Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development has awarded the Wise County Public Service Authority, based in Wise, Virginia, a $576,000 grant. The funding supports local water systems and waste disposal renovations, including water line replacement as well as gate valve and fire hydrant installation. In addition to the grant, USDA Rural Development will provide a $236,000 loan to the Authority. U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement:
“Reliable and safe drinking water systems support public health.
“This grant for $576,000 helps Wise County Public Service Authority make necessary updates to its local water and waste disposal infrastructure.”
BACKGROUND
This grant was made available through the Water and Waste Disposal Loans and Grant Program.
According to USDA Rural Development, this program promotes clean and reliable drinking water systems in the United States.
This project is estimated to benefit more than 250 people in Wise County.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA)
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded a disaster related grant to the Commonwealth of Virginia. The funding breakdown of the grant is as follows:
$310,799 to support repairments in Buchanan County for embankments, culverts, gabion stone and rip rap
In response to this grant notice, U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement:
“Following the winter storms of 2025, I assessed the severe damages to our region and facilitated federal approval of Governor Youngkin’s Major Disaster Declaration.
“This FEMA grant for more than $310,000 helps Buchanan County make repairs to local infrastructure.”
FEMA funds are obligated to the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Commonwealth will be responsible for providing the funds to the sub-recipients.
These grants are related to Virginia’s Major Disaster Declaration that President Trump approved in April 2025. The amended map of localities covered by the Declaration can be found here.
Congressman Griffith worked with U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner to secure President Trump’s approval of Governor Youngkin’s Major Disaster Declaration.
In June 2026, Congressman Griffith announced $1.6 million in disaster relief for Buchanan and Dickenson Counties.
In August 2026, Congressman Griffith announced nearly $400,000 in disaster relief for Buchanan County.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Al Green (TX-9)
(Washington, D.C.) — On Monday, September 14, 2026, Congressman Al Green will be joined by John Bonifaz, Co-Founder and President of Free Speech For People;Jessica Denson, Founder of the Removal Coalition; Bruce Fein, former Associate Deputy Attorney General under President Reagan; and Nse Ufot, Women’s March Senior Advisor to host a press conference at the House Triangle at the U.S. Capitol to discuss the need to hold President Trump accountable for high crimes and misdemeanors. Congressman Al Green will also discuss the timeline for impeachment and make a special announcement.
The press conference follows Congressman Green’s filing of articles of impeachment on August 24, 2026.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mike Thompson Representing the 5th District of CALIFORNIA
Washington – Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is providing $4 million in emergency funding to address the growing threat posed by the invasive glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS) in California. This summer, Rep. Thompson, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA), along with Rep. David Valadao (CA-22) and ten colleagues teamed up to urge the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide emergency funding to address the growing threat posed by the invasive glassy-winged sharpshooter in California.
The funding announcement follows congressional letters and a call between Rep. Thompson and USDA Undersecretary Hoskins about the importance of federal assistance to stop the spread of glassy-winged sharpshooters for California agriculture producers. USDA has been working in close collaboration with Secretary Karen Ross of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and county agricultural commissioners as they lead the response and conduct trace-forward activities.
“Glad that USDA is providing $4 million in funding to fight the glassy-winged sharpshooter,” said Thompson. “I have been working to ensure our Agriculture community receives the support it needs to address this issue, and while this is a great step in the right direction, there is still more work to be done to protect our community.”
This funding will allow the CDFA to expand trace-forward investigations, increase inspections, destroy infested materials, and strengthen trapping and visual surveys at high-risk locations associated with recent GWSS-infested plant shipments. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) works with the CDFA and county agricultural commissioners through a long-standing cooperative program to manage and contain GWSS in California.
APHIS receives an annual appropriation to support the CDFA and county partners in preventing the further spread of Pierce’s disease. In fiscal year 2026, APHIS has allocated more than $15 million to the CDFA for GWSS activities.
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Congressman Mike Thompson is proud to represent California’s 4th Congressional District, which includes all or part of Lake, Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo Counties. He is a senior member of the House Committee on Ways and Means. Rep. Thompson is Chairman of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. He is also Co-Chair of the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Wine Caucus and a member of the fiscally-responsible Blue Dog Coalition.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (12th District of Michigan)
U.S. Representatives Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06), co-chair of the Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus, and Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA-10) introduced the Augmentative and Alternative Communication Centers to Establish National Training (AACCENT) Act, to expand access to augmentative and alternative communication for Americans across the country. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) includes any tool, technology, or service that supports people who use little or no verbal speech to communicate. AAC can enhance communication, foster language and literacy development and help millions of people access communication and participate in all aspects of life.
