MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA-03)

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) secured House passage of $5,118,000 in federal funding for five critical community projects across Massachusetts’ Third District. The investments will support major infrastructure upgrades in Lowell, Littleton, Groton, and Westford, while expanding access to addiction recovery services through The Phoenix in Lawrence and surrounding communities.

“Our communities deserve safe water, reliable infrastructure, and support for people working to overcome addiction. That’s why I spent the past year working with local leaders and my colleagues in Congress to cut through the gridlock and turn local priorities into real federal investments. These investments will make our cities and towns healthier and safer places to call home, and I look forward to working with our Senate partners to advance them into law,” said Congresswoman Trahan.

The funding passed by the House of Representatives includes:

$1,092,000 for the City of Lowell Centralville Sewer Separation Project

$1,092,000 for the Town of Littleton Common Sewer System Expansion Project

$1,092,000 for the Town of Groton Regional Water System Expansion PFAS Mitigation Project

$1,092,000 for the Town of Westford PFAS Treatment Infrastructure Project

$750,000 for The Phoenix Essex County Community Reentry Project

After careful consultation with local leaders, Congresswoman Trahan requested the inclusion of these funds to address pressing infrastructure and public health needs across the Third District. The projects were included in two government funding bills, both of which passed the House with bipartisan support.

The legislation now moves to the Senate for consideration.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28)

Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Breaking the Gridlock Act with bipartisan support, which extends Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits for three years:

“With health care costs rising, extending Affordable Care Act tax credits is a cost-of-living issue for families across South Texas and our nation,” said Congressman Cuellar. ““I’m fighting for 113,000 of my constituents who are seeing their premiums double, and sometimes triple, in real time. That’s unacceptable. It’s why I signed the discharge petition, voted yes, and overwhelmingly support passage in the Senate to send this legislation to the President’s desk.”

The enhanced ACA premium tax credits were first expanded in 2021 and extended through the end of 2025. With those credits expiring, many Americans purchasing coverage face significant premium increases and higher out-of-pocket costs. Without congressional action, millions of families could see their monthly premiums spike, making health care less affordable and putting coverage at risk.

The House vote was made possible through the discharge petition process, a procedural mechanism that allows a majority of Members to bring legislation to the floor even when it is not advanced through the traditional committee process. Congressman Cuellar joined colleagues in signing the discharge petition to break the logjam and force consideration of legislation addressing urgent cost-of-living concerns.

“In the communities I represent, as well as across the entire country, health care is not a partisan issue,” Congressman Cuellar said. “It’s about being able to see a doctor, fill a prescription, and keep coverage next year. I urge the Senate to act quickly so we can deliver real relief and certainty to the families who need it most.”

El Congresista Cuellar Ayuda a Forzar una Votación en la Cámara de Representantes para Aprobar con Éxito la “Ley para Romper el Estancamiento” y Reducir los Costos de la Atención Médica

El representante Cuellar firmó la petición de descarga del líder Jeffries y votó a favor con demócratas y republicanos para proteger los créditos fiscales de primas de la Ley de Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Precio por tres años adicionales.

Washington, D.C. – Hoy, el congresista Henry Cuellar (TX-28) emitió la siguiente declaración después de que la Cámara de Representantes de los Estados Unidos aprobara, con apoyo bipartidista, la Ley para Romper el Estancamiento, la cual extiende los créditos fiscales de la Ley de Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Precio (ACA) por tres años:

“Con el aumento de los costos de la atención médica, extender los créditos fiscales de la Ley de Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Precio es un asunto del costo de vida para las familias del sur de Texas y de todo el país,” dijo el congresista Cuellar. “Estoy luchando por 113,000 de mis constituyentes que están viendo cómo sus primas se duplican y, en algunos casos, se triplican en tiempo real. Eso es inaceptable. Por eso firmé la petición de descarga, voté a favor y apoyo firmemente su aprobación en el Senado para enviar esta legislación al escritorio del Presidente.”

Los créditos fiscales mejorados de la ACA se ampliaron por primera vez en 2021 y se extendieron hasta el fin de 2025. Con la expiración de estos créditos, muchos estadounidenses que compran cobertura enfrentan aumentos significativos en las primas y mayores costos de su propio bolsillo. Sin acción del Congreso, millones de familias podrían ver un aumento drástico en sus primas mensuales, haciendo que la atención médica sea menos asequible y poniendo en riesgo su cobertura.

