MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Judy Chu (CA2-27)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) announced she will boycott President Trump’s State of the Union Address, and instead spend the day shining a light on his administration’s devastating cuts to health care coverage and affordability. 

“President Trump’s first thirteen months in office have been an utter failure, and a disaster for Americans facing an affordability crisis. He imposed sweeping tariffs that cost families $1,700 per year. He has unleashed masked federal agents to terrorize American cities like Los Angeles and Minneapolis. His signature legislative achievement is a big, ugly law that exploded the deficit with tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy while slashing health care coverage and food assistance for millions of working people. He eliminated the Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credits, which has resulted in a 97% increase in premiums for Covered California plans. And he’s used the presidency to enrich himself and target his political enemies,” said Rep. Chu. 

“This is the reality that President Trump will refuse to acknowledge in his State of the Union address. And that is the reason why I have chosen not to attend. Instead, I am spending the day alongside my guest, Becky Roberts, one of millions of Americans whose health care coverage was made unaffordable by President Trump and Republicans”

Ms. Roberts is a resident of Virginia Beach, Virginia. She was born with a dislocated hip and has lived with mobility challenges her entire life. Although she could have relied on disability benefits, she chose to remain in the workforce, primarily at small businesses that did not offer employer-sponsored insurance. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) made coverage affordable, allowing her to secure health coverage for herself and her family. This summer, Ms. Roberts underwent surgery to correct her hip deformity and is now in physical therapy with the goal of regaining mobility.  However, her ACA premium recently skyrocketed by 110% following Trump and Republicans’ elimination of the ACA enhanced premium tax credits. If she can maintain her coverage, doctors believe she could be out of her wheelchair within months; if not, she risks remaining in it permanently. 

Rep. Chu invited Ms. Roberts to share her story because it is one shared by millions of Americans whose health care costs have exploded as a result of President Trump and Republican’s decision to eliminate the ACA’s enhanced premium tax credits.

“Becky Roberts is one of 22 million Americans now paying drastically higher health premiums because of Donald Trump and Republicans’ decision to end ACA enhanced premium tax credits,” Rep. Chu continued. “And that came after Republicans passed the largest cuts in history to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act last year, which ripped $1.5 trillion out of the health care system and will kick 15 million Americans – including children – off their coverage just to fund tax cuts for billionaires. I invited Ms. Roberts to the State of the Union so President Trump must face the Americans who have been forced to choose between basic necessities and health care.”

• 39,373 people in CA-28 will lose health coverage because of Republican cuts to Medicaid (also known in California as Medi-Cal) in the Big Ugly Law and Republicans’ decision to end enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits.
   
• 25,073 people in CA-28 will lose access to health coverage because of Republican cuts to Medicaid in the Big Ugly Law.
   
• 14,300 people in CA-28 will lose access to health coverage because of Republicans’ decision to end enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits and add burdensome reporting requirements.

“I will continue fighting in Congress to lower health care costs, protect our cities from Trump’s brutal immigration enforcement, and make life better and more affordable for my constituents,” finished Rep. Chu. 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Scalise (1st District of Louisiana)

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), and Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) to highlight President Trump’s record of lowering costs for hardworking Americans and securing the border. Leader Scalise also showcased two Louisianians directly benefiting from Republicans’ America First agenda.

