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Miller's Improving Home Dialysis Act Passes Ways and Means Committee

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV)

Washington, D.C. – Last week, Congresswoman Carol Miller’s (R-WV) legislation, the Improving Home Dialysis Act, passed the Ways and Means Committee mark-up by 28-13, earning bipartisan support. H.R. 8875, the Improving Home Dialysis Act, facilitates patient access to home dialysis by allowing Medicare to reimburse for additional home dialysis support services, including:

  • Staff-assisted home dialysis services to assist with home dialysis education and instances of physical limitations. 
  • Renal mental health support services to better support the transition to home dialysis and promote kidney transplantation.
“If you are a home dialysis patient, you should have the same access to quality support services as someone receiving dialysis in-center. Patients should not be penalized for choosing a modality that often provides greater flexibility, independence, and quality of life. This is especially true for my rural patients at home in West Virginia. This bill is an important step toward improving patient-centered kidney care, supporting caregivers, and helping more Americans successfully transition to and remain on home dialysis. I am happy to see my bill passed out of committee and is now one step closer to full floor consideration by the House of Representatives,” said Congresswoman Carol Miller.

“I want to thank Congresswoman Miller for her strong, steady advocacy for dialysis patients and finding new ways to make treatment less burdensome for America’s 500,000 End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients. The Ways and Means Committee heard testimony from Americans who spoke to the benefits and flexibility that changed their lives after switching to home dialysis, but many Americans suffering from ESRD are still forced to travel multiple times per week to a dialysis center. This bill ensures that more ESRD patients have the freedom and to receive safe treatment with the help of a trusted professional in the comfort of their own home,” said Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (MO-08).

This legislation is supported by the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and the American Society of Nephrology.

“We thank Rep. Miller and the Ways and Means Committee for their leadership in advancing policies that expand patient choice and modernize kidney care. We look forward to continued bipartisan discussions to further strengthen and advance solutions that make home dialysis more accessible, sustainable, and patient-centered for people living with kidney failure,” said Dr. Jesse Roach, National Kidney Foundation.

“I applaud Representative Miller’s introduction of the Improving Home Dialysis Act of 2026, patient-centered kidney care legislation that expands options for the nearly 500,000 Americans living with kidney failure. Representative Miller’s steadfast commitment to helping people living with kidney diseases, including those with kidney failure, access better, more innovative therapies is exemplified in her introduction of this legislation,” said ASN President Samir M. Parikh, MD, FASN.

Background:

  • More than 500,000 patients nationwide live with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and receive dialysis, which can have a devastating impact on their health and lifestyle.  
  • Only 15% of ESRD patients use home dialysis, though it has significant health benefits. 
    • Home dialysis results in faster recovery after treatment with fewer side effects, improved cardiac status, and increased life expectancy. 
  • ESRD patients may be prevented from self-dialyzing at home due to lack of experience or sustaining physical injuries that inhibit home dialysis. 
  • Staff-assisted home dialysis offers education and assistance services from trained professionals to help ESRD patients engage in home dialysis.  
    • One staff-assisted home dialysis program helped 93% of senior participants over the age of 70 to dialyze safely and independently at home. 
  • Renal mental health professionals help ESRD patients navigate the logistical complexities and emotional toll of dialysis and promote kidney transplantation referrals. 
    • Patients diagnosed with ESRD are three times more likely to experience serious psychological distress and twice as likely to have anxiety and depression compared to the general population. 
    • Dialysis facilities employ qualified renal mental health professionals, but this care is not consistently available to home dialysis patients. 

  • While Medicare covers some support services to facilitate home dialysis care, Medicare does not reimburse for staff-assisted home dialysis or renal mental health support services for home dialysis patients. 

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Griffith Announces HHS Grant for Virginia Tech Veterinary Students

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA)

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded Virginia Tech, based in Blacksburg, Virginia, a $56,345 grant. The funding supports veterinary student research. U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement:

“Virginia Tech leads a biomedical research program for veterinary students.

“This HHS grant for more than $56,000 helps Virginia Tech support research efforts of veterinary students.”

