Dingell Demands State Department Provide Plan for Addressing Visa Delays Caused by Expanded Vetting Requirements

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (12th District of Michigan)

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-06) today sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio requesting that the State Department address significant delays to visa appointments arising from expanded vetting requirements for H-1B visa applicants and their dependents.

“On December 3, 2025, the State Department announced it would expand the requirement that an online presence review be conducted for all H-1B applicants and their dependents, in addition to the students and exchange visitors already subject to this review,” Dingell wrote. “This change in policy comes as many families are traveling abroad for the holidays and have had visa appointments booked months ahead of time to align with their travel.”

“There is a serious issue arising throughout the country, including many families in my District whose visa appointments have been delayed multiple months and who are now stuck in limbo, unable to return home. In one case, the visa appointment was rescheduled less than 48 hours before the appointment was supposed to take place,” Dingell continued. “Their new appointment was scheduled for three months after the original appointment, with no consultation with the family. They had already traveled to reach their appointment and without the new visas they cannot get back to their lives in the United States. One of their children, who is an American citizen, will miss months of school if the family cannot move up their visa appointment. They are trapped abroad with no recourse. It is unacceptable their lives and many others are being upended by this sudden new review requirement.”

“Our children should not be the ones paying for these policy changes with their education. These families deserve clear answers from the State Department regarding the delays the new policy has created and an understanding of how and when they can return to their lives. They have jobs, homes, and friends that are expecting their timely return,” Dingell concluded. “The lack of clarity regarding how families in these situations can proceed is concerning. In light of these facts, I respectfully ask the Department to provide a detailed explanation of how the Department plans to address circumstances like that of the family in my District, to ensure they can return home in a timely manner. I also ask to be informed of the timeline for the new visa review process, including how long it is expected to take with the new online presence review, and what safeguards are being considered to prevent families from being left in limbo as they try to get back home to the United States.”

View the full text of the letter here.

House Approves Critical Reforms for American Energy Production and Infrastructure Projects

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

House Approves Critical Reforms for American Energy Production and Infrastructure Projects

These key reforms will expedite infrastructure projects, unleash American energy production, and boost economic growth

Washington, December 19, 2025

WASHINGTON — Speaker Johnson released the following statement to highlight House Republicans’ continued work to implement a pro-growth agenda through overdue permitting reforms and commonsense deregulation with the passage of this week’s House bills.

“The House is fixing a broken permitting system that has driven up costs and blocked critical American energy and infrastructure projects for far too long,” Speaker Johnson said. “The National Environmental Policy Act has been stretched far beyond its original intent, and we are taking away its ability to be weaponized or misused for activist-driven litigation and partisan agendas. House Republicans continue to pass commonsense legislation that codifies President Trump’s executive orders and advances a pro-growth agenda to lower energy costs, strengthen national security, unleash American energy production, and get American workers and industry building again.”

This Week’s Adopted Bills to Advance American Energy and Infrastructure Projects: 

H.R. 3632 – Power Plant Reliability Act (Sponsored by Rep. Morgan Griffith): Requires a five-year notice for power plant shutdowns and allows FERC to extend operations for up to five years if necessary for grid reliability and override conflicting environmental regulations.

H.R. 1366 – Mining Regulatory Clarity Act (Sponsored by Rep. Mark Amodei): Corrects the damages of the Rosemont Decision and advances critical mining projects.

H.R. 4776 – Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) ACT (Sponsored by Rep. Bruce Westerman): Streamlines and reforms the federal permitting process and restores the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to its original intent.

H.R. 3616 – Reliable Power Act (Sponsored by Rep. Troy Balderson): Ensures coordination between FERC and federal agencies on regulations to avoid threats to grid reliability and requires annual grid reliability assessments.

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Pingree: JFK Would be Appalled by Illegal Kennedy Center Name Change, Trump’s ‘Profound Egomania’

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Ranking Member on the House Interior and Environment Subcommittee, condemned the White House’s announcement that the board of the Kennedy Center voted to rename the building the “Trump-Kennedy Center” and released the following statement: 

“The Kennedy Center is a national cultural institution established by Congress, and is statutorily named the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. No board vote or social media post from the White House Press Secretary has the legal authority to change that without an act of Congress.