“Augmentative and alternative communication services, devices, and technology are essential for millions of Americans to work, learn, and stay connected with their communities and the world around them,”said Congresswoman Debbie Dingell. “AAC tools can significantly improve individuals’ quality of life and open opportunities that otherwise would not be available to them. This bill is a significant step to increase education and expand access to these vital resources.”
“Making assistive and augmentative technology more available will help the almost 5 million Americans with complex communication needs better connect with their communities, succeed in the classroom, participate in the workforce, and overall thrive,”said Congressman DeSaulnier. “Partnering with and advocating for the disability community has been one of the greatest sources of pride and joy throughout my career and I am proud to continue that work alongside Congresswoman Dingell by introducing this important legislation that will help millions of Americans live with greater independence and dignity.”
The AACCENT Act will establish three national resource centers coordinated to improve access to AAC information, tools and support for AAC users and their families. They also aim to increase the capacity and leadership skills of people who use AAC, their families and professionals.
More than 4 million people in the United States cannot reliably meet their daily communication needs using verbal speech. People who use and can benefit from AAC include those with intellectual or developmental disabilities (e.g., cerebral palsy, Down syndrome), acquired or degenerative conditions (e.g., Parkinson’s disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s) and those with temporary conditions that limit vocal speech (e.g., those who are intubated post-surgery). Advances in AAC have enhanced communication and improved outcomes for millions of Americans, yet not everyone has access to AAC. Lack of knowledge and resources creates barriers for people who can benefit from AAC. The AACCENT Act will help reduce these barriers by creating resource centers focused on AAC.
The legislation is endorsed by the American Music Therapy Association, Disability Belongs, Autism Society of America, The Arc of the U.S., and ANCOR.
“Communication is fundamental to self-determination, belonging, and full participation in community life. The AACCENT Act recognizes that people with expressive communication disabilities deserve meaningful access to the tools, knowledge, and support needed to communicate authentically. Disability Belongs is proud to support this legislation and its commitment to disability-led solutions that expand opportunity across education, employment, health care, and community living,” said Ariel Simms, President and Chief Executive Officer of Disability Belongs.
“Communication is a fundamental part of being able to participate fully in our communities, yet too many people with Autism and other developmental disabilities face barriers to accessing the tools and support they need to be heard. The AACCENT Act recognizes that access to augmentative and alternative communication is not a luxury, it is essential to learning, working, building relationships, and participating fully in everyday life. We thank Representative Dingell for championing this important legislation and investing in the training, technical assistance, and resources needed to ensure every person has the opportunity to communicate and participate fully in society,” said Joseph P. Joyce, President and CEO, Autism Society of America.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose)
(Washington, DC) — On Thursday,NationalScienceFoundation (NSF) Acting Director Brian Stonereleased a statement titled “NSF leadership in a new golden age ofscience,” outlining how NSF is implementingWhite House Office ofScienceand Technology Policy (OSTP) Director Michael Kratsios’Science: A New Golden Ageand theFiscal Year 2028 OMB-OSTP R&D Budget Priorities Memorandum.In this statement, Acting Director Stone verifies NSF’s intentions to implement Director Kratsios’ initiatives that will reallocate funding from congressionally approved programs to White House pet projects.
Ranking Member Zoe Lofgrenmade the following statement:
“I do not know why Acting Director Brian Stone and OSTP Director Michael Kratsios believe they possess the authority to impose such radical changes at America’s premier scientific agency without congressional input or authorization. The Trump Administration has profoundly damaged NSF with its repeated attacks against the agency and the scientific community it was created to support. NSF needs to stop, take 10 steps back, and remember the values that made it the envy of the world for 75 years. I do not intend to abandon those values, and I will fight for them as we conduct oversight of these changes in the months to come.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)
WASHINGTON — On the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, Speaker Johnson delivered remarks at a 9/11 remembrance ceremony at the Liberty Garden in Bossier City, LA. He then delivered remarks at the Caddo Magnet High School Jonas Kelsall/Rob Reeves mural presentation ceremony.
