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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke on the House Floor in support of House Democrats’ War Powers Resolution, emphasizing that our Constitution requires the President get approval from Congress before plunging America into a war and that taxpayer dollars should be used to drop prices at home, not to drop bombs in the Middle East.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank my good friend, the distinguished gentleman from Queens, the great state of New York, the once and future Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Greg Meeks, for his leadership and for yielding. 

I rise today in strong support of the American people, in support of our men and women in uniform, in support of the United States Constitution and in support of this War Powers Resolution. 

As we gather here today on the Floor of the House of Representatives, there are mothers and fathers across this country who are in mourning, confronting the heartbreaking loss of their loved ones in uniform. My prayers are with the families of the six American service members who have been killed overseas in Donald Trump’s war of choice. We’re thankful for their heroism, their bravery and their patriotism. And may their memories always be a blessing.

Mr. Speaker, every Member who serves in this chamber has sworn an oath of office. 

It seems as though many of my Republican colleagues have forgotten that. 

So let me remind you in part as to what it says:

I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. So help me God.

In this remarkable country, the greatest nation in the history of the world, we don’t swear an oath to a king, to a political party or to a man bent on desecrating the Oval Office. In the Congress, in the Courts and in the military, we swear an oath to the United States Constitution.  

Mr. Speaker, when the Framers drafted that glorious document, they feared the rise of a monarch, a demagogue, a tyrant.

Today, we are here on the House Floor because the Constitution, the binding document that makes us all Americans, is being trampled on by a wannabe king.

As Members of the House of Representatives, the branch of government who the Framers decided would be the closest to the people, to reflect the hopes, the dreams, the aspirations, the fears, the concerns, the anxieties, the life experiences and the passions of the American people—we have a solemn obligation, Democrats and Republicans alike. We are all guardians of the American people and of the Constitution. We swore an oath that compels us to ensure that this President’s modern-day “injuries and “abuses” come to an end.  

We are at war now in the Middle East, spending billions of dollars to bomb Iran, when Republicans refuse to find a dime to make healthcare affordable for the American people, to make sure that everyday Americans can go see a doctor when they need one. This war has not been authorized by the people’s representatives here in this glorious House.

Article I of the Constitution explicitly provides Congress with the sole authority to declare war. There is nothing ambiguous about that.

The Framers made that decision because they were concerned about kings, who, throughout time, plunged their people into unnecessary wars, impoverishing them or imperiling their lives by sending them off to a foreign conflict, often to pillage the resources of others for the benefit of a tyrant and his family. 

Sound familiar?

That’s why the power to declare war was given explicitly to the House and to the Senate, given to the people’s Representatives.

Abraham Lincoln, as a Member of this House in 1848, once profoundly observed, “The provision of the Constitution giving the war-making power to Congress was dictated, as I understand it, by the following reasons. Kings had always been involving and impoverishing their people in wars, pretending generally, if not always, that the good of the people was the object. This, our Convention understood to be the most oppressive of all Kingly oppressions and they resolved to so frame the Constitution that no one man should hold the power of bringing this oppression upon us.” – Then-Congressman Abraham Lincoln, Republican Congressman, 1848.

That is why we have advanced this War Powers Resolution today. Donald Trump intentionally refused to get authorization from Congress for this war of choice, a war that has now exploded to more than 10 countries across the Middle East.

The President has not even, Mr. Speaker, bothered to offer a coherent answer to the most basic questions that any Commander-in-Chief should address when making the solemn decision to take us to war: why are we doing this? What are our objectives? How will this all end?

Mr. Speaker, if this military action, this war, is so principled, why is the President unwilling or unable to make his case directly to the American people?  

If the tremendous cost to American taxpayers, in terms of sacred human lives and our nation’s precious resources, is so justified, why does the President’s rationale, why does the administration’s rationale change every single day?

Now, make no mistake. Iran is a bad actor. They must be confronted for their nuclear ambitions, painful human rights abuses and repression of its own people, including the slaughter of thousands of civilians during the recent protests. It is the leading state sponsor of terrorism. It is a brutal regime that presents a serious threat to our allies in the Middle East, including Israel, Jordan and the Gulf states. 

But the President has a responsibility to justify plunging America into another war that will cost more American lives and billions, if not trillions, in taxpayer resources. That’s the President’s obligation, and he has fallen woefully short of that responsibility.

Now, the Trump administration has offered at least five different reasons to justify the war, all of which are built on deception and misdirection.

First, Donald Trump claimed that the U.S. would attack Iran to protect the demonstrators who were risking their lives to demand democratic change. He even urged them weeks ago to rise up and seize state institutions.

But as the regime cracked down brutally, killing tens of thousands of their own citizens, the President did nothing. Even as Donald Trump urged ordinary Iranians to take greater risks, there was never a viable military option for defending unarmed protesters against a brutal police state without sending hundreds of thousands of American troops into Iran. It was an empty pledge for the Iranian people that the current bombing campaign does nothing to undo. 