BACKGROUND

The Summer Veterinary Student Research Program is supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Boehringer Ingelheim Veterinary Scholars Program and the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine.

As a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Congressman Griffith serves as the Chairman of the Health Subcommittee. The Health Subcommittee has policy jurisdiction over veterinary health care.

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House Foreign Affairs Ranking Member Meeks, Raskin Demand Answers on Inappropriate Granting of U.S. Visa for Fugitive Former Polish Cabinet Minister

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

Washington, D.C. – Representatives Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche expressing concern over the reported interference by the White House and other senior Trump administration officials to inappropriately grant and expedite a U.S. visa to former Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro, who is a fugitive and faces up to 25 years in prison in Poland if convicted on various crimes.

In addition to demanding details on the visa adjudication process for former Minister Ziobro, the Ranking Members called for an in-person briefing for Members of the Foreign Affairs and Judiciary Committees by no later than June 21, 2026. 

Read the letter in full here. An excerpt is below. 

“We write with deep concern in response to public reports that President Donald Trump, Deputy Secretary of State Landau, and other senior leadership in the Trump Administration may have inappropriately interfered in the visa adjudication process to grant an expedited visa to former Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro to help him escape extradition from Hungary to face criminal charges in Poland,”said the Ranking Members.  

“If these mounting reports are accurate, these events and decisions constitute a massive abuse of power and disregard for the legal immigration processes of the United States by State Department officials and the White House.  Furthermore, they threaten to invite a significant diplomatic crisis with Poland, one of the United States strongest and closest allies,” continued the Ranking Members. 

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House Foreign Affairs Ranking Member Meeks Statement on Republicans Pulling Iran War Powers Vote

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

Washington, D.C. – Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the following statement after Speaker Johnson postponed a vote on his Iran War Powers Resolution:

“The House was poised today to pass a War Powers Resolution with bipartisan support and send an unambiguous message to Donald Trump on behalf of the American people: it’s time to end this deeply unpopular war of choice in Iran. Instead of allowing that vote, Speaker Johnson and House Republicans did what they always do: skirt the system, shirk their constitutional duties, and play cover for the president.

“Let’s be clear: Republicans pulled this vote because they knew they were going to lose it. They know this war is a political and strategic disaster. They know that as Americans head into Memorial Day weekend paying over 4.50 a gallon at the pump, they cannot go home and explain they voted to keep this war going. So instead of casting that vote, they ran from it.

“This is not over. When the House returns, Republicans will have no choice but to take this vote. Democrats will not stop fighting until Congress reasserts its constitutional authority and this war is brought to an end.” 

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Statement from Congressman Adam Smith on Tonight's Shooting Near the White House

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Adam Smith (9th District of Washington)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA) released the following statement:

“Tonight, a gunman opened fire on a Secret Service security booth outside the White House. Secret Service returned fire, killing the suspect, while a bystander was also struck. The President was thankfully unharmed, and this investigation is ongoing.

“This is not an isolated incident. In the last 30 days alone, there have been three shootings in and around the White House. On April 25th, a gunman opened fire outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. On May 4th, another gunman fired near the Washington Monument and was shot by Secret Service. Tonight is the third.

“Let me be clear — what we are witnessing is a pattern of violence directed at the President and at members of the press simply for doing their jobs. Tonight, journalists were once again forced to shelter in place. That is unacceptable. Make no mistake, we have a responsibility to confront this threat, and I am committed to working with my colleagues across the aisle to do exactly that.”

