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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (District of Columbia)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) secured many victories for D.C. in the fiscal year 2027 (FY 27) D.C. appropriations bill, which was marked up and passed last night by the House Rules Committee. The House is expected to consider the bill today. 

In addition to other victories for D.C., the bill would secure $40 million for the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant Program (DCTAG) and increase the DCTAG annual and lifetime awards. The bill does not include 17 of the anti-home rule riders included in the House version of the bill.

Norton secured the following victories:

• The bill provides $40 million for DCTAG, an increase in the annual DCTAG award from $10,000 to $15,000, and an increase in the lifetime DCTAG award from $50,000 to $75,000.
• The bill has two existing legacy riders: a rider prohibiting D.C. from spending its own local funds on abortion services for low-income women and one prohibiting D.C. from spending its own local funds to commercialize adult-use marijuana. The original House version of the bill contained 20 anti-home rule riders.
• The bill would provide $90 million for emergency planning and security costs related to the federal presence in D.C.
• The bill exempts D.C. from federal government shutdowns in FY 2027.
• The bill provides $8 million for D.C. Water for ongoing work to control flooding in D.C. and to clean up the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers and Rock Creek Park.
• The bill provides $4 million to combat HIV/AIDS in D.C.
• The bill provides $600,000 for the Major General David F. Wherley, Jr. District of Columbia National Guard Retention and College Access Program.
• The bill provides $53 million for the D.C. Public Defender Service, an entity established by Congress to represent indigent defendants in criminal cases in the local D.C. courts.
• The bill provides $46 million for the Defender Service, which pays private lawyers to represent indigent clients in both criminal and civil matters in the local D.C. courts.
• The bill provides $52.5 million for implementation of the SOAR Act, equally divided among vouchers, charter schools and D.C. Public Schools.

Norton expressed disappointment that the bill would prohibit the District from spending its own local funds on abortion services for low-income women and on recreational marijuana commercialization. Norton was also disappointed that the bill devotes substantial funds to the private school voucher program that Congress imposed on the District. The program has failed to improve academic achievement, as measured by math and reading test scores. The D.C. voucher program is the only federally funded voucher program in the U.S. 

“Although I’m disappointed that House Republicans continue to exert control over D.C., a district they do not represent, by adding anti-home rule riders, I am pleased that the 17 other riders that were included in the original House version weren’t included in the version passed by the Rules Committee,” Norton said. 

“D.C. has a larger population than two states and its residents are equally worthy of making decisions about their own local affairs and the future of their own local government. The 700,000 people who live in the nation’s capital are no less worthy of the benefits of democracy than any other Americans. I’ll use every tool at my disposal to see that they receive as many of those benefits as possible.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (District of Columbia)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), the first woman to chair the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, today introduced a bill to apply the District of Columbia Human Rights Act of 1977 (DCHRA) to employees of the local D.C. courts and the D.C. Public Defender Service (PDS). In 2022, the D.C. Court of Appeals held that the DCHRA, which protects employees of the D.C. government and private employers from discrimination, does not apply to employees of the local D.C. courts. The court has not ruled on the applicability of the DCHRA to PDS employees.

“The local D.C. courts and the D.C. Public Defender Service are unique entities, and they sometimes fall through the regulatory cracks,” Norton said. “They are neither federal nor D.C. government entities, though both were created and are funded by Congress, and their employees are treated as federal employees for some employee benefits. I want to ensure that their employees have comprehensive protections from and remedies for employment discrimination.”

While employees of the local D.C. courts and PDS are protected by federal anti-discrimination laws, the DCHRA provides much broader protections and remedies for workers than federal employment anti-discrimination laws. 

The D.C. Council may have the authority to pass such a bill itself, but only Congress has the clear authority to do so, given the express limitations in the D.C. Home Rule Act on the Council’s authority to legislate on matters affecting the local D.C. courts and given that Congress has generally served as the legislative body for PDS. 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Sanford D Bishop Jr (GA-02)

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Sanford Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) voted for H.R. 7006, a bipartisan funding bill that covers financial services, general government, national security, and the U.S. Department of State. The funding will help hard-working Americans with tax filing assistance. The programs funded by this bill also help entrepreneurs and small business owners succeed and create jobs. The bill also helps states with election security and supports America’s diplomatic efforts around the world. 

“While this bill is far from perfect, it keeps the federal government open and working for the people and is a great improvement over the bill that initially came out of committee. Hardworking Georgians are the driving force of our state’s economy. This bill makes sure that the federal government is a solid partner as they set up businesses. It supports the IRS mission to be as responsive as possible to the taxpayer and seeks to ensure they get the refunds they are owed in a timely manner,” said Congressman Bishop. “Georgians should be able to trust that the government is spending their taxpayer dollars fairly, and this bill reasserts Congress’s Constitutional authority to direct the Trump Administration’s spending.”