Second, Donald Trump and his advisors claimed that Iran’s unwillingness to negotiate away its nuclear program left no choice but for us to attack. 

Now, this is the very same person, Mr. Speaker, who told the country last summer that Iran’s nuclear program was “completely and totally obliterated.”

The same administration whose Department of Defense has said the Iranian nuclear program was set back several years, and whose State Department said Iran isn’t even enriching uranium today. 

Mr. Speaker, was the Commander-in-Chief confused in June, or is he confused right now?

It was not long ago when America could be sure that we were preventing Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapon. The Iran nuclear agreement successfully did that, until Donald Trump recklessly decided to pull the plug because he suffers from Obama Derangement Syndrome. The President has spent much of the past year trying, and failing, to restore the same negotiated safeguards he abandoned for partisan political reasons. And because of his failure to negotiate the guardrails that he destroyed, he has now taken us to war.

Third, President Trump claims that Iran poses an imminent threat to the United States through its development of intercontinental ballistic missiles that could perhaps someday reach our shores. 

If Iran is actually on the verge of having that capability, the President should provide the evidence. But no such evidence has been presented to this Congress or to the American people.  We can only assume that it does not exist. 

Fourth, Donald Trump has said he wants to achieve regime change. 

Now, Donald Trump is an individual who promised Americans on the campaign trail that launching regime change wars in the Middle East has been one of the most foolish and costly things that the United States has ever done. Those are Donald Trump’s words on the campaign trail.

Candidate Trump said that, if elected, he would never get our country into an endless regime [change] war. President Trump has now done the exact opposite.

Regime change wars are among the most expensive things that we can undertake, and yes, Secretary Hegseth, for decades, they have failed to accomplish their objective. 

Vietnam was a regime change war. Afghanistan was a regime change war. Iraq was a regime change war. And despite the incredible bravery of our heroes and patriots, because of failed policy decisions, they didn’t work out. 

Even if the Iranian regime were to fall, we have no way to control what comes next, which most experts believe would be the Iranian Revolutionary Guard-led government rising up and being just as repressive and antagonistic as the current theocracy and perhaps even more committed to the acquisition of nuclear weapons. 

Fifth, and most recently, Donald Trump said “I had a feeling” Iran would attack first, as some sort of rationale for going to war. Donald Trump had a feeling that Iran would attack. The United States government has initiated a war, put American lives at risk, six patriots have already been killed, thousands of American citizens are stranded in the Middle East and he has plunged the entire Middle East into a war and chaos over a feeling.

That’s outrageous. It’s unacceptable. It shocks the conscience.

In the last few days, six service members have died, and the Trump administration has acknowledged that more of our heroes are going to be killed.

We have no concrete justification for why we are putting American troops in harm’s way and spending billions of dollars on a foreign war while the affordability crisis rages here at home—a crisis Donald Trump said he would fix on day one, but instead, Republican policies have made worse.

Taxpayer dollars should be used to drop grocery prices, drop housing costs and drop health insurance premiums. Instead, Donald Trump is spending billions of taxpayer dollars to drop bombs in the Middle East. 

Mr. Speaker, the President’s war is unwise, it’s unpopular, unauthorized, unlawful and unconstitutional. And in the United States of America, we serve the rule of law, not the rule of man.  

James Madison once wrote in 1788, “The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands…may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.”

Our Constitution requires the President get approval from the Congress before launching a war. That has not happened, and that’s why this bipartisan resolution, led by Democrats, is on the Floor of the House of Representatives today.

In their wisdom, the Framers believed that they had made it impossible for a President to do what Donald Trump has just done, and that no other American President has done before–launched a major war in the Middle East without the approval of Congress. 

That’s what Donald Trump’s time in office has been all about. Failure after failure. Betrayal after betrayal. Disaster after disaster.

In his return to the Presidency, Mr. Speaker, Donald Trump has left America less prosperous, less safe and less free. 

He has hurt us, again and again. Failed us again and again. And now, by launching this unauthorized war of choice, setting fire to our Constitution.

The American people deserve better. And as Democrats, we are committed to continuing to fight to use your taxpayer dollars to lower the high cost of living, to fix our broken healthcare system and to clean up corruption.

And we stand on the Floor here today to make sure that those taxpayer dollars are being used in ways that are designed to make life better for the American people, not launching another endless war in the Middle East that is destined to cost more American lives and waste billions, if not trillions, in taxpayer dollars.

We are here to stand up for the American people.

We are here to stand up for our men and women in uniform. 

We are here to stand up for the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

We will not rest until we end this national nightmare and continue America’s march toward a more perfect union. 

Vote YES on this War Powers Resolution. I yield back.

