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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) joined the Congressional Ukraine Caucus to deliver remarks on the House Floor to urge his Republican colleagues to sign the discharge petition to bring the Ukraine Support Act to the House Floor. Below is a full video and transcript of his remarks:
 

“I thank the gentlelady who heads the Ukrainian Caucus, has ties to Ukraine, and is deeply tied to America, to democracy, liberty, and freedom. Mr. Speaker, I adopt her remarks as my own. I will add to that, but it will be surplusage because everything she said, and all the dangers she referred to, and all the atrocities of the Russians we could repeat. As I was sitting here – with the exception of Mr. Vindman, who’s a young man – it occurred to me that the speakers who have spoken so far are of a generation who were children at the time of the Soviet Union, who understood the viciousness of The Bear, who understood the enslavement of the Russian people and the captive nations.
 
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today for the people of Ukraine, for the people of America, for the people of Europe, for the people of Asia and Africa, South America, [and] Australia because all of us are at risk if dictators like Putin prevail. Ukraine: the question is, will America and this Congress allow it to become a nation betrayed? I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: President Trump, Vice President Vance, Secretary Rubio, negotiator Witkoff, Secretary of Defense Hegseth, and others have done everything to express support for Vladimir Putin’s and Russia’s position and to exonerate them from their aggression and from their war crimes. Earlier this year, Trump said that the Russians have all the cards. Mr. Speaker, someone ought to remind our president – and I do so tonight – that NATO has a combined defense expenditure of $1.58 trillion. Together, we field 3.5 million troops. Our combined GDP is 25 times more than Russia’s. Europe holds some $246 billion [in] frozen Russian assets. I suggest to all of us, to the president and to the world at large: those are a lot of cards, but we need to play them. As long as they’re in the deck, they won’t make a difference. Every day we do not, we look weaker in the eyes of the world. That is a danger for us and a danger for the international community. 

“Every day Russia slaughters more Ukrainians. At least 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers have already given their lives in defense of democracy, and many more have been wounded.  The Ukrainians will continue to fight valiantly, as the gentlelady pointed out, with or without our support. But our decision will determine whether their fight is in vain or will prevail. The other day, a Ukrainian soldier on the front lines told a reporter, and I quote, ‘They kept withholding military aid. Couldn’t agree on how to respond, and we keep paying for their indecisiveness with our blood – the blood of our children.’
He was referring, of course, not just to the United States, but the world at large. Ukraine may be paying the price for our negligence today, but we, the free world, will ultimately bear the cost if we let Putin prevail. When we fail to show our strength, our adversaries doubt our resolve, and when our adversaries doubt our resolve, they are assuredly more likely to test our might. That’s the mistake that Neville Chamberlain made. That’s the [mistake] America and the United Kingdom made when we did not honor the Budapest Memorandum when Putin annexed Crimea. In my view, Crimea is the mother of this war. The failure to act decisively in the face of that war crime, that theft, that international law that was broken led Putin to believe he could do this, the invasion of Ukraine, with impunity. And that is the mistake Donald Trump is making now. This Congress must not do the same, and the good news is this Congress has not done the same. 

“There were 12 votes between 2022 and July of 2025. The good news, America, is that on both sides of the aisle, the overwhelming majority of members voted to support Ukraine. Mostly was unanimous on this side, but the unanimous – it was also unanimous on the Republican side, save one vote and then it was 110 to 117, just a small minority. Those votes average 80% of the Members of Congress voting to support Ukraine. So, it’s not as if there is division in this House, and, as the gentlelady said, there’s a discharge petition which lays in that desk behind me. Every Democrat – 214, 213 Democrats have signed it, and two Republicans have signed it. 216 signatures in all, now. We need two more to say to Ukraine, to say to the world to say yes, to our Administration, ‘We are in support of liberty over tyranny. We are in support of a people that has shown extraordinary courage.’
 