“It’s been said throughout history that a crisis reveals the character of a person, and it certainly does a nation as well. For America, the darkness of 9/11 revealed the light of unity, and that’s what we remember and memorialize today,” Speaker Johnson said at the remembrance ceremony. “Not just the tremendous, profound, unspeakable losses because of this tragedy, but the light that the darkness could not overcome. We reminded our enemies and the entire free world after that America is filled with people who are kind and generous and resilient.”
At Caddo Magnet High School in Shreveport, Speaker Johnson delivered remarks and attended a mural presentation ceremony honoring the lives of Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Rob Reeves and Lt. Cmdr. Jonas Kelsall, two Caddo Magnet graduates, Shreveport natives, and Navy SEALs who died in the August 2011 Extortion 17 helicopter attack in Afghanistan – the deadliest attack on Naval Special Warfare operators in American history.
Last week, Speaker Johnson and Leader Jeffries laid a wreath at the 9/11 Memorial in the U.S. Capitol, which honors the courageous passengers of Flight 93 – the hijacked airplane that was intended to attack our nation’s capital on September 11, 2001.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (8th District of Illinois)
WASHINGTON — Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) today condemned Texas Republican Railroad Commission nominee Bo French’s racist and xenophobictweettargeting South Asian students at the University of Texas, after French posted photos of students celebrating a Longhorns football victory and portrayed them as evidence that Americans are being “displaced by foreigners.”
“Bo French’s xenophobic hate toward South Asian students is disgraceful and part of a broader rise in attacks targeting South Asian Americans across the country. These young people were cheering for their university, and he chose to demonize them based solely on how they look. South Asian Americans are as American as anyone, and this kind of hatred has no place in our politics or our country.”
Congressman Krishnamoorthi also tweeted directly in response to Frenchhere.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)
Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos, where he made clear that while Republicans have abandoned the American people, House Democrats will continue to fight hard for an affordable America.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: We’re joined now by the House Democratic Leader, Hakeem Jeffries. Mr. Leader, thank you for coming in this morning. We want to talk about the convention in a second, but let’s start with AI and these remarkable warnings we’re getting this week. I know you met with President Obama and talked about this issue earlier this week. What will Democrats—what do Democrats think needs to be done right now?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, we certainly need to begin to act urgently to address the challenges that exist and unfortunately Republicans have abandoned their responsibility. So, under Speaker Mike Johnson, he killed a bipartisan task force this Congress that was prepared to do the serious work necessary to try to erect the guardrails to protect the health, the safety, the well-being of the American people. So what we did as Democrats was to begin last December a Commission on Artificial Intelligence and the Innovation Economy so we could evaluate the steps that needed to be done and then present an aggressive framework, which we’re in the process of doing so that Congress can act on behalf of the American people.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: But do we even have time for that? You’ve got some of your colleagues, like Representative Ro Khanna and other Democrats, saying Congress should come back in right now, take urgent action right now. Don’t go back for the midterm elections until they’ve done something.
LEADER JEFFRIES: I agree with my colleagues that we actually need to act urgently, and unfortunately, House Republicans have effectively canceled the last two weeks of the legislative session scheduled for this month, which is something that they’ve repeatedly done. We should take decisive action now so that we can slow down, as the CEOs have recently acknowledged, slow down the pace of development in order to protect the American people and ensure that AI is proceeding safely.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: What is decisive action? Senator Bernie Sanders, as I said, has called for a ban on artificial superintelligence. Your colleague, Ted Lieu of California, says there needs to be a kill switch inside the companies. Are you for those?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, we’ll have that conversation this week upon our return. We’re going to meet as a Caucus on Tuesday morning, and a high priority will be action on artificial intelligence.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Okay, let’s turn to the midterm convention—the President’s $5,000 promise. If Democrats take control next year, is that dead on arrival?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, listen, it wasn’t a serious proposal that was presented by Donald Trump. He’s broken every promise that he’s presented. Donald Trump promised to actually lower costs on day one. Costs haven’t gone down. They’ve gone up. Donald Trump promised not to start endless wars in the Middle East, but to stop them and then turned around and did the exact opposite in Iran. Donald Trump even promised to love and cherish Medicaid and then enacted the largest cut to Medicaid in American history. As Democrats, we’re going to focus on aggressively driving down the high cost of living and fighting for an affordable America because the cost of living in this country is way too high. Republicans have made the situation worse. Democrats are going to act aggressively.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Democrats aren’t much more popular than Republicans right now. And the President and his allies at the convention this week tried to argue that you’re the party of communism. Let’s take a look.
