MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Pete Aguilar (31 CD Ca)

Since Trump’s war with Iran began, gas prices in San Bernardino County have soared to over $5.50 per gallon

SAN BERNARDINO, CA – Rep. Pete Aguilar (CA-33) visited the La Bufadora Baja Grill food truck, a local, family-owned restaurant chain that has been impacted by the skyrocketing price of gas caused by Trump’s war in Iran. La Bufadora Baja Grill relies on their food trucks to serve customers throughout the Inland Empire. The higher cost of gas in San Bernardino County and the rising cost of other goods, thanks to Trump’s war with Iran and his chaotic tariffs, have put financial pressure on La Bufadora Baja Grill. You can find photos from the visit above and here.
“From the gas pump to your favorite lunch spots, hardworking Americans are paying the price for Trump’s war in the Middle East,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar. “For local restaurants like La Bufadora that rely on their trucks to serve their customers, higher gas prices mean lower profits. Small businesses and working people can’t afford to pay the price for Trump’s war with Iran. It’s time for the President to end this reckless conflict overseas and focus on bringing down costs for people here at home.”
“La Bufadora Food Truck prides itself on bringing the authentic taste of La Bufadora Baja Grill anywhere it is welcomed,” said Ruben Fuentes Jr., Administrative Coordinator, La Bufadora Food Truck. “With rising costs of oil, gasoline, diesel, and produce, increasing our prices without risking customer loyalty is becoming more difficult than ever. Our business is strictly mobile, which is the only major difference from our brick and mortar locations around Southern California. Therefore, maintaining costs similar to those of the restaurants will not continue to be feasible if costs keep increasing. A heavy-duty, diesel-powered truck tows the food truck, and two premium-fuel generators provide power. Gasoline and diesel expenses alone have increased by more than $500 compared to last year. All our produce is delivered from our parent corporation’s factory, and naturally, those delivery costs have also increased. If this negative trend continues, we will have no choice but to increase our prices. As a family-owned and operated business, we risk our livelihood by making these decisions.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (15th District of Texas)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Glenn Grothman (R-Glenbeulah 6th District Wisconsin)

Today, Congressman Glenn Grothman (R-WI) and Congressman Mark Pocan (D-WI) introduced the Safeguarding Aquatic Fisheries and Ecosystem (SAFE) Pathways Act, legislation designed to protect Wisconsin’s rivers and lakes from the spread of invasive species, like Asian Carp.

Fishways are a key tool for supporting native fish populations, but when poorly planned, they can inadvertently allow harmful species to move into new waterways, disrupting ecosystems and costing taxpayers billions. The SAFE Pathways Act ensures federal agencies assess these risks and incorporate proven safeguards before constructing new fishways, protecting both our environment and local economies.

The legislation is supported by the North American Invasive Species Management Association (NAISMA) and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission.

“Wisconsin’s rivers and lakes are some of our state’s greatest resources, and we have a responsibility to protect them,” said Rep. Grothman. “Fishways are an important tool to help native species thrive, but if they’re poorly designed or located, they can unintentionally create highways for invasive species that devastate our waters, harm wildlife, and cost taxpayers billions in damage and cleanup.

“The SAFE Pathways Act makes sure federal agencies take a hard look at these risks, plan responsibly, and use proven tools to prevent problems before they start. This is smart, proactive policy that keeps our fisheries healthy, safeguards local economies, and protects our nation’s natural resources for generations to come.”

“Invasive species pose a tremendous threat to the $5.1 billion Great Lakes fishery,” said Dr. Marc Gaden, Executive Secretary of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. “This legislation will help stop the spread of these harmful species, many of which have caused billions of dollars of damage to our highly valued lakes and tributaries.”

“The SAFE Pathways Act is a smart, forward‑looking investment in protecting our native fisheries and the communities that depend on them,” said Christie Trifone Millhouse, Executive Director of NAISMA. “By requiring agencies to assess invasive species risks before new fishways are built, this legislation strengthens ecological resilience, safeguards local economies, and helps prevent the costly impacts of invasive species before they take hold.” 

Background Information

Fishways allow native fish to navigate around dams and other barriers, supporting population growth and preserving species. However, improperly planned fishways can create pathways for invasive species, which disrupt aquatic ecosystems through predation, habitat destruction, and competition for resources. In 2021, invasive species caused an estimated $26 billion in lost economic activity across North America.

