MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Jesús Chuy García (IL-04)

CHICAGO ーCongressman Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04) issued the following statement on the Trump administration’s attack on Iran:

“A U.S. president is once again sending other people’s children to die for a regime change fantasy built on lies – with devastating, destabilizing effects for all involved. Congress must immediately reconvene to vote against this illegal war with Iran.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman John Garamendi – Representing California’s 3rd Congressional District

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mark Pocan (2nd District of Wisconsin)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representatives Mark Pocan (WI-02), Ro Khanna (CA-17), and Jan Schakowsky (IL-09) reintroduced the “Save Medicare Act.” This bill renames so-called “Medicare Advantage” plans, prohibits private insurers from using “Medicare” in plan titles or advertisements, and imposes significant fines for any insurer that engages in this deceptive practice.  

Many cable news watchers get inundated with commercials for private healthcare plans during the open enrollment period. Because of that, Reps. Pocan, Khanna, and Schakowsky previously filmed a video explaining why Medicare Advantage is not Medicare. 

“Only Medicare is Medicare. It is one of the most popular and essential services the government provides,” Congressman Pocan said. “Private, so-called ‘Medicare’ plans run by private insurers undermine traditional Medicare and create confusion. They often leave patients without the benefits they need while overcharging the federal government for corporate profit. This bill makes clear what is – and what is not – Medicare, and ensures this essential program will continue to serve seniors and other Americans for generations to come.”

“It’s time to be honest about Medicare Advantage,” said Congressman Ro Khanna. “It’s a private insurance program that too often boosts profits by limiting coverage, while the name itself misleads seniors into thinking it’s traditional Medicare. That’s wrong. This legislation will stop private insurers from cashing in on the Medicare name. We should be working to protect and expand real Medicare instead.”

“Let’s be clear: Medicare Advantage is not Medicare. These private insurance plans use Medicare’s trusted name while too often denying medically necessary care, restricting providers, and overcharging taxpayers by billions. That is unacceptable. We have seen insurers exploit the system to boost profits at the expense of seniors,” said Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. “This crucial legislation will end deceptive marketing and ensure beneficiaries understand the difference between Traditional Medicare and private insurance plans. Seniors deserve transparency, accountability, and the full benefits they have earned.”

The “Save Medicare Act” will eliminate the confusion private insurers have relied upon for years to enroll unsuspecting seniors, and restore true Medicare as the primary health plan older Americans rely on. 

Co-sponsors include: Mark Pocan (WI-02), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Steve Cohen (TN-09), Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Chris Deluzio (PA-17), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Maxwell Frost (FL-10), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Hank Johnson (GA-04), Greg Landsman (OH-01), Grace Meng (NY-06), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12)

Endorsing organizations include: Center for Health and Democracy, Just Care USA, Social Security Works, Physicians for a National Health Program

Click here to read the text of the legislation.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA)

The U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment held a hearing entitled “Ready for Reuse: Legislative Proposals to Unleash the Potential of America’s Brownfields Sites.” The Subcommittee considered numerous draft legislative proposals to reauthorize, improve and implement the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfields Program. The proposals included:

• Brownfields Revitalization for a Better Tomorrow Act
• Brownfields Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act
• Brownfields Inventory and Permitting Efficiency Act
• Brownfields Reauthorization for an Affordable and Revitalized America Act

Congressman Griffith continues to voice his support for the Brownfields Program, which delivers millions of dollars to Southwest Virginia communities to help with potential economic development projects. 

Congressman Griffith’s remarks during the hearing can be found here.

Following the hearing, U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement:

“The EPA Brownfields Program has the power to transform polluted sites into new hubs for economic activity, including sites in Virginia’s Ninth District.

“Today’s hearing considered various policy ideas that will support the Brownfields Program. I am committed to working with other Members of the Energy and Commerce Committee on these proposals to ensure Ninth District communities have greater access to a vital federal cleanup program.”

BACKGROUND

In 2025, Congressman Griffith announced that LENOWISCO Planning District Commission received multiple Brownfield-related grants from the EPA. That funding supported community-wide assessments of local brownfields.