RECORDING OF DONALD TRUMP: Remember during the last State of the Union, I said, our country will never be a socialist country. I was right. It’s going to be a communist country, if they win. You know what they did? They dropped socialism. They went right for the big one. And all I’m asking in this election is that you stand with me together. We will defeat communism in America once and for all.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Worried that attack might cut?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Not at all. One thing that Donald Trump did say at the midterm convention that was interesting is to pretend as if he’s on the ballot. Mr. President, we don’t have to pretend. You are actually on the ballot. Your failed economy is on the ballot. The cost of living crisis is on the ballot. The fact that you’ve gotten us involved in a reckless and costly war of choice in the Middle East that has skyrocketed gas prices—that’s on the ballot. Ripping healthcare away from millions of Americans is on the ballot. The Trump Tariffs, which have increased costs on everyday Americans by thousands of dollars per year, are on the ballot. Donald Trump is absolutely on the ballot in November, and the American people are going to send a message loudly and clearly on Election Day that even Donald Trump cannot ignore.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: The internet activist Hasan Piker was also front and center at this convention in Dallas this week, particularly his comment that America deserved 9/11. How should Democrats handle him?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, I’ve been very clear in terms of my denunciation of him and the aggressive, in some cases antisemitic remarks that he’s issued, as have other Democratic candidates all across the country. Now what’s interesting is, in terms of who’s going to be on the ballot, George, in November, we’ve got extraordinary candidates. We’ve got combat veterans like Cait Conley and Rebecca Bennett, we’ve got doctors, we’ve got nurses, we have engineers, we have farmers, we have union leaders, we’ve got firefighters, we’ve got police officers, we have a hostage negotiator, we have a Tejano music superstar in the Rio Grande Valley and even a smokejumper in Montana. These are extraordinary candidates. Their names will appear on the ballot. They’ve got incredible patriotic life experiences and their commitment to public service is going to speak for itself.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: You’ve taken some heat from progressives in the party, including from many who align with the Democratic Socialists. Are you confident that you’ll actually be Speaker if the Democrats win?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, we’re focused right now on taking back control of the House of Representatives. That is the only mission that’s important, so we can lower the high cost of living, lower the cost of gas, lower the cost of groceries, lower the cost of housing, certainly fight to make healthcare affordable for every single American and combat the unprecedented corruption that’s been unleashed on the American people and beginning on day one, hold the crooks accountable. We’ve made clear, George, that if someone has been screwing over the American people, shortchanging the American people or stealing from the American people, they’re going to be held accountable under a Democratic majority.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: You said hold the crooks accountable. Does that mean that the House is going to be pursuing impeachment proceedings on day one?
LEADER JEFFRIES: No, we haven’t ruled anything in and we haven’t ruled anything out in terms of impeachment. As it relates to accountability, what we’re going to do, led by Jamie Raskin and House Committee Democrats on the Judiciary Committee as well as House Democrats on the Oversight Committee, led by Robert Garcia—both of them are doing a tremendous job—we’ve got to follow the facts, apply the law, be guided by the Constitution and then let the chips fall where they may, in the best interest of the American people so that the House, once again, can function like a separate and co-equal branch of government and a check and balance on an out-of-control executive branch.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: On that theme, a lot of Democrats had raised questions about the activities—the private business activities of Jared Kushner. Was it a mistake for you to meet with him?
