MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Diana DeGette (First District of Colorado)

Legislation comes one year into Trump administration’s unprecedented assault on biomedical research

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Suzanne Bonamici (1st District Oregon)

WASHINGTON, DC [1/21/26] – Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and Nick Begich (R-AK) introduced bipartisan legislation to bolster water power technologies.

The Water Power Research and Development Reauthorization Act, H.R. 7129, would modernize the Department of Energy’s (DOE) water power research, development, and demonstration programs, including for marine energy, pumped storage, and hydropower technologies. Bonamici led the last reauthorization of these programs in 2020, when it was signed into law with bipartisan support.

“Water power technologies have tremendous potential to provide cheaper, cleaner, and more resilient energy,” said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. “This legislation will spur innovation to leverage the power of waves, tides, and currents to create opportunities for more Oregonians and Americans to benefit from this promising energy source.” 

“Hydropower has long been a proven part of America’s baseload energy mix,” said Congressman Nick Begich. “This legislation will support the development of next-generation hydropower and marine energy technologies that can provide long-duration storage and critical grid services. By continuing to invest in innovation and performance validation, we’re ensuring water power remains a dependable solution that works for Alaska and helps build a more reliable energy grid nationwide. I’m proud to work across the aisle to advance energy policies that make sense for Alaska and for the nation.”

The Water Power Research and Development Reauthorization Act would:

1. Reauthorize DOE’s Water Power Technologies Office research, development, demonstration, and commercialization programs for hydropower, pumped storage, and marine energy
2. Strengthen grid reliability and resilience by advancing technologies that provide long-duration energy storage, ancillary services, and flexible generation
3. Improve environmental performance of water power systems through research on fisheries, water quality, sediment movement, and cumulative impacts
4. Support domestic manufacturing, advanced materials, and additive manufacturing for water power components and supply chains
5. Expand marine energy research for resilient coastal and riverside communities, microgrids, desalination, disaster recovery, and critical infrastructure
6. Sustain and expand National Marine Energy Centers as regional hubs for testing, demonstration, and workforce development
7. Promote collaboration among national laboratories, universities, industry, Tribes, and federal agencies
8. Authorize $300 million annually through FY2030 to support hydropower and marine energy innovation nationwide

Companion legislation, S. 3684, is led in the Senate by Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)

With Temporary Protected Status for Over 350,000 Haitian Nationals Set to Expire February 3, Lawmakers Uplifted Impact on Haitians in Massachusetts

Video (YouTube) | Photos (Dropbox)

BOSTON – Today, as Trump marked one year in office, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Co-Chair of the House Haiti Caucus, along with Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA), held a field hearing at Jubilee Christian Church in Mattapan on the importance of extending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti. The hearing came with TPS set to expire on February 3, 2026, which would leave over 350,000 Haitian nationals at risk of deportation, including approximately 46,000 Haitians and Haitian-Americans across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, over half of whom call the Boston metropolitan area home.

The lawmakers heard from panels of individuals, advocates, and community leaders impacted by Trump’s decision to end TPS for Haitians. Testimony from the hearing will be entered into the Congressional Record and inform immediate oversight and legislative efforts.

“This field hearing has made clear that terminating TPS for Haiti would be a death sentence for thousands of families living in Massachusetts and across our country, and devastating to the communities they enrich,” said Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley. “Haitians who have built their lives here and contributed to the Massachusetts 7^th community for years are at risk of deportation to a country that remains entrenched in political, economic, and humanitarian turmoil. We should be doing everything we can to save lives and protect our neighbors, not tearing them away from their home and sending them to danger. While Trump demonizes immigrant families and begins his second year in office, I’ll continue standing with our Haitian neighbors, affirming that they belong, and pushing back against Trump’s harmful anti-immigrant agenda.”