Full Floor remarks can be watched here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (3rd District of Ohio)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In light of the ICE activity in Minnesota and Ohio’s Third Congressional District, Congresswoman Beatty is addressing violent ICE activity by introducing the Protecting Our Communities Act, which would enact critical reform to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) entity under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to protect the rights, liberties, and safety of Ohioans:

“It’s clear: ICE, as an institution, is fundamentally broken, and the harm it has caused is already too great. Reform is paramount, and it must happen quickly, before more people are hurt,” said Congresswoman Beatty. “Ohioans and families in my District have been terrorized by ICE agents through Operation Buckeye, and across the country, ICE activity has led to tragic outcomes – including the violent killings of American citizens. Additionally, DHS has detained children, the disabled, the elderly, and countless innocent people who have not been charged with a crime. Meanwhile, the Trump Administration and Secretary of DHS Kristi Noem, refuse to properly acknowledge or apologize for the senseless killings and mistreatment that have taken place under their watch. Instead, they’ve defended the violence. This bill will enact much-needed reform to restructure ICE and protect our communities – so that Americans feel safe again.”

The reforms in this legislation include mandatory body cameras for ICE agents, require ICE officers to have clearly visible identification, forbid masks; require descalation training, and ensure proper coordination with local law enforcement – all of which are commonsense reforms that increase safety and transparency within ICE operations. 

In January, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) issued a letter to Secretary Kristi Noem of the Department of Homeland Security and Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Todd Lyons, condemning the recent surge of ICE activity and raids in Central Ohio. Congresswoman Beatty has also signed onto articles of impeachment against DHS Secretary Noem, holding her accountable for the unjust murders of American citizens, abuses of power, and gross negligence that has taken place under her leadership. Beatty has also repeatedly joined House Democrats in calling for Noem to be fired from her position as DHS Secretary. 

In January, Congresswoman Beatty also convened a “Protecting Our Communities” roundtable with Columbus community leaders, as part of a national Protect Our Communities Day of Action. This comes as House Democrats across the country respond to escalating concerns following fatal officer-involved shootings by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minneapolis and a surge in enforcement activity by the Department of Homeland Security in Central Ohio.

The full bill text is available HERE. 

 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Michael McCaul (10th District of Texas)

WASHINGTON – Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Emeritus Michael McCaul (R-Texas) took to the House floor to speak on the significance of Operation Epic Fury and urge his colleagues to oppose the War Powers Resolution.

Click to watch

Full Remarks:

In 1979, the Islamic Revolution began, and a dark veil of terror descended over the Middle East. Since then, Iran has operated as the nucleus of the world’s most dangerous terror network.

When the withdrawal from Afghanistan set the world on fire, the regime grew even more emboldened, fanning the flames of chaos and violence far beyond its borders. From that moment onward, China, Russia, and Iran have been locked together in an “Unholy Alliance,” which seeks to destroy Western values and upend the global balance of power.

Iran has played a key role in these malign efforts, arming Russia with lethal drones to massacre Ukrainians and fueling China’s military machine through illicit sales of oil. Its terrorist proxies — Hamas, the Houthis, and Hezbollah — have sown terror and instability across the world.

This is a regime that values martyrdom over prosperity and chaos over peace. Their legacy of American bloodshed [stretches from] Beirut and the USS Cole, to harboring terrorists after 9/11, to backing Hamas’ unprovoked October 7 attacks that killed 46 Americans. A regime this murderous can never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.

Thanks to President Trump and Operation Epic Fury, the dark shroud that covered the Middle East for nearly five decades has now been lifted, and the people of Iran — who have suffered greatly at the hands of the ayatollah — finally have a chance for freedom.

This is an historic moment — one that could finally put the Middle East on the path to peace.

In my judgment, Iran’s decision to hit our partners was a severe miscalculation, turning the Gulf nations against Iran. Meanwhile, the regimes of their so-called “allies” — Russia and China — have abandoned Iran.

Iran is isolated and now an island. Normalization between Israel and the Arab nations — as envisioned in the Abraham Accords — is now at hand.

Despite these truths, Congressional Democrats are seeking to force President Trump to halt Epic Fury mid-operation — risking the objectives of this critical mission, solely for political purposes.

Now is not the time to tie the hands of our commander-in-chief, and it’s also not the time to hold up DHS funding.

Even before Operation Epic Fury, the threat landscape was at an all-time high. President Biden’s open border allowed more than 700 Iranian nationals to enter our country — and more than 18,000 known or suspected terrorists.

As a former chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, I know all too well sleeper cells can execute foreign-inspired or directed acts of terrorism within our borders. We have already seen that happen in my hometown of Austin, where three people were tragically killed over the weekend at the hands of the terrorist. 

Operation Epic Fury confronts this threat head-on — severing the tentacles Iran has wrapped around the globe to strangle peace and spread terror.

The ayatollah’s reign of terror began with weak leadership from President Carter. It will end with strong leadership from President Trump.

This war powers resolution is ill-timed and ill-advised. Congress must stand with the president and our military to finally close — once and for all — this dark chapter of history and pave the way for lasting peace.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Michael McCaul (10th District of Texas)

WASHINGTON – Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Emeritus Michael McCaul (R-Texas) released the following statement on Operation Epic Fury.