LEADER JEFFRIES: No, listen, I’m of the view that if we’re going to be committed to actually solving problems on behalf of the American people, including, by the way, passing the housing affordability bill in this Congress that became law as a result of bipartisan work led by Maxine Waters in the House and Elizabeth Warren in the Senate, there are going to be times that you have to speak with people on the other side of the aisle, even individuals who you strongly disagree with on the overwhelming majority of issues.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: And if the number one issue is the cost of living right now, what do Democrats do on day one about that?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, listen, there’s a variety of different things that we’re going to have to do. We have to end the Trump Tariffs, because we know the Trump Tariffs have increased costs on everyday Americans by thousands of dollars per year. We’ve got to stop this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran, which has skyrocketed gas prices to the highest levels, for instance, on Labor Day ever seen in the United States of America. We’ve certainly got to fix our broken healthcare system and do the type of things like restoring the Affordable Care Act tax credits, which have increased costs on everyday Americans by thousands of dollars per year, in some cases up to a thousand dollars per month in ways that are unaffordable for people who can no longer be able to go see a doctor when they need one. These are some of the things that I think we can begin to do, but it’s going to have to be a bold, aggressive legislative effort that we sustain, not just for the first 100 days, but for the first year and the entirety of the Congress.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: It’s almost certainly going to have to take some cooperation from President Trump. He went on Fox News this week and said he thinks he can make deals with you. Do you see areas where cooperation is possible?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, I think, look—we’ve said from the very beginning of this Congress, if the other side of the aisle is willing to find the common ground necessaryto decisively address the fact that everyday Americans are drowning in this Republican economy, working hard, playing by the rules, can’t thrive and can barely survive, then we’re committed to actually trying to find that common ground, as we just recently did with the housing affordability bill that is now law.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Leader Jeffries, thanks for your time this morning.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Al Green (TX-9)
The Haaretz article below, titled “Netanyahu Led Israel ‘Blindly to Disaster,’ Eisenkot Says After Haaretz Exposé on UAE Warning Before Oct. 7,” speaks for itself.
A readable PDF version of this article is available by clicking the link hereor reading the story below.
Netanyahu Led Israel ‘Blindly to Disaster,’ Eisenkot
Says After Haaretz Exposé on UAE Warning Before Oct. 7
(Haaretz, September 8, 2026)
By: Noa Shpigel and Jonathan Lis
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu led Israel blindly to disaster and is unfit to serve, leading opposition candidate Gadi Eisenkot said Tuesday, as opposition leaders responded to a Haaretz expose revealing that Netanyahu received an explicit warning from UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed that Hamas was planning a major operation against Israel.
“Those around Netanyahu are echoing disgraceful conspiracy theories and allegations of betrayal, while clinging to the most absurd statement a leader can make: ‘No one woke me up,'” Eisenkot said.
Earlier Tuesday, Haaretz reported that bin Zayed, known as MBZ, personally warned Netanyahu that, in his assessment, Hamas’ leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, was preparing for war. The call took place in late September 2023, about a week and a half before the attack, and lasted 45 minutes.
“Who failed to wake whom?” Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, wrote on X, referring to a key finding in the report that Netanyahu did not inform Israel’s security establishment of MBZ’s personal warning.
Bin Zayed assessed that Sinwar was preparing for a major event, urging Netanyahu to prepare for the threat, an adviser to the president told Haaretz.
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, leader of the Together party, said Netanyahu bore direct responsibility for the October 7, 2023 attacks. In an interview with Kan public radio, Bennett said Netanyahu “was deep in the conception.”
Asked if he knew of the existence of MBZ’s call to the prime minister, Bennett told Kan he was aware Netanyahu had received warnings from bin Zayed as well as Egypt’s intelligence chief, but chose to ignore them.
Netanyahu was doing everything in his power to avoid the establishment of a state commission of inquiry that would “uncover the truth,” Bennett said in a statement, referring to the report as truthful.
“Netanyahu was so captive to his own conception that even clear warnings from regional leaders did not move him from his seat,” he added.
Democrats Party Chairman Yair Golan and party lawmaker Gilad Kariv also responded to the report, describing the findings as “criminal.”
“He knew. He was warned,” Golan wrote in a post on X, referring to Netanyahu. “The stories of ‘I wasn’t woken up’ are over.”
Golan accused Netanyahu of neglecting his responsibilities as prime minister through “deliberate and criminal abandonment,” calling him “unfit and illegitimate” and urging that he be imprisoned for “his crimes against the State of Israel.”
In a statement, Kariv described the revelations as a “crime against Israeli society and against every citizen of the country.”
Kariv also said Netanyahu bears responsibility for the October 7, 2023, attacks “not only by virtue of being prime minister, but because he received warnings and alerts from multiple parties and sources and did nothing.”
Kariv called for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry that would “open all the Pandora’s boxes that led to the terrible massacre.”