Since 2019, other Ninth District communities to receive Brownfields Program funding include Pennington Gap in Lee County, Dublin and Pulaski in Pulaski County, Bluefield in Tazewell County, Martinsville City and Bristol City. Data available here.

Before his July 2025 appointment as Health Subcommittee Chairman, Congressman Griffith chaired the Subcommittee on Environment.

In March of 2025, Congressman Griffith chaired a hearing on the EPA’s Brownfields Program. Scott County Native and LENOWISCO Planning District Commission Executive Director Duane Miller testified to the panel and discussed the Program’s importance to Southwest Virginia communities.

LENOWISCO Planning District Commission serves the Counties of Lee, Wise and Scott and the City of Norton.

The Brownfields Program empowers states, communities and other stakeholders to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up and sustainably reuse brownfields.

A brownfield site is real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant.

Brownfield Assessment grants provide funding for brownfield inventories, planning, environmental assessments and community outreach.

According to the EPA, Assessment Coalition grants are designed for one “lead” eligible entity to partner with two to four eligible entities that do not have the capacity to apply for and manage their own EPA cooperative agreement and otherwise would not have access to Brownfields grant resources.

Congressman Griffith’s e-newsletter on the Program can be found here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bill Foster (11th District of Illinois)

Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) introduced the Medical Records Access Fairness Act, which would require health care providers to give patients access to their medical records at no cost at least once per year. 

Medical records fees that doctor’s offices charge patients can often be a financial burden. If a patient is unable to pay for copies of their own medical records, it can delay or prevent care. According to a 2018 study from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office, patients who have long medical histories can incur costs of thousands of dollars on medical record copies, which are often charged per page and per recipient. The study also describes a situation in which one patient was charged over $100 for an electronic copy.

“Quality health care hinges on doctors having all of the necessary information about their patient’s case, but costly medical records can make this impossible,” said Rep. Foster. “Too often, the fees charged to access these records amount to thousands of dollars, which is especially burdensome for patients with chronic diseases and complex medical histories. This bill would give patients easier access to their medical records, removing an unreasonable financial burden and improving the health and well-being of many Americans.”

The Medical Records Access Fairness Act is cosponsored by Representative Joyce Beatty (D-OH) and is endorsed by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. 

A copy of the bill can be found here. 

 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)

DEMOCRATS’ DHS SHUTDOWN: BY THE NUMBERS

“It is inexcusable that Democrats continue to shut down the American government over and over, hurting American citizens and jeopardizing the security of our homeland — on purpose — to protect illegal aliens.” – Speaker Johnson

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (38th District of CA)

WASHINGTON – Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member Linda T. Sánchez (D-Calif.) today introduced the Trade Adjustment Assistance Modernization Act, a bill to renew the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, which Congress allowed to lapse in 2022.

Video of today’s bill introduction press conference is available HERE.

Trade Adjustment Assistance provides displaced U.S. workers with critical support, including job training, income support, health care assistance and reemployment services. Workers who went through the program earned, on average, $50,000 more over a 10-year period than those who did not access the program.

Since the program expired, nearly 200,000 workers have filed petitions to receive assistance through the program, but their cases are still pending due to the lapse in congressional authorization.

“Every day Congress fails to act, American workers and their families are left to struggle,” said Ranking Member Sánchez. “They are not economic statistics. They are our friends and neighbors who unfairly lost their jobs to outsourcing. Trade Adjustment Assistance is a lifeline to them, helping them rebuild their careers, protect their families and hold on to hope. Congress cannot abandon them any longer.”

The TAA Modernization Act would:

• Reauthorize TAA for Workers, TAA for Firms and TAA for Farmers programs for seven years.
• Address shortcomings in the program by expanding eligibility, increasing funding and improving benefits (such as providing for childcare expenses).
• Establish a new TAA Communities program and reinject funding into the popular and successful TAA for Community Colleges program.

In addition to Sánchez, the bill is cosponsored by Representatives Richard Neal (D-Mass.), Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), John Larson (D-Conn.), Danny Davis (D-Ill.), Terri Sewell (D-Ala.), Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), Don Beyer (D-Va.), Dwight Evans (D-Pa.), Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), Stacey Plaskett (D-V.I.), Thomas Suozzi (D-N.Y.) and Morgan McGarvey (D-Ky.).

