Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (25th District of FLORIDA)
MEDLEY, FL– Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart (FL-26), Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee and Dean of the Florida Congressional Delegation, presented $1.2 million in federal funding for the Town of Medley wastewater pump station upgrades.
Congressman Diaz-Balart said, “I’m proud to have secured funding for these vital wastewater pump upgrades in Medley. These improvements will help reduce flood risk, strengthen public safety, enhance mobility, and support more reliable infrastructure for the community.
I’m grateful to work alongside Mayor Ana Stefano and Vice Mayor Arturo Jinete to address the needs of the community and appreciate their leadership.”
Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart represents Florida’s 26th Congressional District and serves as Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee. He is the Dean of the Florida Congressional Delegation and has a longstanding, successful track record of delivering crucial funding for infrastructure, transit, and roadway improvements.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Julia Brownley (D-CA)
Washington, DC — Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (CA-26), Ranking Member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health, released the following statement denouncing Senate Republicans’ votes to block a joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), which would have overturned the Trump administration’s near-total ban on abortion care and counseling for veterans who receive healthcare from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
The resolution (S. J. Res. 103) is led by Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC) Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT); Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a former chair and senior member of SVAC, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA); Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY), and all SVAC Democrats.
Congresswoman Brownley led a companion measure (H. J. Res. 144) in the House. She was joined by Ranking Member Mark Takano, all House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Democrats, and Democratic Women’s Caucus Chair Teresa Leger Fernández, and Reproductive Freedom Caucus Co-Chairs Diana DeGette and Ayanna Pressley in the effort. So far, 111 additional House Democrats have cosponsored the joint resolution of disapproval.
“Restricting access to medically necessary reproductive health care for women veterans is dangerous, inequitable, and fundamentally inconsistent with the VA’s mission,”saidCongresswoman Brownley. “This rule is a cruel and extreme overreach that would force women veterans to carry pregnancies resulting from rape or incest and withhold care even in life-threatening circumstances, putting them at risk of severe harm or even death, while silencing the very providers entrusted with their care. These restrictions are part of a broader effort to advance a nationwide abortion ban through incremental policies that erode access to care. Today’s vote represents a profound failure to stand with women veterans and protect their health.”
“Today, my Republican colleagues in the Senate failed our nation’s veterans yet again. As a country, we honor veterans’ service by ensuring they receive the healthcare they earned. Veterans deserve access to the full range of reproductive healthcare that they need at VA. But Republicans put politics before that promise today, by refusing to overturn the Trump administration’s near-total ban on abortion care and counseling at VA,”said Congressman Takano, Ranking Member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.“This decision blatantly ignores veterans’ unique and complex healthcare needs and their higher risk of pregnancy complications and mortality. With their votes, Senate Republicans decided that the government should be in charge of making veterans’ healthcare decisions, even in matters of life and death. My Democratic colleagues and I will continue to advocate for veterans’ reproductive freedoms. Veterans fought for our rights. We remain committed to fighting for theirs.”
This Senate CRA vote is the latest effort by Democrats to push for veterans’ comprehensive access to reproductive healthcare.
On December 31, 2025—despite thousands of public comments and a letter from more than 230 Congressional Democrats—the Trump administration finalized a rule in the Federal Register, effectively ending abortion access at VA, except in very limited life-threatening circumstances. The rule, first proposed in August of 2025, rescinds a Biden-era VA reproductive healthcare regulation that provided veterans access to abortion care in instances of rape, incest, and threat to life or health, and that allowed VA providers to discuss abortion with patients who were experiencing unwanted or high-risk pregnancies and pregnancy complications. With this rulemaking, VA now has the most restrictive abortion policy of any federal healthcare program.
The Congressional Review Act is a law that enables Congress to overturn agency regulations. If a joint resolution of disapproval is approved by both chambers of Congress and signed into law by the president (or if Congress overrides a presidential veto), the rule covered by the legislation cannot go into effect or continue to be in effect.