“Haitian TPS holders are deeply rooted in our Massachusetts communities. They are our friends, our family members, our neighbors, our colleagues,” said Senator Markey. “The termination of Haiti TPS would be an abdication of the American promise as a land of freedom and a betrayal to the Haitian community, and we must not let it happen. I am proud to stand with Representative Pressley and the Haitian community every single day to organize, demand change, and keep fighting for Haiti TPS.”

Joining Congresswoman Pressley and Senator Markey at the hearing were: Congressman Seth Moulton (MA-06), and multiple organizations including: Immigrant & Family Services Institute – USA; Everett Haitian Community Center; Association of Haitian Women in Boston; Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti; Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition; National TPS Alliance; Massachusetts TPS Committee; American Business Immigration Coalition; Massachusetts Restaurants United; Laurel Ridge Rehabilitation & Skilled Care Center; LeadingAge Massachusetts; National Domestic Workers Alliance; SEIU 32BJ; SEIU 1199.

“Hearing directly from Haitian families and community advocates today made clear just how devastating the Trump Administration’s decision to end TPS for Haitian immigrants would be,” said Congressman Seth Moulton. “Deporting people back to a country facing extreme violence and instability like Haiti is both cruel and reckless. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Massachusetts delegation to protect TPS and ensure that Haitian immigrants can continue to live and work safely in our communities without fear of deportation.”

“The ending of TPS is morally unjustifiable for nationals from any country in lethal turmoil, yet its effects on the senior care sector and on airport workers in Massachusetts—including over 100 of our members—shows that the ending of Haitian TPS is the most egregious example of the extraordinary harm that ending this protection causes to local businesses, to our economy, and to countless U.S. citizens, as well as to thousands of hardworking immigrants and their families,” said Kevin Brown, Executive Vice President 32BJ SEIU.

“The human consequences are already devastating our communities. We have seen deportations of Venezuelan community members, and heartbreaking deaths tied to the loss of TPS—a Honduran TPS holder died in immigration detention last Jan 4th, and here in Massachusetts a Honduran woman died after losing her TPS protections and could not continue her cancer treatment because she lost her healthcare protection due to the TPS cancelation. With the termination of TPS protections for Haiti set for February 3, 2026, we are warning everyone of a humanitarian and economic crisis this will create. More than one million people will be left unprotected, impacting not only TPS families, but also the stability of the economy of this country. Our lives are not temporary,” said Doris Landaverde, Coordinator of Mass TPS Committee.

“Terminating Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for the half a million Haitians who call the United States home is unconscionable and inhumane. These individuals, many of whom now call Boston and parts of Massachusetts home, have fled unimaginable violence and government instability for a better life, with thousands building those new lives in Massachusetts,” said Elizabeth Sweet, Executive Director of the MIRA Coalition. “Ending TPS for Haitians will strip legal status away from our neighbors, friends, family and coworkers, forcing them into an extremely dangerous situation where they could face deportation.”

“The American Business Immigration Coalition, along with the ‘Care for Seniors, Care for America’ campaign, calls on the public and the administration to acknowledge the impact TPS terminations would have on everyday Americans. Immigrants are the backbone of the care industry, comprising one in four long-term care workers and over 30% of nursing home support roles. To address this, we call for stable work permits: Congress should create reliable, long-term pathways for law-abiding, qualified immigrants who have contributed to our economy for years. We must protect the ‘Circle of Care’ by maintaining the legal ability to work for current caregivers, avoiding disruptions to the vital bonds between seniors and their providers. We can—and must—secure both our borders and our workforce to ensure a prosperous American future,” said Luis Zaldivar of the American Business Immigration Coalition.