Since Donald Trump took over the board and installed himself as Chair, he has worked to dismantle the Kennedy Center’s legacy and has effectively run it into the ground. Ticket sales have never been lower. Artists are staying away. At the same time, the Trump Administration has launched a series of unprecedented attacks on the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Library of Congress—clawing back funding and going to outrageous lengths to eliminate personnel and exhibits that don’t adhere to their twisted version of history and culture.

The Kennedy Center is a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy, who was a fierce champion of the arts and a believer in free expression. He would be appalled to see his legacy twisted into a propaganda vehicle for a president who has shown open hostility to artists and cultural institutions. That Trump has the gall to put his name before Kennedy’s is just another example of his profound egomania—and the ridiculous lengths he’s willing to go to fabricate his own legacy.

I will do everything in my power to stop this. Congress must assert its authority and conduct aggressive oversight. The Kennedy Center belongs to the American people, and its name and mission are not negotiable.” 

In May, Pingree voiced concern over Republicans’ budget reconciliation proposal for the Kennedy Center–which is nearly six times more than the annual funding appropriated through the Subcommittee. She also brought attention to House Republicans’ attempt to slip in a provision to the Subcommittee’s appropriations bill to rename the Kennedy Center Opera House after Melania Trump. 

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Pingree, Brownley, Booker Introduce Legislation to Incentivize Sustainable Practices and Reduce Food Waste

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)

Today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-Calif.) reintroduced the Zero Food Waste Act, legislation that would create a new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant program to reduce food waste nationwide. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) reintroduced companion legislation in the U.S. Senate. 

“Families are stretching every dollar right now, yet enormous amounts of perfectly good food are still being thrown away instead of reaching people who need it. The Zero Food Waste Act aims to fix that disconnect. Our bill tackles hunger and rising food costs head-on by helping communities recover surplus food, expand local nutrition programs, and build systems that make better use of the resources we already have,” said Congresswoman Pingree, co-founder of the Bipartisan Food Recovery Caucus. “Reducing waste also means cutting methane emissions from landfills and easing the environmental burden of producing food that never gets eaten. Our bill will strengthen local economies by creating jobs in food recovery, composting, and waste-reduction infrastructure and ultimately move us closer to meeting our national food waste reduction goals.”

“It is unacceptable that as food insecurity grows across our country, nearly half of all food produced in the U.S. goes to waste, costing consumers billions of dollars and fueling the climate crisis. This level of waste is especially troubling when so many families are struggling to put food on the table, and when food production and food waste are major drivers of greenhouse gas emissions. We can and must confront these two critical, interconnected challenges, and we must do so with urgency,” said Congresswoman Julia Brownley. “The Zero Food Waste Act will give local governments the tools they need to cut waste and build more sustainable, resilient food systems that better support families and strengthen our communities. I am also grateful to Senator Booker and Congresswoman Pingree for their partnership as we work to curb food waste, support those in need, and protect our environment for generations to come.”

“On top of already strained grocery budgets, food waste costs each American consumer around $700 per year. Nearly 40 million tons of food go to waste each year, which is a costly misuse of the significant resources that go into growing, transporting, buying, and preparing food, said Senator Booker. “The Zero Food Waste Act will create grants to make sure foods that otherwise would’ve needlessly gone to the landfill get eaten, upcycled into other products, or composted instead. We can keep more money in Americans’ pockets, simply by making sure the food we grow gets eaten or put to good use,” said Senator Cory Booker. 

“Congress has the ability to support significant food waste reduction efforts through the Zero Food Waste Act, which would create the first EPA grant program specifically intended to fund the planning, measurement, and implementation of food waste reduction projects. The $650 million authorized for the program under the Act will enable local, state, and tribal governments across the U.S. to operationalize the food waste solutions that make the most sense in their region. The Zero Food Waste Act is an important opportunity for Congress to take action on food security, economic development, and the environment,” said Emily Broad Leib, Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic.

Background

In the U.S., nearly half of all food produced is lost or wasted, which means an estimated $408 billion is spent on growing, processing, transporting, storing, and disposing of food that is never consumed. Landfills are now the third-largest source of methane in the U.S., and food is the single largest input by weight in our landfills and incinerators.

In 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the EPA announced a goal of reducing the U.S.’s food waste by 50% by 2030. To achieve that goal, the federal government must increase its support for state and local efforts to eliminate food waste.

The Zero Food Waste Act would create a new EPA-administered grant program for state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, and for nonprofits, to support three types of grants: planning grants, measurement grants, and reduction grants. Planning grants could be used to investigate the kinds of food waste mitigation projects or policies that would be most impactful within a given community. Measurement grants could be used to better understand the amount of food waste generated in the state or community.

