MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Huffman Representing the 2nd District of California

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

U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, penned a new op-ed that details the potential advances of health care through artificial intelligence (AI). An embrace of AI applications presents challenges, which is why Chairman Griffith stresses the importance of human supervision to complement the AI transition. 

You can read Chairman Griffith’s op-ed piece in the Washington Times here and below.

Smart use of AI can improve American healthcare

Revolutionary ideas and technologies continue to fuel success stories in health care.

As a senior member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Chairman of the Health Subcommittee, I regularly hear perspectives on medical advances that bring newfound hope to patients, families and communities.

Telehealth is one such technological breakthrough. By saving patients time, money and peace of mind, many Americans enjoy more convenient and accessible care.

While the demand for health care convenience and access soars, so too does the demand for new cures and treatments.

The Health Subcommittee has championed policies to help create new classes of treatments for rare diseases.

The Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act which became law in February strengthens federal efforts to review and approve therapies for rare diseases like pediatric cancer.

The ACT for ALS Reauthorization Act of 2026 which I reported out of the Health Subcommittee directs millions of dollars to research for ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Congressional actions like these, among others, to support American patients are meaningful steps to strengthen the future of the American health care landscape.

What else bears fruit for our medical future?

I believe much of our health care success will hinge on the blossoming potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).

This Congress, I led a Health Subcommittee hearing to explore ways our American health care system can keep pace with the speed of science through applications of AI and ML.

AI presents new opportunities to detect disease sooner, deploy improved medical guidance and deliver more precise care to patients. The sooner that the patient receives care, the lesser the risk of severe illness or death that the patient faces.

Not only does this approach prevent delays in care; it also helps prevent future cost increases that impact patients, government programs and health care providers.

In addition to benefitting our health care system, a boost in early detection efforts will ease the burdens on health care providers!

Additional resources are made available, thanks to AI advances.

Medical device companies analyze how their products can better administer care. Insurance companies process claims to help patients access more timely care. Doctors and health care professionals streamline operations to complete required medical paperwork at a faster clip.

The recently passed Virginia State budget reflects the building momentum for AI in health care. The legislative blueprint directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) to strengthen call center operations through the application of AI technologies.

Even with the potential to achieve an abundance of favorable health outcomes through AI, we must be cautious about the current challenges facing AI application.

AI is not perfect. A blanketed embrace of AI technologies without appropriate guardrails would be irresponsible policy and grounded in fantasy.

What reality shows is unlocking AI’s full potential in health care requires human supervision. We need responsible administration and active oversight of AI tools, while also placing an emphasis on safety. A human component working with these technologies ensures safer success and allows the patient-physician relationship to truly thrive.

Where patients rely on AI chatbots for mental health resources, a medical professional should review the conversations.

Where a patient request for treatment is denied coverage, a human must oversee that decision.

Congress has a moral obligation to ensure these AI tools are used to assist — not replace — the clinical workforce of today.

Therefore, a balanced embrace of AI applications can lower health care costs, save finite taxpayer dollars and provide breakthrough treatments to American patients.

Taken together, AI promises a new wave of success stories. Human judgment will preserve these stories for generations to come.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) released the following statement today recognizing the 36th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA):

“Today, I join in celebrating the thirty-sixth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) – pivotal legislation that reshaped the lives of millions of Americans living with disabilities, guaranteeing them equal access and equal opportunity.

“Championing the ADA in the House was one of the proudest moments in my career.  Over the past thirty-six years, we have continued to strengthen this progress through the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 and seen it advanced through the 1999 Supreme Court decision in Olmstead v. L.C., which reaffirmed our original intent to secure full inclusion and equality for all.

“As we reflect on these accomplishments, we are reminded that the fight is not over.  We must acknowledge the dangers of this moment as the Trump Administration undermines the progress we have achieved, seeking to erode opportunities for Americans with disabilities and overturn Congress’s clear intent as recognized by Olmstead.  So, our work continues, and we will keep fighting diligently so that every American may enjoy the promises upon which our nation was founded – liberty and justice for all.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on CNN’s State of the Union, where he outlined how with 100 days until the midterm elections, Democrats are going to continue to push back on Republican extremism and fight to lower costs for hardworking American taxpayers.