“Fortunately, we have a winning card to play. Ranking Member Meeks and I have that bipartisan discharge petition to force [a vote] on the Ukraine Support Act. Two Republicans have signed that, but that means there are another 100 who support Ukraine, and all they need to do is sign that petition and we will vote in January on that bill that says we’re going to support Ukraine and freedom and democracy and liberty and international law. Every House Democrat and two Republicans, as I said, have signed our legislation, [which] includes both sanctions to undermine Russia’s war economy and direct financial military aid for Ukraine’s defense and reconstruction. There are 80 United States senators who have signed on to a bill imposing sanctions on Russia some six months ago, and it has not moved. What do you think that does to the psychology of Ukraine and Ukrainians and their soldiers? If we report out this bill, in my view, it will change this war not only materially, but psychologically. It doesn’t matter how many concessions you give to Putin – and this administration has given him many – he will keep fighting this war so long as he thinks he can outlast the free world. This is an issue of resolve. I mentioned how much superiority we have with respect to Russia in size and money and resources.
 
“I know we can do this, Mr. Speaker. Since the Russian invasion in 2022, the House has had at least 12 votes – and I mentioned then – 80% of our people have supported them. Mr. Speaker, now is not the time to fold. Now is the time to call. If we play our hand correctly, we can still ensure Putin suffers a defeat that will make other dictators around the world think twice before violating international law and creating war crimes. We must, Mr. Speaker, because make no mistake: Vladimir Putin is playing for keeps and for empire. Our European allies know that to be the case because they have been at the point of the enemy’s spear when Chamberlain said we were buying ‘peace in our time.’ We then had World War II. Let us act. I urge my Republican colleagues and friends who have signed on and voted for supporting Ukraine to sign this discharge petition. And I yield back to Ms. Kaptur.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) and U.S. Representatives Kweisi Mfume (MD-07), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Glenn Ivey (MD-04), Sarah Elfreth (MD-03), April McClain Delaney (MD-06), and Johnny Olszewski (MD-02) released the following statement after the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) advanced a  General Services Administration (GSA) prospectus on moving the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) headquarters to the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C.:

“We have dire concerns about the General Service Administration’s prospectus to convert the Ronald Reagan Building into the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) headquarters, which the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved today. That action contradicts the outcome of a decade-long process to select a site that meets the FBI’s security and operational needs. Additionally, it violates multiple laws mandating that the GSA select one of three sites it had already identified as satisfying those requirements. That is still the law. 

“The Reagan Building was never included among the three options because it was clear that it could never meet the FBI’s need for a secure, consolidated campus with a Level V Federal Facility Security Standard. As the first federal building intentionally designed to accommodate private-sector tenants in addition to government agencies, the Reagan Building’s open design features are uniquely ill suited to the FBI’s requirements. So too is its exposed location between two high-traffic streets.

“The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City had similar deficiencies, which contributed to the devastation of the 1995 bombing that claimed the lives of 167 people. Notably, the Reagan Building was designed before the Oklahoma City bombing revealed those flaws.

“There is a reason that the FBI set these security requirements and that the GSA conducted a rigorous site selection process to meet them: to keep the brave men and women of the FBI safe so that they can complete their essential national security and law enforcement mission. We all agree that the dilapidated J. Edgar Hoover Building is inadequate. The FBI needs a new home. Moving the Bureau from an inadequate 50-year-old building to an inadequate 30-year-old building makes no sense in either the short or long term.

“We remain certain that Greenbelt, Maryland, is the best site for the FBI. It offers space and security that simply cannot be found in the District of Columbia. That is why the GSA selected the Greenbelt site after years of rigorous and careful evaluation. We will continue fighting to provide the FBI with the world-class facility it needs and deserves.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) issued the following statement announcing $4,697,000 in Community Project Funding that he secured for projects in Maryland’s Fifth District through the recently enacted Fiscal Year 2026 Appropriations Minibus. The House Committee on Appropriations allowed each Member of Congress to submit up to 15 Community Funding Project requests for their districts in the Fiscal Year 2026 funding cycle. As part of that process, Congressman Hoyer solicited requests on his website and submitted 15 projects to the House Appropriations Committee. Five projects were included in the recently-enacted continuing resolution (CR) and minibus appropriations package enacted in November. The remaining ten projects are included in appropriations bills still awaiting final passage. The combined value of all the FY 2026 Community Project Funding that Congressman Hoyer requested is $11,890,000.