Reduction grants could be used to fund an assortment of different types of projects. For instance, food waste prevention projects could stop the generation of food waste. Recycling projects could reuse food waste as a feedstock for other non-food products, such as composting. Rescuing projects could redirect surplus food to places like food shelters. Upcycling projects could make new food from ingredients that would otherwise go to landfills. Additionally, localities could use the grant funding to implement food waste landfill disposal or incineration restrictions designed to stop food waste.

The Zero Food Waste Act is endorsed by The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), World Wildlife Fund, and ReFED.

Read the full text of the bill here.

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Pingree, Golden Announce More than $1.5 Million in AmeriCorps Grants for Maine Seniors, Foster Grandparents Programs

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)





Pingree, Golden Announce More than $1.5 Million in AmeriCorps Grants for Maine Seniors, Foster Grandparents Programs | U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree















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Bilirakis, Pallone, Min, Schakowsky, Sherman, Amo, Valadao and Smith Introduce Armenia Security Partnership Act

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Gus Bilirakis (FL-12)

Washington, D.C. — Earlier today, Congressman Gus M. Bilirakis (FL-12) and Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06), along with Representatives Dave Min (CA-47), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Brad Sherman (CA-32), Gabe Amo (RI-01), David Valadao (CA-22), and Chris Smith (NJ-04) introduced the Armenia Security Partnership Act. This bipartisan legislation is designed to strengthen U.S. policy toward Armenia while holding the Government of Azerbaijan accountable for continued aggression and human rights abuses.  It requires the President of the United States to certify to Congress that Azerbaijan has taken meaningful steps to:

  • Completely withdraw all military forces from the sovereign territory of Armenia;
  • Unconditionally release all Armenian prisoners;
  • Cease engaging in hostilities toward Armenia; and
  • Recognize the right of return for ethnic Armenians to their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh and commit to the preservation of Armenian cultural and religious sites in the region.

If the President is unable to make such a certification, the bill would:

  • Require a comprehensive review of U.S. security assistance to Armenia to identify gaps in Armenia’s long-term defense needs and assess the threat posed by Azerbaijan; and
  • Prohibit the reauthorization of the waiver of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, thereby enforcing existing statutory prohibitions on U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan.

Armenia is a key partner in a volatile region and deserves meaningful support as it faces continued threats to its sovereignty and security,” said Congressman Bilirakis. “This legislation sends a clear message that the United States will not turn a blind eye to aggression, human rights abuses, or the forced displacement of ethnic Armenians. Accountability must be at the center of our foreign policy.”

Congressman Pallone added, “For far too long, Azerbaijan has been allowed to act with impunity to destabilize the South Caucasus, commit horrific human rights abuses, and threaten the Armenian people. Our bill is a great step in the right direction to finally hold the Aliyev regime accountable for ongoing crimes against humanity and threats to lasting peace in the region. I look forward to working with Congressman Bilirakis and the rest of my colleagues to pass it into law.”

A durable peace in the South Caucasus must be built on respect for sovereignty, human rights, and international law, not force or coercion,” said Congressman Brad Sherman, Democratic Vice Chair of the Congressional Armenia Caucus. “Azerbaijan’s continued aggression against Armenia, the detention of Armenian prisoners, and the destruction of Armenian cultural and religious sites demands a serious response. This bipartisan legislation makes clear that the United States will not reward violations of international law and that Armenia deserves a reliable partner as it works to secure its borders and pursue a just and lasting peace.”

“As co-chair of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing the Armenia Security Partnership Act,” said Congressman Valadao. “Azerbaijan’s aggression in the South Caucasus has gone on for far too long, and this bipartisan bill takes meaningful steps to hold them accountable for ongoing human rights abuses and hostilities against the sovereign territory of Armenia.”

The Members of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, have long worked to promote policies that uphold international law, protect vulnerable populations, and support regional stability.

“We thank Congressman Bilirakis for proactively introducing this important, bipartisan, legislation. Azerbaijan’s continuing aggression toward Armenia and its reluctance to fully embrace the August 8 Joint Declaration must stop if a just and durable peace is to be achieved,” said Timothy Jemal, President of Global ARM. “We are hopeful this bill will receive broad, bipartisan support, and that Congress will actively consider and pass this legislation to strategically bolster peace negotiations and support U.S. interests in the South Caucasus.”