“Ending Temporary Protected Status for Haitian nationals and individuals from other TPS-designated countries will have serious consequences for older adults and their families. This policy change comes at a critical moment, as long-term demographic trends driven by population aging are rapidly increasing the number of people who require ongoing care and support. Foreign-born workers are an invaluable component of the aging services workforce in Massachusetts and nationwide. Immigration policy should be leveraged to support essential workers, strengthen critical services, and address well-documented labor gaps. Terminating TPS and further restricting lawful employment runs counter to those goals. These actions will deepen workforce challenges and, by limiting older adults’ access to much-needed care and services, jeopardize their health and well-being,” said Elissa Sherman, President, LeadingAge Massachusetts.

“Hundreds of American senior citizens in the city of Everett and greater Boston of all races who are receiving much needed home health aide assistance from hardworking dedicated workers—taxpayers who graduated from ESOL and workforce training programs as well as the approximately 1,842 voiceless Haitian babies, children, senior citizens, adults, families and youths who arrived 15 years ago on TPS, excelling in sports and other areas important to our local U.S. economic infrastructure will be terribly impacted by the suspensions of TPS. The US is better than that. The US can do better than that—creating a pathway for these TPS holders to have their green cards and citizenship is more a sensical and responsible immigration policy. As a Christian nation, Scripture teaches us: ‘I was a stranger and you invited me in.’ – Matthew 25:35. Let’s invite people to the fold—not persecuting and deporting them,” said Rev. Dr. Myrlande DesRosiers Senior pastor and Director at EHCC. 

“The decision of President Trump to not renew TPS is a horrific blow to the Haitians and Haitian-Americans that puts an entire community at risk on many fronts: economically, socially, psychologically and physically! Many families and individuals with TPS experience real fear and anxiety, not knowing what their fate is or will be. When you talk about the social determinants of health, fear, anxiety, lack of access to services play a significant role in people’s mental health and eventually their physical health. They may end up in the hospital with various health issues,” said Rev. Dr. Eno Mondésir, Senior Pastor of a predominantly Haitian congregation in the United States.

Footage of the hearing is available here and photos are available here.

As Representative for the Massachusetts 7th Congressional District, Congresswoman Pressley serves as Co-Chair for the House Haiti Caucus and represents one of the largest Haitian diaspora communities in the country.