“For 47 years, the Iranian regime has operated as the nucleus of the world’s most extensive terror network, driving instability across the Middle East and beyond. It has forged an unholy alliance with our top adversaries, arming Russia with lethal drones to massacre Ukrainians and fueling China’s military machine through illicit oil sales — all while deploying its terror proxies to sow regional chaos, attack our ally Israel, and target global commerce. President Trump is right that a regime this murderous — which chants ‘Death to America’ and despises everything our nation represents — cannot be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.

“As Congress awaits a detailed briefing on the scope, duration, and objectives of this mission, one thing is clear: Our world would be far safer without the Ayatollah in power. Ultimately, the dismantling of his regime must be driven by the Iranian people, who have suffered the most under its brutal grip. Now is the time for them to rise up and seize this generational opportunity to grasp democracy, prosperity, and a future free from tyranny — knowing the United States stands firmly with them.

“I am closely monitoring developments on the ground and am praying for the safety of the brave American servicemembers executing this high-stakes operation and all U.S. personnel in the region. God bless them, and God bless America.”

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

Pressley Has Led Efforts in Congress to Address Childhood Trauma, Championed Policies to Support Child Health, Education, Safety

Pressley Has Stood in Vigorous Defense of Immigrant Communities in MA 7^th and Nationwide, Fighting to Bring Detained Neighbors Home

Video (YouTube)

WASHINGTON – During today’s House Oversight Committee hearing, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) centered the children detained and traumatized by ICE who are being forced to bear the effects of lifelong trauma.

Congresswoman Pressley has led efforts in Congress to address childhood trauma, including holding the first Congressional hearing on childhood trauma on the Committee on Oversight and Reform with the late Chairman Elijah Cummings. Rep. Pressley has also been a leading voice in pushing back and defending our immigrant neighbors in the Massachusetts 7^th and nationwide.

Last week, in her boycott of Trump’s State of the Union, Rep. Pressley spent the day uplifting the stories of children traumatized and detained by ICE through counterprogramming engagements, a floor speech, and an office installation depicting their stories and art.

A transcript of Congresswoman Pressley’s remarks is available below, and the video is available here.

Transcript: Pressley Blasts Trump’s ICE Attacks for Traumatizing Children, Urges Children be Centered in Policymaking
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
March 4, 2026

REP. PRESSLEY: I’ve been in Congress now for almost eight years, and one of the most meaningful moments that I experienced here was in the Committee on Oversight and Reform under the great Chairman Elijah Cummings.

It was the first hearing to take place, that I introduced in the House of Representatives, on the epidemic that is childhood trauma.

Though I represent the Massachusetts 7th, one through line has remained true in my travels and conversations, from Massachusetts to Minnesota to Illinois to Texas, and it is the devastating impacts of Trump’s terror campaign on our nation’s children.

This Administration’s policies—including, but certainly not limited to Operation Metro Surge—in my opinion, I would characterize as child abuse, child neglect, and inflicting childhood trauma.

We are experiencing in real time the compounded adultifying of our children where, increasingly so, a childhood is a privilege instead of a right.

I’m reminded of a conversation I had recently at the airport where a dad approached me to talk about his six-year-old son who returned home from school, pleading and begging for his parents to give safe haven to his classmate, his best friend, for fear that if they did not do that, that he would be deported.

No child should have those concerns or carry that heavy burden.

But this is the reality for our nation’s children under Donald Trump’s America.

Frederick Douglass said, “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”

We are certainly not building strong children.

In my district, the Massachusetts 7th, Ailany was only two weeks old when her father was wrongfully taken by ICE, a trauma that she will carry for the rest of her life.

Again, so far, I’m speaking about the pleas of a six-year-old and the policy—rather, the family separation—of a two-week-old.

In Minnesota, Liam Ramos was, only at the age of five years old, was detained by ICE and sent to Texas, and he’ll carry that trauma for the rest of his life.

There are the children that are directly impacted.

Then there is that secondary trauma for those who have bore witness.

While in Minnesota, I met with parents who have had to establish parental patrols armed with whistles and orange vests and their cameras to try to keep their children safe.

Green Street Elementary, it was just across the street from one of the murders that occurred in broad daylight under Operation Metro Surge.

Around the country, the children of Renee Good, Keith Porter, Geraldo Campos, and dozens of other children whose parents were killed by ICE agents will carry that trauma the rest of their lives.

Trauma in their bodies, their classrooms, their sleep.

It shows up in the ways they cling to their parents at school drop off, in the silence of a child who used to speak freely, in nightmares that no children, no child should be visited by.

Governor Walz, as a former educator and coach, you worked closely with young people experiencing traumatic events.

What effect does this have on them, their classmates, and community?

And have you heard from mental health professionals or pediatric providers about how this is showing up in your state?

GOV. WALZ: No. Well, thank you for the question, Congresswoman.

First of all, I would say when I talk about Minnesota being one of the best states, if we’re not first, it’s usually because Massachusetts is.

And I note that it is true because you care about this and you mentioned it correctly.

