MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Brett Guthrie (2nd District Kentucky)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, delivered remarks on the House floor regarding H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act. This legislation would codify President Trump’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge and prevent American families from being forced to cover the costs of energy infrastructure upgrades to support data center development. 

Chairman Guthrie’s remarks on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, as prepared for delivery.

“I rise in support of H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, sponsored by my colleague and friend from Colorado, Congressman Evans.

“This bill encourages states to protect our neighbors and small businesses from footing the bill for infrastructure investments needed for the AI race, while protecting existing state authorities.

“The evidence is clear – when states have the proper processes in place to protect households, interconnecting large load data centers have positive benefits for the communities in which they reside.

“Data center growth can be a catalyst for investment in an aging grid, strengthen the tax base to fund essential public services, and anchor tenants for utilities that lower rates for everyone else.

“Electricity demand is growing at a pace not seen since World War II, and communities are rightly concerned about what this might mean for their daily lives.

“As this industry continues to develop—and I want to be absolutely clear that we need it to develop here at home and not in China—H.R. 9340 takes action on behalf of our constituents so that we can keep costs low while ensuring the U.S. leads in the next generation economy.

“If we cede the race to AI dominance to China, then China will set the standards for future technology. This bill strikes the right balance of providing a modest but important level of accountability as we continue to support this vital industry.

“I want to thank my friend from Colorado again for his tireless, bipartisan leadership on this issue. He is bringing together both sides of the aisle on a critical issue.

“I urge my colleagues to support the legislation and reserve the balance of my time.”

More information about the Ratepayer Protection Act can be found HERE. 

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

House Passes AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act

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

UPDATE: Termination of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians and Syrians

On Tuesday, June 25, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration could move forward with its plans to rip legal status away from nearly 350,000 current Haitian and Syrian Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders. Following this decision, the Department of Homeland Security announced the termination of TPS for Haitians and Syrians, effective July 27, 2026.

Individuals who have lost TPS may be impacted in different ways, including loss of protection from deportation and loss of work authorization. However, there may be alternative legal pathways to remain and work in the United States. To learn more about what the end of TPS means for you and your family:

• All TPS holders regardless of designation should visit the USCIS website for the latest updates on their TPS status. 
• Visit the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigration Affairs website to learn more about what the expiration of TPS status means for impacted New Yorkers. Resource documents are available in English, Arabic, French and Haitian Creole.
• Contact the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA), whose Legal Support Centers offer free, confidential immigration legal help. Free, safe and confidential immigration legal services are available regardless of your immigration status and in your language by calling the MOIA legal support hotline at 800-354-0365 or visiting nyc.gov/knowyourrights.

Donald Trump’s cruel immigration agenda will force hundreds of thousands of TPS holders to return to a dangerous and deeply unstable environment, putting people at great risk. House Democrats will continue pushing back to protect our communities, including the vibrant Haitian diaspora that calls New York City home.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)

WASHINGTON, DC –Today, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) delivered remarks on the House Floor during debate on the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. Below are a video and transcript of his remarks:
 

Click here to watch a video of his remarks.

“I thank the gentleman, my friend who co-sponsored the Ukraine Support Act with me. I’m sorry that the Senate won’t pass that bill, and I’m sorry the President won’t sign that bill. But the President will sign this bill. This is something we can do. And I rise in very strong support of the passage of this legislation and, very frankly, in disagreement with the people that have spoken about giving Trump this unfettered power. Trump believes he has unfettered power right now without this bill or any action by the House of Representatives, so that’s an irrelevant argument. And the Senate, three quarters of the Democrats and 87 members of the Senate – it was 86 [votes], but McConnell’s back – believe that it limits simply to those who are aiding Russia’s war effort to additional tariffs under this bill. I disagree with my dear friend that it opens up any country. France just endorsed this bill within the last 24 hours. They would be one of those countries subject to adverse action. We must pass this bill because if we do not pass this bill…

“The fact of the matter is, my friend mentioned a Chamberlain moment or Churchill moment. Let me suggest to you that if we believe the enemy in this case is Trump, it will be a Chamberlain moment. But if we vote for this bill, it will be a Churchill moment because we will tell the President, ‘You need to do something that you don’t want to do. You may not do it. We can’t force you to do it –’ I’d like to force him to do it – but we can say to him, ‘Do it because the Congress wants to do it.’ We’ve been unanimous on this side, and you have had the majority votes on your side almost every time we voted. Support Ukraine. If we fail to pass this bill, there will be cheers in the Kremlin and tears in Kyiv. This is a moment when we stand up and say where we are. We can’t control where the President is. I disagree with the President, but I agree strongly, ladies and gentlemen of this House, it is time for us to stand up and say to Russia: ‘You will not continue with this without our adverse action.’ This is an anti-Russia, pro-Ukraine bill. Let us pass it. I yield back the balance of my time.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-07) successfully passed the bipartisan Diesel Emissions Reduction Act of 2025, legislation to protect public health and lower the cost of replacing older, heavily polluting diesel engines.

The bill, co-led by Representatives Ken Calvert (R-CA), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), and Nick Langworthy (R-NY), reauthorizes the successful Diesel Emissions Reduction Act program, known as DERA, through fiscal year 2029 at $100 million annually. The program provides grants and rebates that help schools, local governments, small businesses, and fleet operators replace or upgrade older diesel-powered trucks, buses, construction equipment, and other heavy-duty engines.

“For more than two decades, DERA has been a model of effective, bipartisan policymaking,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “Under the program, California has replaced thousands of polluting trucks, tractors, and school buses, helping children breathe cleaner and healthier air as they ride to school. And now, as diesel prices reach $6 per gallon nationally, DERA is more important than ever. It doesn’t just save lives, it saves people money. I’m proud that the House voted to continue funding this practical, commonsense program.”

“Diesel fuel powers Maine’s boats, ferries, buses, construction trucks, agricultural equipment, and more, but emissions from older diesel engines have serious consequences for public health and the environment. Since its passage in 2005, the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act has helped replace or retrofit nearly 100,000 diesel engines, vehicles, and pieces of equipment and deliver cleaner air and billions in public health benefits to communities across the country—including here in Maine,” said Congresswoman Pingree. “With Trump’s reckless war in Iran increasing volatility in global energy markets, and with the threats posed by climate change looming larger every day, Congress took a much-needed step today to reauthorize DERA so that we can continue to pursue solutions that help reduce our dependence on foreign energy and incentivize American consumers and businesses to embrace more efficient technologies. Reauthorizing this proven program will help us make progress on both fronts, while reducing pollution and improving air quality in Maine and across the country.”

Older diesel engines remain in service across the economy because replacing heavy-duty equipment is costly, even though these engines produce an outsized share of the pollution that drives asthma, heart and lung disease, and premature death. 

The consequences are particularly severe in the Sacramento region, where the geography traps pollution and compounds the burden on communities near major transportation corridors.DERA helps retire these engines sooner by lowering the cost of cleaner replacements, returning up to $30 in public-health benefits for every federal dollar invested.

DERA has delivered results through a voluntary, technology-neutral model that lets communities choose the upgrades best suited to their needs. Since 2008, the program has improved more than 76,900 vehicles and engines nationwide. Congresswoman Matsui has long been a champion of the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act, leading the previous reauthorization in 2019.

Full text of the bill is available HERE.

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

(Washington, DC) – Today, the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a bipartisan meeting with representatives from Hugging Face, METR, OpenAI, and Anthropic. During the roundtable, Members discussed recent loss-of-control incidents among different AI systems and how to prevent these events from happening in the future. The Members also considered different policy actions to build an AI governance strategy.

“I am concerned about recent loss-of-control incidents at OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta,” said Ranking Member Lofgren. “The bipartisan Science Committee moved quickly to schedule a meeting with the companies and third party auditors involved. Each incident is unique and each can teach us different lessons about regulating AI responsibly. Science Committee Members met today to better understand what went wrong as we work to build safeguards that will stop events like this in the future. We have to develop policy interventions that improve internal control, robust cybersecurity, and incentivize good governance for frontier AI systems.

“Democrats are ready to move forward on bipartisan solutions to this problem. We share the concerns that Americans across the nation have on the risks of AI and we’ll keep working with experts to develop good AI governance that will enable us to capitalize on the positive promises of AI while also keeping people safe.

“The Science Committee passed 10 AI bills through Committee that address the AI boom and the risks that come with it. Unfortunately, Speaker Johnson hasn’t brought these bills up for a vote in the full House. The Speaker is apparently following President Trump’s admonition that we should do absolutely nothing to address the risks of AI. Instead, we are wasting our time voting on meaningless partisan bills that have no chance of passing the Senate.

“Should Democrats control the House next Congress, we will hit the ground running and actually get something done on AI.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)

Congressman Don Beyer, co-chair of Congress’ bipartisan Caucus on Artificial Intelligence, today led a bipartisan group of 10 leaders on AI in the U.S. House in pressing leadership of both parties to take immediate, urgent action to address risks posed by rapidly advancing artificial intelligence (AI). Their push came in the wake of the OpenAI agent cyberattacks on Hugging Face and subsequent warnings from leaders and researchers at prominent AI companies about the societal and existential risks posed by unrestrained advances in the technology.

The letter was signed by U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA), Jay Obernolte (R-CA), Lori Trahan (D-MA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Scott Franklin (R-FL), Sara Jacobs (D-CA), Gabe Amo (D-RI), Valerie Foushee (D-NC), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Veronica Escobar (D-TX). They wrote:

“We call for your joint leadership on an urgent Congressional response to recent incidents involving advanced artificial intelligence (AI) models that have profound implications for economic and national security. Congress has a singular opportunity to respond swiftly and effectively to these warning shots before true catastrophes occur.
…
“Congress must urgently advance legislation to mitigate the risk of more serious incidents, especially those that could threaten critical infrastructure, our financial system, and other institutions that every American depends on.

“The House of Representatives could and should immediately take up legislation that would strengthen AI oversight, security, and transparency. There currently exist dozens of bipartisan bills that that committees of jurisdiction have reported. Members of both parties have also worked in recent months to fast-track bipartisan legislation that is ready to be considered by committees of jurisdiction. We believe these bills should be carefully and urgently advanced through the legislative process.

“We urge you to work with committees of jurisdiction, Members across the aisle, and Senate leadership to, as soon as practicable, advance legislation that ensures appropriate guardrails are in place around this powerful technology. The Congress may not receive another warning shot.”

Full Text of the letter follows below, and a signed copy is available here.

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) serves as co-Chair of the Congressional Artificial Intelligence Caucus. He was one of a handful of members selected to serve on the bipartisan Task Force On Artificial Intelligence, convened by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Speaker Mike Johnson. He is the author of the AI Foundation Model Transparency Act and a lead cosponsor of the CREATE AI Act, the Federal Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Act, and the Artificial Intelligence Environmental Impacts Act.

Beyer previously served for eight years on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and is currently attending George Mason University as a part time student pursuing a master’s degree in machine learning, in part to help inform his work on AI in Congress.

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Dear Speaker Johnson and Minority Leader Jeffries:

“We call for your joint leadership on an urgent Congressional response to recent incidents involving advanced artificial intelligence (AI) models that have profound implications for economic and national security. Congress has a singular opportunity to respond swiftly and effectively to these warning shots before true catastrophes occur.

“On August 26th, 2026, an independent review revealed how hundreds of AI agents that OpenAI was internally testing set up a secret message board, self-organized themselves into a collective, escaped their testing environments, and breached the systems of HuggingFace, another AI company.^[1] The agents even tried to deceive their evaluators by attempting to manipulate log files and spoof tool calls. The agents undertook these actions without ever notifying a single official at OpenAI.

“OpenAI is not alone. Anthropic and Meta have also disclosed examples of AI agents escaping their testing environment to hack other organizations.^[2] OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta are among the most sophisticated AI companies in the world, yet it appears they did not discover these incidents in real time. In OpenAI’s case, they did not know that their agents breached HuggingFace until approximately a week after the event.^[3] Months after these incidents began, serious factual questions remain open, and we are relying on AI labs for insight into what happened and what this means for future incidents.

“Congress must ensure AI companies implement robust monitoring and independent oversight to protect the public. This incident reinforces that we cannot rely on what are clearly risky testing protocols and self-selected public reporting of incidents of concern. Indeed, nearly every major AI company has called for regulation, and leading employees of those same firms have signed open letters calling for government to pace the rate of AI development.^[4] Congress must urgently advance legislation to mitigate the risk of more serious incidents, especially those that could threaten critical infrastructure, our financial system, and other institutions that every American depends on.

“The House of Representatives could and should immediately take up legislation that would strengthen AI oversight, security, and transparency. There currently exist dozens of bipartisan bills that that committees of jurisdiction have reported.^[5] Members of both parties have also worked in recent months to fast-track bipartisan legislation that is ready to be considered by committees of jurisdiction. We believe these bills should be carefully and urgently advanced through the legislative process.

“We urge you to work with committees of jurisdiction, Members across the aisle, and Senate leadership to, as soon as practicable, advance legislation that ensures appropriate guardrails are in place around this powerful technology. The Congress may not receive another warning shot.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Frank Pallone (6th District of New Jersey)

Washington, DC – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, today applauded House passage of his bipartisan AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, a bill to ensure AM radio remains available in new vehicles sold in the United States.

Pallone introduced the legislation with Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) in response to automakers removing AM radio from some new vehicles, threatening access to an important source of emergency information when other communications systems fail. Their bill directs the U.S. Department of Transportation to issue a rule to require automakers to include AM radio as standard equipment in new passenger vehicles.

“Today, the House acted to protect a service that millions of Americans rely on every day and that can become a lifeline when disaster strikes,” Pallone said. “During Superstorm Sandy – when power, cell service, cable, and internet went down across New Jersey – radio listenership in my district surged 247 percent as people tuned in for critical information on AM radio stations. I’m proud we passed this bipartisan bill today, and I’ll keep working to get it across the finish line.”

AM radio remains an important part of the nation’s Emergency Alert System. A network of AM broadcast stations serves as Primary Entry Points for emergency alerts, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) invests in maintaining their ability to continue broadcasting during major disasters.

Pallone’s AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act would:

• Require automakers to maintain free AM radio in new passenger vehicles sold in the United States.
• Require clear disclosure to consumers if a vehicle lacks AM radio access before the new requirement takes effect.

The legislation previously advanced through the House Energy and Commerce Committee with bipartisan support in September 2025. Today’s House passage sends the legislation to the Senate for further consideration.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ted Lieu (33 District of California)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif)

Washington, D.C. – United States Representatives Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) and Barry Moore (AL-01) announced that their bipartisan, bicameral Stop Secret Spending Act was signed into law to require public disclosure of previously hidden government expenditures. Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Gary Peters (D-MI) led the legislation in the Senate.

Current law requires most federal spending to be publicly reported on USAspending.gov, allowing taxpayers to see who receives federal funds and details about how, where, and why the money is spent. However, a loophole has allowed agencies to withhold thousands of spending arrangements known as Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs) from public disclosure. The Stop Secret Spending Act closes that loophole.

The law also requires the federal government to publish a summary of any spending that remains exempt from public disclosure, including the total amount withheld and the justification for doing so, increasing transparency and accountability across the federal government.

“For too long, billions of dollars in federal spending have gone unreported due to a loophole in the disclosure of other transaction agreements,” said Rep. Panetta. “I’m proud that our bipartisan, bicameral Stop Secret Spending Act has been signed into law, closing that gap by ensuring these expenditures are accounted for on USAspending.gov. This is a commonsense step toward strengthening public trust, improving fiscal accountability, and ensuring responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.”

“Washington has spent far too long operating behind closed doors, and the American people deserve better. That is why I introduced the Stop Secret Spending Act, and I am proud to see President Trump sign it into law,” said Rep. Moore. “I am grateful to Senator Joni Ernst and Congressman Jimmy Panetta for standing with me in this fight to bring greater transparency and accountability to federal spending. This law closes a loophole that allowed billions of taxpayer dollars to escape public scrutiny and makes clear that American taxpayers have a right to know how their money is being spent. This is an important step toward changing the way Washington does business and putting taxpayers first.”

The Stop Secret Spending Act includes several safeguards to guarantee full transparency:

• Over the next decade, the inspectors general of government agencies and departments are required to conduct regular reviews to ensure spending information is being provided to taxpayers in a timely, complete, and accurate manner;
• The Government Accountability Office will also conduct a review and make recommendations for improvements; and
• The Treasury Department must issue an annual report providing the total amount spent on grants, contracts, and other awards not included in USAspending.gov along with the reason that data is not posted for the public.

“Taxpayers deserve the receipts. For years, I’ve fought to drag Washington’s secret spending into the sunlight, and I’m grateful President Trump signed my bill into law,” said Sen. Ernst. “Now, bureaucrats won’t be able to spend Americans’ hard-earned money in the dark.”

“Waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer resources by the federal government remains a concern for all Americans,” said Sen. Peters. “This commonsense legislation will let Americans see how their hard-earned dollars are used, so I’m quite glad that this critical, bipartisan bill has become law.”

Over the past five fiscal years (October 1, 2021, through September 14, 2026):

• The Department of Defense has obligated $85 billion for thousands of OTAs, through more than 30,000 hard-to-track contracts, of which 1,898 are unclassified contracts valued at $10 million or more (438 $10 million+ contracts in just this fiscal year alone).
• The Department of Homeland Security has obligated $52.2 million for over 700 OTAs; and
• The Department of the Interior has obligated $858.8 million for over 220 OTAs, with many of these actually paid out for the Department of Health and Human Services’ ARPA-H biomedical research contracts.

 

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