“The Trump Administration’s disastrous economic agenda has raised costs on everything from health care to electricity to groceries,” Congressman Hoyer said. “At a time when many Americans are struggling to get by, it’s more important than ever that we keep investing in them. That’s why I fought to secure nearly $12 million in federal funding for local projects in Maryland’s Fifth District in this year’s appropriations cycle, some $4.7 million of which has already been enacted into law. Whether by making health care more accessible, helping new opportunities for our children and young people to get ahead, or creating new economic opportunities in rural areas, these first five projects will help our communities get ahead. I’m grateful for the community partners who worked with me to secure this funding. I remain hard at work to pass the remaining appropriations bills, containing our district’s other ten projects, across the finish line.”

The funded projects include:

• $1,015,000 for Bowie State University Greenhouse for Advanced Agriculture and Biotechnology Research: This funding will help BSU create a modern research greenhouse that will give students practical learning experience and bring partners in academia and industry together to advance agricultural and biotechnology research vital to meeting future local and global food needs.
• $1,015,000 for MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital ICU: This funding will help the hospital expand and update its intensive care unit to accommodate the growing need for critical care services in the community.
• $1,000,000 for YMCA Camp Letts Preservation, Renovation, and Energy Efficiency: This funding will help the YMCA update its aging facilities, including the installation of high efficiency HVAC systems, electrical grid upgrades, and permanent plumbing solutions.
• $867,000 for CalvertHealth Medical Center Campus Security and Safety: This funding will allow the medical center to purchase equipment to improve safety and security of the campus and bring the facility up to industry best practices.
• $800,000 for Town of Eagle Harbor Welcome Center: This funding will go toward the town’s construction of a welcome center, containing bathroom facilities, a concession area, and giftshop for visitors and tourists. The center will support local economic development and create a long-term revenue stream for the community.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) released the following statement after voting on H.R. 6703, the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act:

“The feeble health care bill House Republicans passed today would do little more than a band-aid to fix the gaping hole they have left in America’s health care system by refusing to extend the tax credits for the Affordable Care Act. Four million Americans are about to lose coverage and millions of others are about to see their monthly premiums skyrocket when those credits expire in just two weeks’ time. With this bill, House Republicans have once again told the American people ‘you’re on your own.’
 
“This bill is shamefully inadequate, and Republicans know it. For fifteen years, they have said they will ‘repeal and replace’ the ACA. In case it wasn’t abundantly clear already, this bill is evidence that Republicans still have no idea what that replacement would look like.

“Speaker Johnson and his conference had every opportunity to protect Americans’ health care, and they passed it up every single time. It shouldn’t take a discharge petition to give an ACA tax credit extension a fair vote on the House Floor, but it did. I look forward to seeing that extension receive the consideration that it – and the millions of Americans who stand to lose their care – deserves.”

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

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representatives Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08), Jeff Van Drew (NJ-02), and Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) introduced the Expanding Access to (EAT) Healthy Foods from Local Farmers Act, bipartisan legislation that aims to improve Americans’ access to nutritious food by making commonsense updates to The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). 

“As a doctor, particularly as a pediatrician, I understand the crucial role that proper nutrition plays in our development, health, and well-being, and, conversely, the relationship between poor nutrition and so many of the preventable diseases that plague us today,” said Congresswoman Schrier, M.D. “All Americans, regardless of their income, should have access to good nutrition, and my bill helps to work towards that reality by getting fresh produce from local farmers to local food banks.” 

Earlier this year, funding for the USDA’s Local Food Purchase Assistance program, which allowed state and tribal governments to purchase and distribute regional foods, was cancelled. The EAT Healthy Foods Act provides a solution to the loss of this program by building a similar purchasing model into TEFAP.

