MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bill Huizenga (MI-02)

Tonight, Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-MI), Vice Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 6955, the Main Street Capital Access Act. This legislation is designed to strengthen community banks, expand access to credit, and end debanking. Importantly, this bipartisan bill includes two measures authored by Huizenga that strengthen oversight and promote greater competition within the banking system.

“Washington should not be making life more expensive for Americans with needless red tape,” said Congressman Bill Huizenga. “Less competition means fewer financing options, higher borrowing costs, and less investment on Main Street. By cutting through the red tape this bipartisan bill reduces costs and helps community lenders make life more affordable for American families. Lastly, I am glad this legislation includes my provisions to increase accountability and reduce concentration across our financial system.”

Access to affordable credit is critical for families buying a home, farmers investing in their operations, entrepreneurs starting a business, and employers creating jobs. The Main Street Capital Access Act removes unnecessary regulatory burdens on community banks, encourages the formation of new community banks, and allows local lenders to devote more resources to making loans.

Earlier today, Congressman Huizenga spoke on the floor in support of the Main Street Capital Access Act. The video of his remarks is available below.

The Main Street Capital Access Act incorporates two bills authored by Huizenga. The FDIC Board Accountability Act that strengthens governance and accountability at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, as well as the Enhancing Bank Resolution Participation Act, which broadens participation in failed-bank resolutions to promote competition, protect depositors, and reduce concentration within the banking system. Together, these measures reflect Huizenga’s continued work to ensure federal policy supports community financial institutions and the small businesses and families they serve.

The Main Street Capital Access Act passed the House by a vote of 270-155 and now advances to the Senate for consideration.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | CONTACT: Olivia Porcaro 202-225-6165

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) voted in favor of his own legislation, the Continuing Appropriations Act of 2027, to keep the government open and working for the American people. After the legislation passed the House, Congressman Cole released the following statement:

“Too many members of Congress mistake a cliff’s edge for political leverage – and this bill refuses to reward those who depend on obstruction and chaos. Instead, it puts certainty and stability for the nation first. There is no virtue in waiting until every option has disappeared before deciding to act. This legislation protects our national security, preserves critical services, and removes any party from seeking to manufacture shutdown leverage before elections. There are no poison pills, no political gimmicks, and no partisan riders – just a clean, straightforward stopgap. So, today leaves no question where House Republicans stand – we chose responsibility over crisis, leadership over politics, and governing over gamesmanship. That is what Article I demands, and it is exactly what the American people expect,” said Congressman Cole.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Dina Titus (1st District of Nevada)

Rep. Dina Titus Statement on Continuing Resolution to Fund Federal Government

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02)

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) voted in favor of a Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the government funded until December 4, preventing a risk of government shutdown on October 1. 

The CR contains no major changes to federal policies, programs or current spending levels. The bill passed the House Tuesday night in a 220-205 vote.

“It is unusual to pass a CR this far ahead of a funding deadline, but the reality is the House and Senate are far away from a deal to keep government funded and, with an election coming up, the risk of political gamesmanship is high,” Golden said. “This CR will give us space to continue negotiating an appropriations deal while removing the incentive for either party to hold the government hostage in an attempt to score electoral points.”

Golden has a long history of voting to avoid government shutdowns because of the harm they cause. This past winter, a lapse in appropriations triggered the longest shutdown in the nation’s history. As a result, millions of federal workers missed paychecks, travelers experienced long delays, food assistance benefits for needy families were disrupted and core public health and food safety programs were paused. 

A government shutdown in October would affect the more than 11,000 federal employees in Maine and could force Acadia National Park to close. 

The CR now heads to the Senate for consideration. 

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Source: {United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bobby Scott (3rd District of Virginia)

Headline: Scott Votes Against GOP’s Continuing Resolution

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after voting against the House Republicans’ Continuing Resolution: 

“Congress still has more than two months to complete the appropriations process and fully fund the government before the beginning of Fiscal Year 2027. Continuing Resolutions are generally harmful to federal agencies and programs that depend on federal funding like our shipbuilding programs, because they make long-term planning difficult. There is no reason to abandon the appropriations process now and kick the can down the road until December. We should at least try to continue the work to develop the FY27 budget in a responsible and timely manner.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Dan Newhouse (4th District of Washington)

Headline: Newhouse Votes to Fund the Federal Government

Press Release 
For Immediate Release: July 21, 2026
Contact: Juan Ayala, (202) 713-7750

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) released the following statement after voting in support of H.R. 9770, the Continuing Appropriations Act of 2027. This legislation passed the House by a vote of 220-205. 