La votación en la Cámara fue posible gracias al proceso de petición de descarga, un mecanismo de procedimiento que permite que una mayoría de los Miembros lleve una legislación al pleno incluso cuando no avanza a través del proceso tradicional de comités. El congresista Cuellar se unió a sus colegas para firmar la petición de descarga con el fin de romper el estancamiento y forzar la consideración de legislación que aborda preocupaciones urgentes sobre el costo de vida.

“En las comunidades que represento, así como en todo el país, la atención médica no es un tema partidista,” dijo el congresista Cuellar. “Se trata de poder ver a un médico, surtir una receta y mantener la cobertura el próximo año. Insto al Senado a actuar con rapidez para que podamos brindar un alivio real y certeza a las familias que más lo necesitan.”

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

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Jimmy Gomez (CA-34) voted to pass legislation extending enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits for three years, helping protect millions of Americans from sharp health insurance premium increases. 

The bill passed after House Democrats forced a vote through a discharge petition, a rare procedural move used only after House Republicans blocked efforts to bring the legislation to the floor, despite the expiration of the tax credits and the impact higher premiums are already having on working families. 

“I voted to extend the ACA premium tax credits to lower costs and keep working families covered,” said Congressman Jimmy Gomez. “Most House Republicans opposed this bill, but Democrats forced a vote and passed it anyway. Now Donald Trump and Senate Republicans are standing in the way and may not even allow a vote. When premiums go up and people lose coverage, Republicans will be to blame.” 

In CA-34 alone, up to 27,000 people rely on these enhanced ACA subsidies, and without action, many are now facing hundreds or even thousands of dollars in additional annual health care costs. Across the country, millions of people are expected to lose coverage all together without an extension. 

As Chair and Founder of the Congressional Dads Caucus, Rep. Gomez has repeatedly warned that the expiration of ACA premium tax credits would hit parents and children hardest. The Dads Caucus has called on Republicans to stop blocking action and protect affordable health care for working families. 

The House-passed bill would extend enhanced ACA premium tax credits for three years, providing stability and affordability for individuals and working families who rely on the Affordable Care Act marketplace. 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23)

“I’m so proud to secure $461 million in Everglades funding to continue this critical project to restore and protect our River of Grass. Since coming to Congress, I’ve proudly worked with my colleagues from Florida to secure record funds for this South Florida treasure, which protects drinking water for millions of families and businesses. It’s work that my Everglades Caucus Co-Chair Mario Diaz-Balart and fellow Appropriator Lois Frankel take tremendous pride in,” said Wasserman Schultz. “This year I was also able to request and secure $1.29 billion in vital funds and community projects that will benefit all of South Florida, from cutting-edge medical research, local water projects and algal bloom eradication, to keeping children safe from internet predators and helping homes remain weather resilient.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23)

Wasserman Schultz Votes to Reduce Healthcare Costs, Pass Critical Affordable Care Act Tax Credit Extension

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Judy Chu (CA2-27)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 397-28 to pass H.R. 6938, the FY26 Commerce-Justice-Science, Energy and Water, and Interior-Environment appropriations minibus, a three-bill funding package that invests in science, public safety, energy and water infrastructure, and environmental protection for communities nationwide, including Southern California. Rep. Chu (CA-28) released the following statement: 

“While I would have liked to see even stronger investments, this bill makes progress toward rejecting the Trump administration’s draconian cuts and reinvesting in American communities. It restores Congress’s role in deciding how taxpayer dollars are spent, and helps relieve cost pressures on families. Democrats successfully put limits on agency changes that would weaken the federal workforce or threaten important programs, and pushed back against the Trump administration’s deepest proposed budget cuts, ” said Rep. Chu. “However, while I am glad this package rejects the White House’s plan to gut science funding and reinvests in NASA and the National Science Foundation, I am deeply disappointed that it supports their plan to cancel the Mars Sample Return mission led by Jet Propulsion Laboratory in my district. We cannot afford to lose more of our Mars experts, which is why I plan to continue working with NASA and my colleagues in Congress to protect JPL and bring these samples back., Despite this disappointment, and while no single bill can undo the harm caused under President Trump, this legislation represents meaningful progress at restoring some of our federal government’s most important functions..”