The SAFE Pathways Act requires federal agencies to evaluate the risk of invasive species before constructing new fishways and incorporate mitigation strategies like biological controls, physical barriers, and targeted design standards. By addressing these risks early, the legislation helps safeguard Wisconsin’s fisheries, protect local economies, and reduce costly environmental damage before it happens.

-30- 

U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Glenbeulah) proudly serves the people of Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)

U.S. Representative Don Beyer (D-VA) today introduced the Working Americans’ Tax Cut Act to ensure the wealthiest pay their fair share through a tiered surtax on income above a million dollars. The revenue generated by this surtax will provide much-needed tax relief for millions of working Americans who are struggling to afford the cost of living as prices rise. Additionally, the bill eliminates federal income taxes for Americans who make under the $46,000 median cost of living and provides a significant tax break to individuals making between $46,000 to $80,500, with proportionally higher rates for heads of households and married couples. Companion legislation was introduced in the Senate by U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD). 

This legislation has been endorsed by a broad range of organizations including: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Americans for Tax Fairness, Community Change Action, Demos, Get Out the Vote PAC, Indivisible, Institute for Policy Studies, MoveOn, National Education Association (NEA), NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Oxfam US, Patriotic Millionaires, People’s Action, Public Citizen, Social Security Works, Strong Economy for All Coalition, SURJ, Take on Wall Street, and United for a Fair Economy.

“For decades, our tax code has been tilted to benefit the wealthiest Americans – especially those making millions of dollars each year from investments and capital gains. Our bill would restore balance and fairness to our tax code by asking the wealthiest Americans to contribute more through a tiered surtax on income above one million dollars. That revenue will deliver meaningful tax relief for working Americans trying to afford basic necessities like groceries, rent, child care, and gas,” said Representative Beyer.

“Far too many Americans are working hard for their paychecks but still having trouble making ends meet. These Americans who are earning just enough to get by – to meet their basic living expenses – should not have to pay a federal income tax. Our bill would ensure just that – and it would provide a significant tax break to millions of other working Americans, so folks can keep more of their hard-earned money in their pockets,” said Senator Van Hollen.

The Working Americans’ Tax Cut Act implements a tiered surtax on millionaires. The bill applies an additional 5 percent tax to the first dollar an individual makes over $1 million and the first dollar a married couple earns over $1.5 million annually; an additional 10 percent tax to the first dollar an individual makes over $2 million and a married couple makes over $3 million annually; and an additional 12 percent tax to the first dollar an individual makes over $5 million and a married couple makes over $7.5 million annually. This surtax would apply equally to wages and salaries as well as to capital gains and other investment income. The Yale Budget Lab has estimated that this surtax would impact 615,000 tax filers and raise $1.46 trillion over ten years. 

The revenue generated through this surtax will fund needed tax relief for working Americans – whether they are a single adult, a head of household, or a married couple filing jointly – by reducing their federal income taxes based on their income to help ensure they can afford their cost of living expenses.

• The median cost of living for a single adult with no children in the United States is estimated to be $46,000 a year, based on county-level data aggregated by the Living Wage Institute. Individuals who earn less than that will not pay federal income taxes. 

• For individuals with income ranging from $46,000 to $80,500, the legislation provides a significant tax break to also combat cost of living expenses. It phases out this cost-of-living exemption at 175% of the median cost of living for a single adult with no children. As a result, a person making between $46,000 and $80,500 a year would have a lower tax rate using this exemption than they do under the current tax system. To illustrate, a single person who makes $50,000 would typically receive a tax cut of approximately $2,800.

• The bill includes a larger exemption for heads of households, 140% of the single exemption or $64,400; and for married couples filing jointly, 200% of the single exemption or $92,000.
  • These exemptions will also phase out at higher rates, with heads of households making between $64,400 and $112,700 a year and married couples making between $92,000 and $161,000 a year receiving a tax cut under this legislation. For example, a family of four who earns $95,000 would typically receive a tax cut of approximately $6,000  due to the cost-of-living exemption.

According to an analysis by the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy, nearly 130 million people, including over 25 million children, would receive a tax cut through this legislation.

