MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)

WASHINGTON, DC -Today, The Monopoly Busters Caucus, led by Co-Chairs U.S. Representatives Angie Craig (MN-02), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Chris Deluzio (PA-17) and Pat Ryan (NY-18), blasted the Trump Administration for ending a key U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) partnership with bipartisan state attorneys general (AGs) that bolstered competition and tackled anticompetitive market structures in food and agricultural markets that have driven up prices for working Americans. 

Through the Agricultural Competition Partnership (ACP), USDA previously provided $15 million in funding, support, and expertise to under-resourced state AG offices to help facilitate partnerships between federal and state law enforcement in order to achieve fairer, more competitive markets and more resilient supply chains. This included a focus on price gouging and addressing market structure problems, barriers to competition, and conflicts of interest.

In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, the caucus stressed the importance of the ACP in combatting market consolidation, which has decreased margins for family farmers, producers and small business owners, while increasing prices for consumers. The Members also demanded answers from Secretary Rollins about how USDA plans to promote competition in the food and agriculture industries and supply emergency price relief to American farmers, workers and consumers.

“Ending the partnership with state AGs threatens competition and is contrary to President Trump’s stated goals of lowering food prices, helping struggling independent farmers, and promoting national security,” the Members wrote. 

“Consolidation in the food and agriculture markets is significant and remains a growing problem for farmers and consumers,” the Members continued. “In consolidated markets like food and agriculture, dominant firms are able to abuse their market power, cutting costs and underinvesting in workers, supply chains, and key food infrastructure; forcing consumers and small businesses to pay higher prices; and reducing choice and quality in the marketplace. As consolidation has accelerated, hundreds of thousands of independent farms have shuttered, hurting rural communities, limiting production, and hindering food accessibility.”

“Although the Trump Administration has claimed it intends to ‘deliver emergency price relief’ to defeat the ‘cost-of-living crisis’ and implement ‘America First Priorities,’ walking away from the ACP with state AGs signals you are abandoning antitrust efforts that could actually address rising food prices for consumers and rising costs for farmers,” the Members concluded. 

The letter was signed by Reps. Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-03), Jerry Nadler (NY-10), André Carson (IN-07), Becca Balint (VT-AL) and Greg Casar (TX-35).

You can read the full text of the letter here.

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Issues: Jobs, Labor, & the Economy

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Sean Casten (IL-06)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rick Larsen (2nd Congressional District Washington)

Today, Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement after the Senate passed the Coast Guard Authorization Act (CGAA) as part of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act:

“The Coast Guard Authorization Act invests in Washington state’s Coasties and the communities they serve – from better equipping marine firefighters to preventing and responding to oil spills to extending the whale desk,” said Rep. Larsen. “I have proudly supported this bill to make sure the women and men who keep our seas safe have the resources they need to achieve mission success and protect Washingtonians. I am glad to see it move to the President’s desk and I urge him to sign it into law.”

The CGAA includes key provisions to support Coasties in the Pacific Northwest and keep Washingtonians safe, including:

Extension of the Cetacean Desk

The CGAA provides a two-year extension of the pilot program that established the whale desk at Coast Guard Base Seattle. This program provides real-time whale location data for mariners to prevent ship strikes and noise disturbance while also protecting whale species.

International Oil Spill Contingency Planning

In response to the increased oil tanker traffic entering Canadian waters north of Puget Sound, the CGAA requires the Coast Guard to update and modernize oil spill response plans and agreements with Canada in the event of a cross-jurisdiction spill.

Salvaging and Marine Firefighting (SMFF)

In response to the tragic passing of a community member during the 2022 sinking of the Aleutian Isle off Sunset Point in Rep. Larsen’s district, the CGAA allows for verification of SMFF capacity in vessel response plans to ensure that ships are stocked with the necessary salvage and marine firefighting equipment.

Seattle Property Negotiating

The CGAA broadens the scope of cooperative agreements into which the U.S. Coast Guard can enter, including with Tribal organizations. This will allow the Coast Guard to better negotiate with Muckleshoot and Suquamish tribes over land and water use while modernizing Base Seattle.

Tsunami Preparedness

The CGAA requires every Coast Guard base or station located in a high-tsunami-risk area to develop an evacuation plan in coordination with local governments, conduct regular drills and conduct follow-ups with servicemembers and staff.