H.R. 7006 passed by a bipartisan vote of 341-79 in the U.S. House, and it now goes to the U.S. Senate for consideration before being signed into law by the President.

This bill is a result of hard work by Democrats and Republicans finding a bipartisan pathway forward. It will prevent $163 billion in cuts proposed by the Trump Administration, the most drastic of which would have decimated programs that help entrepreneurs, strengthen cooperation with our international allies, and help small businesses in rural areas secure loans.

Some highlights from H.R. 7006 include:

• $1 billion for the Small Business Administration, including $330 million for new Entrepreneurial Development Programs
• $45 million for Election Security Grants to be given to states to determine how to secure federal elections in their states
• $324 million for the Community Development Financial Institutions programs that focus on high poverty areas
• $456 million for the Office of National Drug Control Policy
• $3 billion to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for Taxpayer services like pre-filing education and taxpayer advocacy
• $6.8 billion for a new National Security Investment Program which consolidates previously separate economic and regional support efforts
• $5.5 billion for humanitarian assistance, including through a new International Humanitarian Assistance account that consolidates previously separate disaster assistance and migration/refugee support programs
• $1.4 billion for the International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement, which fights drug trafficking and transnational crime
• $850 million for the American First Opportunity Fund, under congressional oversight, which supports emerging priorities

Last week, Congress passed Fiscal Year 2026 funding legislation for the U.S. Departments of Justice, Commerce, and Energy as well as federal programs covering science, water, and the environment. Congressional Democrats and Republicans continue to negotiate on legislation that will fully fund the remaining federal departments, agencies, and programs before funding runs out at the end of this month. The bill reaffirms Congress’s power of the purse.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Sanford D Bishop Jr (GA-02)

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) urged the Trump Administration to reverse course on its recent decision to cancel billions of dollars in Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grants. These grants provide resources for overdose prevention, addiction recovery, and mental health services and support local courts, healthcare providers, and community organizations that take on these challenges.

“At a time when the Trump Administration is willing to go to war over drug trafficking, its commitment to the fight seems less than genuine if they are simultaneously retreating from Americans who need our support here on the homefront. These cuts will make our communities more dangerous and cost the lives of those struggling with mental health and drug addiction,” said Congressman Bishop. “These cuts are a message to all the local community partners – our courts, our healthcare providers, and thousands of patients throughout Middle and Southwest Georgia that the might and strength of the United States is not focused on helping them.”

“Bipartisan investments in these federal programs that I have supported, along with my Democratic and Republican colleagues, over the past few years have been successful and resulted in the number of overdose deaths falling for the past two years. Today’s cuts by the Trump Administration jeopardizes the advances we have made,” added Congressman Bishop. “The Administration needs to reverse course on this misguided and harmful decision to gut mental health care funding.”

The local community was quick to react as well, including the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in Columbus, Georgia.

“As a representative of NAMI Columbus on the Community Advisory Board of the Accountability Court, I am deeply concerned about the loss of approximately $900,000 in SAMHSA funding to the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit’s accountability courts. These funds support Veterans Court, Drug Court, and Mental Health Court and provide essential treatment services for justice-involved individuals and vulnerable populations,” said Vanessa Dickert, Columbus Programs Manager for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. “Accountability courts are evidence-based and proven to reduce recidivism, and the elimination of this funding jeopardizes community health, and recovery outcomes.”

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

WASHINGTON — Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) voted against the fiscal year 2026 State Department funding bill and released the following statement explaining his vote:

“I voted against this bill because it puts no guardrails on the Trump Administration’s reckless use of taxpayer funds to escalate military action or unilaterally enable civilian occupation abroad. That’s why I introduced the No Occupation of Venezuela Act—to make clear that no president can use federal funds to bypass Congress’s constitutional role in authorizing the use of force. Congress cannot allow end-runs around the Constitution.”

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

WASHINGTON — Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) issued the following statement in response to reports that the Trump administration, through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), has sent letters abruptly terminating federal grants that fund addiction treatment, overdose prevention, and mental-health services nationwide:

“This administration’s decision to wipe out anti-addiction and mental-health grants overnight is an act of staggering cruelty that will cost lives. These funds keep overdose prevention, crisis response, and recovery services running in communities every day, and cutting them means clinics closing, naloxone disappearing, and families left with nowhere to turn. At the height of a national overdose and mental-health crisis, this administration is knowingly ripping away lifesaving care—and I will fight to reverse these cuts and restore every dollar.”