TEFAP is a federal program that provides low-income Americans with nutrition assistance in emergency situations. Through TEFAP, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) purchases food and makes it available to local agencies such as food banks, soup kitchens, and more. Unfortunately, TEFAP is currently centered on long-lasting, processed products rather than fresh, local food. These restrictions make access to more nutritious produce out of reach for many American families.  

The EAT Healthy Foods from Local Farmers Act will expand and improve TEFAP by providing organizations with better access to fresh food. Specifically, the bill will: 

• Add a new project type under TEFAP’s Farm to Food Bank Project Grants to provide federal funding to states for the purchase of locally grown food from small/beginning/underserved agricultural producers or entities to be distributed to emergency feeding organizations. 
• Create a USDA working group to review and reconsider how all USDA procurement can be directed to support a wider range of farmers, ranchers, and food distributors. 

“Food banks in NW Oregon and across the country have increased demand as families deal with rising prices, changes to food assistance programs, and the lingering effects of the government shutdown,” said Congresswoman Bonamici. “Expanding the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) will make it easier to increase the supply of healthy food to food banks and other emergency feeding organizations while benefitting small and medium sized local farms. This is commonsense, bipartisan legislation that will help address hunger and support farmers, and I hope we can pass it soon.

“Our farmers work hard every single day, and a lot of families rely on the fresh food they grow,” said Congressman Van Drew. “This bill helps support our small and underserved farmers, and at the same time it gets healthy local food to the food banks and pantries. That is what real community looks like, and I am proud to be a co-lead on this effort.”

Congresswoman Schrier also joined Congresswoman Bonamici in introducing the Supporting Transportation Organization and Refrigeration Expansion (STORE) Act. This legislation compliments the EAT Healthy Foods from Local Farmers Act by expanding access to food storage and transportation infrastructure for emergency food organizations. 

The EAT Healthy Foods from Local Farmers Act is endorsed by NW Harvest, Harvest Against Hunger, and the Making a Difference Foundation.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Sam Graves (6th District of Missouri)

KANSAS CITY, MO – U.S. Representative Sam Graves (MO-06) has announced United States Military Service Academy nominations for students in Missouri’s Sixth Congressional District. Each year, Members of Congress are tasked with selecting qualified students from their respective districts to attend one of America’s prestigious military academies.  

“One of the greatest honors I have as the Congressman for North Missouri is nominating highly qualified students to our nation’s military service academies,” said Rep. Graves, who notified each student by phone of their nomination. “These young men and women are among the best and brightest. They’ve gone above and beyond in their academics and have already demonstrated outstanding leadership in their school and communities. They will undoubtedly make North Missouri proud.”

The following students from across North Missouri received nominations from Congressman Graves:

Beau Blomme – U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Park Hill High School)

Jarett Brooner – U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Savannah High School)

Zechariah Compton – U.S. Air Force Academy (Savannah High School)

Leona Dalakishvili– U.S. Air Force Academy (Park Hill South High School)

Landon Frazier – U.S. Military Academy (Smithville High School)

Gable Gross – U.S. Air Force Academy (St. Pius X Catholic High School)

Lauren Haley-Clark – U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Mark Twain High School)

Avery Janiak – U.S. Naval Academy (Kearney High School)

Benjamin Jaster – U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Maryville High School)

Madison Laffey – U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Kearney High School)

Andrew Lager – U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Jefferson C-123 in Conception Junction)

Jaxon Limle – U.S. Naval Academy (St. Joseph Central High School)

Ashton Lovegreen – U.S. Naval Academy (Palmyra R-1 High School)

Kaleb Miller – U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Liberty High School)

Noah Rees – U.S. Air Force Academy (West Platte High School)

Jackson Rotterman – U.S. Air Force Academy (St. Pius X Catholic High School)

Wyatt Tuley – U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Military Academy (Marion County R-II High School)

Kirstin Young – U.S. Air Force Academy (Kirksville High School)

The nomination system is a very competitive process. Various military service academies hold extremely selective admission standards. To help in the nomination process, Rep. Graves created an Academy Nominations Review Board. The board, made up of military service academy graduates, veterans and citizens of the Sixth District, interviewed and reviewed all applicants before making final recommendations to Rep. Graves.