The bill is endorsed by the AFL-CIO, Communication Workers of America (CWA); International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM); International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW); International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE); International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW); and United Steelworkers (USW).

“For years, the Trade Adjustment Assistance program has acted as a lifeline for workers who have had their jobs stolen by unfair trade policies or corporate outsourcing that seeks to exploit low wages and poor conditions abroad,” said Jody Calemine, director of advocacy at the AFL-CIO. “But right now nearly 200,000 workers who may be eligible for training opportunities, transition support and other tools they need to get back on their feet cannot access these benefits because Congress has failed to act. The AFL-CIO applauds Representative Linda Sánchez for introducing the Trade Adjustment Assistance Modernization Act, leading the fight to support workers and communities across our country who have been hurt by unfair trade policies, and we call on Congress to support this legislation and renew this critical program.”

“The IAM knows firsthand how critical the TAA program is to workers who lost their jobs as a result of outsourcing and unfair trade practices,” said President Brian Bryant, IAM International. “When Caterpillar shuttered its Joliet, Ill., facility in 2018 and 2019 and moved roughly 600 IAM jobs to Mexico, TAA was there. When Truck-Lite closed its Falconer, N.Y., plant in early 2020 and shipped more than 150 jobs to Mexico and China, TAA was there. Now, nearly 400 Whirlpool workers in Amana, Iowa, are losing their jobs to Mexico, with hundreds more cuts expected later this year. Without TAA reauthorization, these workers lose not just their paychecks, but the job training and financial support they need to rebuild their lives. That’s not just a blow to workers, it’s a blow to their families and their communities.”

“The working class shouldn’t be the collateral damage of a broken system that rigs trade to benefit corporations and billionaires while shipping jobs overseas,” said President Shawn Fain, UAW. “Congress must prioritize keeping work here at home and ensure that workers – not CEOs or shareholders – are at the front end of trade discussions, not an afterthought after the rich have divvied up their share. Every worker deserves real support when companies shutter plants and abandon domestic production. It’s past time to fix a system that leaves workers behind and restore even the bare minimum protections through an updated Trade Adjustment Assistance program.” 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jason Crow (CO-06)

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jason Crow (D-CO)—a combat veteran and Co-Chair of House Democrats’ National Security Task Force, and a member of the House Armed Services Committee and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence—today called on Congress to rein in President Trump’s military adventurism and war in Iran.

Crow spoke at the weekly House Democratic Caucus press conference alongside Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Ted Lieu, and fellow House Democratic veterans.

Watch Congressman Crow’s remarks here, and find a transcript of them below.

In his remarks, Crow said:

“After trillions of dollars, thousands of American lives, decades of endless conflict, my entire adult life, a quarter of a century of American war, here we go again. 

“Donald Trump campaigned on ending the wars because he knew, at the time, that that’s what Americans wanted, and still want. And yet, here we go again.

“I learned when I was fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan that when elites in Washington bang the war drums, pound their chest, talk about the costs of war, and act tough, they’re not talking about them doing it. They’re not talking about their kids or their billionaire donors picking up rifles, jumping into planes, jumping into helicopters. They’re talking about working-class kids like us. 

“They’re talking about those in small towns and farms and ranches across the country that have to actually do the work, that have to fight and die, and the American people that have to pay for all of it. Americans have had enough.

“Now, don’t get us wrong. We believe in American strength. We believe in American engagement. We believe that America has a role to play in the world, and we will not hesitate to use our military and our strength to protect Americans and to protect our vital interests when it’s necessary. But it’s very clear in this instance that there is no imminent threat. And this is a war of choice by Donald Trump. 

“There’s a lot of talk and discussion in D.C. sometimes about notification requirements and process and procedure and what the Constitution requires. And I understand that a lot of Americans who are just trying to raise families and build businesses don’t immerse themselves in these debates. But I’ll tell you why that is important, why what we’re talking about resuming our control is important. Because it’s about accountability. 