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Statement from Congresswoman Chellie Pingree on the Passing of Former Congressman Barney Frank

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)

Statement from Congresswoman Chellie Pingree on the Passing of Former Congressman Barney Frank

Washington, May 20, 2026

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) released the following statement on the passing of former Congressman Barney Frank:

Barney Frank was one of the most brilliant, fearless, and impactful public servants of our time—and someone I was proud to call a friend. He was one of the people I most looked up to and admired when I first came to Congress. In the years we served together, whenever I was on the House floor and Barney rose to speak, I knew I was about to hear something special. His command of policy and profound understanding of congressional history were unmatched, and his ability to command the room with his words and wisdom was truly something to behold.
Barney believed deeply in democracy, social justice, and the ability of government to improve people’s lives. Whether he was defending civil rights, fighting for consumers, or helping craft the landmark Dodd-Frank bill following the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, Barney combined progressive values with a practical legislative mind unlike any other.
Barney could be a curmudgeon, no doubt. And he certainly didn’t ‘suffer fools lightly.’ But he also had an incredible heart—and a kindness that those who knew him best will never forget. After he retired from the House, and began spending more time in Ogunquit, Maine with his husband Jim, I got a chance to really get to know them both. I will always cherish those memories. Whenever Barney spoke, whatever the story or anecdote, I knew I was about to learn something—and laugh a whole lot.

I will miss him dearly. My heart goes out to Jim, Barney’s family, his many friends and colleagues, and the countless people whose lives he touched.

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Pallone Statement on Delaney Hall Protests

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

LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) today issued the following statement on the ongoing protests by detainees at the Delaney Hall ICE detention facility in Newark, New Jersey.

“I visited the men and women suffering in ICE detention at Delaney Hall earlier this year, and I was shocked by the conditions they told me they had to endure. I am disgusted that these conditions only continue to worsen for detainees,” said Congressman Pallone.

“People are languishing without knowing if they’ll have enough to eat or if they’ll be able to receive medical care if they get sick. This is in addition to ICE’s indiscriminate actions in our neighborhoods and communities. It’s a cruel, coordinated campaign, and it’s a disgrace.

“Delaney Hall cannot continue to generate profit on the back of horrendous human suffering. I stand firmly in support of the brave detainees inside the facility—and the protesters outside—who are standing up for what’s right. I will continue to call for accountability and carry out oversight of this facility.”

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Congressman Vicente Gonzalez Delivers for South Texas Veterans and Servicemembers

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (15th District of Texas)

Since being elected, the Congressman remains committed to serving our veterans with the same selflessness and dedication they demonstrated in their service to our nation.

Contact: Alexis Torres

Washington, D.C. – This Memorial Day, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34) is honoring our nation’s Armed Forces through transformative actions that strengthen military readiness and improve the quality of life for our veterans, service members, and their families.

“From South Texas to the halls of Congress, I will never stop fighting on behalf of our veterans, active-duty service members, and their families,” said Congressman Gonzalez. “That’s why I continue working to pass legislation to expand access to veteran health care and benefits, conduct Congressional oversight to increase transparency around missing servicemembers, and bring millions in federal funding to our region for community services. We must uphold our promise to support the brave men and women who serve our nation and when they return home.”

Congressman Gonzalez recently supported the passage of the House Fiscal Year 2027 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, a $481 billion package to fund veterans’ health care and benefits and build and maintain family housing and other essential military construction projects. This legislation also included four amendments the Congressman successfully secured to address challenges veterans face when accessing the benefits they earned, such as requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to submit reports to Congress on open dental worker positions, average patient wait times at VA hospitals and clinics, and unfilled VA home health aide positions in Texas and New Mexico, detailing what communities are most affected; a study on the benefits of establishing a financial literacy center at VA medical centers and other facilities; and to support the burial of Military Working Dogs in veteran cemeteries.

This work builds on his efforts earlier this month in the House Financial Services Committee to introduce H.J.Res.178 to restore critical federal protections guaranteed to servicemembers and their families under the Military Lending Act. This legislation would ensure that South Texans are protected from predatory lending practices that threaten their financial security and long-term stability. 