Rep. Larsen is the top Democrat on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which has jurisdiction over the U.S. Coast Guard. In that role, Rep. Larsen introduced and secured passage of the CGAA through the Committee by a 60-0 vote and the House by a 399-12 vote.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Levin (CA-49)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representatives Mike Quigley (IL-05), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Sarah McBride (DE-At Large), and Valerie Foushee (NC-04) re-introduced the Protecting the Rights of Towns against federal Enforcement contrary to Constitutional Tenets for (PROTECT) Immigration Act, legislation which would end the deputization of local and state police departments to enforce immigration law. The PROTECT Immigration Act would rescind the statutory authority for the federal government’s 287(g) Program, which allows the Department of Homeland Security to enter into agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies to enforce federal immigration law.

“The Trump administration just spent months terrorizing immigrants in the Chicagoland area. Their actions led to domestic violence victims fleeing a courthouse rather than receive restraining orders against their abusers, all out of fear that ICE or local law enforcement would detain and deport them,” said Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05). “I met with immigrants and their neighbors who are afraid to call for help or report crimes in their neighborhoods because of Trump’s deliberate erosion of trust between communities and local police. And now the Trump administration is running ads targeting local police and offering $50,000 signing bonuses to pull critical law enforcement away from day-to-day policing in order to arrest and detain hardworking immigrants with no criminal records. We must bring an end to the 287(g) program and cut off one of the avenues this administration has exploited to intimidate immigrant communities.”

“Allowing local law enforcement to be deputized to kidnap and disappear immigrants undercuts the trust that local police rely on to maintain public safety in our communities,” said Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07). “Immigrants and their U.S. citizen loved ones stop reporting crimes out of fear of being kidnapped and deported. Local police are spread thin enforcing federal civil immigration law. We know that Trump is not targeting criminals, he is targeting our friends, neighbors, co-workers, and pillars of our community. This lawlessness must end immediately.”

“I’m proud to co-lead this legislation with Congressman Quigley to restore trust, safety, and integrity to our immigration system. For too long, the 287(g) program has drained local resources, fueled racial profiling, and made communities less safe — and it’s time we end it. The PROTECT Immigration Act makes clear that immigration enforcement belongs with trained federal authorities, guaranteeing that local law enforcement can focus exclusively on keeping our communities safe. This bill would take a step toward restoring trust between local communities and police departments so every family can live with dignity and without fear,” said Representative Sarah McBride (DE-At Large).

“The Trump Administration’s attempt to expand the 287(g) Program is a direct assault on civil rights and the Constitution,” said Representative Valerie Foushee (NC-04). “Having served in local law enforcement for more than 20 years, I know policing should protect and support our communities, not divide it, and deputizing local officers into immigration enforcers only erodes public trust, undermines public safety, and deepens fear. We need laws in place that restore fairness and uphold justice. That’s why I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing the PROTECT Immigration Act, which will reverse this harmful program and take an important step toward repairing the flaws in our broken immigration system.”

“In just one year, the Trump administration has massively expanded the 287(g) program and distorted it in ways Congress never intended, exploiting local law enforcement resources for its dystopian mass deportation agenda,” said Naureen Shah, director of policy and government affairs for the ACLU’s Equality Division. “Enlisting local law enforcement for mass deportations isn’t just a waste of taxpayer dollars – it terrorizes our communities, undermines public safety and fuels racial profiling. We thank Congressman Quigley for his leadership and urge our members of Congress to pass the PROTECT Immigration Act without delay.”

“The rapid expansion of the 287(g) program under the Trump administration represents yet another way that mass deportation undermines public safety for all Americans. When local police serve as a force multiplier for ICE, people become more afraid to report crime and less trusting of local police officers.  Local law enforcement agencies should prioritize real public safety concerns in their communities rather than waste limited manpower making traffic stops that turn into detention and deportation for long-standing community members who pose no threat. The PROTECT Act takes the overdue step of repealing a program that is unnecessary for effective enforcement of immigration laws, but continues to have a harmful track record for public safety,” said Nayna Gupta, Policy Director at the American Immigration Council.

Quigley has championed the PROTECT Immigration Act since 2017.

The PROTECT Immigration Act would:

• Repeal the statutory authority for the 287(g) Program; and
• Clarify that state and local law enforcement lack “inherent authority” to arrest people for suspected immigration offenses.

The legislation is also cosponsored by U.S. Representatives Eleanor Holmes Norton (Del.-DC), Sarah Jacobs (CA-51), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Henry “Hank” Johnson (GA-04), Robin Kelly (IL-02), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12).

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman David Scott (GA-13)

Read Bill Text

The Housing for the 21^st Century Act cleared a key hurdle by passing near-unanimously out of committee with a 50-1 vote. It now heads to the full House Floor for consideration.

WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, Congressman David Scott (GA-13) joined House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill (AR-02), and Ranking Member Maxine Waters (CA-43), in passing H.R. 664, the Housing for the 21^st Century Act of 2025, a landmark housing package, out of the full committee. The bipartisan measure addresses our nation’s affordable housing crisis and modernizes regulatory challenges impacting homeownership. The final package incorporated several bills filed by Rep. David Scott this year, including his Reforms to Housing Counseling & Financial Literacy Programs Act and Streamlining Rural Housing Act—proposals to tackle Georgia’s housing crisis.

“Housing is not a Democratic issue or a Republican issue. It is an American issue. Today’s committee markup demonstrates what is possible when leadership on both sides chooses collaboration,” said Congressman David Scott. This bipartisan bill reflects thoughtful, principled compromise. It acknowledges that we can strengthen housing oversight while preserving access. It shows that we can fight to protect consumers, enact real accountability, and ensure that housing policy works for those who have historically been left behind.  At a time when far too many working-class Georgians are being priced out of their communities, this bill shows recognition that inaction is not an option. I’m proud to support this legislation and look forward to moving it swiftly to the House floor.”

The Housing for the 21^st Century Act addresses the nation’s housing crisis by:

• Broadening access to homeownership, including manufactured housing and small dollar mortgages.
• Reducing regulatory barriers and streamlining permitting, inspection, and environmental review processes to accelerate housing development.
• Protecting borrowers and assisted families and enhancing federal oversight of housing providers; and
• Strengthening the development of adorable housing for families in both rural and urban communities.

The Reforms to Housing Counseling & Financial Literacy Programs Act would:

• Strengthen HUD’s authority to review housing counseling agencies and individual counselors.
• Require corrective action, additional training, or retesting when performance standards are not met.
• Expand access to HUD-approved foreclosure mitigation counseling for certain delinquent borrowers through the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund.

The Streamlining Rural Housing Act which:

• Directs the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to enter a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to align housing standards.
• Currently, rural housing projects that utilize both HUD and USDA programs must undergo slightly different but separate environmental reviews and inspections to receive funding.
• This creates unnecessary red tape for developers and drives up costs, ultimately contributing to the affordable housing shortage in rural communities nationwide.

“Today’s committee action brings us one step closer to ensuring these counseling services are accurate, effective, and accountable. Advancing this landmark housing package out of the full committee shows Congress can come together to strengthen federal housing programs and better protect borrowers, especially first-generation homebuyers and communities of color who have historically been targeted by predatory practices,” Congressman David Scott continued.

Access to safe, decent, and affordable housing is foundation to stable employment, educational outcomes for children, health, and the ability for seniors and people with disabilities to age in place. With nearly 12 million homes needed nationwide and housing costs skyrocketing, the Housing for the 21^st Century Act represents a meaningful step toward addressing these challenges while ensuring HUD programs work as intended.

Full text of the housing package can be accessed HERE.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11)

Congresswoman Stevens’ legislation builds on her leadership holding RFK Jr. accountable and advancing science-based public health policy

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Haley Stevens (D-MI) and Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (D-IL) introduced the Thyroid Disease CARE Act of 2025, landmark legislation aimed at advancing research, awareness, and care for thyroid disease—an often-overlooked health issue that disproportionately affects women.

The bill is the latest step in Stevens’ ongoing effort to defend science-based healthcare policy, building on her leadership in moving to impeach RFK Jr. for cutting lifesaving medical research, spreading dangerous public health misinformation, and undermining trust in science.

“As RFK Jr. attacks medical science and undermines public trust, Congress must do the opposite,” said Congresswoman Stevens. “I’m standing up for science by advancing real solutions for Michigan women with thyroid disease—investing in research, awareness, and care so families can get the answers and care they deserve.”

The thyroid gland regulates essential bodily functions. Disorders such as hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism can disrupt nearly every system in the body. One in eight women will develop a thyroid disorder during her lifetime, with women facing ten times the risk of men. Despite these numbers, thyroid disease remains under-researched, particularly in understanding why women are so heavily affected.

By strengthening research and education, the legislation aims to improve outcomes, reduce disparities, and ensure patients receive earlier, more effective care.

The legislation has been endorsed by leading medical and patient advocacy organizations, including the Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, American Thyroid Association, and Bryn Silverman, Producer of Expression of Illness: A Louisvillian’s Thyroid Cancer Experience.

“As a physician who treats thyroid disorders and sees their impact on patients’ lives, I understand the need for greater insight into their causes and for advances in our tools to diagnose and treat them,” said Dr. Paul Ladenson, American Thyroid Association. “More funding for thyroid research is long overdue. That’s why I was thrilled to join Congresswoman Haley Stevens in support of the Thyroid Disease CARE Act. It’s time for more Federal resources to be directed to understanding and managing a set of diseases that affect so many Americans, especially women.”

