MIL USHOR-2b Engine

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 the SAVE America Act and the Democrats’ outrageous and false arguments against it. Speaker Johnson also highlighted how the American economy – spurred by Republican policies – continues to defy expectations.

“The question is often asked by pollsters, and the polling consistently shows 80 to 90% of Americans believe that proof of citizenship and proof of valid ID should be required to vote,” Speaker Johnson said. “There are a few issues in American politics that have that level of bipartisan support; this is one of them.”

Watch Speaker Johnson’s full remarks here.

On the SAVE America Act:

Now we have the SAVE America Act. It’s identical legislation as the SAVE Act on the proof of citizenship, but as you heard, now, voters would have to display a valid ID to participate in federal elections. Again, a no brainer. So, in other words, it simply requires you are who you say are in order to vote. And if that sounds like a no brainer, it’s because it is. The question is often asked by pollsters, and the polling consistently shows 80 to 90% of Americans believe that proof of citizenship and proof of valid ID should be required to vote. There are a few issues in American politics that have that level of bipartisan support; this is one of them. The issue has so much support because it’s just common sense. Americans need an ID to drive, to open a bank account, to buy cold medicine, to file for government assistance, and as is noted by the Leader, you even need an ID to attend the events of most Democrat politicians and even the Democrat National Convention. So why would voting be any different from that? They can’t answer that question. And so, they come up with all these crazy excuses of why they can’t support.

They’ve attempted so many arguments to oppose the pass of this simple legislation. First, they argued that we were too close to a federal election to make changes to voting procedures. That was last Congress, and of course that was nonsense. Then they argued that noncitizens and unregistered individuals don’t actually vote, and then we proved that they did, so then they changed their argument again. Then they argued that the SAVE Act disenfranchises married women who would have to change their last names. That was actually, you remember, that was a whole line of argument. And now this is their current argument. Now, Democrats are saying, breathlessly, the SAVE Act would result in voter suppression and voter disenfranchisement. It’s nonsense. Do you know what actually disenfranchises voters? When noncitizens participate in our federal elections and counteract the votes of registered American voters. That’s what we have to stop.

On Democrats fearmongering about the SAVE America Act:

Democrats have gone so far as to call this the return of Jim Crow laws. That’s what you heard Chuck Schumer say, and he just has no shame. It’s not the first time Schumer said this. Now just think of the history of it. In 2021, when Georgia state legislators, they did it in the state, they passed the election integrity legislation. Chuck Schumer came out – many national Democrats too – called it Jim Crow 2.0. I mean, he did that thing with his hands and pounded the podium. Okay, well, here’s what really happened. Georgia experienced record turnout in the 2022 election after the reform, particularly among minority groups. And in fact, in a poll commission by the University of Georgia after the election, they went to ask people how they felt about that election and how it was conducted. And they talked to black voters. And the respondents, the poll said, “Did you have a poor experience in the election?” And guess how many black voters in Georgia said after their reforms, they had a poor experience? Zero. Literally no one said that.

Not only were there arguments blatant fear mongering. Chuck Schumer and everybody, they were dead and wrong too. And speaking of Georgia, Leader Scalise noted that John Ossoff, Senator Ossoff, had his big event there. And, you know, he said that the SAVE Act is “A bad faith bill cynically intended to disenfranchise millions of eligible voters.” That’s what Senator Ossoff said. But of course, at the event where he said that he required photo ID to attend. Democrats want to verify your identity to attend their campaign rallies, but not to participate in the elections they’re running in. Despite the vehement and incoherent and frankly, ridiculous opposition for Democrats, Republicans will continue to stand with the overwhelming majority of Americans who want secure elections. We’re going to do the right thing. We’re going to do the commonsense thing, and we’re going to pass this, and you’ll see that reflected on Wednesday when we do that very thing.

On the success and growth of the American economy:

Gallup published findings from a new poll, and here’s what the headline says: “Americans expect economic growth and stock market gains in 2026.” The American people have good reason to feel this optimism… Since Republicans reclaimed the House, we began last January, to do the work. We promised the American people we would do it; we got it done. We secured key fiscal reforms in the debt ceiling agreement, we kept discretionary spending flat, saving hundreds of billions of dollars to date, we secured a $1.6 trillion cut to mandatory spending through the Working Families Tax Cuts, and so much more. And that’s just in the House. President Trump has been a very busy as well. His trade policy and the tariffs have brought in hundreds of billions in new revenue, more than 2024. And there’s hundreds of billions more on the way. President Trump’s policies have reoriented global trade, resulted in trillions of commitments for foreign direct investment here, a reduction in the trade deficit and all-time highs for US exports. And we’re just getting started.