Click here or the image above to view Leader Scalise’s full remarks. 
Highlights from Leader Scalise’s remarks:On President Trump slashing costs:“We’re going to be celebrating a lot of other great things tonight as President Trump talks about the 250th birthday of America: How we got here, what we’ve done so well, what we still need to do to keep making this a more perfect union. And look, the state of the union is getting stronger, but make no mistake, when President Trump took office, this economy was on its knees after years of Democrat control, bringing record inflation, record interest rates. You saw energy prices through the roof, more than $5 a gallon in most places. Today, families are paying, in most states, about $2.50 a gallon. That’s half of what they were paying. And for a working family, just lower gas prices alone from President Trump’s policies means about $600 more in the pockets of hardworking families. It doesn’t mean that we’re finished. There’s a lot more work to do. But I think what you’re going to hear tonight from President Trump is a reminder of how great this country is, what that greatness has done to improve the lives of people, and what work we still have to do to continue getting this country back on track.”On Republicans securing the border:“We had a wide-open, porous border with millions of people coming across. Every single month, you would see record numbers coming in. And there were violent criminals coming into our country. Drug cartels… they were running our Southern border and bringing bad people and poisonous drugs into our country every single day. And Donald Trump ran for President, saying, ‘I’m going to do something about it.’ And he worked with this Republican Congress to fix that mess… Sadly, Democrats have voted no on just about every major policy that has fixed the mess that they made. And that’s okay, because we’re going to do the job anyway.”On Louisianians who have directly benefited from President Trump’s policies:“Some of those people that are benefiting from those policies are going to be in the balcony tonight… I’m going to highlight two of them right here with me. Two of my guests that I’m very proud of. We’ve got Heath Sykes, who’s a server, one of the best restaurants in New Orleans. We’re known for our food. We love our food. Drago’s restaurant is where they invented the charbroiled oysters. He gets to serve charbroiled oysters every day and so many other great meals from a true American dream success story. The Cvitanovich family is a second-generation family that fled communism to come seek the American dream, and they now have it in the Drago’s restaurants. And he serves there and no longer has to pay tax on tips. And he gets to celebrate what that means for having more money in his pocket, being able to do more for his family. “Then the other guest I have is Anthony Buttone, who’s a Deputy Sheriff in Jefferson Parish, where I live. Thank you for your service. We all celebrate our men and women in law enforcement. But so often our men and women in law enforcement are working extra hours to make ends meet to provide for their families. And when they work overtime, a lot of times they were paying so much more in overtime, it didn’t make it worthwhile. And we said, working with President Trump, why should people have to pay taxes on overtime? And now, because of that, Deputy Buttone is going to be able to have more money in his pocket to provide for his family. And by the way, his family is growing. He is now a girl dad like me. He’s got a one-year-old daughter, and he’s going to have more money in his pocket to provide for his daughter. And families all across the country are benefiting from what we did. Republicans are working with President Trump to make life more affordable for working families in America.”

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

WASHINGTON — This morning, at the weekly House Republican Leadership press conference, Speaker Johnson discussed President Trump’s historic and transformational first year back in office ahead of his State of the Union address tonight. Speaker Johnson also highlighted Democrats’ continued obstruction amid their third government shutdown this Congress.

“We’re putting more money back in your pockets, we’re restoring peace through strength, we’re defending our border and deporting criminal illegal aliens, we’re standing up for American industry and manufacturing and we’re making American workers – not foreign countries – the clear winners in this American economy,” Speaker Johnson said. “Those are not talking points; that is what we have delivered.”

Watch Speaker Johnson’s press conference remarks here.  

On the State of the Union address:

Republicans have a far simpler and far superior message for Americans watching at home. We’re putting more money back in your pockets, we’re restoring peace through strength, we’re defending our border and deporting criminal illegal aliens, we’re standing up for American industry and manufacturing and we’re making American workers – not foreign countries – the clear winners in this American economy. Those are not talking points; that is what we have delivered. It’s called Republican results, and we are proud to run on that message in this fateful midterm election year.

So tonight, President Trump will demonstrate that Republicans are the only team working seriously to bring common sense back to our broken system. It’s promises made promises kept. And he’s working, and we’re all working together, to make the country stronger, safer more affordable, and more prosperous for all Americans, and many of them will be represented in that that big beautiful gallery tonight. The American people will see that reflected this evening and in the months ahead as we press forward on all of those promises and so much more. We’re excited; it’s a great time for America.

