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

WASHINGTON, D.C. — California Democratic Congressional Delegation Chair Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), along with Representatives Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Doris Matsui (CA-07) and Derek Tran (CA-45), led members of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation in urging Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz to reverse a decision to defer $1.1 billion in federal funding for California’s In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program. 

In the letter, Rep. Lofgren and her colleagues emphasize that IHSS serves more than 900,000 Californians and provides critical daily supports, including personal care, meal preparation, and medical assistance. The members raise serious concerns that CMS’s justification—allegations of waste, fraud, and abuse—lacks sufficient evidence and instead results in broad, indiscriminate funding delays that harm beneficiaries and caregivers alike. They underscore that California’s increased IHSS expenditures reflect deliberate investments to meet growing needs.

“In addition, Congressional Republicans and the Trump Administration are harming patients through $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act and undermining actual efforts to fight fraud, including the Administration’s decision to fire at least 17 inspectors general, including the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services,” the Members point out in the letter. 

Members of the delegation warn that defunding IHSS could force individuals into more costly institutional care or homelessness, ultimately increasing federal spending and destabilizing care systems. The letter calls on HHS to immediately restore the funding in order to protect access to essential Medicaid services.

39 Members signed on to the letter, including: Pete Aguilar, Nanette Barragán, Ami Bera, Julia Brownley, Salud Carbajal, Judy Chu, Gil Cisneros, Lou Correa, Jim Costa, Mark DeSaulnier, Laura Friedman, John Garamendi, Jimmy Gomez, Josh Harder, Jared Huffman, Sara Jacobs, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Ro Khanna, Mike Levin, Ted Lieu, Zoe Lofgren, Doris Matsui, Dave Min, Kevin Mullin, Jimmy Panetta, Nancy Pelosi, Scott Peters, Luz Rivas, Raul Ruiz, Linda Sánchez, Brad Sherman, Lateefah Simon, Mark Takano, Mike Thompson, Norma Torres, Derek Tran, Juan Vargas, Maxine Waters, and George Whitesides.

For the full text of the letter, see HERE. 

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

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05), U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks (both D-MD), and U.S. Representatives Kweisi Mfume (MD-07), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Glenn Ivey (MD-04), Sarah Elfreth (MD-03), April McClain Delaney (MD-06), and Johnny Olszewski (MD-02) announced $1,435,336 in federal funding to provide resources, legal support, and mental health services for survivors of crime in Maryland.

“Survivors and their loved ones deserve access to the resources they need to heal and move forward. This federal funding will strengthen services across Maryland, helping to ensure that survivors can access critical mental health care, legal assistance, and long-term support. We will continue working to make sure crime victims are not left to navigate trauma they may be facing on their own,” said the lawmakers.

The lawmakers announced the following grants:

• $500,000 to the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence to develop a comprehensive, trauma-informed, victim-centered multidisciplinary program to ensure survivors have access to quality health care, job training and preparation, and housing stability throughout Maryland.
• $500,000 to the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault to support the Increasing Access to Justice for Victims of Sex Crimes Against Children & Youth (IAJ) project and provide legal services for children, youth, and others victimized when they were 17 and under.
• $435,336 to the Tree House Child Advocacy Center of Montgomery County to preserve and expand access to evidence-based, trauma-informed, mental health services for children and adolescents who have experienced physical or sexual abuse, exposure to domestic violence, or other forms of interpersonal trauma.

The awards are funded through the Department of Justice’s Services for Victims of Crime program, which draws from the Crime Victims Fund (CVF). The CVF supports survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, human trafficking, and other violent crimes by funding direct services and programs provided by victim service organizations. Within the Fiscal Year 2026 funding bills, Senator Van Hollen, Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS), and the other members of Federal Team Maryland worked to provide $1.95 billion from the CVF to support federal, state, and Tribal victim assistance programs.

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

Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) helped launch the End Corruption Caucus. This new caucus will work to advance legislation, bring together like-minded partners, and aim to root out corruption in government to restore the American people’s trust in their leaders.

“Trust in our government is nearing historic lows. We must root out corruption in our government, bring greater transparency to our elections, and restore Americans’ faith that their voices will be heard in our democracy,” said Congressman Pappas. “Our country faces incredibly difficult times under an administration only focused on enriching themselves and their political allies. With the End Corruption Caucus, we’re focused on fighting back. Let’s end stock trading by public officials, end shadow lobbying and its revolving door, get dark money out of politics, and make sure the government is always accountable to the people.”

Pappas helped launch the caucus alongside Congressman Jason Crow (CO-06), Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Congressman Mike Levin (CA-49), Congressman Wesley Bell (MO-01), and Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17).

Background: 

Since being elected to Congress, Pappas has stood up to special interests and is leading the fight to root out corruption in our elections, including through his DISCLOSE Act to crack down on dark money’s influence on U.S. elections.

Pappas has led the fight against Members of Congress from trading stocks. Pappas has repeatedly broken with his own party in support of the stock trading ban. Following his advocacy in 2022, then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi reversed course and announced legislation to ban stock trading by members of Congress would be considered by the House. Pappas led a bipartisan call for a vote on legislation to ban stock trading by members of Congress. In 2023, He joined 20 of his colleagues in calling for leaders of the House Committee on Administration to hold a markup on legislation that would prohibit Members of Congress from trading stocks. Pappas has also fought to change the rules of the House to include a ban on trading stocks by members of Congress.

In 2025, Pappas helped introduce the TRUST in Congress Act and cosponsors the Restore Trust in Congress Act, bills that would ban Members of Congress from trading stocks, and supported the bipartisan effort to force a vote on the latter. He also helped introduce the No Getting Rich in Congress Act, legislation toban stock trading by public officials and their families, prohibit lobbying on behalf of foreign adversaries, closes loopholes and regulates shadow lobbying, and extends existing ethics rules to spouses and dependents.