DANA BASH: Here with me now is the House Democratic Leader, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries. Mr. Leader, thank you so much for being here. I know that you are launching what Democrats are calling 100 Days Out Weekend of Action with more than 400 grassroots events in competitive states, including Pennsylvania, where you’re going to be speaking later today. At the same time, your party is fighting over whether the path back to the majority runs through the center or the activist left, who want to defund the police, abolish ICE, end aid to Israel, open borders. I know that you call the Democratic Party a mosaic, but are you going to push any of those positions if you win the majority back?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well what unites the party, and certainly what will take place over the next 100 days, beginning today, is a focus on us fighting for an affordable America, based on the reality that life in this country is far too expensive and everybody agrees that that’s the dynamic that the country confronts. Too many people are working hard, they’re playing by the rules, but they can’t thrive and they can barely survive. Not enough food on the table, not enough gas in the tank, unable to actually regularly and consistently afford to pay the rent or pay the mortgage. We want to drive down the cost of groceries, drive down and lower the cost of gasoline, drive down the cost of housing and also make sure that healthcare is affordable for every single American.

DANA BASH: Right, but to do those things, which is the messaging that I’ve heard you say, especially recently, you need to come up with policy proposals. So will those policy proposals be in line with what some of the more progressive members who keep getting elected are pushing? Or will you sort of move more towards the moderate area, where if you do win the majority, it will be likely because they pick up swing districts?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, we want to make sure that we are solving problems on behalf of the American people, and that’s in every possible area. It is clear that what unites Democrats, for instance, we forcefully have been pushing back against the One Big Ugly Bill and the effort to enact the largest cut to Medicaid in American history. That’s a disgrace, and clearly that needs to be reversed. We need to make sure that we do things like extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits so that more than 20 million people actually can have healthcare that they can afford restored to them as opposed to the situation that they confront right now because of MAGA extremist policies, which is that they’ve experienced dramatic increases in their health insurance premiums in some cases more than $1000 per month. It certainly is the case, as we’ve already demonstrated unanimously on the House Floor, that we need to stop this reckless and costly war of choice that has skyrocketed gas prices on everyday Americans, and we need to stop the Trump tariffs, which have increased costs on everyday Americans by thousands of dollars per year.

DANA BASH: You, according to my colleague Manu Raju, clash with Senator Bernie Sanders over the fact that he is campaigning for progressive candidates, some of whom are challenging incumbents you back, including Members of the Congressional Black Caucus. Are Senator Sanders and other progressives in the party making it harder for you to win in November? Is that what you said to Senator Sanders?

LEADER JEFFRIES: No, I wouldn’t describe it as a clash. It was a candid conversation along with Congressman Greg Meeks, the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus PAC, with respect to one particular race in North Carolina at the beginning of the primary cycle and trying to get a sense of his approach to that race. I do think that Senator Sanders and Democrats in both the House and the Senate understand the stakes that are in front of us, particularly as we are one hundred days out. And that’s making sure that we actually take back control of the Congress so we can end this MAGA extremism that has been unleashed on the American people that is actively hurting hardworking American taxpayers and actually commit to making life more affordable for the American people. That’s clearly what the American people want to see done, and that’s not what Republicans have been able to accomplish during their time in office since Trump was sworn in back in January of last year.

DANA BASH: I think one of the things that some of those who are winning their primaries and will likely be in office want to know is if you are going to agree to hold votes on abolishing ICE, opening borders, things of that nature. Will you?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, I’ve spoken to several of the incoming Members of Congress across the ideological spectrum. Not a single person has raised those issues, other than obviously what they’ve seen from Democrats in pushing back against an out-of-control ICE because we believe that immigration enforcement in this country clearly should be fair, just and humane, and that’s not what’s taking place. That’s the reason why House Democrats have taken a strong position as it relates to not giving a dime to Donald Trump’s violent mass deportation machine until, of course, there is dramatic reform in this country and that ICE agents actually start to conduct themselves like every other cop, police officer and law enforcement agent in the country.