“Working people are one medical bill, one car repair, one bad break from not making rent,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler. “They are working longer hours than ever and still struggling to put food on the table, while paying more in taxes than the billionaires. As we continue to fight for universal affordable health care, universal child care, and livable wages, the Working Americans’ Tax Cut Act is an important step toward getting working people some real relief.”

“The Working Americans’ Tax Act is one of the most important concrete actions Congress can take to ease the squeeze on working families. Right now, workers can’t pay the bills. Their wallets are being drained by a severe affordability crisis caused by the current administration and aggravated by the ‘Big, Ugly Bill’, which doubled down on tax cuts for billionaires, while stripping healthcare and nutrition assistance away from everyone else. This long-overdue legislation puts cash back in the pockets of millions of Americans who are being forced to choose between paying the rent and putting food on the table. It is a meaningful down payment on a solution that actually works for workers and the AFT is proud to be leading on it,” said Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers.

“At this point in American life, both parties want to be the party of the working class. Over the summer, Republicans tried to prove themselves by putting forward a budget bill that only offers tax relief for the 3% of working people who rely on tips. But today, Senator Van Hollen and his Democratic colleagues made their pitch to wear the label by introducing a bill that provides help to ALL working people. To us, it’s abundantly clear who actually deserves it,” said Morris Pearl, Chair of Patriotic Millionaires. “This is a watershed moment that would offer economic stability to a vast majority of the country. Millionaires like me will be better off paying a little more in taxes so that all of the workers we depend on can afford to provide for their families. That’s why the Patriotic Millionaires are thrilled to see Senator Van Hollen, Senator Kelly, Representative Beyer, and their colleagues introduce the Working Americans’ Tax Cut Act to get our country on a better and more sustainable path for the sake of our economy and democracy.”

Text of the Working Americans’ Tax Cut Act is available here. 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Zoe Lofgren, alongside Reps. Eric Swalwell, Lateefah Simon, Kevin Mullin, and Nanette Barragán and Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of State demanding urgent answers following the deportation of a Hayward mother and her two young children, including her six-year-old son, Joseph, who was removed from the country without his assistive hearing devices. 

 The letter outlines serious humanitarian and due-process concerns surrounding the deportation of Lesly Rodriguez Gutierrez and her children after they appeared for a routine immigration check-in in San Francisco. According to the family’s attorney, Rodriguez Gutierrez complied with the law and presented herself for the required check-in, where she and her children were detained and deported to Colombia Joseph had been learning American Sign Language and attending school in the United States before the deportation. According to the family, his removal from his community and support system has led to severe isolation and distress. The family has filed applications for humanitarian parole that would allow them to return to the United States while Joseph’s medical and educational needs are addressed and the circumstances of the deportation are investigated.

“It’s really unconscionable to deport a deaf six-year-old without his hearing devices. This administration claimed that they were targeting the worst of the worst with their immigration policies, and yet they’re going after disabled children. The Gutierrez family was trying to follow the law, and they need to be returned to their home in Hayward,” said Congresswoman Lofgren.

“What did this family do wrong?” said Rep. Swalwell. “The deportation of a young deaf child without the assistive hearing devices he needs is dangerous. Sadly, there appears to be no line this administration won’t cross. I’m past frustration. I’m outraged. We will not allow this treatment to continue. My colleagues and I are demanding answers, and we demand them now.”

 

“The Administration’s treatment of the Rodriguez Gutierrez family and their deaf 6-year-old son is cruel, unnecessary, and sickening. As the first congenitally blind Member to serve in Congress, I join my California colleagues in demanding answers and holding the Department of Homeland Security accountable for their disturbing treatment of minors with disabilities — so this never happens again,” said Congresswoman Simon. “No government that calls itself humane would treat people like this, and we will keep pushing until this deportation machine that is terrorizing families is stopped.” 

“Deporting a six-year-old deaf child while refusing to let him retrieve his hearing aids is a truly shameful example of the Trump Administration’s utterly inhumane and chaotic approach to immigration. I am hard of hearing and know firsthand how essential hearing aids are, yet I can still only imagine the terror and unnecessary trauma this poor child endured under DHS. I have also visited the California School for the Deaf where this young child attended, and my heart breaks for his family and the entire community. I join my colleagues in demanding DHS immediately answer why they failed to follow disability protections and explain the legal basis for ICE’s ridiculously cruel actions in this case,” said Congressman Mullin. 