This is generational trauma that’s been inflicted, whether it’s learning loss that’s happened or the trauma we’ve seen amongst our children.

I say that as an educator, as Governor, the deep concern, but as a parent of seeing this, what’s happened to our children.

We know that mental health issues will start to show up.

We know that we’ll see educational loss, and those have generational impacts on our economy and everything else.

I will note your colleague mentioned me being a tyrant during COVID—we had some of the lowest deaths due to COVID.

Tyrant looks like children being drugged from their parents, old people being drug out of their house without warrants, two dead on the streets.

And your point—the world saw a piece of it on TV—I can tell you, none of us are going to be the same Congresswoman.

We are going to deal with this, and we are going to put money into social service programs to address it, while we tighten up fraud protections.

Because the idea is, is you have all these generous programs, yes, and our people are healthier, our people are more educated, our economy stronger. So, thank you.

REP. PRESSLEY: Thank you. I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record a February 2026 article from Hechinger Report titled, “Parental stress, raids and isolation: How immigration enforcement traumatizes even the youngest children.”

CHAIRMAN COMER: Without objection to order.

REP. PRESSLEY: You know, as I close, I’ve always taken issue with the myth that children are resilient, something that people say because I guess it brings them comfort.

The false notion that if you hurt kids, they will automatically heal.

It allows policymakers to inflict harm and then to look away.

But children are not collateral for reckless and godless policies, and they should not be ignored.

Rather, we should center children to understand the impacts of all these policies.

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As a leading voice and legislator, Rep. Pressley’s advocacy to protect children from abuse and trauma dates back to her days as a Boston City Councilor. In her first term in Congress, she partnered with the late Chairman Elijah Cummings to hold the first Congressional hearing on childhood trauma on the Committee on Oversight and Reform.

Rep. Pressley leads the STRONG Support for Children Act, which would support communities in addressing childhood trauma through healing-centered, neighborhood-based, gender-responsive, culturally specific, and trauma-informed approaches that acknowledge the impact of systemic racism and inequities over generations. She has called for such trauma-informed and child-centered approaches to every issue, including: surging baby formula to Gaza, addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students, addressing sexual harassment targeting children and women girls, committing to end gun violence, and more.

In recent weeks, Rep. Pressley has shone light on the inhumane attacks by ICE on immigrant communities and pushed back against the reckless agency. During Oversight Democrats’ bicameral shadow hearing on the use of violence by ICE, Rep. Pressley highlighted the urgency of the moment by uplifting stories of traumatized community members she met with during her trip to Minnesota with Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05) and invoking the horrifying detention case of five-year-old Liam Ramos.

In the Massachusetts 7^th, Rep. Pressley has recognized and supported the many families torn apart and children suffering from the detention of a loved one—including harrowing attacks on Massachusetts families in their daily lives, abductions of dedicated workers at the Allston car wash, visiting Tufts graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk during her unlawful detention and pushing to bring her home, and more.

As immigrant communities have been under siege by the Trump administration, Rep. Pressley has been a leading voice in pushing back and defending our immigrant neighbors.

Last week, Rep. Pressley convened immigrant entrepreneurs and small business owners, community advocates, and municipal leaders to hear of the essential role that immigrant-owned small businesses play in Massachusetts’ economy and communities and how they are suffering under Trump’s attacks.

In January 2026, Rep. Pressley and Senator Markey held a field hearing with members of the Haitian community on the importance of extending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti. Testimony was documented in the Congressional Record.

Rep. Pressley also leads a discharge petition that could compel the House vote on a bill to require the Trump Administration to extend TPS for Haiti for three years. 

In February 2026, during Oversight Democrats’ bicameral shadow hearing on the use of violence by ICE, Rep. Pressley demanded Congress end qualified immunity to ensure federal law enforcement officers are held accountable for breaking the law and murdering civilians. Rep. Pressley called on her colleagues not to settle for bare minimum reforms in funding negotiations for the Department of Homeland Security, instead urging them to fight to rebalance power and restore accountability.

In January 2026, at the invitation of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Congresswoman Pressley went to Minneapolis to meet with organizers and community members impacted by ICE’s violent operation in Minnesota, where they have murdered bystanders, terrorized schools and small businesses, and abducted children and parents.

Following the ICE murder of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, Congresswoman Pressley and Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) introduced the Qualified Immunity Abolition Act of 2026, which builds on the lawmakers’ prior work by granting victims the right to sue federal law enforcement officers—not just state and local—for civil rights violations and abolishing the defense of qualified immunity in these suits. The expanded legislation would help deliver accountability for families abused by law enforcement, including ICE agents.

Congresswoman Pressley delivered a floor speech on the need to end qualified immunity for federal law enforcement, including immigration officers. Watch the floor speech here.

In January 2026, Congresswoman Pressley condemned the ICE murder of Renee Good in Minnesota and motioned to subpoena all records and footage related to the shooting, but Republicans obstructed it. Footage of Congresswoman Pressley’s motion to subpoena is here.