DANA BASH: Your next-door neighbor, New Jersey, just disclosed that 6,600 non-citizens were mistakenly registered to vote there from 2023 to 2024. 400 of them actually voted in elections since then. It is a small number compared to the 7 million voters in New Jersey and there’s no evidence that that swayed any election. But this is one of the most significant disclosures of non-citizen registration. Democrats have repeatedly said that non-citizen voting doesn’t happen. It happened. Is this a problem?

LEADER JEFFRIES: I think that I continue to have confidence in state and local authorities in making sure that there’s going to be a free and fair election in November. And if modest or minor challenges emerge, such as the one that was disclosed voluntarily by the authorities in New Jersey, that it is immediately corrected. And that’s what I expect will continue to happen. Unfortunately, what we’ve seen from Donald Trump is that, in this particular case, Republicans have adopted voter suppression as an electoral strategy because they have failed to actually deliver on making life more affordable for the American people. It was Donald Trump who promised to lower costs on day one, but we know that costs haven’t gone down in this country, costs have gone up. It was Donald Trump, I believe, who said that he was elected not to start wars—endless wars in the Middle East—but to stop them, and then turned around and has gotten us involved in this reckless war of choice in Iran that has skyrocketed gas prices on the American people. By the way, it was Donald Trump who said they were going to love and cherish Medicaid, and then Republicans enacted the largest cut to Medicaid in American history, ripping healthcare away from more than 14 million Americans. They have nothing to run on. We’re going to run on fighting for an affordable America.

DANA BASH: Mr. Leader, before I let you go, President Trump ordered signs placed outside the Museum of American History, warning that it promotes inaccurate history. It comes, of course, as the White House is attacking the Smithsonian, accusing the institution of promoting left-wing ideology. Is there anything you can do to stop those signs from going up?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, we’re going to explore every legislative avenue and every litigation avenue, as we’ve repeatedly done up until this point. Here’s the thing. Black history is American history, and we are not going to let the extremists whitewash it. Not now. Not ever.

DANA BASH: Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Leader of the House of Representatives. Thanks so much for being here. I appreciate it.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Thank you.

Full interview can be watched here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ed Case (Hawai‘i – District 1)

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Congressman Ed Case (HI-01) Tuesday voted in the full U.S. House against the current version of the $1.15 trillion Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). 

The annual authorization is considered must-pass legislation, with Congress enacting one every year since fiscal 1962. It is separate from the regular annual appropriations bills that Representative Case helps develop as a member of the House Appropriations Committee; those bills actually direct funding using the NDAA as an authorizing framework.  

“Our National Defense Authorization Act is a critical annual measure that not only authorizes our defense spending for the year, supplementing my Appropriations Committee’s parallel funding responsibilities, but also establishes defense policies, including organization and administration of the Defense Department,” said Case, who serves on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, responsible for all defense and intelligence community funding, and previously served on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, responsible for all funding in those areas.

“While this current version of the FY 2027 NDAA includes many critical Hawai‘i and Indo-Pacific priorities I requested, I regrettably had to vote against it at this stage for various reasons. These included the lack of any Congressional authorization of the Iran war; the insufficiency of any justification for the huge authorized increase in defense spending; the lack of any assurance of adequate Congressional oversight of that spending; and the inclusion of various other proposals not relevant to defense such as the SAVE America Act, which I have separately voted against several other times.”

 Given the significant economic contribution of military construction to Hawai‘i, Case highlighted various projects he advocated for that were included in the NDAA, including: 

·         $507 million to continue building Dry Dock 5 at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. 

·         $248 million to continue building the Red Hill Water Treatment Plant. Case provided the initial funding for this effort in FY 2026 through his assignment on the House Appropriations Committee.   

·         $184 million to expand the Ford Island Pacific Warfighting Center at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. 