“It’s not simply just about our interest in being involved in notifying. It’s about accountability. Because nobody is going to sit here and tell me that after 20 years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, failed military endeavors, that if this Congress hadn’t been forced to debate and vote and finance year after year and to take the accountability for this and to put the American people back in the driver’s seat for these conflicts, that they wouldn’t have ended sooner or differently. 

“That’s what this is about. Putting the American people back in the driver’s seat to decide when they want to finance these wars, when they are willing to send their sons and daughters to fight and die for our interests. 

“We will be relentless in pursuing that accountability and that transparency and putting the American people back in the driver’s seat for the most important decision that their government can make.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett (USVI)

Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett (D-VI) released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Territorial Student Access to Higher Education Act, bipartisan legislation that guarantees in-state tuition rates for students from the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa. The bill, led by the territorial Members, passed the House floor today following debate and a full vote, marking a historic milestone in the decades-long fight to expand affordable higher education access for territorial students pursuing degrees on the mainland. 

The legislation amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require public institutions receiving federal funds to charge eligible territorial residents no more than the in-state tuition rate. Out-of-state tuition can be two to three times higher than in-state rates, representing a significant deterrent for families who already face higher costs of living, limited degree options on-island and the added burden of long-distance relocation. 

“Today is a historic day for students and families across the U.S. territories,” said Congresswoman Plaskett. “Since my first term in office, I have advocated for legislation to expand in-state tuition access for students in the Virgin Islands and the other U.S. territories. In 2022, I secured a provision in the Build Back Better Act, which passed in the U.S. House of Representatives, that would have established a college access grants program to cover the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition rates for students from the territories. Today, the House has spoken clearly: our students deserve the same educational opportunities and pathways to success as their peers in the states. Guaranteeing in-state tuition is essential to reducing the burden of student debt and opening doors to the careers and training needed to strengthen our local economies. I am proud to have fought alongside my colleagues to advance this legislation, and I urge the Senate to act swiftly so that we can deliver this long-overdue relief to territorial students and families.” 

“The passage of H.R. 6472 marks a significant step toward ensuring true parity for American students living in the territories,” Congressman Moylan (R-GU) said. “Too many of our students leave home to pursue degrees that simply aren’t available locally, and too often the financial burden places that opportunity further out of reach for hardworking families. This measure strengthens the pipeline of skilled professionals who will help build a stronger, more resilient Guam. It’s about empowering our youth to pursue their dreams without being priced out of them, and ensuring that when they return home, they are ready to lead the next chapter of Guam’s growth.” 

“This is great news for our students, and a successful bipartisan collaboration. Our students deserve the best possible access to four-year University degrees. Millions of American students benefit from in-state tuition, and this innovative bill extends this sensible policy to the islands. Thank you to each of my colleagues. With passage by the full House, we’re a big step closer to fairness, and making a major difference in opportunity for our students,” said Congresswoman Amata Coleman Radewagen (R-AS). 

“Students from the Northern Mariana Islands bring talent, dedication, and a strong commitment to their education when they pursue opportunities across the United States.  H.R. 6472 helps expand access to affordable higher education by allowing students from U.S. territories to qualify for in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities.  For many CNMI families, higher education requires significant sacrifice, and this bipartisan legislation helps open more doors for our students while strengthening pathways to build the skilled workforce our islands and our nation need,” said Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds (R-MP). 

“I want to thank Congressman Moylan for his leadership on this issue, as well as Congresswoman Radewagen, Congressman Hernández, and Congresswoman King-Hinds for their steadfast partnership in this fight for educational equity,” Congresswoman Plaskett concluded. “I also extend my gratitude to Chairman Walberg, Ranking Member Scott, and every Member of the House of Representatives who voted to advance this critical legislation. Our work is not finished—this bill now moves to the U.S. Senate for consideration, and if passed, it will proceed to the President’s desk to be signed into law. I remain fully committed to seeing this bill across the finish line, ensuring that Virgin Islands students and all territorial students finally have the same access to affordable higher education as their peers across this nation.” 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Jesús Chuy García (IL-04)

“Your thugs at DHS brutalize the American people, and you lie and smear victims to cover up their crimes.”