In December 2025, Rep. Pressley convened and welcomed home the workers and families

impacted by the cruel and unlawful ICE raid at an Allston car wash in November. Rep. Pressley delivered a powerful speech on the House floor condemning the Allston ICE raid and defended the vibrant immigrant communities who are being maliciously stolen from their homes, ripped from their families, and unlawfully detained and deported by the Trump Administration and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

In June 2025, Congresswoman Pressley convened immigrant justice advocates, local leaders, and impacted families to tell Donald Trump and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE): Hands off our immigrant neighbors. 

Rep. Pressley has also been an outspoken critic against the unlawful detention of Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts PhD student, Somerville resident, and constituent of the Congresswoman’s who was unlawfully detained for weeks in retaliation for her protected speech. After weeks of advocacy and Congressional oversight, including a visit to detention centers in Louisiana, Rep. Pressley and Senator Ed Markey welcomed Ms. Öztürk to Massachusetts following her arrival from ICE detention in Louisiana.

Rep. Pressley has also spoken out against reports of ICE activity in the MA 7th and other municipalities in Massachusetts.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Lois Frankel (FL-21)

Today, Rep. Lois Frankel (FL-22) shared updated information and guidance from the State Department for Americans currently in the Middle East, amid the ongoing military conflict in the region.

The State Department has advised that Americans currently in the Middle East should depart as soon as possible, and if they’re able to book travel out of the region, they should do so immediately. 

For Americans unable to find their own travel accommodations, the State Department is working to arrange charter flights for Americans out of Israel, UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. Americans attempting to depart any of those countries should fill out the State Department’s crisis intake form: https://mytravel.state.gov/s/crisis-intake.

In addition, the State Department advises all Americans in the Middle East to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) at step.state.gov for updates from their nearest consulate. Travelers are also encouraged to follow @travelgov on social media for the latest information.

Americans in the Middle East needing further assistance can contact the State Department at +1-202-501-4444 or call Rep. Frankel’s office at +1-561-998-9045. 

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

WASHINGTON — Today, House Republicans blocked a motion by Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) to subpoena Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to testify before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform regarding abuses by DHS, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) under the Trump administration. Krishnamoorthi introduced the motion during today’s hearing, citing deadly shootings involving federal immigration agents, the wrongful detention of U.S. citizens, and the Department’s repeated refusal to respond to congressional oversight requests.

Following the vote, Congressman Krishnamoorthi issued the following statement:

“Today, House Republicans chose to shield the Trump administration from accountability as its reckless, militarized immigration operations like Midway Blitz spread fear across communities in the Chicago area and across our country with deadly consequences. Secretary Noem should have been required to answer under oath for a pattern of abuses that includes the wrongful detention of U.S. citizens, the unjustified use of force against civilians, and deadly shootings by federal agents. Blocking this subpoena sends a dangerous message that the Trump administration can act with impunity and remain unaccountable for these abuses. I will keep fighting to uncover the truth and hold those responsible to account for these abuses and the lives lost, including those of Renée Nicole Good, Alex Pretti, and Silverio Villegas González.”

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

WASHINGTON — During a hearing of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform today, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) moved to subpoena Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, citing abuses by DHS, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) under the Trump administration and the Department’s failure to comply with congressional oversight. The motion came as Congressman Krishnamoorthi questioned Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison about the impact of recent immigration enforcement operations.

During the hearing, Congressman Krishnamoorthi pointed to deadly shootings involving federal immigration agents, including the killings of Renée Nicole Good, Alex Pretti, and Silverio Villegas González, as well as detentions of U.S. citizens and the use of force against civilians during enforcement operations. He also noted that he has been denied entry to ICE facilities in Illinois and that Secretary Noem has failed to respond substantively to more than a dozen oversight letters from his office.

Congressman Krishnamoorthi highlighted the individuals and families affected by DHS enforcement actions before formally moving to subpoena the Secretary:

“Secretary Noem must answer for her wrongdoing. For Jaime, my State of the Union guest, who raises his little sister after his father was coerced into self-deportation. For Chicagoan Marimar Martinez, who was shot five times. For my constituent Evelyn, an 18-year-old U.S. citizen who was wrongfully detained by ICE. For Renée Nicole Good, Alex Pretti, and Silverio Villegas González, and all the other victims of ICE and CBP. For the American people. It’s for all those reasons that, Mr. Chairman, pursuant to clause 2(k)(6) of House Rule XI, I move to subpoena Secretary Kristi Noem to testify before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.”

The motion is being held in abeyance until the end of the hearing when it will receive a vote.

Footage of Congressman Krishnamoorthi’s remarks is available here.

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

Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (RI), House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (MD-08) and House Administration Committee Ranking Member Joe Morelle (NY-25) today led 182 colleagues in both houses of Congress in reintroducing the DISCLOSE Act, legislation to end the scourge of dark money in our democracy, shine a bright light of transparency on politics, and make government more accountable to the will of voters. The bill is sponsored by all 47 senators who caucus with Democrats, and 139 Democrats in the House. 