Within the bill, Rep. Chu secured more than $6 million in funding for six projects that will directly benefit residents of California’s 28th District. These include:

• $1,092,000 for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works’ Altadena Public Sewer Enhancement Project
  • This funding will expand public sewer service to approximately 600 properties in Altadena, an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County that currently rely, or previously relied, on septic systems prior to the January 2025 Eaton Fire.
• $1,031,000 for the Sierra Madre Public Safety Improvement Project
  • Will equip the Sierra Madre Police Department with modern public safety tools, including upgraded radio communications, mobile data computers, emergency response vehicles, and tasers.
• $1,031,000 for the City of South Pasadena to upgrade police communication systems
  • This funding will modernize police radios and dispatch equipment so officers can communicate more clearly, meet federal safety standards, and better coordinate with neighboring cities during emergencies.
• $1,031,000 for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s helicopter
  • This funding will be used to purchase a helicopter to help law enforcement quickly respond to emergencies, locate and apprehend fugitives, serve high-risk warrants, and support critical public safety operations, including in the Angeles National Forest.
• $1,031,000 for the Upland Police Department
  • This funding will upgrade the department’s computer-aided dispatch and records management systems, improving response times, coordination, and access to critical information for officers and dispatchers.
• $1,031,000 for the City of Pasadena’s Regional Public Safety Communications Upgrade
  • This funding will modernize radio and repeater site technology to increase system capacity and reliability, improving communication among first responders and essential personnel and strengthening public safety across Pasadena and the surrounding region.

“I am proud to have secured $6,247,000 in Community Project Funding in this bill to support projects across my district, from Altadena to Upland,” Rep. Chu continued. “These investments will strengthen public safety, improve public health, and modernize critical infrastructure as we recover from the Eaton Fire.”

The bill also: 

• Reasserts Congress’s power of the purse through mandatory staffing thresholds, notification requirements, and funding tables
• Helps address higher energy costs and rising utility bills, increasing investment in electric grid infrastructure by $375 million
• Helps keep our communities safe by increasing funding for Violence Against Women Act grants by $7 million
• Invests in water infrastructure and climate resilience by increasing funding for the Army Corps of Engineers by $1.8 billion ($10.4 billion total)
• Rejects the White House’s effort to eviscerate funding for scientific research by providing sustained funding for science agencies including NASA, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy Office of Science, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and more.
• Provides $3.1 billion for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy funding, repudiating the Trump administration’s crusade against clean energy
• Protects the environment with $8.8 billion in EPA funding – nearly double the White House budget proposal

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Judy Chu (CA2-27)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – One year ago, the Eaton Fire forever changed the communities of Altadena and Pasadena. The second most destructive wildfire in California’s history, it scorched 14,000 acres, destroyed over 9,000 structures, most of them single-family homes, and took the lives of 19 of our loved ones, neighbors, and friends. An additional 440 individuals died across Southern California in the month following the fire due to toxic air quality and delays in medical care. Those we lost made a profound impact on their communities, and the void their absence has left can never be filled.

Today, Rep. Chu spoke on the House Floor to honor the victims and demand federal disaster assistance on the one-year anniversary of the fire. 

Rep. Chu delivers floor speech on Eaton Fire, click HERE or above to watch

Rep. Chu also partnered with Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) to introduce a resolution honoring all the lives lost in the Eaton and Palisades Fires, commending the heroic actions of first responders, and underscoring Congress’s commitment to helping Southern California communities rebuild.

Joining Reps. Chu and Sherman, this resolution is cosponsored by all 41 additional House Democrats from California. 

While tremendous progress has been made in our community’s recovery, we need federal disaster assistance to support our long-term recovery. Families have already waited a year while rebuilding costs rise, housing shortages deepen, and displacement assistance expires.

