republican colleagues have been ordered by the current President not to allow an up-or-down vote on whether his tariffs are harmful to the American people, once again, we find ourselves discussing a rule to limit the ability of this Congress to act on behalf of the American people. This is consistent with what we’ve seen from the Republican majority, Mr. Speaker, from the very beginning of this Congress, which unfortunately continues to act like nothing more than a reckless rubber stamp for Donald Trump’s extreme agenda, an agenda that’s not helping the American people. It is hurting the American people.

Yes, we have a cost-of-living crisis in this country. I know the President doesn’t wanna talk about it. He thinks it’s a Democratic hoax. No, the affordability crisis in this country is not a hoax. It is very real. Working class Americans, middle class Americans and everyday Americans are suffering because of the failed Trump-Republican economy. Donald Trump—his words—promised to lower the high cost of living on day one. More than a year later, in the United States of America, Mr. Speaker, costs haven’t gone down. Costs have gone up. Housing costs out of control. Healthcare costs out of control. Child care costs out of control. Electricity bills out of control. And the price of groceries and everyday goods completely out of control. And one of the reasons why the cost of living continues to crush the American people is because of the Trump tariffs, which have imposed thousands of dollars in additional costs on everyday Americans, making life even more expensive than it had been when this presidency began.

Why is it so complicated for Donald Trump to keep his promise to the American people to lower costs, to focus on making life more affordable? Instead, he’s gone the opposite direction, imposing tariffs on our allies in Canada and Mexico, in Europe, across the world, without any clear strategy, having an adverse effect on the pocketbook of everyday Americans. And this Congress is charged constitutionally with the ability to say yes or no as it relates to tariffs that have been imposed. In fact, the President should have sought our authorization. Instead, he’s using a fake emergency authority that hopefully the Supreme Court will make clear he does not have. And we certainly await that decision, but we don’t need to wait for that decision. We don’t work for the Supreme Court either. 

The House, the Article 1 branch of government, the institution that the framers decided should be the part of government that’s closest to the American people, that reflects the hopes, the dreams, the aspirations, the fears, the concerns, the anxieties, the passions and the life experiences of the American people who are suffering right now in this failed Trump-Republican economy. That’s not just my simple observation. Fox News, the President’s favorite news source, in a recent public opinion survey, concluded that more than 70% of the American people believe, correctly, the economy is a disaster under this President. And one of the reasons why it’s a disaster is because of the reckless Trump tariffs. And the Republican majority, Mr. Speaker, won’t even allow an up-or-down vote. That’s what this rule is about: silencing debate and the will of the people’s representatives to do something meaningful to make life more affordable for the American people.

And so, I asked some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle who know that this so-called mandate that Republicans apparently believe they had in the aftermath of the November 2024 elections—parenthetically, by the way—what mandate do you really think you have in this House when you have the narrowest majority that any party has had since 1930 during the Great Depression? In fact, we also know you wouldn’t even be in the majority right now had you not stolen three seats from the people of North Carolina with mid-decade gerrymandering in 2024. So we don’t want to hear anything about mandate. The only mandate we have collectively is to make life more affordable for everyday Americans, to drive down the high cost of living, to stop burying your head in the sand, to stop being a reckless rubber stamp for Donald Trump’s extreme agenda, to stand up to him every now and then as part of a separate and co-equal branch of government. Stop the cult-like behavior, Mr. Speaker. It’s hurting your very constituents.

And so we have an opportunity, if we vote down this rule, to actually take up for consideration the resolution put forward by Congressman Meeks that would wipe out the unnecessary tariff imposed on our ally to the north in Canada. It’s a step that should have been taken a long time ago, but Republicans have been blocking this vote. And I just hope that a handful of Republicans will join every single House Democrat in opposing this rule so we can get to a debate on the actual substantive effort to stop the reckless and dangerous and harmful Trump tariffs as part of our commitment as Democrats to do what’s necessary to lower the high cost of living and to make sure that every single American in this country, when you work hard, when you play by the rules, you should be able to live an affordable life, a comfortable life and live the good life. Not too much to ask for in the wealthiest country, America, in the history of the world. Work hard, play by the rules, live the good life. Good-paying job, good housing, good healthcare, good education for your children and a good retirement, which means backing off your extreme attacks on Social Security and Medicare. That’s the Democratic commitment. And in order to help bring about that good life, Mr. Speaker, one of the most meaningful things that we can do as a body is to stop the harmful Trump tariffs. Vote no against this rule.

The Floor speech can be watched here.

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