On the third Democrat shutdown:

It’s almost unbelievable to us not one not two but now three government shutdowns in just the last 100 days. What in the world are they thinking this time they’ve taken hostage as you know the Department of Homeland Security. The department that is literally in its name it’s very indicative of its of its duties it keeps Americans safe and so funding for the agencies that protect our borders and mitigate disasters and help keep all of us able to walk down the streets without fear. That’s the agency they’ve chosen to hold hostage well before the funding deadline Republicans as you know worked in good faith to pass a year-long full year funding for DHS and we did that through a bipartisan committee process Democrats in both the House and the Senate negotiated on that and now Democrats in both chambers have reneged on that bipartisan deal.

On the consequences of the Democrat shutdown of critical national security functions:

The consequences of Democrat shutdown are already painfully clear. Look at FEMA: their operations are really important right now. If they haven’t noticed, we have a historic season of winter storms slamming the East Coast, even as we speak, in the northern parts. TSA is having to make difficult resource decisions as you’ve seen, and agents are working another week without pay. Some of those are high stress positions and it’s not right and it’s not fair. The Secret Service, as you know, is charged among its other duties of protecting the President and yet another armed attempt was made on his life just this weekend. This is not a game. 

I don’t need to remind anybody. 2026 is an historic year for our country, and it will be a great year of celebration; it will be a part of the big golden era, the 250th celebration and our birthday. But you’re going to have during the year tens of millions of guests. We’re hosting the FIFA World Cup in 11 cities around America; we have festivals and tournaments and so many highly attended, high profile events around the country. Obviously, we need the protection of a fully funded Department of Homeland Security. We shouldn’t even have to say that this this gambit that the Democrats are involved in is as foolish as it is dangerous. They cannot hold up that critical funding any longer. There is planning that’s required for these events, there’s all sorts of logistics involved and personnel as well and it’s time for Democrats to do their job before they risk the literal lives of the American people any further.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Andy Harris (MD-01)

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01) is pleased to announce that the 2026 Congressional Art Competition is now open for submissions.
The annual competition highlights the creativity of high school artists nationwide and is sponsored by the U.S. House of Representatives. Students from Maryland’s First Congressional District are invited to participate. One winner from each district is selected to have their artwork displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year. Since the program began in 1982, more than 650,000 students have entered the competition.

For full competition guidelines and the student release forms, please visit Congressman Harris’ website at Harris.House.Gov. Go to the “Services” tab at the top of the screen and click on “Art Competition.” Artwork can be submitted to any of our district offices on Mondays, Tuesdays, or Thursdays. Please call one of the offices listed below to schedule a time to drop off your artwork. 

Bel Air District Office – (410) 588-5670

Salisbury District Office – (443) 944-8624

Or contact Art Competition Staff to coordinate pickup by emailing MD01Art@mail.house.gov

The deadline for submissions is Friday, April 24, 2026.

For media inquiries, please contact Michella Carter at Michella.Carter@mail.house.gov

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

YMCA delivers programming to 11 million adults and 6.5 million children each year

Source: United States House of Representatives – Reprepsentative Kathy Castor (FL14)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Kathy Castor (FL-14) announced that Tampa small business owner Linda Misner will join her as her guest to President Trump’s State of the Union address to highlight how Republicans in Congress and the Trump Administration are driving up health care costs for working families and small business owners while giving massive tax giveaways for the wealthy and well-connected.

For years, Linda and her husband relied on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace as their only affordable option for health insurance as small business owners. In 2025, their monthly premium for a high-deductible Florida Blue plan was about $238. After Republicans allowed the ACA enhanced Premium Tax Credits (ePTC) and the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) premium cap to expire at the end of 2025, their 2026 premium skyrocketed to more than $3,200 a month—nearly $39,000 a year—for a plan with a limited network and a sky-high deductible.