President Trump and congressional Republicans have a duty to help communities devastated by natural disaster, whether that be California, Texas, or North Carolina. Rep. Chu is working with bipartisan Members of Congress from California to urge President Trump to immediately and fully deliver Governor Newsom’s $33.9 billion supplemental request. She joined Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA), Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA), Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), and the entire bipartisan California delegation in a letter to the President supporting assistance for our recovery. This funding is essential to ensuring that our communities can continue to recover, rebuild, and heal. 

Today, Rep. Chu also co-led a letter with Rep. George Whitesides (D-CA) to President Trump demanding he work with Congress to deliver disaster supplemental for California. 

To reinforce the need for this assistance and to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the LA fires and the lives they took, Rep. Chu also hosted a press conference with members of the California delegation to underscore the dire need for President Trump to act with urgency and provide disaster aid to California as he promised to do so directly one year ago. 

Rep. Chu leads California delegation in press conference marking the 1 year anniversary of the Eaton Fire, click HERE or above to watch

Every day that President Trump and congressional Republicans refuse to take up Governor Newsom’s disaster supplemental request, survivors will continue to suffer. That is why Rep. Chu introduced H.R.6842, the Disaster Survivors Tax Relief and Recovery Act, to codify the tax provisions of Governor Newsom’s request to address critical gaps in the federal tax code that are impeding recovery for survivors of the Eaton Fire and other major disasters.

Specifically, the Disaster Survivors Tax Relief and Recovery Act would:

• Ensure the wildfire disaster settlements are excluded from taxation
• Remove penalties for survivors who withdrew up to $100,000 from their retirement plans and double the amount survivors can withdraw from their employer plans (401K, etc.) without being penalized from $50,000 to $100,000
• Provide an infusion of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) to spur rebuilding in impacted communities
• Providing survivors a more generous refundable Child Tax Credit and/or Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) by allowing them to use their 2024 income if it is lower than their 2025 income.
• Increases charitable deduction limitations for qualified disaster relief donations and contributions.
• Allow survivors to claim disaster-related losses without the standard income limitations 

This bill is cosponsored by: Reps. Pete Aguilar (CA-33), Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Salud O. Carbajal (CA-24), Jim Costa (CA-21), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Laura Friedman (CA-30), John Garamendi (CA-08), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Mike Levin (CA-49), Sam T. Liccardo (CA-16), Ted Lieu (CA-36), Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), Doris O. Matsui (CA-07), Dave Min (CA-47), Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Nancy Pelosi (CA-11), Scott H. Peters (CA-50), Luz M. Rivas (CA-29), Raul Ruiz (CA-25), Linda T. Sánchez (CA-38), Brad Sherman (CA-32), Eric Swalwell (CA-14), Mark Takano (CA-39), Mike Thompson (CA-04), Derek Tran (CA-45), George Whitesides (CA-27). 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08)

WASHINGTON D.C. — Today, Congressman Pete Stauber issued the following statement regarding the Trump Administration’s transmittal of Public Land Order (PLO) 7917 to Congress:

“I commend the Trump Administration for correcting the Biden Administration’s failure to properly notify Congress of this mineral withdrawal in the Superior National Forest. Under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), the Secretary of the Interior is required to notify Congress of such a withdrawal. Now that it has been properly submitted to Congress under President Trump’s leadership, I plan to introduce a resolution under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), to disapprove of and nullify the Biden Administration’s illegal mineral withdrawal that banned mining in Northern Minnesota, locking up the Duluth Complex. This dangerous and illegal mining ban was thrust upon my constituents and our way of life in Northern Minnesota and put our nation’s mineral security in jeopardy. Northern Minnesota mined the iron ore the won this nation two World Wars and we will mine the copper, nickel, and other critical minerals that will allow the United States to compete and win in the 21st Century.”

Background: In January 2023, the Department of the Interior, at the direction of former President Joe Biden and former Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, issued Public Land Order (PLO) 7917, instituting a 20-year mineral withdrawal covering 225,504 acres in the Superior National Forest in Northern Minnesota. This mineral withdrawal banned mining and other responsible resource extraction in a strategically significant area of the Duluth Complex, which is the largest untapped copper-nickel deposit in the world. Under the Federal Lands Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), the Department of the Interior is required to notify Congress of public land orders impacting an excess of 5,000 acres. The Biden Administration failed to properly transmit PLO 7917 to Congress in January 2023.