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

WASHINGTON — Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi today issued the following statement:

“I stand with the Iranian people against a regime that has answered peaceful protest with brutal repression and mass killings. I believe the U.S. should do everything possible through its diplomacy and economic power to support the movement opposing the violent and repressive Iranian government. History has shown, however, that foreign military intervention and reckless threats of force often empower hardliners and undermine those working for change. Supporting the brave people of Iran is better served through forceful diplomacy and coordinated international pressure rather than direct military involvement.”

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

WASHINGTON — Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi condemned President Trump’s renewed threat to unlawfully withhold Congressionally approved funding from Chicago and other cities whose laws prohibit local law enforcement from assisting in immigration enforcement operations with ICE and other federal agencies.

“Donald Trump is threatening to illegally withhold Congressionally approved funding to punish Chicago and other cities that won’t bow to him. Courts have already blocked this kind of unlawful power grab, and he’s trying it again anyway. I’m fighting this in Congress and will support every legal effort to stop it. In the United States of America, the president is bound by the law; he is not above it.”

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

WASHINGTON — Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) today sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanding that DHS categorically rule out Venezuela as a destination for third-country deportations and halt any actions that would place vulnerable people into conditions of danger, lawlessness, or abuse.

Krishnamoorthi opened the letter by warning that recent public statements from the administration raise the alarming possibility that DHS may be contemplating Venezuela for third-country removals:

 “I write out of profound concern regarding the Department of Homeland Security’s expanding use of third-country deportations and the alarming possibility that Venezuela may be contemplated as a destination for such transfers. In the wake of public statements by President Trump asserting that the United States is now ‘in charge’ of Venezuela, the risk that this administration may seek to treat Venezuela as a third country deportations destination cannot be ignored. DHS must not proceed down that path.”

 The Congressman detailed how DHS has increasingly deported people to countries where they are not citizens and often have no ties, frequently without due process:

“Over the past year, DHS has increasingly deported immigrants to multiple third countries, nations where these individuals are not citizens and often have no ties. Many of those sent away were asylum seekers and had no criminal convictions and were removed without meaningful due process or clear explanation.”

Pointing to recent precedent, Krishnamoorthi cited the mass deportations to El Salvador and the consequences of outsourcing U.S. immigration enforcement to countries in crisis:

“In March 2025, the U.S. government deported hundreds of people to El Salvador, including many who had no criminal record, without giving them a fair chance to challenge their deportation. Many of these individuals were sent to a dangerous mega-prison called CECOT.”

He warned that repeating this model in Venezuela would be even more dangerous and unlawful:

 “Sending people to a place where they are likely to be harmed violates basic human rights and raises serious questions about whether the government followed U.S. law and its duty not to send people into danger. Any effort to replicate this model in Venezuela would be even more dangerous.”

Citing U.S. government travel warnings and binding legal obligations, Krishnamoorthi made clear that Venezuela cannot be treated as a lawful destination for removals:

“The U.S. Department of State continues to warn Americans not to travel to Venezuela, citing the risk of wrongful detention, torture, kidnapping, and arbitrary enforcement of local laws — underscoring that this is no place to send people. Deporting individuals—many of whom fled persecution, political repression, or economic collapse—into a country the United States itself deems unsafe would expose them to grave risk. Venezuela is not a safe third country. It lacks the legal framework, institutional capacity, and humanitarian infrastructure necessary to receive third-country deportees.”

Krishnamoorthi concluded by urging DHS to halt any such actions immediately and provide full transparency to Congress:

“The transfers to countries such as El Salvador should serve as a warning—not a blueprint. DHS must not repeat or expand policies that knowingly place people into conditions of danger, lawlessness, or abuse. The United States cannot allow Venezuela to become the next CECOT—or treat an entire country as an improvised immigration detention facility.”

The letter is available here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Andy Harris (MD-01)

Washington, D.C. — Congressman Andy Harris, Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and Food and Drug Administration, is concerned that Maryland officials may have not done all they could to lower the Payment Error Rate in the Maryland SNAP program. Since hard-earned federal taxpayer dollars are concerned, the whistleblower allegations should be taken seriously and investigated at the state and federal level. 

Statement from Congressman Harris:

“I appreciated meeting with USDA’s Inspector General John Walk today to discuss my concerns with Maryland’s SNAP payment error rate and specifically the related allegation that State officials intentionally left payment errors unaddressed to delay legal penalties. Inspector General Walk appreciated the concerns I raised and committed to looking into the allegations for any appropriate actions, including any potential criminal actions.”

For media inquiries, please contact Michella Carter at Michella.Carter@mail.house.gov