·         $142 million to make airfield improvements at the Pacific Missile Range Facility.  

·         $90 million for an aircraft maintenance hangar at Wheeler Army Airfield. 

·         $77 million to expand an armory at Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i. 

·         $72 million for water wells and storage tanks at Helemano Military Reservation.  

·         $71 million for a clear well and booster pump at Fort Shafter. 

·         $49 million to upgrade the main gate at Marine Corp Base Hawai‘i.  

·         $34 million at Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i for an air traffic control compound. 

·         $30 million for a fire station at Schofield Barracks.  

·         $26 million for an elevated water tank and distribution lines at Schofield Barracks. 

·         $21 million for a water storage tank Schofield Barracks. 

·         $4 million for a Secure Integration Support Lab on Maui. 

The measure also included three floor amendments (amendments added in full House deliberations) authored by Case that: 

·         Require a study on the potential benefits of establishing a Strategic Infrastructure Partnership Initiative to assist U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM) in identifying, developing and implementing dual-use infrastructure projects across the Indo-Pacific. 

·         Require a comprehensive analysis of the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) influence and activities within the Freely Associated States and recommending steps to help protect these three Pacific nations. 

·         Direct the Space Force to assess the security, physical, cyber and geopolitical vulnerabilities of commercially owned and operated satellite ground-based nodes located within the Indo-Pacific. Multiple such locations are in Hawai‘i. 

The bill further included several provisions advocated for and supported by Case to continue the military’s investment in Hawai‘i and the Indo-Pacific, including:  

·         Authorizing an additional $2.5 million for the Pacific Disaster Center on Maui.

·         Extending the authority for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative. 

·         Formally establishing an Inter-Pacific Air Forces Academy. This existing yet uncodified program focuses on leader-follower self-awareness, enhancing strategic intelligence, cultivating intercultural communication and fostering relationships among the multinational enlisted force. 

·         Requiring a study on recapitalizing the Army’s watercraft fleet and how they will be supported by uncrewed systems. Hawai‘i is the homeport for three Army watercraft. 

·         Directing the military to prioritize the distribution and retention of KC-135 tanker aircraft to Air Force and Air National Guard installations in the Indo-Pacific. Hawai‘i Air National Guard’s 154th Wing currently operates KC-135s out of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.  

·         Requiring the military to establish a secure, all-domain, virtual-constructive training environment to support training in the Indo-Pacific. This will help reduce the need to conduct more dangerous live-fire training.  

·         Directing the Navy to evaluate installations that are critical to force generation, deployment and sustainment for USPACOM and what can be done to improve the capacity of naval shipyards, regional maintenance centers, depots, aircraft maintenance facilities and civilian industrial capacity to maintain, repair and rearm ships and aircraft. 

·         Authorizing  $1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative.

·         Authorizing $8.4 billion for two Virginia-class attack submarines. Pearl Harbor is the home of this class of submarine and conducts major maintenance on them at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard.  

The bill additionally included several provisions cosponsored by Case, including amendments that:  

·         Direct the Defense Department to conduct base hardening assessments at key logistics nodes and commercial interfaces for major defense installations, which would include locations in Hawai‘i. 

·         Direct the military to inventory, assess and prioritize all military construction and logistics infrastructure projects across the Indo-Pacific to meet USPACOM’s operational requirements. 

·         Extend the requirement to annually assess of Taiwan’s military readiness, regional allied responses and U.S. contingency planning in the face of rising Chinese aggression. 

·         Extend the Indo-Pacific Maritime Security Initiative through 2031 and expand it to include unmanned systems. 

·         Mandate a report to Congress on the military’s strategy for developing a resilient and distributed missile tracking system and authorize funds to implement the report’s recommendations. These efforts can be used to help improve the defense of Hawai‘i.  

Finally, the NDAA version included various provisions Case has supported to assist our nation’s servicemembers, including:

·         Directs a 7% pay raise for junior enlisted personnel, a 6% raise for senior enlisted personnel and junior officers, and a 5% raise for senior officers. 