“The ARMENIA Security Partnership Act represents a common-sense approach to both checking Azerbaijani aggression and strengthening America’s partnership with Armenia,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “This bipartisan legislation grounds U.S. policy in concrete benchmarks for peace – the release of Armenian prisoners, the withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces from occupied Armenian land, and the protection of Armenian cultural heritage. We need to stop incentivizing continued Azerbaijani hostility, by normalizing its genocide of Artsakh and ongoing violations of international law, and start holding its Aliyev regime accountable for its crimes.”

We commend Congressmen Bilirakis and Pallone for their bipartisan leadership in advancing this vital legislation,”said Mariam Khaloyan, Congressional Relations Director of the Armenian Assembly.Azerbaijan’s continued unlawful holding of Armenian hostages underscores the need for this bill and the importance of enforcing Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, while also strengthening America’s support for Armenia’s security and sovereignty.”

Scalise, Westerman: The SPEED Act: Helping America Build Again

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Scalise (1st District of Louisiana)

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman published an op-ed in the Washington Times highlighting the importance of the SPEED Act, legislation that will simplify and streamline America’s overly burdensome permitting process. The legislation will allow America to start building again, which will create new jobs, reduce costs, and unleash American energy. Read the full op-ed below or here. The SPEED Act: Helping America build againThe economy today faces a large but, thankfully, simple problem. Our demand for energy is rising faster than our ability to generate it. The solution is also simple: build more infrastructure — more power plants, more roads, and pipelines — so we can produce more energy.
President Donald Trump’s administration has made it clear that energy dominance is a priority. The private sector is ready to invest billions in energy abundance, and workers are ready to break ground on next-generation infrastructure. Unfortunately, for decades now, shovel-ready projects across the country have been routinely stalled and even strangled by our antiquated federal permitting system.As AI data centers and reshored manufacturing drive demand higher, Congress has to decide whether the next decade brings the United States an energy crisis or global energy dominance. Permitting reform — specifically the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act — is a generational opportunity to deliver higher wages and real affordability for working families.At the heart of permitting dysfunction today is the National Environmental Policy Act. Passed in 1969, NEPA used to require federal agencies to consider the environmental impact of any new government construction project. But five decades of bureaucratic mission creep and agenda-driven lawsuits have twisted the original, sensible law into a black hole of costly red tape.For construction workers to law professors to small business owners, the very word “NEPA” is today more synonymous with waste and abuse than environmental protection. Consider that the average NEPA Environmental Impact Statement from 2013 to 2018 totaled 575 pages and took nearly five years to complete. A quarter of them took six years or more. These delays cost the economy hundreds of billions of dollars.And even when reviews do get completed, approved projects face a gauntlet of expensive, time-consuming lawsuits. NEPA is the nation’s most litigated and frivolously litigated environmental statute. According to research by the Breakthrough Institute, it takes an average of more than four years to resolve legal challenges after publication of NEPA environmental review documents. And where do these lawsuits come from? Ten extremist environmentalist groups are responsible for 35% of all NEPA lawsuits.The scrapped Atlantic Coast Pipeline is a textbook case. It was a 600-mile, $8 billion project, initially approved in 2015 to deliver affordable natural gas from West Virginia to North Carolina. By the time the project was abandoned in 2020, NEPA had delayed it 894 days, and litigation another 570 days. Billions of dollars’ worth of affordable and reliable energy for one of the fastest-growing regions of the country was lost. And all the jobs, economic development, and tax revenue that went with it disappeared in a tsunami of legal fees and broken promises.These aren’t failures of planning or engineering. They are failures of policy. And in 2025, the federal government’s tolerance for NEPA’s red tape is becoming existential. If the U.S. cannot build energy and mineral infrastructure, China will surpass us in AI technology — for both civilian and military applications. That would have disastrous economic and strategic consequences for America and our allies. If, due to our policy failures, we cede global leadership to China, America would become a less safe, less affordable, and less free country.A generation from now, we cannot tell our children that a heavily abused permitting process contributed to losing the AI arms race. If Congress passes the SPEED Act, we won’t have to.The bill, scheduled for a vote in the House of Representatives this week, fixes several of NEPA’s systemic problems by restoring the law to its original purpose: a procedural review for proposed projects.The SPEED Act would restrict NEPA lawsuits to parties actually affected by a project and establish reasonable filing deadlines.It would codify key elements of the Supreme Court’s Seven County decision, clarifying judicial review in NEPA cases. It would align judicial remedies with the fact that NEPA is, after all, a procedural statute, not a progress impediment.Finally, the SPEED Act would reaffirm the scope of NEPA reviews as they were initially intended.The SPEED Act would establish clear rules and a level playing field for federal projects across all agencies and industries. It enjoys bipartisan sponsorship in the House and support from over 300 NEPA-adjacent industries and organizations.NEPA was originally written to facilitate thoughtful growth, not reckless obstruction. The SPEED Act restores its proper function and will finally empower the people to build. The challenges we face demand that we act. It’s time to pass the SPEED Act and protect America’s future.