“As a thyroid cancer survivor, I know very deeply the urgent need for research into thyroid disease,” said Bryn Silverman. “So often our experiences as people living with thyroid disease are misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all; our quality of life is undervalued and our symptoms are overlooked. The Thyroid Disease CARE Act has the potential to change thousands of people’s lives and expand the vocabulary we as patients have to make informed decisions about our healthcare.”

The Thyroid Disease CARE Act would:

• Authorize funding for thyroid disease research through the Department of Health and Human Services, opening new opportunities for Michigan-based researchers and medical institutions.
• Identify critical gaps in diagnosis and treatment.
• Launch a national public awareness campaign focused on populations most at risk, including women.
• Expand access to evidence-based thyroid care for health care providers and health systems.
• Commission a national study on disparities in thyroid disease prevalence, detection, treatment, and outcomes.

The full text of the bill can be found here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Raul Ruiz (36th District of California)

Washington, D.C. –The decision was made in the case brought forth by 12 Members of Congress in Neguse et al. v. U.S. ICE et al.
 

Just now, a federal court temporarily stopped the Trump-Vance administration’s policy blocking Members of Congress from unannounced oversight visits to federal immigration detention facilities. The decision restores Congress’s ability to conduct real-time oversight of how the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detain individuals — including U.S. citizens — and spend billions in taxpayer dollars, while the case continues.

The lawsuit, Neguse et al. v. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement et al., was brought by a dozen members of the U.S. House of Representatives after the administration imposed a seven-day waiting period and barred access to certain field offices, in violation of a longstanding federal law that guarantees congressional oversight.

The plaintiffs include Assistant Democratic Leader Joe Neguse; Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Rep. Adriano Espaillat; Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Rep. Bennie G. Thompson; Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Rep. Jamie Raskin; House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Ranking Member Rep. Robert Garcia; House Homeland Security Committee Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement Ranking Member Rep. J. Luis Correa; Rep. Jason Crow; Rep. Veronica Escobar; Rep. Dan Goldman; Rep. Jimmy Gomez; Rep. Raul Ruiz; and Rep. Norma Torres.

In a joint statement, the plaintiffs said: “Today’s decision is a critical victory toward restoring our ability to conduct essential congressional oversight on behalf of the American people. It reinforces the rule of law and reminds the administration that oversight is not optional. Real-time, on-the-ground visits to immigration detention facilities help prevent abuses and ensure transparency. Oversight is a core responsibility of Members of Congress—and a constitutional duty we do not take lightly. We’ll continue standing up for the rule of law.”

The Members of Congress are represented in this suit by Democracy Forward Foundation and American Oversight.

“This ruling is a victory for the American people and their elected representatives,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “This decision makes clear that no president can hide the truth about how people are treated in federal immigration custody. We’re honored to represent these individual Members of Congress in defending accountability, transparency, the rule of law, and human dignity.”

“Today’s ruling is a clear victory for the rule of law and a clear affirmation that no administration is above it,” said Chioma Chukwu, Executive Director of American Oversight. “Members of Congress have an unquestioned right to conduct real-time oversight of immigration detention facilities, and the American people have a right to know what is happening in their name. By blocking those visits, the administration wasn’t simply breaking the law, it was trying to conceal the reality inside these facilities from the public: people in overcrowded, inhumane conditions without adequate beds, showers, or medical care. This order restores a critical check on executive power and sends a clear message that abuse cannot be hidden.”

With this decision, the court reaffirms Members of Congress’s right to access federal immigration detention facilities without prior notice — a safeguard meant to prevent abuse, protect human rights, and ensure that taxpayer funds are not used to support unlawful or inhumane practices. The ruling sends a strong message that oversight is essential to democracy and that no administration is above the law.

How did we get here?

Federal law (Sec. 527, FY2024 DHS Appropriations Act) allows Members of Congress to visit U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sites where noncitizens are detained without prior notice. But increasingly, these representatives have been stopped at the door.

In response to questions about this, ICE officials announced a new policy requiring a seven-day waiting period and preventing entry to ICE field offices.

On July 30, a dozen individual Members of the U.S. House of Representatives sued the Trump-Vance administration, challenging the policy as an unlawful obstruction of congressional oversight.

Subsequently, the plaintiffs sought a court order requiring DHS and its Secretary Kristi Noem, as well as ICE and its Acting Director Todd Lyons to comply with the federal law granting Members of Congress the right to visit immigration detention facilities without prior notice during the course of their lawsuit.