Congressman Gonzalez continues to be a longtime champion of veterans and active duty servicemembers in the 34th Congressional District of Texas, which is currently home to three National Guard facilities, Naval Air Station (NAS) Kingsville, and runs adjacent to NAS Corpus Christi and Corpus Christi Army Depot. Over the last year, he has:

  • Passed language into law to increase accountability, transparency, and urgency in investigating service members who go missing while on duty. This was a direct response to the murder of Brownsville native, Seaman Angelina Resendiz.
  • Introduced the bipartisan and bicameral Veterans Member Business Loan Act, H.R. 507, to expand access to capital for veteran-owned small businesses by removing arbitrary lending caps imposed on credit union member business loans.
  • Supported the Major Richard Star Act, H.R. 2102, which would allow disabled veterans to receive both their retirement pay and disability compensation. He signed a discharge petition to force a vote on this bill.
  • Championed the Preserve Access to Rapid Ambulance Emergency Medical Treatment (PARA-EMT) Act, H.R. 2220, to address Emergency Medical Services (EMS) staffing shortages by expediting state civilian certification and licensure for military veterans who received EMS training during their time in service. 
  • Advocated for the Driver Reimbursement Increase for Veteran Equity (DRIVE) Act, H.R. 1288, to increase travel mileage reimbursement rates for eligible South Texas veterans with service-connected disabilities.
  • Led more than 50 House Democrats in demanding the Administration end the purge of minority servicemembers and veterans from military records, including South Texas hero, Sergeant Freddy Gonzalez.
  • Urged the VA to reverse a decision that reduces reimbursement rates for caregivers who provide essential in-home health services to veterans.
  • Expressed concerns over the VA’s proposed cuts to reduce its workforce by 30,000 and its effect on services provided in South Texas.
  • Voted for the Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act, H.R. 6047, which would create a significant increase in in benefits for veterans and their surviving families while establishing an increase in monthly allowance for veterans with severe service-connected disabilities.
  • Voted for the Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act, H.R. 1041, to safeguard gun ownership.
  • Voted for the Veterans Community Care Scheduling Improvement Act, H.R. 3482, to digitize the scheduling of health care appointments at the VA.
  • Voted for Veterans’ Transition to Trucking Act, H.R. 2954, to allow the VA to approve multi-state trucking apprenticeship programs.
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Congressman Harris Announces $3.1 Million HHS Award for Eastern Shore Healthcare Services

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

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01), announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded $3,139,017 through the Health Center Program to Three Lower Counties Community Services, Inc. to support care on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Statement from Congressman Harris:

“I want to thank the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for investing in healthcare on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and recognizing how important local clinics are for my district. These clinics handle routine checkups, prescription refills, diabetes treatment, and preventative care for patients in Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester Counties. This investment helps keep clinics staffed and appointments available for residents who can already face long drives or limited options for nearby medical care.”

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

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Congressman Al Green, Faith and Community Leaders to Host Candlelight Vigil Commemorating the Lives of Amin Abdullah, Mansour “Abul Izz” Kaziha, and Nadir Awad Fatally Killed at the Islamic Center of San Diego

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Al Green (TX-9)

(Houston, TX) — On Sunday, May 24, 2026, Congressman Al Green, faith and community leaders will host a candlelight vigil in remembrance of the victims fatally shot during the hate-driven attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego. The vigil will honor Amin Abdullah, 51; Mansour “Abul Izz” Kaziha, 78; and Nadir Awad, 57, who were killed while courageously protecting the children in the building during the attack. The candlelight vigil will take place at the Islamic Society of Greater Houston at 3110 Eastside Street, Houston, Texas 77098 at 8:00 p.m. CT. All people of goodwill are invited. 

Congressman Al Green, a co-sponsor of H.Res.1312, Honoring the victims of the Islamic Center of San Diego shooting in San Diego, California, stated, “This heinous act occurred on a holy day during the final sacred month of the Islamic calendar; the loss of these lives is felt throughout the Muslim world and by all people of goodwill. Amin Abdullah, Abul Izz, and Nadir Awad perished shielding others from hatred and violence. Hateful violence including antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, and violent extremism are spreading dangerous hate, putting innocent lives at risk. We cannot allow violence against any faith community to become normalized. We must stand in unity with all faiths and people of goodwill to reject the normalization of hate and affirm that every person has a right to worship freely and live without fear.”

Click here to watch the YouTube Live Stream of the event.