The joint resolutions of disapproval that have been introduced in the House and Senate to overturn VA’s abortion rule have been endorsed by: Disabled American Veterans, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Minority Veterans of America, the Vet Voice Foundation, Common Defense, Modern Military Association of America, Service Women’s Action Network, the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the Center for Reproductive Rights, the Guttmacher Institute, the National Council of Jewish Women, the National Women’s Law Center Action Fund, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Power to Decide, Reproductive Freedom for All, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the National Partnership for Women & Families.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA)
SACRAMENTO, CA — $2 million in federal funding is heading to Mosaic West Sac for their transformative Mosaic Village project thanks to Community Project Funding secured by Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-07). She announced the funding this morning at a press conference alongside Mosaic West Sac Executive Director Don Bosley, Mayor Martha Guerrero, and Mayor Pro Tem Verna Sulpizio Hull.
“Mosaic Village reflects what is possible when a community comes together with purpose and refuses to leave anyone behind,” saidCongresswoman Matsui. “This project is about more than housing and services. It is about connecting people with the community they need to move forward with dignity, stability, and real opportunity. I am grateful to the West Sacramento leaders and community partners whose vision and commitment have helped bring this project to life.”
In remarks at the event, Matsui emphasized that no single challenge exists in isolation and that communities see stronger outcomes when they invest in housing, health care, substance recovery, and economic opportunity together. She also underscored the importance of local partnership in ensuring federal dollars are put to work in ways that reflect community needs.
“For the trauma-impacted, there are few things more powerful than a truly inclusive, restorative community,” said Don Bosley, Executive Director of Mosaic West Sac. “We’ve been awed to watch that community unfold at the Recovery Cafe in West Sacramento the last four years. And we’ve been awed to watch Congresswoman Matsui, Mayor Guerrero, Sutter Health and so many other advocates rally to innovative mental-health and recovery models like this one. This is how we replace negative generational cycles with enduring, hopeful ones. Our staff, volunteers and cafe members couldn’t be more grateful.”
“West Sacramento’s Recovery Cafe is a vital home for those seeking healing, connection, and hope in our community,” said Mayor Guerrero. “We are deeply grateful for Congresswoman Matsui’s leadership for the federal funding to expand this life-changing work. Because of her leadership and commitment, hope is growing stronger in our community.
“What makes Mosaic Village so powerful is that it doesn’t rely on a single approach,” said Mayor Pro Tem Sulpizio Hull. “It brings together the most effective elements of care, community, and support into one intentional model that is designed to meet people where they are and help them build a path forward with dignity.”
Mosaic Village will transform two vacant acres near West Sacramento’s city center into a campus with permanent supportive housing, workforce development programs, emergency food and resource distribution, and case management. The centerpiece of Mosaic Village will be a new Recovery Cafe.
Since 2022, Mosaic West Sac has operated the Recovery Cafe West Sac, part of a nationwide network of safe, inclusive spaces for those impacted by homelessness, substance-use disorders, domestic violence, and other forms of traumas. The federal funding secured by Congresswoman Matsui will go towards the new Recovery Cafe, with additional space, a commercial-grade kitchen, additional meeting rooms, offices, and outdoor seating areas to promote wellness.
This investment builds on Congresswoman Matsui’s longstanding record of delivering federal funding to the West Sacramento community. In 2023, she secured $3.18 millionfor the City’s Heritage Oaks Park Improvement Project. In 2024, she secured $15 millionfor the Bryte Park Master Plan Implementation Project.
For more information on Mosaic Village, click HERE.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett (USVI)
For Immediate Release Contact: Alayah Phipps
April 1, 2026 202-813-2793
PRESS RELEASE
CONGRESSWOMAN PLASKETT JOINS TERRITORIAL LEADERS BEFORE SUPREME COURT IN FIGHT TO AFFIRM BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP PROTECTIONS AS ORAL ARGUMENTS CONCLUDE IN TRUMP V. BARBARA
Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett (D-VI) released the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments today in Trump v. Barbara, a landmark case in which she joined current and former elected officials and judges from the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa in filing an amicus brief urging the Court to affirm that birthright citizenship is a constitutional guarantee that no executive order can override.