• On June 28, 2025, Rep. Pressley condemned the Trump Administration’s abominable termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti.
• On June 5, 2025, Rep. Pressley and Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) condemned Donald Trump’s executive order that bans citizens of 12 countries, including Haiti, from traveling to the United States, and places partial restrictions on citizens of seven more nations.
• On March 18, 2025, Rep. Pressley, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (NY-09), and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) led 62 of their colleagues in the House and 23 of their colleagues in the Senate in a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanding the Trump Administration redesignate and extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti, which the administration recently canceled on questionable legal authority:
• On February 20, 2025, Rep. Pressley and her Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs issued a statement condemning the Trump Administration’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti.
• On November 14, 2024, Rep. Pressley and her Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs issued a statement condemning violence in Haiti and calling on the Biden Administration to halt all deportations to Haiti.
• On September 25, 2024, Rep. Pressley and her Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs issued a statement condemning the false and dangerous lies about Haitian, Latino, and Asian immigrants.
• On September 20, 2024, Rep. Pressley and her Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs joined colleagues and advocates at a press conference to stand in solidarity with Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio and across America, and to demand accountability for the harmful and false narratives perpetuated by Republicans.
• On June 28, 2024, Rep. Pressley issued a statement applauding the Biden-Harris Administration’s extension and redesignation of Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). 
• On April 23, 2024, Rep. Pressley, alongside Co-Chairs Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), led a group of 50 lawmakers urging the Biden Administration to redesignate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), pause on deportations back to Haiti, extend humanitarian parole to any Haitians currently detained in Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s detention centers, end detention of Haitian migrants intercepted at sea, and provide additional humanitarian assistance for Haiti.
• On April 18, 2024, Rep. Pressley and Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs led a letter to House Ways and Means Committee leadership emphasizing support for the early renewal of the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement (HOPE) and the Haiti Economic Lift Program (HELP) Acts, commonly known as HOPE/HELP. 
• On April 12, 2024, Rep. Pressley joined Haitian-led activists, organizations, and a directly impacted person in Haiti for a press call urging federal action to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in Haiti.
• On March 27, 2024, Rep. Pressley joined Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and her colleagues on the Massachusetts congressional delegation in urging the Biden Administration to expedite visa processing for Haitians, particularly  for relatives of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents.
• On March 18, Rep. Pressley, Senator Markey, and the House Haiti Caucus led 67 lawmakers on a letter urging the Biden Administration to extend TPS for Haiti and halt deportations.
• On March 12, 2024, Rep. Pressley and Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Cherfilus McCormick and Yvette Clarke issued a statement on the resignation of Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
• On March 6, 2024, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on the recent jailbreak and State of Emergency in Haiti.
• On December 8, 2023, Rep. Pressley and Congresswoman Yvette Clarke urged the U.S. Department of State to withdraw U.S. support for an armed foreign intervention in Haiti and encourage negotiations for a Haitian-led democratic political transition.
• On December 6, 2022, Rep. Pressley issued a statement applauding the Biden Administration’s extension and re-designation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti.
• On December 1, 2022, Rep. Pressley, Rep. Cori Bush, and Rep. Mondaire Jones led 14 of their colleagues on a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas urging the Department to extend and redesignate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
• In September 2022, Rep. Pressley and Rep. Velázquez led 54 of their colleagues on a letter calling on the Biden Administration to immediately halt deportations to Haiti and provide humanitarian parole protections for those seeking asylum. The lawmakers’ letter followed the Administration’s resumption of deportation flights to Haiti as thousands of Haitian migrants continue to await an opportunity to make an asylum claim at the border. 
• In September 2022, Rep. Pressley joined her colleagues on the House Oversight Committee in demanding answers regarding the inhumane treatment of migrants in Del Rio, Texas, by Border Patrol agents on horseback and pushing to Biden Administration to end the ongoing use and weaponization of Title 42.
• On August 17, 2022, Rep. Pressley, along with Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Val Demings, Yvette Clarke, and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), called on President Biden to appoint a new Special Envoy to Haiti, a position that has remained unfilled since September 2021.
• On July 7, 2022, Rep. Pressley and Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Andy Levin (MI-09), Val Demings (FL-10) and Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) released a statement marking the one-year anniversary of the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.
• On May 31, 2022, Rep. Pressley and Reverend Dieufort Fleurissaint, chair of Haitian Americans United, published an op-ed in the Bay State Banner in which they called on the Biden administration to withdraw support for de facto ruler of Haiti, Ariel Henry, and instead support an inclusive, civil society-led process to restore stability and democracy on the island. 
• In April 2022, she joined her colleagues at a press conference reaffirming her support for President Biden’s decision to end Title 42. Full video of her remarks at the press conference is available here. Rep. Pressley applauded the Biden Administration’s end of Title 42 in a statement in April 2022.
• On May 26, 2022, Rep. Pressley, along with with Representatives Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Andy Levin (MI-09), Jim McGovern (MA-02), and Frederica Wilson (FL-24), led a letter to United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Power urging her to act to ensure food security in Haiti.
• On March 16, 2022, Rep. Pressley and Rep. Mondaire Jones called on Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky to fully end Title 42, cease deportations of people to Haiti and affirm their legal and fundamental human right to seek asylum.
• On February 16, 2022, Rep. Pressley joined Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01), Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), and 100 House and Senate colleagues in urging President Biden to reverse inhumane immigration policies – such as Title 42, originally introduced under the Trump Administration – that continue to disproportionately harm Black migrants.
• On February 14, 2022, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), alongside Representatives Judy Chu (CA-27) and Nydia Velázquez (NY-07), led 33 other House Democrats on a letter to Rochelle Walensky, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, demanding answers about the agency’s justification for treating asylum seekers as a unique public health threat, how these expulsions are being coordinated, how asylum seekers being returned to dangerous situations are being cared for, and more.
• On February 14, 2022, Reps. Pressley, Judy Chu (CA-27), and Nydia Velázquez (NY-07) led 33 other House Democrats on a letter to CDC Director Walensky demanding answers about the agency’s justification for treating asylum seekers as a unique public health threat, how these expulsions are being coordinated, how asylum seekers being returned to dangerous situations are being cared for, and more. Days later, Rep. Pressley once again called on the Biden Administration to reverse the Title 42 Order and other anti-Black immigration policies.
• On January 12, 2022, Rep. Pressley and Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09), Andy Levin (MI-09), and Val Demings (FL-10) released a statement on the 12-year anniversary of the catastrophic 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010.
• On November 21, 2021, Rep. Pressley and Senator Elizabeth Warren led the Massachusetts congressional delegation on a letter to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) calling on them to coordinate with the government agencies of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to assist newly arrived families from Haiti. 
• On October 18, 2021, Rep. Pressley, and Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Val Demings (FL-10), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), and Andy Levin (MI-09) issued a statement following the kidnapping of American and Canadian missionaries in Haiti.
• On October 18, 2021, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on the civil rights complaint filed by Haitian families demanding a federal investigation into the heinous actions perpetrated by federal officials at the border.
• On October 22, 2021, Rep. Pressley, along with Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney, Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), and Reps. Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), sent a letter to Troy A. Miller, the Acting Administrator of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), demanding a briefing and answers regarding press reports of the inhumane treatment of migrants in Del Rio, Texas, by Border Patrol agents on horseback. 
• On September 17, 2021, Rep. Pressley and Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07) led 52 of their colleagues calling on the Biden Administration to immediately halt deportations to Haiti and take urgent action to address the concerns of the Haitian Diaspora after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti.
• On August 14, 2021, Rep. Pressley Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Andy Levin (MI-09) and Val Demings (FL-10) and Mondaire Jones (NY-17) released a statement regarding the recent earthquake in Haiti.
• On July 14, 2021, Rep. Pressley and Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Andy Levin (MI-09) and Val Demings (FL-10) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas calling on him to take a series of steps to support the Haitian diaspora amid ongoing political turmoil in Haiti.
• In July 2021, the Reps. Pressley, Clarke, Demings and Levin issued a statement condemning the assassination of President Moïse and calling for swift and decisive action to bring political stability and peace to Haiti and the Haitian people.
• In May 2021, on Haitian Flag Day, Reps. Pressley, Levin, Clarke and Demings announced the formation of the House Haiti Caucus, a Congressional caucus dedicated to pursuing a just foreign policy that puts the needs and aspirations of the Haitian people first.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (8th District of Illinois)