We have all the necessary ingredients for economic flourishing. The combination of the House Republicans’ efforts to restore fiscal sanity, President Trump’s trade agenda, and the pro-growth, pro-energy policies in the Working Families Tax Cuts have reignited a supply side growth surge that nobody can deny. You’re watching the economic growth numbers that are off the charts. It’s going to be over 5%, I think 5.4% is the estimate for what Q4 would finally yield. And Q1 of this year is expected to continue that surge. We think that’s going to happen all the way through the year. And so do the voters. So do the American people. According to the poll, under Republican leadership, the US economy has consistently grown and far exceeded all the expectations that they told us that would happen. The CBO and others were way off.

The tangible, immediate benefits of our policies are indisputable. Interest rates are down, inflation is down, gas prices are significantly decreased and have hit all-time lows in decades. Tax rebates are at an all-time high, you’ve got tens of millions of American families will be able to keep more of their money in their own pockets, and all of that is by design. We made promises, keeping our promises by every conceivable metric. Americans are better off today under Republican governance than they were under the Democrats. And these trends are only going to continue. Democrats keep talking about affordability, Republicans are delivering it.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman John Garamendi – Representing California’s 3rd Congressional District

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

Santa Cruz, CA – U.S. Representative Jimmy Panetta convened a roundtable with local law enforcement and community leaders from California’s 19th Congressional District to coordinate responses and prepare resources for communities against the brutality, violence, and lawlessness displayed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). At a press conference following the roundtable, Rep. Panetta emphasized the need for cooperation between all levels of government, as well as with local social services, to support and protect communities in the 19th Congressional District from potential ICE and CBP activity.

The leaders discussed the fear they are seeing in the communities they serve and the importance of a cohesive strategy in the face of growing uncertainty.  They further talked about the ways in which together then can maintain the trust of our communities.

“We’re doing everything we can to prevent ICE and CBP from infringing on our civil liberties by preparing local resources and coordinating our community responses to protect people,” said Rep. Panetta. “Under this Administration and the majorities in the House and Senate, leadership must come from the ground up. We, in the 19th Congressional District, must continue to come together and partner, not just to protect our most vulnerable, but to prepare to protect everybody.”

These efforts to coordinate a cohesive local response to the threat ICE and CBP pose across the country build on Rep. Panetta’s efforts to push back on the Administration at the federal level. Last week, he voted against another funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security, demanding accountability from the Administration for the deaths of American citizens in Minneapolis. He also joined Congressional veterans in demanding ICE and CBP Interior Operations Stand Down.

Rep. Panetta has called for the removal of Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller and the removal and impeachment of the DHS Secretary. If DHS Secretary Noem remains in office, Rep. Panetta supports Congressional articles of impeachment for her removal. He also supports legislation to help control ICE and CBP, including bills to limit force and require de-escalation training, hold agents accountable when they break the law, ban masks for agents, limit enforcement in sensitive areas, limit the Administration’s authority to target citizens of a specific nation, and to redirect partisan approved funding to help people afford healthcare. In addition to short term action, Rep. Panetta also believes that long term immigration reform is needed to fix the asylum system and to build pathways to legalization for law-abiding immigrants and their families who continue to contribute to our economies and communities.

To watch a video of Rep. Panetta’s remarks at the press conference, click here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) wrote a letter to President Donald Trump and senior cabinet officials advocating for enhanced protections of the domestic shrimp industry after the framework of the new trade agreement between the U.S. and India included lower tariffs on Indian seafood.

Rep. Higgins wrote, “The people of Louisiana and their coastal communities depend on a vibrant wild-caught seafood industry that has sustained Gulf Coast families for generations. The reduction of tariffs on Indian goods will reopen the floodgates to low-quality, farm-raised Indian shrimp. India has long been among the largest importers of shrimp to the United States, and the temporary relief provided by your earlier tariff actions allowed our shrimpers to breathe again.”