“There is no excuse for ICE to have taken away 6-year-old Joseph’s hearing aids. None. To take away a young child’s tools that help him to hear is a cruelty that is both disgusting and pointless. Shame on DHS and ICE. They must work to bring the family back to the US and get Joseph the care he needs and deserves,” said Congresswoman Barragán.  

“The deportation of six-year-old Joseph Londono Rodriguez and his family is inhumane and inexcusable. Donald Trump’s out-of-control ICE and CBP continue terrorizing California communities through indiscriminate immigration enforcement, going as far as disappearing a deaf first-grader without his hearing aids during a routine immigration check in,” said Senator Padilla. “The cruelty and lawlessness have to end. We’re demanding the Trump Administration bring Ms. Rodriguez Gutierrez and her sons back immediately to a safe community away from isolation where Joseph can receive the specialized accommodations and continuity of care he needs.”

“The deportation of a deaf child seeking asylum and his family from the Bay Area is yet another tragic example of how Donald Trump’s indiscriminate immigration raids are targeting the most vulnerable among us,” said Senator Schiff. “Joseph Londono Rodriguez should be at home in California, and we will do all we can to reverse this.” 

The letter calls on DHS and the State Department to work immediately with the family’s legal representatives to facilitate the family’s return to the United States through humanitarian parole, allowing Joseph to regain access to the specialized care, services, and stability he needs while the circumstances of the deportation are reviewed.

The letter requests detailed information from the administration, including:

• The legal basis for detaining and deporting Rodriguez Gutierrez and her children after appearing for a scheduled immigration check-in.
• Evidence supporting claims that she “agreed” to deportation and whether she had access to legal counsel before any such agreement.
• What assessment, if any, was conducted regarding Joseph’s disability and his need for assistive hearing devices.
• Why immigration officials withheld the child’s hearing devices during the deportation process.
• Whether DHS complied with federal disability protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act, which require reasonable accommodations and continuity of care.

The full text of the letter can be found here.

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

Washington, D.C. — Today, Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens spoke on the House floor, condemning last week’s attempted antisemitic attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield and calling on Congress to take urgent action to combat rising antisemitism and protect houses of worship across the country.

Last Thursday, Temple Israel narrowly avoided a deadly act of antisemitic terrorism. Thanks to the swift action of private security guards and the rapid response from law enforcement, all 140 students and staff inside the building were safely evacuated.

Stevens thanked Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard, the West Bloomfield Police Department, the Bloomfield Township Police Department, and the many first responders who responded immediately to the scene.

Michigan’s 11th Congressional District is home to one of the most vibrant Jewish communities in the United States, including Temple Israel. Stevens said the attack has deeply shaken families and community members throughout the region.

Watch the full speech here.

Highlights include:

• We all saw the images on our television screens: Dozens and dozens of police vehicles showing up immediately. To the Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard, the West Bloomfield and Bloomfield Township Police Departments, and all the first responders who answered the call—thank you.
• No one should have to fear gathering at a synagogue, sending their kids to religious school, or simply practicing their faith. Tragically, this appears to be our new normal.
• Antisemitism is at its highest level in decades. Driven by hate and vitriol and stirred up by social media, it has become widespread and all too common.
• Congress must act. We have to fund Holocaust education programs. We must invest in efforts to combat antisemitism. And we must urgently fund the Nonprofit Security Grant Program to ensure that houses of worship—regardless of faith—can keep their congregations safe from acts of terror.
• Congress has fallen short. The security guards who saved Temple Israel were only there thanks to private grant funding from the Jewish Federations of North America.
• To our Jewish community: be proud of who you are. Know that we see you and we stand with you from the neighborhoods of West Bloomfield to the halls of Congress.

###

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) selected Louisiana’s proposal for the new Advanced Air Mobility and Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) Integration Pilot Program (eIPP).

Louisiana’s project, taking place at the Houma-Terrebonne Airport, will test transportation capabilities for cargo and personnel for flights over the Gulf of America, and to crucial locations for the energy industry in Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi. 