“Trust in our government is nearing historic lows, and we need to take action to bring greater transparency to our elections and restore Americans’ faith that their voices will be heard in our democracy,” said Congressman Pappas. “The DISCLOSE Act would stop billionaires and corporate special interests from secretly buying our elections by requiring dark money groups to disclose who their donors are and shining a light on payments made to social media influencers to promote or attack candidates. It is critical that we pass this legislation to put the power of our democracy back in the hands of the people.”

 “The Supreme Court’s disastrous Citizens United decision opened the floodgates to billions in dark money slime, fouling American politics ever since. The Court’s decision, which was based on egregiously false facts, corrupted our political process by allowing billionaires and the wealthiest corporations to spend unlimited money in elections while hiding from public view,” said Senator Whitehouse. “We need to pass the DISCLOSE Act to make government respond to ordinary Americans, not creepy billionaires. It’s time we shut the dark money floodgates.”

“The Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling flooded our elections with dark money, allowing billionaires to spend unlimited sums without accountability, oversight or disclosure,” said Rep. Raskin. “The DISCLOSE Act would unmask the anonymous billionaire donors dominating our elections and expose foreign influence, at least putting more power and information back into the hands of the American people.  I’m grateful to my colleagues Senator Whitehouse and Rep. Pappas for leading this important effort alongside me.”

“I’m grateful to Congressman Pappas for leading this important effort to root out dark money and corruption in our elections,” said Ranking Member Joe Morelle. “The American people deserve to know who is trying to influence their vote, and we cannot allow wealthy hidden interests to drown out their voices.”

Since the 2010 Citizens United decision, secret spending in U.S. elections by corporations, ultra-rich ideological extremists, and secretive front groups has exploded. These dark-money expenditures that corrupt our politics increased from less than $5 million in 2006 to more than $300 million in the 2012 election cycle, and topped $1.9 billion in 2024, shattering the previous record of $1 billion in 2020.  

The DISCLOSE Act would restore transparency in American elections and restore fairness and accountability in our political system by:

• Requiring super PACs, 501(c)(4) “dark money” groups, corporations, and other organizations spending more than $10,000 in elections and on judicial nominations to promptly disclose donors who contribute more than $10,000;
• Shutting down the use of transfers between organizations to cloak the identity of the original contributor.
• Strengthening prohibitions against foreign actors participating in election spending in the United States, including in state and local referenda;
• Prohibiting the establishment of corporations to conceal election contributions and donations by foreign actors;
• Expanding “stand by your ad” disclosure requirements to online ads and ads that may promote or attack a candidate but stop short of expressly advocating for a vote for or against a candidate; and
• Requiring identification of top funders of outside groups paying for video, text, or audio political ads.

The bill has been adapted to the modern political ecosystem. The DISCLOSE Act of 2026 would:

1. Capture payments made to social media influencers to promote or oppose a candidate as political spending that must be disclosed and disclaimed;
2. Narrow and specify what constitutes threats and harassment to qualify for an exemption to disclosure, and put commonsense guardrails on the process to grant such exemptions; and
3. Allow more flexibility for disclaimers for short political ads instead of limiting it to hyperlinks.

Several prominent good-government organizations cheered the bill’s reintroduction today, including Campaign Legal Center, Democracy Defenders Action, Public Citizen, Democracy21, End Citizens United, Common Cause, Center for American Progress, and the Brennan Center.

“Americans deserve to know who is spending money to influence their elections. Every cycle, billions of dollars move through our political system with little to no transparency, allowing billionaires and powerful special interests to influence and shape election outcomes while working families are left in the dark about who’s behind the campaigns,” said End Citizens United Action Fund President Tiffany Muller. “The DISCLOSE Act is a commonsense step to bring sunlight back into our elections and restore accountability. We thank Senator Whitehouse and Representatives Pappas and Raskin for their continued leadership to increase transparency and integrity in our elections, and we look forward to working alongside them to build the momentum necessary to get this bill passed.”

“Our campaign finance system is failing voters, in no small part due to the torrents of anonymous spending aimed at influencing their decisions during election season,” said Trevor Potter, President of Campaign Legal Center and former Republican Chairman of the Federal Election Commission. “As the amount of secret spending increases, the need for Congress to pass the DISCLOSE Act becomes ever more urgent. Dark money denies voters critically important information about the sources of election spending, while also leaving our elections vulnerable to corruption and foreign influence. It is beyond time for Congress to come together on a bipartisan basis and pass this commonsense legislation.”

“All Americans deserve to know who is trying to influence their voices and their votes. However, when hundreds of millions of dollars in secret political money are spent on elections, Americans are too often left in the dark,” said Amb. Norman Eisen (ret.), co-founder and board chair of Democracy Defenders Action. “We commend the leadership of Senator Whitehouse and Representatives Pappas and Raskin for introducing the DISCLOSE Act, which will close loopholes that have been exploited by foreign governments and dark money groups. Democracy Defenders Action urges Congress to immediately pass this important legislation to shine a light on secret, special interest and foreign money so all Americans can get the transparency they deserve.”