WASHINGTON — In response to President Donald Trump’s threat to invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy federal forces against anti-ICE protesters in Minnesota, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) announced that he is offering an amendment to the defense funding bill to block any such deployment unless it is explicitly requested and supported by the governor of the affected state.

“Donald Trump’s threat to invoke the Insurrection Act in response to protests over federal enforcement actions is a reckless abuse of power that would only inflame an already volatile situation,” said Congressman Krishnamoorthi. “The National Guard can support local law enforcement in a lawful, limited role, but it must never be used for intimidation or political stunts. Turning the military on Americans shatters the constitutional balance on which our democracy depends.”

“That’s why I am offering an amendment to the defense funding bill to block any funds from being used to invoke the Insurrection Act unless the governor of the affected state explicitly requests and supports such deployment, ensuring we stop Trump’s abuse of power and protect our armed forces from being misused for intimidation, political theater, or unlawful escalation.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Earl L Buddy Carter (GA-01)

Headline: Carter-led bill improving air quality standards passes out of House Committee

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) today celebrated passage of his Clean Air and Economic Advancement Reform (CLEAR) Act, a bill to modernize out-of-date National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), out of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

“For decades, states’ economic growth has been hampered by overly strict, outdated air quality standards,” said Rep. Carter. “My bill, the CLEAR Act, brings much-needed common-sense reform to this system by empowering states to reduce air pollution without getting in the way of prosperity. We are giving states a framework to work with, not burdensome red tape to work through.”