Scalise Touts GOP Legislation to Cut Costs

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Scalise (1st District of Louisiana)

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) appeared on Fox Business Network’s Mornings with Maria to discuss cutting costs for hardworking families through lower premiums, historic tax cuts, permitting reform, and President Trump’s America First agenda. Despite House Democrats’ failed efforts to stop Republicans’ work, Leader Scalise emphasized that House Republicans will continue delivering for the American people.

Click here or the image above to view Leader Scalise’s full interview. 
Highlights from Leader Scalise’s interview:On Democrats shutting the government down to try to stop President Trump’s historic agenda:“Look, I think Democrats today wake up with the socialist left taking over their party, the Mamdani wing of the party, and they want to shut the government down every day. They want to fight Donald Trump every day and try to block anything we’re doing to move this country forward. I think the American people are sick of it. Look, most Americans just want to go about their daily lives. They want gas prices to go down, as President Trump talked about last night. They want their wages to go up, Maria, as President Trump also talked about last night. Democrats here in Washington have been voting against every one of those policies to do those things. We pass bills to lower gas prices. Every Democrat voted no. We pass bills to prevent the largest tax increase on American families, including low-income families. Every Democrat voted no. They’ve proven they want to shut the government down, and they want to raise taxes and costs on hardworking families, including low-income families. We’re going to keep doing our work for the American people. Sometimes we’ll get bipartisan votes, even if we don’t, we’re going to keep passing these bills, Maria, because we need to keep working with President Trump to deliver on the promises we made and turn this great country around.”On House Republicans fixing the health care system that Democrats broke:“You’ve just seen the radical left, look Ro Khanna said it proudly. He voted to shut the government down. He wants all Americans on government-run health care. It’s, by the way, failed in every country it’s been tried. Maria, does everybody in America want to be on Medicaid? That’s what Democrats are doing. Look at the Affordable Care Act. They’ve shoveled hundreds of billions of dollars to insurance companies, and yet the price is still unaffordable. They called it the Affordable Care Act. That was a lie. They said, ‘If you like your doctor, you can keep it.’ That was a lie. They promised insurance prices would go down $2,500 a family. That was a lie. Everything they said about health care was a lie. Are they really going to be the ones to fix it? We want to lower health care costs for 100% of Americans. That’s what we brought yesterday. Democrats have voted time and time again to raise health care costs on 95% of Americans, and they voted against the bill yesterday that would lower costs. Everybody in America could see who wants to lower your health care premiums — it’s Republicans — and who’s voted to raise those premiums and bail out insurance companies who are getting record profits. It’s bizarre.”On Republicans working to lower costs after years of Bidenflation:“We need to keep pushing policies that are going to lower costs. But as you see, Democrats are voting to raise costs, to make things unaffordable. People went through the 40-year high on inflation under the Biden years. Biden jacked up inflation. Costs are high. We’re bringing them down, but they’re not down enough. We want to keep doing that. President Trump talked about it last night. We’ve made progress. It’s not as much as we want to make. I’d like it if Democrats would vote with us every blue moon to lower costs, but we’re going to keep doing it. We need to keep lowering costs, making things more affordable, getting the economy moving, and increasing wages for families. We’re going to be doing that early in the new year.”