At the center of this case is whether the Trump administration can rewrite the meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment’s Citizenship Clause to deny birthright citizenship to children born in the United States to certain immigrant parents? The amicus brief, signed by leaders across the political spectrum with varying views on territorial status, makes clear that whatever their differences, they stand united against any executive branch attempt to unilaterally redefine who counts as a citizen.
The brief draws a troubling comparison to the period following the Spanish-American War of 1898, when the McKinley administration tried to redefine “in the United States” to exclude people born in Puerto Rico, Guam, and other newly acquired territories. The Supreme Court’s deference to the political branches on that question gave rise to the Insular Cases — a legal framework that left millions of territorial residents with statutory, rather than constitutionally protected, citizenship. The effects of that decision are still being felt today.
American Samoans, for example, are still classified under federal law as “non-citizen” U.S. nationals — a designation that has cost people military security clearances, created wrongful voter registration complications, and blocked full civic participation. The brief warns that allowing the administration’s executive order to stand would deepen that history, handing the executive branch sweeping power over one of the most fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
“For the people of the U.S. Territories, including the U.S. Virgin Islands, this fight is deeply personal. For generations, we have struggled to have our citizenship and our rights fully recognized. The Supreme Court’s long avoidance of the birthright citizenship question in the territories has left our residents in an unacceptable state of legal limbo — and now we are watching that same dangerous logic weaponized to strip citizenship from children born on American soil. The Fourteenth Amendment is unambiguous: Those born under the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the United States are Americans. No executive order can change that. The Constitution does not bend to the political preferences of any administration, and no president holds the power to rewrite it by executive order. I am proud to stand alongside leaders across our territories to make that case before the Supreme Court on April 1st,” said Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett.
BACKGROUND: The amicus brief was coordinated by Right to Democracy, co-founded by Neil C. Weare, and filed on February 26, 2026, by co-counsel Patricio Martinez Llompart and the team at KKL LLP. The signatures urge the Court not to repeat the errors of the past by deferring to the political branches on the scope of the Citizenship Clause. Instead, they call on the Court to affirm, unambiguously, that birthright citizenship is a constitutional right — one that belongs to all persons born under the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the United States, and right that cannot be narrowed by executive or legislative action.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA)
WASHINGTON—Today, Representative James P. McGovern (D-MA), Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee and Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, along with 27 other Members of the House of Representatives, have written a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin demanding information on the individuals sent on deportation flights to El Salvador who are still held incommunicado in the notorious maximum-security torture prison, CECOT, and other prisons.
“We are extremely concerned the U.S. government has denied these individuals the right to challenge these deportations and detentions,”wrote the lawmakers in their letter. “As Members of Congress, it is our moral and official duty to ensure that the United States does not violate international human rights standards by ensuring transparency and accounting of official U.S. acts.”
In March and April 2025, the Trump Administration sent some 30 to 40 Salvadorans, along with more than 200 Venezuelans, to be held in the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) in El Salvador. Multiple reports by international human rights monitors have documented horrific conditions in prisons across El Salvador, including in CECOT, including torture.
While the Venezuelans were repatriated to Venezuela, the status of the deported Salvadorans is largely unknown. Family members of those sent to CECOT and other prisons, and their lawyers, are unable to ascertain information about the health and status of their loved ones, or even if they are still alive.
Specifically, the letter asks for the release of the names, nationalities, and immigration file numbers of every individual from these deportation flights still held incommunicado in CECOT and in other prisons. The lawmakers cite legal and administrative precedents for the release of such information, as well as the fact that the White House has already published some of the names, disproving anticipated arguments that the information cannot be released for national security reasons.
