MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Gregory W Meeks (5th District of New York)

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, U.S. Reps. Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY-05) and Zach Nunn (R-IA-03) secured unanimous passage of their bipartisan Clarity for Compensation Act during a House Financial Services Committee markup. The measure supports independent financial advisors by removing outdated regulatory barriers that penalize them for operating as small businesses.

“Access to trusted financial advisors can make the difference between just getting by and building generational wealth,” Rep. Meeks said. “For many minority households, certified financial advisement remains out of reach because there are not enough advisors serving communities like my district. This bill bridges the gap and modernizes rules so that advisory firms can grow and recruit the next generation of financial professionals.

Under current law, many registered financial advisors can’t receive compensation through their own business entities – a restriction that doesn’t apply to lawyers, accountants, or insurance agents. This outdated rule creates unnecessary burden and makes it harder for small advisory firms to stay independent, particularly in underserved communities. The Clarity for Compensation Act fixes these issues and as a result, expands access to financial advice and planning for minority and underserved communities.

“Small-town financial advisors shouldn’t be held back by outdated regulations,” Rep. Nunn said. “They help families save for college, buy their first home, and plan for retirement. Today’s unanimous committee vote brings us one step closer to giving independent financial advisors the same flexibility other licensed professionals already have — cutting unnecessary red tape so they can spend more time serving Iowa families.” 

“As the industry evolves, the rules must also modernize to meet the needs of advisors, firms and, most importantly, American investors. Independent financial advisors need clarity and certainty that receiving commissions through their business entities will not expose them to claims by a future SEC that they are required to register as broker-dealers,” said Dale Brown, Financial Services Institute President & CEO. “This bill ensures that these businesses can operate more efficiently, recruit the next generation of advisors, and offer their clients a wider range of products and services to better meet their financial needs. We thank Representatives Nunn and Meeks for introducing legislation that solves an administrative headache for independent financial advisors, allowing them to focus on helping their Main Street clients achieve a secure financial future.”

“Finseca applauds Reps. Zach Nunn and Gregory Meeks for introducing this bipartisan legislation,” said Marc Cadin, Finseca CEO. “With a looming shortage of 100,000 advisors, this legislation creates regulatory certainty that could open the door for new talent, build future leaders, and strengthen the workforce—ensuring financial security professionals can keep helping Americans achieve financial security.”

The bipartisan Clarity for Compensation Act now awaits consideration on the House floor. 

Read the bill text here.

 

###

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Huffman Representing the 2nd District of California

---

---

Previous Article

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

Headline: Scott Votes for War Powers Resolution on Lebanon

WASHINGTON  – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after voting yes on H.Con.Res, 104, Directing the President pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities in Lebanon.

“I voted in favor of this war powers resolution, which requires the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities in Lebanon, until Congress provides authorization as required by the Constitution. This resolution will preserve critical non-combat missions, including protecting U.S. embassies and supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces, unlike a previous resolution which was considered earlier this month. Congress must reassert its constitutional authority over matters of war and peace.”

###

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

---

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA)

WASHINGTON—United States Congressmen Jim McGovern (D-MA), Chris Smith (R-NJ), and Ro Khanna (D-CA) today announced that a bipartisan group of 14 House lawmakers sent a letter asking Secretary of State Marco Rubio to condemn the People’s Republic of China’s Ethnic Unity Law as a tool of forced assimilation, ideological control, and transnational repression.

“Far from promoting genuine equality among ethnic groups, this law codifies and expands the Chinese Communist Party’s majoritarian campaign of forced assimilation against Tibetans, Uyghurs, Southern Mongolians, and other non-Han Chinese communities,” wrote the lawmakers in their letter. “We respectfully urge the Department of State to respond publicly and forcefully to this law before it goes into effect on July 1, 2026, and to make clear that the United States rejects the CCP’s attempt to disguise forced assimilation as “ethnic unity.”

The so-called Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress was adopted by China’s National People’s Congress on March 12, 2026, and goes into effect on July 1, 2026. The law contradicts and undermines the PRC’s own constitutional and legal guarantees of regional ethnic autonomy, and codifies and expands the CCP’s majoritarian campaign of forced assimilation against Tibetans, Uyghurs, Southern Mongolians, and other non-Han Chinese communities.

Specifically, the letter calls on Secretary Rubio to: 

• Publicly condemn the law, raise it with PRC officials, and coordinate with like-minded governments to address it in bilateral dialogues, at the UN Human Rights Council, and through relevant UN treaty bodies and Special Procedures;

• Prioritize the protection of Tibetan, Uyghur, Mongolian, and other minority-language education, religious freedom, and cultural preservation through U.S. policy and programming;

• Strengthen U.S. efforts to counter PRC transnational repression; and

• Strengthen enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act and work with like-minded allies to expand enforcement.

The letter was also signed by Representatives Michael T. McCaul (R-TX), Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ), Jim Costa (D-CA), Veronica Escobar (D-TX), Jonathan L. Jackson (D-IL), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Johnny Olszewski, Jr. (D-MD), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA), Thomas R. Suozzi (D-NY), and James R. Walkinshaw (D-VA). 

The full text of the letter is available here.

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

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is welcoming federal funding notices of two health grants, totaling over $1.33 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the American Samoa Department of Health (ASDOH). One social services grant of $580,847 is for cancer prevention and control programs, and the health services grant of $749,804 is to strengthen vaccine and preventable disease programs.

Both are discretionary, continuing grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and its National Center for Chronic Diseases Prevention & Health Promotion (NCCDPHP). 

“Thank you especially to the two project directors, Jasmay Willis and Yolanda Masunu, for their work on these grants,” said Congresswoman Amata. “Thank you to all our health and medical personnel working to keep our people’s health a priority, especially in areas of disease prevention.”

###

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

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata welcomed the 2026 winner of the Malofie Congressional Art Competition, Eve Filomena Snow, of Tafuna High School, to the U.S. Capitol last week for the opening of her artwork. Eve visited Washington, D.C., took part in the agenda of events, and was accompanied for the occasion by her dad, her mom, and her sister. Her winning painting, “The Beauty from One Generation to the Next,” is now displayed at the U.S. Capitol where it can be visited for the next year. 

Winning artist Eve Snow and her family in Congresswoman Amata’s office in DC

American Samoa’s competition was judged in April with 26 enjoyable entries from local students. The winners from congressional districts all over the nation are invited yearly to the Capitol to see their artwork on display, attend a national reception, and other activities. 

“Congratulations to Eve for her excellent and lovely artwork,” said Congresswoman Amata. “It is a special representation of American Samoa, and our culture, and beautifully depicts our island ways regarding dignified elders and the heritage of our youth.”

Eve’s painting photographed before it was displayed on the wall

Eve’s artwork is displayed where thousands of Capitol tour groups each year, and often Members of Congress, will walk by the display wall many times over the year ahead. 

Congresswoman Amata’s office works in partnership with the American Samoa Department of Education and the American Samoa Council of Arts, Culture & Humanities.to hold the competition, select several standouts, and determine one to represent American Samoa in Washington. American Samoa’s public and private high schools are invited to send entries for the competition.

“Thank you again to all of the creative students who participated and the excellent art teachers,” Amata concluded. “Thank you so much each year to our generous local sponsors for making the art competition available to our students.”

###

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

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is welcoming notice of a grant of $58,578 from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for the American Samoa Criminal Justice Planning Agency (CJPA). 

“Thank you to the Criminal Justice Planning Agency, and in this effort Dr. Celestine Faumuina-Nix, as they work together to reduce substance abuse in our islands,” said Congresswoman Aumua Amata. 

These initial, discretionary funds through the Office of Justice Programs and Bureau of Justice Assistance are for residential substance abuse treatment for the incarcerated. The Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) funding is to establish and strengthen substance use treatment services for individuals housed within the correctional facility. The RSAT program’s purpose is to break the cycle of drug use, crime, and recidivism, so the project will focus on individuals in pre-trial and sentence status who have substance use disorders or substance abuse related treatment needs. RSAT funding will be used for counseling eligible pre-trial detainees, and substance use screening and testing services with the American Samoa Department of Health, followed by structured substance abuse treatment programming and recovery support services.

###

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (3rd District of Ohio)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03), Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions, along with 26 Members of Congress, urged the Trump Administration to support a new issuance of International Monetary Fund (IMF) Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) to help address the global economic fallout caused by the Iran War and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

The letter argues that rising energy prices and supply chain disruptions are placing significant pressure on developing economies while threatening broader global financial stability. A new SDR allocation would provide critical liquidity to vulnerable countries, reinforce U.S. economic leadership, and help stabilize international markets—all without costing American taxpayers.

“As the United States has more influence than any other country at the IMF, your support of a new SDR issuance would virtually guarantee its realization. This is not a partisan issue. Stabilizing the global economy and creating jobs for American workers, without adding a dime to the U.S. budget, is something all Americans can agree on.”

The letter emphasizes that supporting a new SDR issuance would:

• Help stabilize developing economies facing severe energy and supply shocks.
• Protect global financial markets from prolonged instability.
• Reinforce U.S. leadership within the international financial system.
• Strengthen demand for American exports and support U.S. economic interests.
• Come at no direct cost to American taxpayers.

The letter was co-signed by (27) Reps. Gabe Amo (RI-01), Becca Balint (VT-At Large), Troy Carter (LA-02), Greg Casar (TX-35), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Al Green (TX-09), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Hank Johnson (GA-04), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Summer Lee (PA-12), Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Bennie G. Thompson (MS-02), Dina Titus (NV-01), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Ritchie Torres (NY-15), and Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07).

The effort is endorsed by ActionAid USA, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, American Friends Service Committee, Center for Economic and Policy Research, Partners In Health, Presbyterian Church (USA) Office of Public Witness, Oxfam America, The United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Read the full letter HERE.

###

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

WASHINGTON — Today, Chairman Emeritus of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Michael McCaul introduced the bipartisan Strategic Unmanned Systems Partnership Act with Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) to increase security cooperation and strengthen defense capabilities between the United States and Ukraine. Co-leading the legislation are also Co-Chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Co-Chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus Congressman Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), Ranking Member of the Transatlantic Legislators’ Dialogue Congressman Jim Costa (D-Calif.), and Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation Congressman Don Bacon (R-Neb.). 

This bipartisan legislation will create a working group between the Department of Defense, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and other relevant stakeholders to enable the US to co-develop, co-produce, and rapidly acquire cost-effective Ukrainian-designed unmanned systems such as drones and surface vehicles, as well as the capabilities to counter unmanned systems. Bicameral companion legislation was introducedin the Senate by Senator Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.).

“Four years into the war that many predicted would end in four days, the Ukrainians continue to rapidly innovate and push the frontiers of modern warfare — operating as a laboratory for drones and other unmanned systems, said McCaul. “I’m proud to support this legislation to bolster defense cooperation between our nations and ensure the United States is prepared to build, deploy, and counter the drone technology that will define the future of warfare.”

“The innovative use of unmanned systems in Ukraine has permanently changed the face of warfare. By working with our Ukrainian allies we stand the best chance of protecting American servicemembers and the American homeland,” said Kaptur. “We must never forget that when Iranian drones honed against Ukrainians targeted Americans in the Middle East, it was Ukraine that came to our defense and aid. By forging an ironclad pact with our Ukrainian allies, we can repay that debt, and create a manufacturing partnership that will benefit communities across America.”

“Ukraine’s defense has shown the world a defining reality of modern warfare: the nations that innovate, adapt, and produce at speed will hold the advantage. The Strategic Unmanned Systems Partnership Act advances that lesson in a practical and strategic way by enabling the United States to work shoulder-to-shoulder with our Ukrainian partners to identify battlefield-tested unmanned and counter-unmanned capabilities, accelerate co-development and co-production, and strengthen our defense industrial base here at home,” said Fitzpatrick. “This is how we support Ukraine, improve American readiness, and ensure that peace through strength is matched by the capabilities required to sustain it.” 

“The United States is a key force in keeping Vladimir Putin from taking Ukraine and invading the rest of Eastern Europe. Ukraine has been able to fend off Russian attacks during this war because of our technology and our weapons, said Quigley. “The development and production of unmanned systems like drones and surface vehicles supported by this bill will help Ukraine protect themselves and safeguard democracy worldwide.” 

“Ukrainians are some of the most innovative people in the world. They are testing modern warfare technologies on the battlefield in real time,” said Costa. “We have the opportunity to apply lessons learned by the Ukrainians to benefit the US military to make our warfighters more effective. This bill would enhance US-Ukraine defense cooperation, benefiting both nations.”

“Ukraine’s fight against Russia has shown the world that unmanned systems are changing the future of warfare,” said Bacon. “The Strategic Unmanned Systems Partnership Act strengthens US-Ukraine defense cooperation by creating a working group to co-develop, co-produce, and rapidly field cost-effective unmanned systems and counter-drone technologies. This partnership will help ensure the United States and our allies remain at the forefront of battlefield innovation while enhancing military readiness to meet evolving threats. I’m pleased to work with Rep. Kaptur and our bipartisan colleagues on this effort to strengthen defense cooperation and keep our forces ahead of emerging threats.”

A full copy of the bill text can be found by clicking here.