Congressman Higgins was a vocal advocate for this selection, delivering two letters to DOT and FAA leadership in support of the project. Read Congressman Higgins’ letter here and a letter from the Louisiana Delegation here.

“The Houma-Terrebonne Airport is uniquely equipped for this important pilot program,” said Rep. Higgins. “I’m proud to have been a consistent voice of support for Louisiana’s bid, and I’d like to thank Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford for choosing our state to be a partner for this endeavor.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Frank Pallone (6th District of New Jersey)

“These staff should never have been moved in the first place and should be restored to the World Trade Center Health Program. This is a monstrous betrayal, but Trump’s abandonment of 9/11 survivors and first responders is nothing new,” Pallone said. “I helped to create the World Trade Center Health Program because these survivors and first responders are some of our best examples of bravery, selflessness, and American excellence. Now their health care program is being torn apart to staff a rogue agency that tramples on American values and shoots our citizens in the street. The hardworking staff of the 9/11 health program shouldn’t be ripped away from the heroes they serve and forced to advance ICE’s inhumane and authoritarian immigration policies terrorizing our communities.”

The WTCHP provides monitoring and treatment to more than 145,000 responders and survivors across all 50 states. Pallone has repeatedly condemned the Trump Administration’s actions affecting the WTCHP’s ability to care for patients, including the firing of twenty percent of its employees.

“I fought to keep the World Trade Center Health Program intact and funded, and the Trump Administration should use that money to hire up to its full capacity and bring back those who were reassigned to ICE. These survivors deserve nothing less,” Pallone said.

Pallone has been a tireless advocate for 9/11 survivors and first responders, being instrumental in passing the bipartisan James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 establishing the WTCHP.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL)

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), both members of the Senate Environmental Justice Caucus, and U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL-10), Co-Chair of the bipartisan Ethylene Oxide Task Force, today released the following statement on the Trump Administration’s proposal to roll back a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule that protected Americans from harmful exposure to ethylene oxide (EtO), a known carcinogen: 

“We have known for decades that ethylene oxide poses a serious threat to human health, increasing the risk of leukemia and cancer to those exposed.  Despite this, the Trump Administration’s EPA has proposed weakening protections on EtO emissions, unquestionably threatening the health of those working at or living near sterilization facilities.

“Illinoisans—especially those near medical equipment sterilization facilities in Waukegan and Gurnee—deserve robust protections and an EPA that prioritizes their health.  We urge the Trump Administration to follow the science and uphold strong safeguards that protect public health, ensure transparency for impacted communities, and guarantee that no family has to live with unnecessary cancer risks simply because of where they reside.”

In 2024, the Biden Administration’s EPA implemented a new rule to tighten emission limits, monitoring, and controls for commercial sterilization facilities that use EtO.  The rule, which covered plants like Medline in Waukegan, Illinois and Vantage in Gurnee, Illinois, aimed to reduce EtO emissions by 90 percent by installing effective, achievable air pollution controls and preventing toxic emissions from reaching the communities in which these facilities operate.  Today, the Trump Administration’s EPA moved to loosen the limits implemented through the Biden-era rule.

In November 2023, Durbin, Duckworth, and Schneider released a statement regarding a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) evaluating the public health impacts of the EtO, a cancer-causing agent, emitted from the now-closed Sterigenics medical sterilization facility in Willowbrook, Illinois.  In the report, ATSDR concluded that, prior to February 15, 2019, long-term breathing of air within one mile of the Sterigenics facility is a concern for increased lifetime risk of cancer associated with EtO exposure, due to the gas’ concentration in the air during the sterilization operations at the facility.  The report also found that the air within a mile of the facility no longer poses significant risk to residents as the Sterigenics facility is no longer operational.

Durbin, Duckworth, and Schneider have been strong advocates for addressing the unacceptable level of EtO emissions.  In July 2023, the lawmakers led a letter signed by 40 Members of Congress to EPA supporting the Biden Adminsitration’s proposed EtO sterilizer rule.  Durbin, Duckworth, and Schneider have also previously introduced legislation that would require EPA to update EtO emissions standards to reflect the stricter criteria outlined in EPA’s 2016 IRIS study.  Under the bill, any updates to the emissions standards would have to incorporate the maximum achievable control technology requirements to exhaust vents and apply to both area and major sources, which covers plants like Sterigenics.  It would also require EPA to undergo a residual risk assessment following implementation of the new rule, which is a stringent and public-health focused review of the rule’s impacts.