House Republican Leadership Statement on Passage of the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Scalise (1st District of Louisiana)

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Speaker Johnson, Whip Emmer, Chairwoman McClain, and Congresswoman Miller-Meeks released a statement after House Republicans passed the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act:“Today, every House Republican voted to lower health care costs for all Americans. Every House Democrat voted against it. After months of empty ‘affordability’ rhetoric and forcing the longest government shutdown in American history, Democrats once again rejected a valuable, common-sense solution to address the unaffordability they created with their own health insurance law – the Unaffordable Care Act. “House Republicans are taking meaningful action to fix what Democrats broke. For too long, Democrats have forced hardworking American taxpayers to bail out big health insurance companies for hundreds of billions of dollars. Meanwhile, Americans are left paying for increasingly expensive care with fewer choices, lower quality, and worse health outcomes. They broke America’s health care system and with today’s vote, Democrats have abandoned a critical opportunity to fix their own failed law. “The Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act puts patients first. It does exactly what its title promises and more: lowers premium costs, expands access to affordable, quality care, gives every American more options and flexibility to choose coverage that is best for their needs, and brings greater transparency to the health care system. It delivers twice the cost reduction of the Democrats’ temporary, COVID-era enhanced subsidies and brings those costs down for ALL Americans – not just some. House Republicans are working to fix what is broken, restore integrity in our nation’s health care system, and lower the cost of health care for every citizen.”

Scalise Highlights House GOP Work to Lower Costs for Hardworking Americans

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Scalise (1st District of Louisiana)

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), and Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) to preview legislation on the House floor this week focused on lowering costs. Leader Scalise highlighted the SPEED Act, which will simplify and streamline the permitting process, and the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act, which lowers costs for all Americans, not just those on Obamacare, and provides workers with better health care options.

Click here or the image above to view Leader Scalise’s full remarks. 
On the recent tragedies around the world:“My prayers go out to all those killed in so many different horrible tragedies. Here in America, Brown University, you look at our two army soldiers that were killed, the antisemitic attacks on the other side of the globe. Just reminds you, during this Christmas season, this Hanukkah season, it’s a special time, it’s a time we celebrate, but it’s also a time where evil still lurks here and all around the globe. And we just pray, pray for those who have been murdered, harmed, injured. We pray for those who have evil in their hearts, that God can touch them and hopefully remove that evil so that they don’t go harm innocent people.”On House Republicans lowering costs through permitting reform:“We’ve heard complaints from members all across the country that know that just trying to build things in America, road projects, bridges, pipelines to move energy, anything you’re trying to do, more and more, laws are getting in the way. NEPA is a heavily abused law that delays a lot of the projects that ought to be built. Bruce Westerman and his committee have done incredible work to bring a bipartisan bill that starts to address the abuses here in NEPA so that we can actually build things in America again. You think about the cost savings that would come if it only takes two years instead of 10 years to build a major project. And we all know what’s happening all across America, why so many projects are shelved in many cases or take so long to be built because of the abuses of some of these laws, like NEPA and Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act. All of these laws are being heavily abused. So this is a really important first step, getting the SPEED Act passed to get real meaningful permitting reform.”On providing health care options and lower premiums for all Americans:“Dr. Miller-Meeks talked about her bill, which is such an important step to lower costs in health care for all Americans, 100% of Americans. While Democrats only care about bailing out insurance companies and focusing on less than 10% of Americans that are in the Unaffordable Care Act, we’re focused on lowering premiums for all Americans. And that’s what you’re going to see on the floor this week. You think about Association Health Plans, which have been proven to give people more options to lower costs. The CHOICE [Arrangement] Act, which, while everybody complains, they say, ‘Why, when I watch TV commercials, I see this gecko lizard, and I see the emu, and I see all these other animals out there selling car insurance, they’re selling homeowners’ insurance; why aren’t they selling health insurance?’ That’s because the laws at the federal level prohibit the ability for people to have choices to get people trying to offer them lower cost products for health insurance. Imagine if, for example, with CHOICE [Arrangement] Act, where you can run through a health savings account, the ability where if you get your health insurance through your employer, if you’re able to go find a better plan, if somebody could compete for your business and offer you a lower deductible plan with lower copayments for your families, right now you can’t go buy that product. “We create those options with the bill that we’re bringing to the floor tomorrow, the PBM reform that Dr. Miller-Meeks talked about, where you can actually have lower prescription drug costs, again, for 100% of Americans. This is something that our three committees of jurisdiction have been working on for a long time. And yet, while Democrats only want to bail out insurance companies while premiums go up, we’re focused on having lower premium options, lower cost options for 100% of Americans.“So, another busy week where we’re going to be focused on helping families that are struggling under the weight of all the damage that President Biden did. President Trump is working to lower costs. President Trump wants to see these bills on his desk, and we’re going to work to deliver here in the House.”