“In the absence of higher tariffs on Indian seafood, I respectfully urge your administration to take other steps to protect our domestic shrimp industry within the framework of the new agreement. This can be achieved by enhanced inspections under 21 U.S. Code § 381(h), vigorous enforcement of existing antidumping and countervailing duties through 19 U.S. Code § 1671, the imposition of shrimp-specific safeguards to prevent a renewed surge of underpriced imports, and supporting legislation such as H.R. 2715, the Destruction of Hazardous Imports Act, which would allow the destruction of product that does not meet American health standards,” Rep. Higgins continued.

Read the full letter here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ron Estes (R-Kansas)

Rep. Estes Announces 2026 Annual High School Art Competition Dates

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08)

WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08) introduced the Kids Off Social Media Act, a bipartisan bill that aims to protect kids online by prohibiting children under the age of 13 from being on social media and banning social media companies from recommending content using algorithms for users under the age of 17. Congresswoman Schrier is joined in introducing this legislation by Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13). A companion bill has been introduced in the Senate and is led by Senators Brian Schatz (HI) and Ted Cruz (TX).

 “As a pediatrician and a mom, I’m very worried about the impacts that screen time and social media are having on this generation. We’re seeing sleep deprivation, inattentiveness, impaired social skills, and increased rates of depression and anxiety that experts in the field link to social media use,” said Congresswoman Schrier, M.D. “Social media companies are not properly regulating their platforms and are pushing harmful content on our kids that they know is detrimental. They’re purposely designing their platforms to make them more addictive and keep kids scrolling so they can rake in more profits. Our kids are not for sale. That’s why I’m proud to lead this bipartisan legislation to set commonsense safety measures on social media use and protect our children.” 

 “The Kids Online Safety and Media Act puts real guardrails in place by keeping children under 13 off social media, reining in algorithm-driven targeting for minors, and ensuring schools are not using taxpayer-supported E-Rate networks to funnel students onto social platforms during the school day,” said Congresswoman Luna. “I support this legislation because it gives parents the backing they need to raise well-adjusted, socialized kids.”

 The United States is facing a mental health crisis across all age groups, but adolescents — especially young girls — have been particularly impacted. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that 57 percent of high school girls and 29 percent of high school boys felt persistently sad or hopeless in 2021. In the same survey, 22 percent of all high school students — and nearly a third of high school girls — reported they had seriously considered attempting suicide in the preceding year.

 Social media use has been proven to be a significant contributing factor to this crisis. Internal Meta documents reported that 32 percent of teen girls said that when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse, and found that teens themselves blame Instagram for increases in the rate of anxiety and depression. The algorithms utilized by social media companies have been optimized to increase and prolong time spent on apps, which is particularly harmful for young, impressionable children. Independent studies have also shown that the more children and teens use social media, the higher the risk of depression, and that when children and teens reduce or eliminate exposure to social media for longer than a month, their mental health benefits.

 To address the harm that social media is having on children, the bill would:

• Prohibit children under the age of 13 from creating or maintaining social media accounts, consistent with the current practices of major social media companies.
• Prohibit social media companies from recommending content using algorithms to users under the age of 17.
• Provide the FTC and state attorneys general with the authority to enforce the provisions of the above provisions.
• Ensure that schools are limiting access to social media on school networks.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi Representing the 12th District of California

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement on reports that the Trump Administration will rescind $600 million in federal funding for public health in California and three other states:

“The Trump Administration’s decision to rip $600 million in Congressionally appropriated public health funding from California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota is reckless, irresponsible and dangerous.

“This funding supports core public health functions that keep communities safe — from H.I.V. prevention and disease surveillance to outbreak response and modernized data systems. In California alone, these cuts threaten local health departments and trusted partners like UCSF that serve vulnerable populations and protect public health for everyone. The Administration’s claim that these grants are “inconsistent with agency priorities” is a transparent excuse to punish states and communities it disagrees with, at the direct expense of lives and readiness.

“Congress authorized and appropriated these resources because public health is a national obligation. Working my colleagues in the Congress, I will fight to reverse these cuts and ensure that California — and communities across the country — receive the public health funding they are owed. Politics has no place in protecting the health and safety of the American people.”