“Congress has a duty to fund the federal government; in fact, it is the bare minimum of our responsibilities as a legislature,” said Rep. Newhouse. 

Newhouse continued, “While House Republicans have made good progress in advancing appropriations measures for the upcoming fiscal year, Senate Democrats’ unwillingness to negotiate full-year measures makes a short-term continuing resolution our only option. A lapse in funding would result in furloughed federal employees, impacts to essential services, and negative effects on our economy. This short-term continuing resolution will keep the government open and working for the American people.“

Background 

This bill provides continuing Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 appropriations for federal agencies and extends various expiring programs and authorities. 

Specifically, the bill provides continuing FY 2027 appropriations to federal agencies through December 4, 2026. It is known as a continuing resolution (CR) and prevents a government shutdown that would otherwise occur if the FY 2027 appropriations bills have not been enacted when FY 2027 begins on October 1, 2026. 

Additionally, this bill extends several expiring programs including the Nation Flood Insurance Program, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program, and the Department of Agriculture’s livestock mandatory price reporting program.   

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Barry Loudermilk (R-GA)

Washington, D.C. (July 21, 2026) | Rep. Barry Loudermilk (GA-11) issued the following statement after passage of the Main Street Capital Access Act (H.R. 6955), which included two of the provisions he has sponsored:

“The House has passed the Main Street Capital Access Act , to make needed reforms to our financial regulatory system without imposing unnecessary burdens on our community banks and other small financial institutions. For too long, federal regulators have relied on a one-size-fits-all approach, which larger firms can absorb but places unnecessary strain on smaller firms.

“I am proud to have two pieces of legislation included as part of this package: the TAILOR Act, which requires future financial regulations to be calibrated based on the size, complexity, and risk profile of regulated institutions; and the New BANK Act, which requires federal financial regulators to publish annual reports detailing applications to establish new financial institutions. These reports will help give critical insights into the current chartering process and how Congress can reduce complexities and redundancies in the system.

“These reforms help to ensure that our regulatory framework supports economic growth while maintaining the safety and soundness of our financial system. Together, these provisions protect Main Street institutions, increase transparency throughout the regulatory process, and ensure federal regulators put the interests of the American people first.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ed Case (Hawai‘i – District 1)

(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Representative Ed Case (Hawai‘i-First) asked President Trump to grant another 60-day extension of the current waiver of the Jones Act, citing continued global shipping disruptions, constrained fuel supply chains and rising gasoline and energy costs in Hawai‘i, along with implications for U.S. military readiness in the Indo-Pacific. In April, Case called on the President to grant the initial extension that is set to expire on August 15.

In his latest letter to the President, Case again urged that: “The waiver should be extended now rather than on current expiration because contracts for the acquisition and shipping of fossil fuel products to U.S. ports are signed well in advance of shipping and delivery and failure to provide clarity on that timeframe will seriously disrupt shipping options and prices with wide ranging effects.

“The waiver is operating nationally to mitigate the effects of market disruption on energy availability and pricing nationally. But the need for the waiver is especially acute in Hawai‘i and other noncontiguous jurisdictions which are largely reliant on external fossil fuel-based products for energy, agriculture, transportation, and other key needs, and where the Jones Act, even in a non-disrupted world, imposes unique severe constraints on the delivery of energy supplies and related pricing.”

Case continued: “As I explained before when asking you to extend the waiver earlier this year, Hawai‘i is one of the most isolated parts of our country and depends on shipping for over ninety percent of our goods, including nearly all of our fossil fuel products. Yet the Jones Act severely limits shipping options from the continental U.S. to U.S. Jones Act vessels only, despite the widespread availability of shipping in the international markets. For fossil fuel products specifically, of the thousands of tankers operating globally, only a small fraction are Jones Act-compliant and available for domestic transport, and virtually none are suited for certain bulk commodities such as fertilizer. As a result, even though the United States is a net energy exporter, Hawai‘i typically relies on foreign imports because Jones Act shipping is far more expensive and less dependable that international shipping.”