“Congressman Carter’s CLEAR Act takes a commonsense approach to establishing and implementing NAAQS, ensuring states are not bogged down by overly complicated standards that threaten economic prosperity. I am proud to see this bill advanced by the Energy and Commerce Committee and look forward to its consideration on the House floor,” said Rep. Rick Allen (R-GA).

The CLEAR Act will:

• Make attaining clean air standards realistic, while giving states the time needed to comply.

• Exclude natural disasters, wildfires, and actions to prevent wildfires that produce emissions from regulatory penalties.

• Protect the environment while also paving the way for responsible economic development.

Read the full bill text here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mike Thompson Representing the 5th District of CALIFORNIA

Read my statement on DOGE employees illegally accessing and sharing Social Security data:

“Members of this administration continue to break the law, and they need to be held accountable. Two DOGE employees accessed and shared Americans’ Social Security data in an effort to undermine our elections and overturn the will of voters. That is not “cost-cutting.” It is an abuse of power and a direct threat to our democracy.

“No unelected group, billionaire-backed or otherwise, has the right to weaponize Americans’ personal data for political gain. These actions are illegal, violate the public trust, and endanger millions of people’s private information.

“Those responsible must be held fully accountable under the law. I urge my Republican colleagues to join Democrats in conducting rigorous oversight to protect Americans’ data and ensure that no one is above the law.”

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 $322,000 grant. The funding supports research into human aging and memory. U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement:

“Thanks to technological and medical innovations, older populations in the United States are expected to increase. Given this projection, it is important that our country prepares for potential medical challenges, pursues scientific developments and addresses policies related to our growing elderly population.

“This grant for $322,000 helps Virginia Tech conduct essential research to better understand the impacts of aging on the human mind and memory.”

BACKGROUND

The HHS office responsible for this grant is the National Institute on Aging. 

As a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Congressman Griffith serves as the Chairman of the Health Subcommittee. He was appointed to the role in the summer of 2025.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Salud Carbajal (CA-24)

Carbajal Calls for DHS Secretary Noem’s Impeachment

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 finishing FY26 appropriations, the beginning of tax season and the transformative benefits of the Working Families Tax Cuts, and his address to the U.K. Parliament.

“Once we pass the final batch this week, Republicans will have finally replaced the last of any Biden-era spending levels with Trump-era spending levels,” Speaker Johnson said. “No more Biden and Pelosi negotiated budgets. We’ve turned that page and we are not turning back.”

 Watch Speaker Johnson’s full remarks here.

On finishing all 12 FY26 Appropriations bills:

For the third consecutive week now, House Republicans are going to advance another set, the final set, of FY26 appropriations bills this week. You’ll see Defense, Homeland, Transportation, and Labor-HHS. These bills are going to fund the Trump agenda and Republican efforts to restore peace through strength, to defend our borders, to deport criminal, illegal aliens, to rebuild America’s infrastructure, and to make America healthy again. All laudable goals and things that we promised, and things we’re delivering on. Now, this is our final batch of appropriations bills for the fiscal year. And there were a lot of people, and I think many in this room, that argued that this could not be done – that a regular appropriations process is a thing of the past. And, you know, it’s been a couple decades since this has happened. Critics said our margins were too slim to bring it back, to rebuild that muscle memory that I committed to when I became Speaker. They said we had too many bills left to pass and too many disagreements left to reconcile. But I’m happy to report that all those prognostications were flat wrong, and we’ve gotten it done. And it’s the most significant sign of progress in these halls in years.