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

In case you missed it, the Union Leader reported on new bipartisan legislation introduced by Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) to provide a refundable tax credit to families struggling with high energy costs, saving households hundreds of dollars a year on energy. Specifically, the legislation would provide individuals and households who spend more than 3% of their income on energy with a refundable tax credit equal to 75% of the excess amount they spend on energy.

Read the full story from the Union leader here.

Key Excerpts:

• Chris Pappas is proposing a temporary 75% federal income tax credit for moderate-income families that pay more than 3% of their annual income on energy costs.
• “No family should ever wonder if they can afford to keep their home warm during the winter months,” Pappas said. “That’s why I’m introducing several bipartisan bills today that create a new energy tax credit to put money back in people’s pockets, help military families weatherize their homes and improve energy transmission so that we can bring down energy costs at the source.”
• A family making $50,000 a year that pays the average cost of energy in New Hampshire ($223 per month) would get a refundable tax credit of $882, which would cut their costs by a third, Pappas said.
• Pappas is introducing two other related bills, one the Transmission Facilitation Program Reauthorization Act to bring back a Department of Energy program that gave states and communities federal aid for projects that develop new power lines or upgrade existing ones.
• The Heroes Home Energy Savings Act that Pappas is offering would increase spending for the federal weatherization assistance program and give active-duty and reserve military families grants to help reduce their energy bills.
• New Hampshire has among the highest average energy bills in the nation.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Norma Torres (35th District of California)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative James E (Jim) Clyburn (6th District of South Carolina)

Mr. Speaker,

We have come to the floor today to pay homage to the Black men and women of our armed forces whose service and sacrifices have far too often unrecognized and underappreciated. And to make matters worse, they have often been denied their proper benefits as veterans who have proudly served our nation. There has been no war fought by or within the United States in which Blacks did not participate.

The men and women who we are honoring tonight, as we commemorate the 100^th year of celebrating Black History, made memorable and consequential contributions to the greatness of this country, and it should not be insulting to any red-blooded to hear about them, read about them, and learn about them in the same manner that we learn about others whose contributions were similar but their skin color made more worthy.

 When we hear the story of the American Revolution, we don’t often learn of Crispus Attucks. Significant Black figures in the military, like Attucks, paved the way for America’s final victory in the war for independence.

In 1770, Crispus Attucks, a Black man, became the first casualty of the American Revolution, when he was shot and killed in what became known as the Boston Massacre.

Debated as a hero or a violent instigator, his murder stirred the revolutionary fervor and America’s fight for its liberation from the British. 

The life of Crispus Attucks is far less documented than his death. Crispus escaped from slavery in Framingham, Massachusetts in 1750, and spent two decades on trading ships and whaling vessels. His death continues to serve as a reminder that African Americans took an active role in the path to American independence, not a passive one, and the first death in the American Revolution, belonged to a Black man.

In his 1994 book, We Can’t Wait, Martin Luther King, Jr. pays homage to Attucks for his courage and defining role in our textbooks. Why don’t our textbooks?

In his 1881 autobiography, Life and Times of Frederick Douglas, he said, “I urged every man who could to enlist to get an eagle on his button, a musket on his shoulder, the star-spangled banner over his head, and there is no power on earth which can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship in the United States…”

Douglas believed the Civil War offered the Black soldier an opportunity to gain his stripes, but he could not convince his friend President Abraham Lincoln to allow Blacks to serve. But in August 1862, a formerly enslaved Black man from South Carolina came here to Wahington and convinced Lincoln to allow Blacks to serve. History records that 170,000 Blacks joined the Union Army and 19,000 joined the Union Navy, and 40,000 died. Smalls became a Captain in that Navy, participated in 18 battles and was the only genuine hero of the Civil War. And in my not so humble opinion, the most consequential South Carolinian who ever lived.

In 1865, Abraham Lincoln acknowledged their value saying, “Without the military help of the Black freedman, the war would have been won.”

The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African American military aviators in the U.S. armed forces, flying over 15,000 combat missions that played a vital role in the Allied victory in WWII. Instead of being defined by the discrimination and the doubts of those around them, they became one of the most successful pursuit squadrons in our military. They went on to embody the true meaning of Black excellence.

They left a segregated country to fight in war, and painfully returned to one that was still segregated. They had movies made about them, but were not give their GI benefits.