Students interested in being appointed to a military service academy in the future are encouraged to learn more, particularly early in their high school career, by contacting Graves’ district office in Kansas City or by visiting graves.house.gov.

 

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

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) — chairman of the bipartisan Task Force on Enhancing Security for Special Events — questioned witnesses at a hearing entitled “A Scourge Against Humanity: Addressing Human Trafficking at Mass Gatherings.”

McCaul discussed the Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign, which he authorized into law, with Eliza McCoy, vice president of programs and impact at the American Hotel and Lodging Association Foundation.

He also highlighted the nearly 500,000 unaccompanied alien children who entered the country under the previous administration and remain vulnerable to human trafficking with Jonathan Thompson, the executive director and CEO of the National Sheriffs’ Association.

Lastly, he asked human trafficking survivor Courtney Litvak — director of the survivor leader initiatives at No Trafficking Zone — about how criminal trafficking enterprises work and what can be done to stop them.

Click to watch

Full transcript of McCaul’s discussion with witnesses:

Chairman McCaul: You know, when I authorized the Blue Campaign into law, it was designed to work with law enforcement, to partner with them, but also industry stakeholders … to really help combat the scourge of human trafficking. Ms. McCoy, can you give us an update on your relationship with the Blue Campaign, and how well is it working today?

Ms. McCoy: Thank you. Yes, I’m happy to. We are strong partners with the DHS Blue Campaign. We meet regularly to align our tactics and strategies and training and community outreach and awareness-raising. And we certainly think they continue to benefit from our ongoing support, particularly as they are making great strides in integrating survivor perspective and lived experience in the work that they do, and we are happy to stand alongside them in those efforts.

Chairman McCaul: That’s excellent. … Over the last four to five years, we’ve had almost 500,000 unaccompanied children that came into this country — primarily at the hands of drug cartels, sex traffickers. It was one of the largest human trafficking events in the United States, really, of our lifetime.

Of those 500,000 children, more than 90,000 were sent to sponsors who were unvetted, essentially unvetted sponsors, or to homes where no home study was conducted. … And I saw this, where ten children would go to one house [with one] sponsor of the ten children. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know what’s going on here. It was a perfect storm for child sex trafficking, and now, unfortunately, it is occurring.

Mr. Thompson, I think in your role, you’re best equipped to give us sort of a prognosis of this problem. And how do you see their vulnerability going into these FIFA World Cup games and the Olympics, you know, as well, and how can we protect them?

Sheriff Thompson: Mr. Chairman,you’ve taped [and] bookended the situation very well. We believe it is about 400,000. We don’t know. Let’s be honest. The records that were developed and usedfrom all indications and all reports and briefings I’ve received from the government are deeply disturbing, [as is] our inability to find [them] and assure this Congress and the nation’s public that these individuals are not dead or being trafficked in one way, shape or form, including sex trafficking, labor trafficking, and others.And the third thing that is deeply, deeply troubling is that the scale of this, if you did simple math, assuming the 400,000 number is accurate, divide it simply by the number of counties in this country, 3,087 or 88, and you come up with a pretty damning number.

What I can tell you that we’re looking at with the administration is, how do we get our arms around the data, number one. That’s a challenge for them. And number two, then what do you do with the data from a targeting package perspective? Where does it go and how is it followed up on? And those two steps alone are incredibly labor and financially costly, takes time.

I wish I could tell you that the prospect is bright. I think there are some incredibly talented people at DHS. I think there’s some incredibly talented people at our state law enforcement agencies and our local agencies that are working this. But the numbers are staggering, absolutely staggering.