The lawmakers have also met with the CEO of Sotera Health, the parent company of Sterigenics; convened meetings with then-EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler on the issue; and sat down with Willowbrook residents. 

EtO serves a variety of industrial purposes, including as a sterilizer for 50 percent of sterile medical devices.  In 2016, EPA identified EtO as a human carcinogen and included the chemical in the National Air Toxics Assessment.  Subsequently, EPA identified communities that faced potentially dangerous levels of EtO emissions from 86 EtO commercial sterilizers in the U.S.

-30-

Source: United States House of Representatives – Julia Brownley (D-CA)

Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (CA-26) joined Democratic Women’s Caucus Vice Chair U.S. Representative Emilia Sykes (OH-13) and 23 fellow members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC) in a letter demanding Trump’s Department of Education revise a proposed rule that would disproportionately harm funding for women graduate students and worsen workforce shortages in critical professions.

In a letter to Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon, the Members warned that by narrowing the definition of ‘professional students’ to exclude registered nurses, physician assistants, physical therapists, educators, and social workers, RIN 1840-AD98 (proposed rule) would prevent students in these professions from qualifying for greater loan assistance. 

The Members explained that the proposed rule worsens Trump and Republicans’ attacks on women graduate students’ ability to pay for school, which Trump and Republicans’ launched in their so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

“Following the enactment of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, proposed rule RIN 1840-AD98 would separate ‘professional’ and ‘graduate’ students under the law’s new degree definitions to enforce the new loan caps. Notably, the rule would define students in women dominated fields, like nursing, education, and social work as ‘graduate students’ rather than ‘professional students.’ As a result, these ‘graduate students’ would have a cap of $20,500 per year with a lifetime maximum of $100,000 in student loans. In comparison, ‘professional students’ can borrow up to $50,000 a year with a $200,000 lifetime maximum.”

The Members warned that these loan caps will result in increased financial hardship for women pursuing these degrees.

“Women pursuing these degrees dedicate two or three years of their lives and thousands of dollars to achieving them, while managing significant time commitments outside the classroom. Unlike undergraduate programs, these degrees include intense field work by placing nursing students in clinicals and prospective educators in classrooms. The intensive demand for these programs leaves little time for alternative financial options. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s graduate student loan limit of $20,500 per year will prevent women from affording their multi-year programs that cost more than the new student loan limit. For example, the average cost of graduate nursing school each year is $30,000.”

The Members also warned that this rule would hurt women’s financial stability and would make it harder for people across the country to access essential services like health care, counseling, and crisis intervention.

“Women constitute 89% of registered nurses, 73% of teachers, and 83% of social workers. Yet, each field faces significant shortages. The women in these jobs keep our families healthy, our communities safe, and teach our kids valuable lessons and skills. We must bolster the number of women entering these professions. Instead, the Department is going to worsen the workforce shortages in these women dominated fields and limit access to quality health care and education for our communities.”

The Members concluded the letter by urging the Department to withdraw or revise the proposed rule and ensure women-dominated professions aren’t unfairly excluded from adequate loan access.

“The Democratic Women’s Caucus is dedicated to building a future where all women and families can thrive. Women must have access to affordable education and have the freedom to pursue their chosen career. Similarly, essential workforces, like health care and education, must be bolstered to effectively serve our communities. We call on the Department of Education to modify proposed rule RIN 1840-AD98 and maintain women’s access to student loans.” 

Read the full letter here.

In addition to Rep. Julia Brownley and letter lead Rep. Emilia Sykes, the letter was signed by Reps. Yassamin Ansari, Joyce Beatty, Sarah Elfreth, Teresa Leger Fernández, Sarah McBride, Kelly Morrison, Brittany Pettersen, Chellie Pingree, Delia Ramirez, Emily Randall, Deborah Ross,  Andrea Salinas, Janice Schakowsky, Hillary Scholten, Lateefah Simon, Melanie Stansbury, Dina Titus, Rashida Tlaib, Jill Tokuda, Lori Trahan, Nydia Velázquez, Nikema Williams, and Frederica Wilson.

###

Issues: 119th Congress, Education