“We applaud Senator Sheldon Whitehouse for the powerful national leadership he has provided to protect the American people from the flow of corrupting secret, or dark, money in the nation’s capital. Unlimited dark money contributions, spent to influence elections and officeholders, are among the most dangerous money in American politics. The absence of disclosure of this money means there is no way to hold accountable influence-buying billionaires and millionaires and influence-selling officeholders. The DISCLOSE act is the key to lifting this shroud of secrecy,” said Fred Wertheimer, President of Democracy 21.

“Full disclosure of money in politics is a principle that has overwhelming support among the American public. DISCLOSE 2026 would fulfill the public’s demand for this transparency. Yet a significant portion of Congress continues to deny the public an open record of who is paying for what in American elections. This is particularly galling given the increasing wave of dark money flooding into our elections since the disastrous Citizens United decision. Public Citizen applauds all those who back the relentless efforts by Sen. Whitehouse and Reps. Pappas and Raskin and others to provide the transparency of money in politics so demanded by the American public,” said Craig Holman of Public Citizen.

A summary of the DISCLOSE Act of 2026 can be found here. The House bill text can be found here, and the Senate bill text can be found here.

Background: 

Rep. Pappas has been an original cosponsor of the DISCLOSE Act since he came to Congress. He led efforts to pass the DISCLOSE Act in the 118th Congress following the retirement of Rep. David Cicilline. 

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (NY) first introduced the DISCLOSE Act in the wake of Citizens United in 2010, and Sen. Whitehouse has led the introduction of the legislation in every subsequent Congress. Sen. Whitehouse led efforts in the Senate to pass the DISCLOSE Act in September 2022, January 2022 and July 2012; every member of the Republican Caucus in attendance voted to protect dark money, and all members of the Democratic Caucus in attendance voted to be rid of it. 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE)

Today, Congressman Adrian Smith (NE-03), a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee, questioned Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Chief Executive Officer Frank Bisignano about his efforts to improve the IRS Free File program.  
 
During the hearing, Smith highlighted his efforts to end the Biden Administration’s burdensome Direct File program which was launched without proper Congressional approval.

Click the image above to watch a video of Congressman Smith’s questioning
Click here to download audio
Click here to download video

On Ending Biden’s Burdensome Direct File Program:  
 
Smith: And it makes me think about various federal workers who work hard to do the right thing, and the bureaucracy stands in the way. I think we should pay very close attention to hearing the messages that can oftentimes come from a federal worker who is suggesting a better way of doing things.  
 
And that’s why a categorical, call it an earmark of $80 billion, that would have added more employees, that would actually squeeze a lot of dollars, sometimes even without authorization, out of the middle class, with more audits. At the same time, when I think there’s common agreement that we want taxpayers to have better access to better service, and when the bureaucracy stands in the way, we should be concerned.  
 
I’m glad to have led the effort to put an end to the Direct File Pilot Program, supposed pilot program. This program was launched without clear statutory authorization. It overran projected costs and created a concerning conflict of interest by placing the IRS in the role of both tax preparer and tax enforcer.  
 
We saw troubling indicators that the program was not serving taxpayers as intended. For example, individuals who use Direct File receive refunds that average roughly $1,600 below the national average. We’ve even seen recently, some Democrats acknowledge that the Biden Administration launched Direct File without the authorization of Congress that we know was required. I was proud to lead the effort to put an end to the pilot program, and I certainly appreciate your team’s work in helping bring that chapter to a close.  
 

On Utilizing the Free File Program:

Smith: Now, moving forward, we know that to Free File, for example, is an option for the American people. That is an important distinction to make between Free File and the Direct File. A previous Direct File, as inefficient as it was. But looking at Free File, I’m wondering if you can reflect a little bit how you view taxpayers having access to the Free File program and what changes to various options you might suggest or are pursuing to expand eligibility or make these Free File programs easier for taxpayers.  
 
Bisignano: Free File is used, it’s well received. I think what I’m hearing across the board I asked the question this morning to the National Taxpayer Advocate, who actually, you know, publishes a report at tax season. And asked a very direct question, “How do you characterize many of the elements working right now?”
 
And the National Taxpayer Advocate, who does not report to me, said it’s going smoothly across the board. The outliers will obviously show up in other people’s offices, and that’s why we’re here to help them through it. And when I talked to the head of taxpayer services, he talked about the Free File, its utilization, its use, and more importantly, the amount of trust the American public has in the IRS and their ability to do the right thing for the American public.  
 
We may talk about difficult situations, but by and large, the American public does trust IRS in their matters, by and large and Free File and the elimination of Direct File fall in that category, sir.  
 
Smith: Well, thank you. I think, you know, millions of Americans would concur that your work is important, that collecting what is due is important, and that with today’s technology we should be able to see a future where taxpayers have more ease in paying their taxes across the board.