Chairman McCaul: They are staggering, and I want to work with you to make sure we get that data to law enforcement. We know we’ve documented these unaccompanied children. … We don’t know where they are — some of them — today, but we do know that they are ripe for being, you know, exploited for trafficking purposes, and it’s our obligation to protect them from these traffickers. So I look forward to working with you and law enforcement on this.

Lastly, Ms. Litvak, your organization worked with the same stadium that hosted the Super Bowl back in 2017 [to turn them into] a “no trafficking zone.” Houston is going to host the FIFA World Cup next year. Can you tell us a little bit about not only your organization, but how these trafficking organizations operate? I know that 750 individuals were indicted and prosecuted after that Super Bowl game. Can you tell us about how these organizations, these criminal enterprises, work from the lowest level with the pimp and the groomer to the highest-level executive?

Ms. Litvak: Absolutely. Thank you, Chairman McCaul. So I’m so blessed to work alongside the No Trafficking Zone because we are truly a survivor-led and trauma-informed organization, and that’s something that NRG Park has taken very seriously as becoming the world’s first certified “no trafficking zone,” working with their general manager, Hussein, and all of our incredible impact partners. … Really trauma-informed law enforcement is so important because uninformed and quite frankly corrupt players in the anti-trafficking space even are those who pose as doing good work, but they’re really a part of the problem. We want to ensure we are encouraging those who are doing the work for the right reasons to continue to collaborate together, especially because traffickers are watching our efforts, and they’re calculated.

My traffickers specifically would study the laws, primarily when I was first targeted at my own high school as a minor, as a junior in high school. My traffickers waited because they knew the law in Texas that once you turn 18, there’s a lot less that law enforcement can do to intervene. … In Harris County alone, being one of the largest counties in the whole country, there’s an average of over 200 runaway minors daily. Law enforcement are already so understaffed and overworked and underpaid, but once we understand the themes, the patterns, we study those patterns by bringing survivor leaders to the forefront.

So my lived experience in NRG Park and in the surrounding hotels and motels, I was trafficked during the 2017 Super Bowl in February, where the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons came to our city. But where did I meet these illicit sex buyers? So on the lower levels here, beginning in street and gang trafficking, what is one of the number one markets that is targeted to procure and to exploit already vulnerable individuals? It’s actually hidden in plain sight. It’s our sexually oriented businesses, specifically strip clubs.

Houston is actually the strip club capital of the country, which many people may mistake states such as Nevada and California for. …And that’s why I think it’s so important to have a structure such as a task force to combat this issue, because these organized criminals work in networks. They are educated, they know the laws, they are experts at evading detection, but they’re hidden in plain sight. Club owners and strip club general managers operate just the same as sex traffickers and human traffickers. So when you get to the more sophisticated levels of organized crime, … you have MS-13 cartel, all these horrible groups that are very prevalent in Texas, especially being a border state, and we have to be able to fill these gaps, but how do we address those? We talk with survivors, just like those who are on this panel right now, to hear what would have made a difference when we were being trafficked, but then to understand these aren’t always just street level criminals.

There are what’s known as corporate CEO traffickers. I was trafficked by both men and women. I was sold to both men and women. But these traffickers can be lawyers, as were some of mine, and they’re businessmen, businesswomen, who are well spoken, and sadly, a lot of women are aiding these criminal networks. Sometimes we know that people can go from being victimized to being forced to be bottoms, which is people who do recruiting for human traffickers, but there’s so many other organized crime networks and criminal enterprises taking place, such as drug trafficking. But when you have corporate America involved, my traffickers were laundering the money that we were making from the strip clubs with corporate America businesses. This is something that we have to find more ways to track this crime, because data and mass under reporting is such a huge issue, but especially when victims like myself are under immense threat and pressure by those who will use violence. But force, fraud and coercion are so important for us to tackle at all levels.