“The U.S. government’s refusal to provide information about these individuals to Congress, the public, and especially their families, amounts to acts of enforced disappearance, a human rights violation under international law. Whether their names are part of the public record or not, all the men who the U.S. government deported to El Salvador deserve due process and equitable treatment, regardless of any criminal misconduct or deportation orders in their past,” conclude the Members of Congress in their letter.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Sean Casten (IL-06)
April 01, 2026
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06) introduced the DPA Workforce and Skilled Labor Needs Act of 2026, legislation that allows available funds to be used to recruit, train, or place workers in defense-critical occupations, ensuring that U.S. businesses have the necessary resources to fulfill production needs under the Defense Production Act (DPA).
“Ensuring the federal government stands ready to meet any skilled labor needs required to support the national defense of the United States is of the utmost importance,” said Rep. Sean Casten. “This bill addresses the current gap between need and ability by directing federal agencies to assess existing workforce challenges, while also providing for greater funding flexibility for domestic companies to fill their workforce proactively.”
The DPA provides the president with an array of authorities to ensure that domestic companies, when called upon, are capable of providing essential materials and goods needed for the national defense, including for responding to military conflicts, natural disasters, acts of terrorism, or other national emergencies. For example, the DPA has been used to facilitate immediate access to emergency shelter, food, communications equipment, and other essential items during major hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. In addition, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the DPA was used to secure medical supplies, including ventilators, masks, and vaccine materials.
Under the DPA, the president can extend funding to eligible businesses to address projected shortfalls in industrial resources, critical technology items, or essential materials needed for national defense. This can include supporting initiatives to address skilled workforce shortages in critical industries. The DPA Workforce and Skilled Labor Needs Act fills a funding gap by clarifying that domestic companies can use funds to hire or retrain workers to address those shortages proactively. For example, according to a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, private maritime shipbuilders face workforce limitations that make it difficult to meet goals set by the Department of Defense (DoD).
The DPA Workforce and Skilled Labor Needs Act of 2026 permits the use of available funds to address workforce shortages and skills gaps that could affect U.S. national defense preparedness. In addition, this bill would direct the appropriate federal agencies to identify any existing skilled labor gaps in critical industries that could affect their ability to fulfill DPA production requirements, to provide legislative and administrative recommendations, and to include relevant information in annual reports.
These provisions were included as a part of H.R. 7688, the DPA Modernization Act of 2026, which unanimously passed the House Financial Services Committee on March 4, 2026.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (25th District of FLORIDA)
MIAMI LAKES, FL– Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart (FL-26), Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee and Dean of the Florida Congressional Delegation, presented $973,000 in federal funding for the Town of Miami Lakes Big Cypress drainage improvements project.
Congressman Diaz-Balart said, “Floridians know all too well the damage flooding can cause, from torn up streets and sidewalks to dangerous, impassable roadways. That’s why I’m thrilled to deliver nearly $1 million in federal funding to the Town of Miami Lakes to reconstruct the drainage system, near the corner of Miami Lakeway South and Big Cypress Drive, an area that experiences frequent flooding.
Flooding along this roadway can comprise emergency evacuation and response times, as it connect residents to a critical evacuation route. The reconstruction of the drainage system will double the capacity of the existing system, helping to prevent flooding, eliminate dangerous standing water, and improve public safety.
I’m grateful to Mayor Josh Dieguez and Town Manager Edward Pidermann for their leadership and for working closely with me to address the needs of the community.”
Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart represents Florida’s 26th Congressional District and serves as Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee. He is the Dean of the Florida Congressional Delegation and has a longstanding, successful track record of delivering crucial funding for infrastructure, transit, and roadway improvements.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (25th District of FLORIDA)
MIAMI, FL – Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart (FL-26), Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee and Dean of the Florida Congressional Delegation, presented $6,000,000 in federal funding to the Florida Department of Transportation for the planning and design to alleviate traffic congestion on and off I-75 around NW 170thStreet and NW 154thStreet.