Pappas introduced the bipartisan Clean Legislating and Ethical Accountability Now (CLEAN) Act which would codify the Office of Congressional Ethics, now called the Office of Congressional Conduct (OCC), the only independent internal watchdog that probes ethical breaches in Congress.

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

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) introduced a War Powers Resolution to terminate unauthorized U.S. military action against Cuba.

The resolution follows months of escalation by the Trump administration, including an oil blockade, repeated threats by the President to “take” Cuba, and last week’s indictment of former Cuban President Raúl Castro as a potential pretext to justify illegal U.S. military action in Cuba.

“Donald Trump’s belligerent foreign policy is creating new wars and conflicts across the world. As our country is already embroiled in a new war with Iran, the President has now set his sights on regime change in Cuba,” said Congresswoman Velázquez. “This administration is rushing toward another disastrous war, putting countless American and foreign lives at risk. Congress must reassert its constitutional authority if the President continues down this illegal path.”

“The Trump administration and Republicans in Congress are hellbent on starting another war, this time with Cuba, to distract from the President’s failure in Iran, weak economy, and mass deportation of 500,000 Cubans legally in the United States,” said Ranking Member Meeks. “If Donald Trump and Marco Rubio are serious about a new relationship with the Cuban people, they would reverse 65 years of failed U.S. policy toward Cuba, end the oil blockade and the humanitarian crisis it caused, and work with Congress to modify the draconian and outdated U.S. sanctions that disproportionately harm the Cuban people.”

The resolution is cosponsored by Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Congressman Joaquin Castro (D-TX).

Full text of the resolution is available here.

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

Washington, D.C. – Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Gregory W. Meeks (D-N.Y.) and House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanding documents and communications related to reports that some U.S. ambassadors are pressuring foreign companies for million-dollar donations tied to a Trump-aligned fundraising operation that sells access to the President.

The letter targets a sprawling solicitation effort run out of American embassies in Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore, where diplomats have leaned on foreign executives to bankroll events branded with the logo of Freedom 250. Huffman and Meeks write that the administration has used the group to “aggressively solicit private donations, offering donors who contribute $1 million or more preferred access to the President, VIP seating, photo opportunities, and public speaking roles tied to official White House activities.”

Reports show U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass wrote directly to prospective donors seeking “significant financial support” for Mission Japan’s America 250 celebrations, with roughly $35 million raised from Japanese companies. The U.S. consulate in Hong Kong has handed companies formal solicitation forms. And on February 5, 2026, U.S. Ambassador to Singapore Anjani Sinha hosted a dinner at the Capella Singapore where he told executives, “I need your money,” with the Freedom 250 logo displayed on screens around the room. Sinha himself gave $1 million to a Trump-backed super PAC before his appointment.

In their letter, Huffman and Meeks write that the solicitation of large foreign donations tied to presidential access “represents a significant departure from historical norms and raises profound questions about whether foreign nationals and companies are being offered inappropriate influence over U.S. government activities in exchange for cash payments for America’s 250th celebration.”

The Members are requesting all documents and communications related to fundraising by U.S. diplomatic missions in Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore since January 20, 2025; State Department guidance to diplomatic missions on America 250 and Freedom 250 fundraising; communications between State, the National Park Foundation, Freedom 250, and the White House over use of the Freedom 250 name and branding; ethics guidance sought or provided on foreign solicitations; and records of any benefits or access offered to foreign donors.

Huffman and Meeks closed: “The degree to which State Department personnel, resources, and the prestige of official diplomatic positions have been mobilized in service of a politically motivated and partisan fundraising enterprise demands transparency. […] The American people deserve to know whether their diplomatic representatives abroad are being used to advance a pay-to-play fundraising scheme tied to access to the President of the United States, and whether foreign money is flowing into activities that blur the line between official government functions and personal political benefit.”

Read the full letter HERE.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (12th District of Michigan)

Today, U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06) announced she secured $67,881,860 in federal grant funding for the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor to support a wide range of research initiatives, including aging, nursing, neurological disorders, cancer, and more. The funding comes from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and was made possible by Congresswoman Dingell’s advocacy. 

“This funding will bolster the University of Michigan’s leadership in research and innovation,” said Congresswoman Dingell. “These federal grants are a powerful investment in the health, safety, and well-being of our communities, and I am proud to have secured this money. I will never stop working to deliver federal resources to Michigan that secure better treatments and improve patient outcomes.”

Projects receiving funding include:

• $3,058,812 for Aging Research
• $2,967,624 for Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research
• $2,344,128 for Arthritis Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research
• $3,849,172 for Biomedical Research and Research Training
• $766,516 for Blood Diseases and Resources Research
• $7,480,932 for Cancer Research
• $3,072,192 for Cardiovascular Diseases Research
• $1,068,440 for Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research
• $2,726,248 for Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs
• $1,615,760 for Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs
• $20,478,352 for Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders
• $1,543,072 for H76 – Ryan White Title III Outpatient EIS Program
• $5,264,800 for H80 – Health Center Program
• $2,683,360 for Lung Diseases Research
• $1,560,000 for Mental Health Research Grants
• $592,340 for Research Infrastructure Programs
• $1,868,588 for Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders
• $4,941,524 for Vision Research

A full list of projects receiving grant funding can be found HERE.

HHS is the largest grant-making agency in the United States. Most HHS grants are provided directly to states, territories, tribes, and educational and community organizations, then distributed to eligible individuals and organizations. For more information on HHS grants, click HERE.