Like too many Floridians, Linda and her husband were priced out of the marketplace altogether and forced into a plan with nearly $900 in monthly premiums, $8,500 deductibles, no prescription coverage, and exclusions for pre-existing conditions. Now they are delaying care, avoiding the emergency room, and paying out of pocket for essential health needs.

Since taking office last year, Trump and Congressional Republicans have prioritized tax breaks for billionaires and special interests over the health and financial security of working families—gutting protections under the ACA and ripping away initiatives that made health care more affordable for hardworking Americans. Their agenda is forcing small business owners and older Americans to make impossible choices between paying for health care, putting food on the table, or keeping up with their mortgage.

“Congressional Republicans and Trump are draining my neighbors’ wallets dry and forcing families to choose between health care and other essential expenses,” said Rep. Castor. “For Linda and her husband, health care premiums went from about $300 a month to more than $3,200 a month—that is ludicrous. No one should have to choose between a mortgage payment and the medicine they need. While Republicans fight hard to protect tax handouts for billionaires, I am fighting to restore health care savings, cap costs, and protect people with preexisting conditions. I’m honored to have Linda with me to put a real face on the damage Trump and Congressional Republicans are doing to families and small businesses here in the Tampa Bay area and across the country.”

“As small business owners, the ACA was our only affordable option for health insurance,” said Linda Misner. “When Congressional Republicans let the premium tax credits and caps expire, our costs exploded overnight. We went from a few hundred dollars a month to being quoted more than $3,000 a month for minimal coverage—and many companies wouldn’t insure us at all because of our age and minor medical issues. We’re now paying thousands for a bad plan with huge deductibles, no prescription coverage, and exclusions for pre-existing conditions. It’s forcing us to delay care and avoid needed procedures. Health care should be a lifeline, not a financial trap. I’m joining Representative Castor to demand that Congress restore the ACA savings and protect affordable coverage for small business owners, workers, and families like mine.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Scalise (1st District of Louisiana)

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined CBS Mornings to highlight President Trump’s work to rebuild the economy after Bidenflation, secure fair and reciprocal trade with our allies, and advance a peace-through-strength strategy to stop Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Click here or the image above to view Leader Scalise’s full interview. 
Highlights from Leader Scalise’s interview:On President Trump rebuilding the economy after four years of Biden’s failures:“[Tonight’s State of the Union address is] going to be a real sharp focus on exactly what the President has been doing, working with Congress, to make life more affordable for working families. And that work also has to remind people just where they started during the Biden years. Because I think people forget real easily, inflation was in double digits. You saw inflation well, well higher than it is today during the Biden years. You saw interest rates much higher during the Biden years. You saw gas prices… just gas prices alone mean about $600 more in the pockets of working families.“That’s one of the things you’ll hear the President talking about is that, yes, we had a lot of mess to mop up during those four years of high cost, and they’re coming down in the right direction, but they’re not where we want them to be. And we’re going to keep working to bring more job creation, to bring more wage growth. Remember, during the four years of Joe Biden, average working families lost $3,000 of wages. They’ve made up about 1,200 of that in the first year of Donald Trump.“I think you’re going to see both tonight, where we started, where we are, and where we need to go… You’ve got to remind people where we got to, how in the last year, we’ve done a lot with a very small majority working with this President, to start getting things back on track. But the work’s not done.”On achieving fair trade and historic investments: “One of the things President Trump used tariffs to do is to leverage those tariffs to get fair trade. I think everybody wants free trade, but they know not all countries treat us fairly, including European friends, Asian friends, that were not allowing us to sell our products into their countries. That’s finally starting to change… It’s already yielding some dividends for the American worker. And by the way, we’re seeing trillions of dollars of investment in America. People building manufacturing plants. Those are jobs for Americans that are coming to our country because of President Trump’s work.”On President Trump preventing a nuclear Iran:“President Trump has made it clear we cannot have a nuclear-armed Iran. It’s not just bad for America. They want to destroy America, and they say just that. They want to destroy other parts of the world. The Middle East is very appreciative of what President Trump has done.“Well, the President is going to lay more of that out, but they want to continue rebuilding their nuclear program. They’re not done. They built it up over a long period of time. They’re not done trying to create a nuclear weapon. You got to look at the threats that are going on in Iran and how they fund terrorist proxies around the world: Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, all killing Americans. They’re still killing American troops around the world, not just allies like Israel. They kill Americans, too.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Michael McCaul (10th District of Texas)

WASHINGTON – Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Emeritus Michael McCaul (R-Texas) released the following statement on the fourth anniversary of Putin’s war in Ukraine.