Chairman McCaul: … And in this case, we shouldn’t just go after the lowest level of these organizations. We need to go up to the very top, high level. … I know that the FBI is working on several sting operations that we can’t discuss today. I wish them the best. I know, when [Backpage.com] was taken down by Congress and you were held captive, that had an immense impact on the traffickers. And as you told me, they were very, very upset about that which is good news.

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

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) — chairman of the bipartisan Task Force on Enhancing Security for Special Events — held a hearing entitled “A Scourge Against Humanity: Addressing Human Trafficking at Mass Gatherings.”

Click to watch

Full Transcript of McCaul’s Opening Remarks:

This is the third hearing of the bipartisan Task Force on Enhancing Security for Special Events in the United States. The task force provides us a unique opportunity to evaluate the range of threats facing upcoming mass gathering events — most importantly, as I stated, the FIFA World Cup and America’s 250th Anniversary.

Over the past several months, we have examined historic security incidents at major events, engaged with federal law enforcement on emerging threats such as malicious drone activities, which are one of the biggest threats. We’ve held in-depth discussions with security leadership from FIFA and the Olympics.

These discussions have informed our work to provide legislative solutions to protect these events and ensure that they showcase American leadership. In fact, the legislation this task force was working on to counter adversarial drones at these events recently passed the House in the National Defense Authorization, which we’re very pleased to see and we thank the White House for working with us to get that language in there and passed into law.

When we first established this [task force], Ranking Member Pou and I agreed that human trafficking associated with these events would be among the various challenges needed to be addressed. This is an issue that’s near and dear to my heart, and I know it’s near and dear to the ranking member’s heart. It’s one that’s a very tragic story that we’ve seen upfront, close and personal, especially with Ms. Courtney Litvak, whom I’ve had the honor to be associated with — from her family to [our] work, getting her appointed to the White House Advisory Council on Human Trafficking. [She is] a person who experienced grave danger and abuse at the hands of these traffickers, and I know she has her personal story to tell, but I was so glad that God blessed us and saved her life and brought her home.

Millions of people, though, will be subjected to forced labor and sexual exploitation. They are every day. As we prepare to host the largest international sporting event in history, it is essential that law enforcement, advocacy groups, industry partners, and the federal government work together to disrupt trafficking operations to protect the most vulnerable amongst us.

There are about an estimated 27.6 million people being trafficked worldwide — an astounding number — 77% in forced labor, 23% in sex trafficking. And men and boys account for 57% of victims, women and girls for 43%. It occurs every day in the United States and across the globe.

This crime remains hidden to a large extent. The experiences of survivors are not told as often as they should [be]. Their courage in sharing their stories, like Ms. Litvak, often has helped law enforcement learn how to recognize signs of exploitation, intercept criminal networks, and rescue victims. 

I have been long committed to this cause. I call it human slavery. Back in 2017, I was proud to sponsor a bill, which became law, and that was the Congressional authorization of DHS’s Blue Campaign. This legislation has enabled the Department of Homeland Security to properly coordinate anti-human trafficking activities and served as a resource to state and local law enforcement to end human trafficking. I don’t think we’re anywhere near ending human trafficking, though, unfortunately. 

In 2020, I led legislation requiring the U.S. Department of State to track and report when and where traffickers applied for U.S. visas, and we denied those visas. This bill extended the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking that I talked about through 2025 — we’ll have to reauthorize that — to ensure survivors have a platform on that council to advise the President’s Interagency Task Force on policies to combat trafficking. 

As I mentioned, we’re delighted to have Courtney Litvak here, and all of you, between the sheriff and the hotel and motel association.

We rely on law enforcement to enforce justice and put a stop on these horrible crimes being committed. Training and coordination must extend beyond law enforcement to include — as we have here today — hotel staff, organizers, transportation, it goes into a lot of different areas. 

And I can go on and on with this, but at the end of the day I think this is an important hearing to address a very horrible crime — a scourge — that’s around the world, but obviously, seeing it in the United States is very difficult.

I anticipate [we will see it again] with these world cup events coming up — just like we’ve seen with Super Bowl games, and I think we’ll be talking about the Houston one in particular.