On July 26, 1948 – President Harry Truman signed Executive Order 9981, desegregating the armed forces. Truman declared, “There shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin.”

Many servicemen wrote to President Truman – perhaps the most pivotal letter written to President Truman came from Isaac Woodard, Jr., a World War II veteran who, hours after being honorably discharged from the U.S. Army, was dragged off a bus and beaten until blind by police in Batesburg, South Carolina.

In response to Woodward’s letter, President Truman declared, “When a Mayor and City Marshal can take a Negro Sergeant off a bus in South Carolina, beat him up and put out one of his eyes, and nothing is done about it by the State authorities, something is radically wrong with the system.”

In January 2025, President Trump made the decision to stop teaching Air Force recruits about the Tuskegee Airmen in the name of banning DEI initiatives.

Black soldiers returning home from World War II found themselves facing the same socioeconomic and racial discrimination they had faced before. Instead of being welcomed with open arms, they struggled to find jobs, get educated, and purchase homes.

We cannot undo the injustices of our past. But we can begin to restore the possibility of full economic mobility for those that the original G.I. Bill left behind. The G.I. Bill Restoration Act would bring us one step closer to that goal.

America can’t change what happened to these Black soldiers. We can’t change what happened to too many soldiers like Sgt. Isaac Woodard, Jr. who went uncelebrated because our nation judged them by the color of their skin and not the content of their character. But we can do our best to make it right. And that begins with passing my legislation that I co-lead with Congressman Seth Moulton – the Sgt. Isaac Woodard, Jr. and Sgt. Joseph H. Maddox G.I. Bill Restoration Act.

Just two years after Truman issued his Executive Order desegregating the Armed Forces – the Korean War put Truman’s Executive Order into action and was greeted with resistance. Truman’s 1948 executive order inspired many Black men to join, believing the military would provide an equality of opportunity the greater American society lacked.

It was in the Korean War, that African Americans were able to serve shoulder to shoulder with soldiers of all races and backgrounds for the first time. A message resounded throughout the nation – if people of different races could serve as comrades in combat abroad, they could live as neighbors at home.

The quest for racial equality extended far past the barracks or on the battlefield – but that same quest for racial equality returned home with Black soldiers.

At just the age of seventeen, Charlie Rangel left school and joined the Army to help his mother support his family. Soon after his enlistment in 1948, he deployed to Korea for what he thought was a police action but soon realized it was a full scale war. With a fighting spirit, he found himself in combat during the Korean War and risked his life to rescue 40 soldiers from behind enemy lines.

Returning home to Harlem, NY, Rangel was first elected to Congress in 1970 and would go on to serve 23 terms in this body. For it not for Mr. Rangel – we would not be here today. Mr. Rangel is the proud co-founder of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Today, America is faced with a turbulent reality as the Trump administration is still trying to purge our U.S. Armed Forces of Black officers, diversity, and honoring Black history.

In February 2025, President Donald Trump fired General Charles “CQ” Brown, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The words Trump used to justify his firing, like “woke” and “DEI” — we know what they mean. He was the Air Force’s first Black commander of the Pacific Air Forces, and later its first Black Chief of Staff, making him the first African American to lead any branch of the U.S. military. Why would they apply the term “woke” to him?

In March 2025, Arlington National Cemetery erased from its website educational materials about the history of Black service members, including the Tuskegee Airmen and even General Colin Powell, the first Black Joint Chiefs chairman.

Let me clear — the White House and the so-called “Department of War” appear determined to undermine, discredit, and even erase the evidence of Black patriotism and Black servicemembers who have faithfully served our nation.

Against this backdrop, we must remain vigilant against these attacks on Black servicemembers and veterans, recognize their valor and sacrifice, and work diligently to offer them the promise of this country that they deserve.

In all too many instances, Black veterans have had to fight for equal access to benefits and respect upon returning home. Black veterans have struggled and died in a dual battle: fighting abroad in defense of country and fighting at home for opportunity, change, and their rights as American citizens.

Millions of Black Americans have answered the call to “serve and protect” the American people from all threats, both foreign and domestic. Today, 350,000 Black men and women serve in the U.S. military and there are over 2.4 million Black veterans.

Thank you, and I will now yield to my colleague – the gentlewoman of Ohio, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty.