MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Gregory W Meeks (5th District of New York)

Washington, D.C. – Representatives Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Adam Smith, Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee; Jim Himes, Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; Rosa DeLauro; Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee; and Betty McCollum, Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense sent a letter to top Trump administration officials set to brief Congress today.

The letter, addressed to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth; Secretary of State Marco Rubio; Director of the Central Intelligence Agency John Ratcliffe; and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, asked for direct and comprehensive answers on critical questions concerning ongoing U.S. military operations against Iran.

A PDF of the full letter can be found here.

“A number of our brave service members have already lost their lives in this conflict, and the American people are entitled to clear answers including why this conflict began, what objectives justify continued military engagement, and what guardrails are in place to prevent a broader or protracted regional war.

“Tomorrow, your classified briefing to Members of Congress regarding ongoing military operations must address strategy, intelligence, legal justification, and long-term consequences in concrete terms. Congress has a constitutional responsibility in matters of war and that requires complete and candid information.

“Accordingly, during the briefing tomorrow, we ask that you directly address the following: 

1. Imminent Threat Justification.  What is the Administration’s legal justification for initiating hostilities? What specific, imminent threat to U.S. personnel, territory, or vital national interests formed the basis for initiating this war?
2. Strategic Objectives and Victory.  What are the defined U.S. objectives in this conflict, what conditions would constitute mission success, and under what circumstances would operations cease?  Will this require American ground troops fighting in Iran?
3. Regime Change.  With the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, who is in control of the country today and who does the Administration expect to control key state institutions at the end of this conflict?
4. Nuclear Security.  Who currently controls Iran’s nuclear facilities and materials, and what safeguards are in place to prevent diversion or proliferation, or complete loss of control?
5. Strait of Hormuz and Maritime Security.  What is the long term risk to access to, and through the strait for commercial traffic? If oil flows do not resume shortly, it will have impact on Americans’ electric bills and gas bills in addition to global energy markets.
6. Costs and Impacts on Munitions Inventories.  What are the costs associated with this operation?  What are current U.S. munitions inventories in the region and globally? What is the impact of continued operations on overall U.S. contingency requirements?…”

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

Griffith Announces $709,867 HHS Grant to Virginia Tech

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

Griffith Announces $368,800 HHS Grant to Virginia Tech

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jimmy Gomez (CA-34)

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Representatives Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.), and Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) introduced a Resolution of Inquiry (ROI) demanding that the Department of Treasury and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) turn over all records related to the IRS’s illegal sharing of private taxpayer information with immigration enforcement.

This Resolution of Inquiry requires Treasury and DHS to provide a full accounting of how this data-sharing agreement was carried out and whether federal privacy laws were violated. The agencies would be required to turn over the records within 14 days of adoption.

For decades, federal law has made clear that taxpayer information is confidential and can’t be used for unrelated enforcement purposes. This agreement raises serious concerns about opening the door for sensitive tax records, including those filed by immigrants who pay into the system using Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs), to be used for immigration enforcement.

The resolution focuses on the “Memorandum of Understanding for the Exchange of Information for Nontax Criminal Enforcement” between Treasury and DHS and seeks all related documents that show how taxpayer information was requested, accessed, or shared under that agreement, along with any safeguards that were supposed to protect confidentiality.

This effort builds on previous oversight and accountability work led by Reps. Gomez and Sánchez, who have repeatedly raised the alarm about the misuse of confidential tax information. They have previously pressed the administration for transparency around the agreement and sought accountability for improper disclosures.

“I introduced this resolution because I won’t allow confidential taxpayer information to be weaponized to fuel Trump’s personal national police force,” said Rep. Jimmy Gomez. “When immigrants are told to file their taxes, follow the law, and contribute to this country, they shouldn’t have to fear that the same information they provided in good faith will be handed over and used against them for an immigration raid. We aren’t going to stand by and allow our tax system to be hijacked and turned into an arm of Trump’s anti-immigrant deportation machine.”

“The Trump administration believes it can ignore the law and secretly pass along private taxpayer information,” said Rep. Sánchez. “Illegally using sensitive taxpayer data to advance the president’s cruel, anti-immigrant agenda is a blatant and dangerous abuse of power. Congress must investigate, determine the full extent of what was shared and hold those responsible for this breach accountable.”

“Last week, a court confirmed that the Trump administration illegally provided confidential taxpayer data to DHS, violating the law over 42,000 times. Trump officials’ willingness to so brazenly violate people’s basic privacy protections demonstrates that everyone’s tax data is at risk. Americans deserve answers about how this happened, the full extent of this arrangement, and what’s going to be done to prevent it from happening again. It is beyond the pale that Democrats are the only ones calling for oversight and accountability for this breach of data and trust,” said Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01).

The introduction of the resolution comes ahead of IRS CEO, Frank Bisignano, testifying before the House Ways and Means Committee and follows ongoing litigation over the legality of the IRS–DHS data-sharing agreement.

In addition to Gomez, Sánchez, and DelBene, the resolution is co-sponsored by Representatives Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), John Larson (D-Conn.), Danny Davis (D-Ill.), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), Don Beyer (D-Va.), Dwight Evans (D-Pa.), Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), Stacey Plaskett (D-V.I.), Mike Thompson (D-CA), Terri Sewell (AL) and Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.).

View the full resolution here

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

Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA), who previously served in the State Department as a U.S. Ambassador, today issued the following statement after Americans were instructed by the State Department to evacuate from a list of countries comprising nearly the entire Middle East:

“Today I have heard from constituents who are in Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, the U.A.E., and Qatar or have family there and are frantically trying to get to safety. The State Department is instructing the approximately one million Americans in the Middle East to evacuate, but flights across the region are cancelled, airspaces are closed, and airports and consulates are shuttered or under attack. Americans stranded abroad are being told their embassies cannot help them.

“This Administration’s clumsiness and incompetence is putting American lives at risk. The President chose when to start a war with Iran, and has been deploying military assets there for over a month. Four days into this war of choice, the Administration is scrambling to help people caught in a situation they’ve long known was coming. The Administration had ample time to encourage people to leave the region, to reduce the presence of non-essential personnel at our consulates and diplomatic posts, and secure our embassies.

“Today it is clear that this Administration failed to adequately protect Americans abroad. The White House says they are ‘working on plans’ that the President himself admits they did not make in advance. We are told this as the Secretary of State claims on Capitol Hill that the war was necessary to protect American personnel overseas, something he and the President manifestly failed to do.

“The Trump Administration’s failure to plan ahead – itself reminiscent of when this Administration stranded fired USAID workers and contractors overseas after abruptly firing them – is also being made worse by the mass purges at the State Department and the Administration’s vacancies in key ambassadorial positions. The Administration must immediately do everything possible to get our people home, and Congress must investigate this shocking failure of leadership that needlessly put American lives in danger.”

To receive the latest security alerts, American citizens abroad are encouraged to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) at https://mytravel.state.gov/s/step and join the State Department WhatsApp channel for updates at https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029Var8szHInlqREVL5jC0g.

Americans in the Middle East who need to reach Consular Affairs can call 24/7 at +1-202-501-4444 (from abroad) and +1-888-407-4747 (from the U.S. and Canada).

Constituents needing help communicating with State should call my office at 703-658-5403 for support. You can also fill out our digital privacy release form and someone on my staff will be in touch: https://beyer.house.gov/constituent-services/casework/casework.htm

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Grace Meng (6th District of New York)

With commercial flights canceled due to war with Iran, many Americans are unable to book trips back to the U.S.; Congressmembers call for Secretary of State Rubio to use charter flights, military operations and all other resources possible to help stranded Americans leave; lawmakers also criticize Administration for failing to have evacuation plan already in place

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH)

Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) led over 40 colleagues in a letter to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought opposing the Department of Homeland Security’s reported request to purchase a $70 million luxury jet and calling on OMB to reject the request.

“At a time when Americans across the country are struggling with skyrocketing costs for health care, groceries, housing, and utility bills, the idea that the federal government would prioritize a taxpayer-funded luxury jet is fiscally and morally unjustifiable,” the lawmakers wrote.

Stressing how this purchase is being enabled by President Trump’s legislation that took away health care and food assistance for millions of Americans, they wrote, “The One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) is the reported source of funds for the purchase of this luxury jet. That legislation will force millions of Americans off health care, raise health care costs, devastate rural hospitals, and slash funding for food assistance to finance more tax breaks for the very rich and biggest corporations.”

They continued, “The request to OMB to approve the purchase of a $70 million luxury jet – with three additional jets slated to be purchased – with these funds is the latest example of the Administration’s disregard for the real issues impacting everyday Americans and an irresponsible expenditure of taxpayer dollars.”

Read the full letter here.

Pappas has called on Secretary Kristi Noem to resign or be impeached for the violations of due process and our constitutional values, enforcement operations inconsistent with the law and accepted standards and protocols, and a failure to coordinate with local law enforcement under her leadership.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH)

Today Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) joined a bipartisan group of over 150 House and Senate colleagues in calling for the U.S. Department of Education to not make changes to post-baccalaureate nursing degrees that would saddle nurses with more student loan debt.

The lawmakers submitted public comment in response to a notice of proposed rulemaking from the U.S. Department of Education regarding changes to federal student loan programs that declassifies nursing degrees as “professional” and puts them in the same category as “graduate degrees.”

“We write with disappointment over the Department’s decision to omit post-baccalaureate nursing degrees from the regulatory definition of ‘professional degree,’” the bipartisan group of 160 lawmakers wrote. “This will make it harder for nursing students to access the loans that they need.”

“Nurses and nurse faculty make up the backbone of our health system, and post-baccalaureate nursing degrees lead to demonstrated outcomes,” the lawmakers continued. “As such, post-baccalaureate nursing degrees should be treated equally to other accredited post-baccalaureate health profession degrees.”

The lawmakers’ comment outlines their concerns over the rule’s omission of post-baccalaureate nursing degrees from the regulatory definition of “professional degree,” meaning they would be classified as a “graduate degree.” If this omission is adopted during this rulemaking, the proposed definition threatens more debt for post-baccalaureate nursing students, as student loans are currently capped for new borrowers at $20,500 annually and $100,000 in the aggregate for “graduate” programs and $50,000 annually and $200,000 in the aggregate for “professional” programs.

The bipartisan public comment is supported by 60 organizations, including the American Association of Colleges of Nursing; American Association of Nurse Practitioners; American Nurses Association; American College of Nurse-Midwives; Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses; National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners; National Council of State Boards of Nursing; and the National League for Nursing. A full list of supporting organizations can be found by clicking here.

The full text of their bipartisan comment can be read HERE.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA)

WASHINGTON—Today, Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA), Ranking Member of the House Rule Committee and a senior member of the House Agriculture Committee, delivered the following opening statement at the full committee markup of House Republicans’ hyper-partisan farm bill:

[As prepared for delivery.]

Mr. Chairman, I want to speak directly to the MAHA movement—to the millions of Americans who voted to Make America Healthy Again.

I’m a Democrat. I know we don’t agree on everything. But I think we share some common ground. Because I share your outrage.

I think it’s wrong that ultra-processed junk is cheaper than fresh food. I’m sick and tired of Big Ag profiting off pesticides while small family farms get squeezed out of business. I’m disgusted by corporations pumping toxins into our air and water—chronic disease and cancer are skyrocketing while our government cheers them on.

And I believe the direction this farm bill is going— the direction this country is going under Republican leadership—is a betrayal of MAHA. I can point to example after example.

PFAS—toxic forever chemicals. They’re linked to endocrine disruption—decreased fertility—lower sperm counts. I’ve been working on eliminating PFAS for years after my constituent got cancer from PFAS in his firefighting gear. MAHA moms and influencers thankfully helped propel PFAS into public debate. And instead of siding with MAHA, what did this administration do? They delayed setting limits for PFAS in our drinking water! Who knows why! Maybe ask the chemical companies—a lot of people don’t know this, but a lot of pesticides have PFAS in them!

How about glyphosate? For years, many of us have been sounding the alarm. It’s another toxic chemical sprayed on our food—it’s the main ingredient in Round Up. There’s dozens of class action lawsuits because we now know that for decades, chemical companies hid the fact that Round Up causes cancer.

Again, many in MAHA have rightly spoken out. So can a single Republican on this Committee tell me why Donald Trump issued an Executive Order to expand production of glyphosate? And now, big surprise: we have a farm bill that doubles down—this bill grants corporate immunity to the chemical companies! Look it up! Title 10, Section 10205.

Section 10206 prevents localities from regulating pesticides. Section 10207 goes on to allow more toxic chemicals to get dumped into our water.

Section after section of this bill—one giveaway after another to the pesticide companies.

What lobbyist asked for that? Was it drafted in the Monsanto boardroom or something? Follow the money! Big Ag and the chemical companies are two sides of the same coin—all part of the same corrupt corporate machine. One makes the chemicals. The other profits from driving family farms out of business. Both sides buy off politicians, and both sides profit when the rules are rigged against the little guys. And that’s exactly what this farm bill does.

And by the way, the chemical giveaways are tied at the hip to a larger, more structural problem with this farm bill. It does nothing to improve our food system.

Let’s move on to nutrition—because I only have five minutes.

Seniors who take pills on an empty stomach wind up in the emergency room. Working people who can’t afford to buy healthy food end up with chronic disease. Kids who are hungry don’t learn. So clearly—clearly—hunger and health are intricately linked. Which is common sense. You can’t be healthy if you’re hungry. But this farm bill—instead of addressing our hunger crisis in this country—42 million Americans who can’t afford food—this bill makes the crisis worse!

Last year Republicans made the largest cut to nutrition assistance in American history—veterans, families with teens, seniors, people aging out of foster care, all kicked off food assistance. In Massachusetts, thousands of people are losing access to food this month because Republicans took their food assistance away in order to give billionaires another tax break! And by the way, when it comes to students—I’ve introduced a bill to boost school meal reimbursement rates. That would mean more scratch cooked meals, more local foods in our cafeterias.

Not a single Republican will cosponsor it. So to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle—never, ever lecture us again about making America healthy.

Your farm bill rewards the same broken system that made America sick in the first place. Your farm bill empowers Big Ag and enables them to keep dumping toxins on our food. Your farm bill tells local farmers to get big or get out. Your farm bill makes food less healthy and more expensive.

In short, your farm bill is a betrayal of MAHA.

And I’m not here to pretend Democrats are perfect on every issue. But when it comes to standing up against Big Ag and chemical companies, combating hunger, and fighting for healthier food—we are a hell of a lot better on these issues. A hell of a lot better.

This farm bill is corporate control with a wellness label slapped on top.

And to be blunt, it sucks.

End the pesticide loopholes. End the cuts to nutrition assistance. And oppose this Republican farm bill—it’s a blank check to those who want to protect the broken status quo, and none of us should be complicit. 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE)

Today, Adrian Smith (NE-03) released the following statement after learning of the death of United States Army Sergeant First Class Noah Tietjens of Bellevue, Nebraska who was killed in Kuwait during Operation Epic Fury:

“I am heartbroken to learn of the death of Sergeant First Class Noah Tietjens, who was killed in the line of duty over the weekend. This is a devastating loss for his family, friends, fellow service members, and for our entire state.

“Sergeant First Class Noah Tietjens answered the call to serve with courage and selflessness. He gave his life in defense of the freedoms we cherish, and we will forever be grateful for his service. 

“Please join me in keeping his loves ones in your prayers. May they feel the strength, support, and gratitude of a community that mourns with them and honors his service.”