As a former federal prosecutor and [former] chairman of this committee, it’s one of the most horrific things I’ve seen in my lifetime, and I want to do everything we can Ms. Pou and this task force, to make sure these games are safely conducted with as little of this criminal activity as possible.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Judy Chu (CA2-27)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep Judy Chu (CA-28) and Adrian Smith (NE-03) reintroduced the bipartisan PEERS Act to expand access to peer support services for seniors. The Promoting Effective and Empowering Recovery Services (PEERS) in Medicare Act would require Medicare to cover peer support services provided at rural health clinics, federally qualified health centers, community mental health centers, and certified community behavioral health clinics. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (NV) and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (LA) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. Senate.

A peer support specialist is a person with “lived experience” who has been trained to support those who struggle with mental health, psychological trauma, or substance use. Peer support specialists do not take the place of mental health practitioners like physicians, psychologists, or social workers. Instead, they supplement these professionals as part of a larger care team to help someone struggling with substance abuse or mental health disorders on the road to recovery. Peer support services help reduce hospitalizations and behavioral crises, improve management of co-occurring physical conditions, help restore relationships and social connection, and ultimately save lives. 

“Since my first job out of college with the Asian American Drug Abuse Program, I’ve fought for approaches to mental health and substance abuse that not only include prevention and treatment but recovery as well,” said Rep. Chu. “That is why I am leading this bill with Rep. Smith once again, because we want to help bolster the recovery care workforce in our country and expand peer support for Medicare recipients—to offer acceptance, understanding, and validation not found in many other professional relationships. By sharing their own lived experience and practical guidance, peer support workers help people to develop their own goals, create strategies for self­‐empowerment, and take concrete steps towards building fulfilling, self­‐determined lives for themselves.”

“One of the greatest mental health care challenges in our state and across rural regions of the United States is the shortage of professional mental health providers,” said Rep. Smith. “This bill would address this shortage by increasing access to trained and certified peer support specialists with a related or comparable diagnosis. Increasing access to peer support specialists has proven to be a low-cost, high-impact mental health care treatment option, especially in areas with limited or no access to traditional providers. I am glad to co-lead this bipartisan legislation. I thank Rep. Chu for her cooperation and will continue working on bettering mental health in our country.”

“Peer support meets people where they are, offering lifesaving care and connection for people with substance use disorders and mental health conditions,” said Caren Howard, Mental Health America Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy. “Expanding coverage of peer support services in community-based settings fills critical gaps in the health care system, empowering people to access effective, person-centered care that is close to home.”

This legislation expands on a provision led by Reps. Chu and Smith that was included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 that recognizes peer support specialists in Medicare as part of interdisciplinary integrated care teams and mobile crisis teams.

The PEERS in Medicare Act is endorsed by Mental Health America, the National Association of Rural Health Clinics, the National Association of Rural Mental Health, Faces and Voices of Recovery, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on two War Powers Resolutions aimed at curtailing the Trump Administration’s illegal actions in the Caribbean. The first resolution, H.Con.Res.61, would direct the withdrawal of U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities with presidentially designated terrorist organizations in the Western Hemisphere. The second resolution, H.Con.Res.64, would direct the removal of U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Venezuela that have not been authorized by Congress. Both measures failed.

Ranking Member Betty McCollum voted in favor of both resolutions, citing Congress’ lack of explicit authorization of the Trump Administration’s military actions as the basis for her vote. Following the vote, Congresswoman McCollum issued the following statement: 

“The Trump Administration is engaged in a campaign of extrajudicial killings in the Caribbean, and it needs to end immediately. None of the Trump Administration’s military actions in the Caribbean or South America have been authorized by Congress, and both Republicans and Democrats in Congress have called on the administration to stop. I do not believe that engaging in military action in the Caribbean or conducting a regime change war in Venezuela is in the national security interests of the United States. If President Trump disagrees, then he must cease his unlawful actions, follow the Constitution, and ask Congress to formally authorize his military actions.”

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