Under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), Congress has the authority to review and disapprove of federal actions within 60 Senate session days of the action’s submission to Congress. If a CRA joint resolution of disapproval addressing a federal action is passed by both chambers and signed by the President, it is nullified and ceases to have effect (or is treated as never having taken effect). Additionally, under the CRA’s substantially similar provision, when a federal action is successfully disapproved of by Congress, the executive branch is prohibited from taking a substantially similar action in the future. PLO 7917 is now eligible for Congressional review under the CRA.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Ilhan Omar (DFL-MN)

The Chairs of the Congressional Tri-Caucus—Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Chair Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Chair Rep. Grace Meng (NY-06), and Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Chair Rep. Yvette Clarke (NY-09)—along with Congressional Progressive Caucus Deputy Chair Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05), released the following joint statement today in response to the deadly shooting by ICE agents in Minneapolis.

“We are deeply saddened and outraged by the deadly ICE shooting that occurred yesterday. Renee Nicole Good should be alive today. Instead, her wife, children, and family are left to carry unimaginable grief and loss.

“This tragedy was not inevitable. It is the result of deliberate choices made by Donald Trump and his administration. Over the past month, the president has repeatedly inflamed tensions, espoused hateful rhetoric, and intensified attacks on Minnesota and immigrant communities. That rhetoric, coupled with ICE’s increasingly violent actions and unchecked operations, created the conditions that led directly to this death. 

“We stand united in demanding real, immediate accountability for this agency, including calling for ICE operations to be suspended in Minnesota.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jason Crow (CO-06)

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jason Crow (D-CO-06), a combat veteran and member of the House Armed Services Committee, today introduced a War Powers Resolution to rein in the Trump Administration’s unilateral, unauthorized military action in Venezuela.

Following a classified Congressional briefing by Administration officials, Crow warned that the Trump Administration risks plunging the U.S. into another forever war in Venezuela. He highlighted Americans’ lack of appetite for more foreign intervention and underscored the need for leaders to focus on bringing down costs for every American.

Crow was joined by Representatives Jim McGovern (D-MA-02), Pat Ryan (D-NY-18), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-06), Maggie Goodlander (D-NH-02), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19), and Joaquin Castro (D-TX-20).

Watch Congressman Crow’s remarks here, and find a transcript of them below.

In his remarks, Crow said:

“As a three-time combat veteran, I get pretty damn hot when a five-time draft dodger like Donald Trump and soft-handed elites like Stephen Miller, bang the war drums in Washington, D.C., and talk about sending our troops on the ground and how tough they’re gonna be.

“Because what I learned years ago as a Ranger and a paratrooper is that when elites here, bang the war drums and pound their chest, it’s not them or their kids that they’re talking about. It’s working class kids and folks around this country, people like me and who I grew up with, that have to grab a rifle, get into a helicopter, get into a ship and do the thing. 

“America is done with that. Americans are done with sending our sons and daughters, our brothers and sisters to fight endless quagmire nation building wars on behalf of elites and oil executives, and to shed blood year, after year, after year. 

“As we sat there in Iraq and Afghanistan, every year, the generals and the admirals would say, one more year, one more troop surge, one more new strategy, and we’ll figure this out. Twenty years later, thousands of American lives and trillions of taxpayer dollars later, they ended in failure.

“The ghosts of those wars haunt us today. That’s what this is about, because nobody can ever tell me that if this body, the United States Congress, had done its job and constantly and every year debated, and voted, and went back to town halls, and high school gymnasiums, and rotary clubs around this country, and sat there in front of their constituents and said, ‘This is why you should spend trillions of dollars. This is why we should spend thousands of Americans to go and die,’ that they wouldn’t have ended earlier and differently.

“This is that moment for the Congress to retake its power, and its authority, and do its damn job. And if our colleagues are not willing to do their damn job, then they should go home. And if later on, when they’re called for a vote, they still aren’t willing to do their damn job, then later this year, we will send them home.

“America has had enough. We are stepping up to lead. We will stop the insanity. Americans deserve affordable healthcare, good infrastructure, affordable homes, and a strong and smart foreign policy and national security. They do not deserve the endless adventurism and corruption of Donald Trump and his administration. We are here to end it.”

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