Congressman Diaz-Balart said, “I’m proud to once again be delivering a significant amount of federal funding to alleviate traffic congestion in South Florida, reduce commute times, and improve public safety along the I-75 in Miami-Dade County. This project will redesign access points at NW 170thand NW 154thto ease congestion and improve safety along one of the most heavily traveled stretches of I-75, with the aim of enabling residents to enter and exit I-75 more smoothly, specifically between NW 138thSt and Miami Gardens Drive.
I’m grateful to my partners at the state and local level, including Miami-Dade County Commissioner Rene Garcia, Florida Department of Transportation District 6 Secretary Daniel Iglesias, and Director of Miami-Dade Transit and Public Works Stacey Miller, who are always working with me to address our community needs.”
Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart represents Florida’s 26th Congressional District and serves as Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee. He is the Dean of the Florida Congressional Delegation and has a longstanding, successful track record of delivering crucial funding to alleviate traffic congestion in South Florida, focusing on infrastructure, transit, and roadway improvements.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) released the following statement on his ongoing efforts to demand performance and accountability from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).
“The Army Corps is hoarding tens of billions of dollars that have been appropriated and allocated but remain unspent. The current model feeds study after study, while projects get delayed, construction costs increase, and navigation benefits and flood protection go undelivered. It’s a broken model, and I’m committed to forcing change,” said Congressman Higgins.
In October of 2025, Congressman Higgins delivered a white paper to the White House and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), outlining proposed reforms to the USACE’s civil works mission. Congressman Higgins cites the Vermilion River, Morganza to the Gulf, and Southwest Coastal Louisiana projects as examples of USACE’s bureaucratic delays limiting construction. Read the full white paper here.
The white paper reads, “In the region I represent, the USACE is holding approximately $725 million in previously appropriated funds – some of which were initiated by Congress more than four years ago. Despite construction having been authorized long ago, these projects are being held up by USACE’s insistence on additional studies and environmental review.”
“These delays are injurious to our nation – perpetuating cost overruns, preventing important mitigation work, and jeopardizing economic benefits from proper maintenance of our water resources,” the proposal continues. “President Trump should use existing authorities to waive regulatory burdens and empower non-federal sponsors on USACE projects. I believe we can use executive authorities to unleash the largest construction endeavor in our nation’s history, rivaling that of the Works Progress Administration, without any new spending.”
Congressman Higgins added, “My office has engaged the Army Corps and the administration directly to seek significant reforms. However, the Corps’ Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork initiative, announced in February, falls short.”
“As we move forward with the FY27 appropriations process, I will not be using our limited number of community funding projects to send additional dollars to the Corps. They have a failing record of performance, and my office will continue to demand accountability. We’re seeking reforms that empower non-federal project sponsors and prioritize construction using previously appropriated funds,” concluded Congressman Higgins.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA)
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has announced that it will provide free, confidential black lung screenings to coal miners in Virginia.As part of the NIOSH Coal Worker’s Health Surveillance Program (CWHSP), all coal miners are welcome and encouraged to participate. The NIOSH mobile unit will provide screening services from 8 am-3 pm on Tuesday, April 7, at Stone Mountain Health Services in Vansant, Virginia.
In response to this news, U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement:
“I am glad that the NIOSH Coal Worker’s Health Surveillance Program will come provide free black lung screenings to coal miners in Southwest Virginia!
“Coal is a fixture in Southwest Virginia. Coal miners in our region have served the energy and steel needs of American communities for decades. Accordingly, it is appropriate for the government to support them for their service to our country with this opportunity.
“I thank Stone Mountain Health Services for their efforts to treat black lung, and I encourage all willing coal miners to visit the NIOSH mobile unit on April 7.”
BACKGROUND
Congressman Griffith serves on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health.
In a previous Health Subcommittee hearing with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Congressman Griffith expressed his support for working with the Trump Administration to help fight black lung disease.
More information related to the NIOSH Coal Worker’s Health Surveillance Program can be found here.
Stone Mountain Health Services is located at 1060 Anchorage Cir, Vansant, Virginia 24656.