“Today marks four years since Vladimir Putin launched his brutal and unprovoked war on Ukraine — a war we were told in our briefings wouldn’t last more than four days. Time and again, he has demonstrated a chilling disinterest in peace. Even as negotiations proceed, Russian forces continue to bomb civilian establishments, abduct innocent children, and target Ukraine’s power grid to plunge millions into the cold and dark. Over the weekend, we discovered they are also reportedly colluding with Iran to help the Ayatollah deploy strike drones in the Strait of Hormuz.

“I applaud President Trump’s sincere efforts to secure peace and remain hopeful the talks will bear fruit. But we must be clear-eyed about Vladimir Putin. As I have consistently warned — dating back to when the previous administration slow-walked weapons deliveries — Putin only understands strength.

“That is why I introduced targeted sanctions legislation in the House and will pursue additional ways to put more leverage on his regime. The United States must stand firm in our commitment to peace through strength — signaling to Putin, Chairman Xi, and the entire world that unprovoked aggression will always be met with consequences.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11)

Washington, D.C. – In case you missed it, Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens, along with Michigan Congresswoman Hillary Scholten, toured the North Lake Processing Center ICE detention facility in Baldwin. The Members followed up with new demands for answers regarding the December death of detainee Nenko Gantchev.

During the visit, the lawmakers inspected living conditions, reviewed medical care protocols, and met with facility leadership to raise concerns about Congressional oversight and detainee health and safety.

Here’s what Michiganders are seeing and reading about Rep. Stevens’ continuous demand for transparency from ICE and her effort to hold the Trump administration accountable for its treatment of individuals in federal custody:

Detroit Free Press: Reps: Questions remain around death of ICE inmate in Michigan facility

By: Arpan Lobo

• Two members of Michigan’s congressional delegation say questions remain surrounding the December death of an inmate at a Baldwin processing facility for those detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
• U.S. Reps. Haley Stevens, D-Birmingham, and Hillary Scholten, D-Grand Rapids, said their inquiries to the Department of Homeland Security about the death of Nenko Stanev Gantchev, a 56-year-old native of Bulgaria who died while being held at the North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, have not been returned.
• “The oversight and the transparency of this center begins at the very top,” Stevens told reporters, who were not allowed inside the facility during the tour. “Unfortunately, the outreach that Congresswoman Scholten and I made to (Noem) went unanswered around the death of Mr. Gantchev.”

MLive: 64 days after man died at Michigan ICE facility, lawmakers say ‘still no answers’’

By: Rose White

• Democratic U.S. Reps. Hillary Scholten and Haley Stevens conducted an oversight visit of the North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin on Tuesday, Feb. 17, after their letter demanding a “thorough and transparent investigation” into the death of Nenko Gantchev was ignored by the federal government.
• “We are here today with still no answers about what happened to Mr. Gantchev, why he died here at this ICE processing facility in Baldwin, and we are going to continue to keep asking,” Stevens said.
• “I hope that we can get a full picture of the care and the treatment that he was receiving here and what biological causes or other factors contributed to his death,” she said.
• “That is what I am looking into for so many other Michiganders who are frankly astonished and frustrated and heartbroken that these detainments are going on without answers and with medical situations that are unfolding,” Stevens said.

Michigan Public Radio: ‘We still don’t have answers’: Michigan congresswomen visit ICE detention center in Baldwin

By: Claire Keenan- Kurgan

• Two Michigan congresswomen visited the state’s largest immigrant detention center Tuesday. They are calling for stronger oversight of the Department of Homeland Security
• By law, members of Congress are allowed to tour all immigration detention facilities unannounced, but the Trump administration has disputed that.
• Representative Stevens said she has lost faith in Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who has not answered any of her questions about Gantchev’s death at North Lake.
   

In Detroit:

CBS News: Reps. Scholten, Stevens visit Michigan facility after ICE detainee’s death

By: Julia Avant

• “We went through the intake process of what it would be like to be an individual who was being brought in to the ICE detention facility,” Stevens said.
• While Stevens says she also got to talk with those behind bars, including a woman who was arrested in Macomb County and is currently pregnant.
• “She was so shaken and so upset and so fearful missing her young child and of course worried about her pregnancy,” said Stevens.
• “Why we’re using taxpayer dollars in this way? It’s an extraordinary expense, and I think the public is also outraged, as am I,” said Stevens.
• “This is not who we are, this is not what we want in terms of achieving broader safety and security goals, and we can do better if we implement the safety security measures, reform, and the accountability,” said Stevens.

WJBK

• Congresswomen Haley Stevens and Hillary Scholten toured the North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin. It follows lawmakers’ demands for answers after the death of a detainee back in December. Congresswoman Stevens says their conversations with detainees were eye-opening.
• “The oversight and the transparency of this center begins at the very top, and unfortunately, the outreach that Congresswoman Scholten and I made to our Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem went unanswered.”

WDET

• Representative Haley Stevens of the Detroit area and Representative Hilary Scholten of Grand Rapids visited North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin in Lake County. That’s after a man died there in December, Nanko Ganchev, a Bulgarian man arrested in Chicago.
• Representative Stevens said she’s lost faith in Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who has not answered any of her questions about Ganchev’s death.

In Flint:

ABC12:  ‘Heartbreak’: Congresswoman describes visit to Michigan ICE facility

By: Terry Camp

• “I got a chance to speak to a handful of the people who are detained. The stories range from heartbreaking to frustrating,” Stevens said.
• “What I saw today was not the worst of the worst. In fact, I had to ask about the safety and security,” Stevens said.
• “Do you have weapons on you? Do you carry firearms? No. Do you carry Tasers? No. So if this is the worst of the worst, then why don’t we need our guards? They said no one in the facility has arms,” Stevens said.
• She also sought answers regarding the December death of Nenko Gantchev, a 56-year-old Chicago resident and native of Bulgaria. Officials are still reviewing the autopsy.

WNEM

• Across Michigan, Congresswoman Haley Stevens touring a detention facility a few months after an individual who was detained there died.  Back in December, a Bulgarian citizen whom federal authorities say was in the US illegally and detained in the processing center in Baldwin, died. Stevens says the facility currently holds around 1300 men and 100 women, with most cases ending in deportation.
• “Why we’re using taxpayer dollars in this way. It’s an extraordinary expense, and I think the public is also quite outraged, as am I.”
• Last week, we learned the Department of Homeland Security is buying a facility in Romulus used as another detention facility. Stevens says it was a move that was made without coordination and transparency with local leaders and the surrounding community.

In Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo:

WOOD: Congresswomen Scholten, Stevens tour ICE facility following detainee death

By: Matt Jaworowski

• U.S. Reps. Hillary Scholten, D-Grand Rapids, and Haley Stevens, D-Birmingham, toured the North Lake Processing Center in Lake County after asking several questions about the December death of Nenko Gantchev.
• Gantchev, a 56-year-old man from Bulgaria, was found unresponsive in his cell on Dec. 15 and eventually declared dead from natural causes.
• Stevens told UpNorthLive that the tour is meant to get “answers for Nenko Gantchev’s family and demanding accountability from ICE on behalf of all the detainees who are being held in Michigan.”

WKBZ

• Congresswoman Haley Stevens and Hillary Scholten toured the North Lake Processing Center in Lake County Tuesday. They walked through and spoke with some of the detainees. It’s the largest processing center in the Midwest.
• In December, Immigration and Customs Enforcement said a detainee, Nenko Gantchev, was found dead in a cell. ICE said the 56 year old died from natural causes. Scholten and Stevens says the death raises concerns about conditions in the facility.

WXMI

• Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens and Hillary Scholten toured the ICE detention facility in Baldwin on Tuesday.
• The purpose of their visit was to see firsthand living conditions for detainees and to push for answers in the death of an undocumented immigrant.
• ICE reported 32 in custody deaths in 2025, the agency’s deadliest year in more than 2 decades according to data on its website.
• Stevens and Scholten both expressed their frustrations with the agency, along with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, calling for her impeachment and to demand an immediate overhaul of ICE as the Trump administration continues its immigration crackdown.
• “We’re lawmakers. We need to also roll up our sleeves as we have done for the safety and security of our country, of our state of Michigan, but also to close loopholes and to make sure that we have fair processes and transparency from the top down to the bottom.”
   

WZZM

• U.S Representatives Haley Stevens and Hillary Scholten toured the North Lake Processing Center today, to ask questions about an ongoing investigation into the death of a 56 year old detainee named Nenko Gantchev. Gantchev died in December, and ICE  said it was due to natural causes.
• “We’re lawmakers, we need to also roll up our sleeves, as we have done, for the safety and security of our country and of our state of Michigan.”
• In addition to touring the facility and talking with a small group of detainees, the lawmakers are also attempting to find out more about the death of 56-year-old Nenko Gantchev. A Bulgarian national who died in the Lake County detention center.  Gantchev’s family in Chicago has accused The GEO Group of not providing adequate medical treatment to Gantchev. That accusation is just one of many.
• After hearing about his death, Stevens and Scholten requested that Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem and acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, investigate Gantchev’s death. They said more than 100 detainees wanted to speak with lawmakers, but they only spoke with four.
• “There are unanswered questions around Mr. Gantchev’s death, and his family and his loved ones, and people who have been frankly impacted or touched by his life story, they deserve answers.”
• “I remain disappointed in Secretary Noem. I have lost faith in her leadership and her ability to run the Department of Homeland Security, and we are still waiting for answers from her.”
   

In Lansing:

WILX

• Representatives, Hillary Scholten and Haley Stevens of Michigan toward an ICE detention facility in Baldwin, where a man died in custody last December. Nenko Gantchev, a 56 year old from Bulgaria, was found unresponsive in his cell at the North Lake Processing Center on December 15.
• ICE says he died from natural causes. But the Representatives want more answers.

WLNS

• Haley Stevens and Hillary Scholten toured the North Lake Processing Center near Baldwin after an ICE detainee Nenko Gantchev died there in December. ICE officials say the 56 year old died of natural causes, but both Congresswomen sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, saying that the death of Gantchev and other reports of mistreatment show the need for urgent answers and reforms.
• “Secretary Noem for her actions at DHS, I, along with over 150 of my colleagues, believe that she is unfit for her role, that she has failed the American public.”
• Representative Stevens and Scholten say they plan to come back and make follow up visits to the facility in the future.

In Alpena:

WBKP

• In December, Immigration and Customs Enforcement said a detainee, Nenko Gatnchev, was found dead in a cell in the detention facility. He was a 56 year old from Bulgaria and was arrested in Chicago.
• ICE says his death was from natural causes. Representatives Stevens and Scholten are pushing for answers, as they say they haven’t been given any further details about Gantchev’s death.
• “There are unanswered questions around Mr. Gantchev’s death and his family and his loved ones and people who have been frankly impacted or touched by his life story. They deserve answers.”
• Both lawmakers say the death raised concerns about conditions. One of the four detainees they spoke to said they have been mistreated in the facility.
   