The Jones Act, a century-old federal maritime law, mandates that all cargo shipped between U.S. ports be transported on U.S.-flagged vessels, excluding most ships operating in global trade that are flagged internationally. With fewer than 100 oceangoing Jones Act vessels nationwide, limited domestic capacity faces no international competition, contributing to higher shipping costs.

The constraints in oil shipping are even more stark: of the nearly 7,500 oil tankers operating worldwide, only 54 are Jones Act-compliant and eligible to move fossil fuel products from the Continent to Hawai‘i, which remains heavily dependent on imported fossil fuel products for energy. As a result, Hawai‘i typically must source most of its essential resources from foreign markets, where shipping is far cheaper.

Case also highlighted to the President the extensive military presence in Hawai‘i, which is largely dependent on the same sources of energy, fuel and other fossil fuel products as the civilian population. He said: “The military in Hawai‘i also depends on this same fuel network. Hawai‘i is the Indo-Pacific home to every service – the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Space Force – along with a significant presence of our nation’s intelligence community. 

“It is our nation’s Indo-Pacific headquarters, hosting U.S. Pacific Command, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Pacific Air Forces, U.S. Army Pacific, Marine Corps Forces Pacific, Special Operations Command Pacific, Space Force Indo-Pacific and the National Security Agency Hawai‘i. It also has many key military installations including Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i, Schofield Barracks, Fort Shafter, the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Pōhakuloa Training Area and various other locations. These installations support key operating forces based in Hawai‘i, including nuclear attack submarines, surface combatants, an Army infantry division, F-22s, MV-22s, C-17s, fuel tankers, Apaches, a Marine Corp regiment and approximately 60,000 Department of Defense (DoD) personnel plus families. Both these services and their active duty and civilian personnel and families are all being impacted by substantially higher fossil fuel-related costs. 

“The conditions that justified the initial request, including global tanker dislocation, severely constrained availability of U.S.-flagged vessels and disruptions associated with instability in and around the Strait of Hormuz, continue to affect fuel logistics. These ongoing challenges underscore the importance of maintaining maximum flexibility in maritime transport to ensure both civilian and military fuel needs are met.”

In the current 119^th Congress, Case again introduced legislation to reform the Jones Act and open up Hawai‘i – Continent shipping to international competition.

Attachments

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman David G Valadao (CA-21)

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman David Valadao (CA-22) released the following statement after voting in support of a clean, short-term Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the government funded while the House and Senate continue their work on passing full-year appropriations bills.

“Today, I voted in support of a clean, short-term Continuing Resolution to keep the government running while Congress continues working on full-year funding bills,” said Congressman Valadao. “While a CR isn’t the preferred solution, government shutdowns are unproductive, cost billions, and disrupt the services Americans depend on. As a member of the House Committee on Appropriations, I’m proud we’ve done our job by advancing all twelve Fiscal Year 2027 appropriations bills, and I stand ready to continue negotiations with my Senate colleagues to get full-year funding bills across the finish line.”

The Continuing Appropriations Act, 2027:

• Funds the government at current levels through December 4, 2026.
• Allows the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to continue providing food assistance to low-income women, infants, and children for the duration of the CR.
• Continues Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding for the National Flood Insurance Program and the Disaster Relief Fund.
• Authorizes U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) to obligate funding for critical wildfire suppression efforts.
• Provides the Small Business Association (SBA) with the authority to continue small business support programs.
• Extends authorization of the Livestock Mandatory Reporting Program

Background:

The House and Senate each must pass 12 full-year appropriations bills before September 30th or a Continuing Resolution (CR) to buy more time to find agreement between the House, Senate, and White House on various funding levels to keep the government open. The House Appropriations Committee passed all 12 bills out of Committee and passed 3 off the House Floor. Congress now has until December 4, 2026 to find agreement on full-year appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2027.

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