House Republicans are restoring regular order. And it’s important to the people that we represent because the only way to have a good fiscal sanity and responsibility and stewardship over taxpayer dollars is to return to regular order. We’re returning the appropriations process to a committee-led, Member-driven approach, as it should be. We should not have the four corners, the top four leaders in the House and Senate in a back room, making pages and pages of decisions for the country. That’s not the way it was supposed to work. And I’ve been doggedly determined to make sure that didn’t happen. And this time it did not. Together, all 12 individual appropriations bills will provide full year government funding without unrelated policy provisions. It will spend less than another continuing resolution, and it will continue to advance our America First agenda. Once we pass the final batch this week, Republicans will have finally replaced the last of any Biden-era spending levels with Trump-era spending levels. No more Biden and Pelosi negotiated budgets. We’ve turned that page and we are not turning back.

On the benefits of the Working Families Tax Cuts for American families:

Let me give you a couple of numbers really quick. $4,000: that’s the value of the average tax refund for Americans of this year. $100 billion: that’s the estimated total of 2025 tax refunds for families. $10,000: the average increase in annual take home pay for working families. Think of it, $10,000 is the average across the country. 15%: the average tax cut for families earning between $15,000 and $80,000 dollars annually. How did we do that? We reduced federal taxes. We made permanent, the Doubled Standard Deduction. We instituted a $6,000 deduction for seniors, which will affect more than 50 million of them. We included no tax on tips, no tax on overtime. We boosted the Child Tax Credit. We made permanent the Paid Leave Tax Credit. We expanded FSAs. We increased the Adoption Tax Credit. And those are just provisions for families.

We wrote it and geared it for lower- and middle-class families. You know how the Democrats always say, “Oh, the Republicans only favor the billionaires?” It’s a joke. Go look at the facts. Everybody’s going to see that this was written for lower- and middle-class hardworking families in America, and they’re going to benefit from that, and they’re going to know who did it. As our Chair reminded you about five times this morning, Democrats voted against every bit of this. They voted to raise taxes, and they voted against all this great policy. The very people who suffered the most during the Biden years were lower- and middle-class families. And we are going to correct that. And all boats are going to rise.

On the advent of tax season:

Will Rogers, the famous actor and writer from Oklahoma, whose statue stands outside the House Chamber where we all meet to do our interviews with you, he once observed this. He said, “The only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn’t get any worse every time Congress meets.” For most of our history, his observation held true, which is why everybody kind of laughs at that. But it’s not true anymore. Republicans have simplified the tax code. We have reduced the tax burden on families. We’ve advanced a policy agenda that puts working families first. And the proof is in the pudding, as we say. Next Monday, January 26, tax season officially begins in America. For many people, it’s a dreaded time. It’s a moment that they don’t celebrate. But this year there’s going to be lots of happy surprises. Thanks to our Working Families Tax Cuts,  tens of millions of American families are going to see bigger paychecks and they’re going to see bigger tax refunds.

On Speaker Johnson’s address to the U.K. Parliament: 

We had the profound honor and privilege to be the first American Speaker of the House to address the British Parliament, and it was a good day there. My counterpart, Speaker Lindsay Hoyle there in the House of Commons, invited me back in the fall to come and do that. And the idea was that we would sort of launch, in a historic manner, our America 250 celebration, in the cradle of democracy where it all began. And it was surreal in that regard. And I noted yesterday, the special relationship really does exist between our two nations and that relationship really grew and flourished and was forged in the great wars of the 20th century.

And we have stood together because we have a common history and heritage, I reminded them. And one that gave rise to the greatest, most free, most successful, most powerful, most benevolent civilization that the world has ever known. And that is what Western civilization represents. And I talked with our friends there about the necessity of us standing together to defend the foundations of Western civilization because the West is in peril today. And those foundations are endangered because there are rising powers like China and Russia. And that is one of the things we have to keep in mind as we do all of our work. So that was a little history yesterday.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)