In Traverse City:

9 and 10 News​​: Lawmakers seek answers in detainee death at ICE facility in Baldwin

By: Jodi Miesen

• U.S. Reps. Haley Stevens and Hillary Scholten toured the ICE detention center in Baldwin and said they are seeking more transparency after the death of a detainee at the facility.
• “Unfortunately, the outreach that Congresswoman Scholten and I made to our Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem went unanswered, around the death of Mr. Gantchev,” Stevens said.
• Stevens and Scholten said they decided to visit in person after receiving no response to their message to Noem. They said they were given a tour as if they were coming in as a detainee, and said it was a planned visit that made it difficult to assess what day-to-day conditions are like.
• Stevens and Scholten said they are calling for an overhaul of how ICE conducts its operations, and Stevens said she supports impeaching Noem.
• “Secretary Noem, for her actions at DHS, I, along with over 150 of my colleagues, believe that she is unfit for her role, that she has failed the American public. The mismanagement that we are seeing of ICE begins with her,” Stevens said.

UpNorthLive: Reps. Stevens, Scholten tour Lake County ICE facility after detainee death in December

By: Kody Bair

• United States Representatives Haley Stevens and Hillary Scholten toured the North Lake Processing Center in Lake County Tuesday, seeking answers after a detainee died at the ICE detention facility in December. The lawmakers walked through the building and spoke with detainees.
• They said nearly 100 detainees requested to speak with them, but they were told those conversations could not be in private.
• The facility, owned by the GEO Group, has 1,800 beds. As of January, it has an average of 1,420 people being held per day, with 1,272 classified as non-criminal.
• “There are unanswered questions around Mr. Gantchev’s death and his family and loved ones and people who have been frankly impacted or touched by his life story, they deserve answers,” Representative Stevens said.
• She said she is calling for a complete overhaul of ICE nationwide, starting with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
• “I, along with over 150 of my colleagues, believe that she’s unfit for her role, that she has failed the American public. She’s unfit for office and the mismanagement that we are seeing of ICE begins with her,” Stevens said.

WCMU

• Two members of Michigan’s congressional delegation are expressing concern about a lack of transparency from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. This came after they toured North Lake Processing Center yesterday, the largest ICE detention center in the Midwest.
• Representative Hillary Scholten of Grand Rapids and Representative Haley Stevens of the Detroit area spoke with four of the 1,500 detainees there.
• “In terms of our congressional oversight, we need to ask why a private company is making money and profiting off of keeping people in detainment when they may have been granted release or bail,”

WGTQ

• “There are unanswered questions around Mr. Gantchev’s death, and his family and his loved ones, and people who have been impacted by his life story, they deserve answers.”
• The facility is owned by The GEO Group, and it’s the largest of its kind in the Midwest, with 1,800 beds. The lawmakers claim nearly 100 detainees requested to speak with them, but as they push for transparency, they were reportedly told the conversations could not be held in private.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Andy Biggs (AZ-05)

Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ) will attend President Donald J. Trump’s State of the Union address this evening before a joint session of Congress. Congressman Biggs issued the following statement ahead of the address:

“Tonight, President Trump will highlight the significant progress his Administration has made to restore American strength at home and abroad. Over the past year, he and his Cabinet have worked relentlessly to secure the border, rebuild our military, rein in regulatory overreach, and put American workers and families first.

In Arizona, we have already seen the impact of renewed enforcement at the southern border and a federal government that is once again serious about sovereignty and the rule of law. After years of chaos and open-border policies, this change is long overdue.

I look forward to hearing the President outline the next phase of his agenda—growing our economy, strengthening energy independence, restoring fiscal discipline, and ensuring that Washington serves the American people instead of itself. I remain committed to working alongside him to advance policies that protect our freedoms, defend our sovereignty, and secure lasting prosperity for our state and nation.”