·         Protects the collective bargaining rights of civilian Defense Department employees. 

·          Authorizes over $1.8 billion for new construction of barracks and family housing.

·         Requires an assessment of junior enlisted housing shortfalls and a plan to close housing shortfalls.

·         Authorizes incentive pay for medical officers with doctoral degrees.  

·         Increases the Family Separation Allowance for deployed servicemembers. 

·         Authorizes $226 million to design and build new childcare centers.

·         Authorizes $170 million for new on-base schools. 

·          Authorizes a pilot program to provide grants to expand access to childcare for military families. 

·         Authorizes $50 million in Impact Aid assistance to public schools with military dependent students and an additional $20 million in assistance to local schools teaching children with severe disabilities. 

·         Requires a cost-of-living allowance to eligible servicemembers. The authority is currently optional and only applies to servicemembers assigned to high-cost areas.

The bill passed the House by a vote of 216 to 212 and now heads to the Senate for its consideration. “I am hopeful that, as this critical measure moves further through the legislative process, its serious flaws will be corrected and I will be able to vote yes on the final version, as I have with past NDAAs,” said Case. 

ATTACHMENTS:  

1.      The text of the bill is available here.  

2.      The explanatory committee report is available here.  

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Joaquin Castro (20th District of Texas)

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mike Thompson Representing the 5th District of CALIFORNIA

Washington, D.C. – Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) released the following statement in response to House Republicans’ vote to extend government funding through December 4:

“Voted ‘No’ on tonight’s partisan funding bill because the bill fails to properly fund critical programs and fails to protect California’s federal funding from being targeted by the Administration,” said Thompson. “This bill underfunds programs that provide housing assistance, programs that help rural communities with utility costs, and programs to suppress wildland fires. Housing, utility, and fire prevention costs are already way too high in our district. I refuse to support a bill that does nothing to prevent the Administration from withholding critical federal funds for California.”

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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 – Congressman Gregory W Meeks (5th District of New York)

Rep. Meeks, Faith Leaders, Local Elected Officials, Labor and Community Organizations Fight for Haitian TPS Extension 

Queens, NY– U.S. Rep. Gregory W. Meeks (NY-05) and a broad coalition of faith leaders, local elected officials, labor organizations, and Haitian community advocates hosted a press conference calling on the U.S. Senate to pass legislation extending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians through January 29, 2029. This press conference comes shortly after a federal appeals court temporarily blocked the revocation of TPS for Haitians, extending protections and work authorizations until July 27, 2026. 

Despite the clear and present dangers to those living in Haiti, the Supreme Court ruled in the Trump Administration’s favor, allowing them to terminate TPS for over 330,000 Haitians in the United States. Violent crime and kidnapping are rampant, armed groups terrorize entire communities and hospitals lack basic resources. Recognizing these dangerous conditions, the U.S. State Department continues to maintain its highest travel advisory for Haiti – Level 4 “Do Not Travel.” TPS was created for moments exactly like this – when conditions in a country make a safe return impossible. 

“For generations, Haitian immigrants helped write New York’s story and built thriving communities across Queens,” said Congressman Gregory Meeks. “They are the parents of over 50,000 U.S. children nationwide, and community members who contribute over $1 billion to the New York City economy each year. Yet the Trump Administration chose to end Temporary Protected Status for Haitians—even as Haiti remains consumed by gang violence, displacement, hunger, and political collapse. That is why I voted to pass legislation to extend TPS for Haiti and continue to call on the U.S. Senate to do the same. Our fight isn’t over yet.” 

Congressman Meeks and House Democrats successfully forced a vote on legislation extending TPS for Haiti for three years. On April 16, 2026, the measure passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 224 to 204, with total Democratic support and 10 Republicans breaking away from their party. The measure now awaits consideration in the U.S. Senate. Constituents of New York’s 5th Congressional District in need of assistance with federal casework may contact Congressman Meeks’ Jamaica District Office at (718) 725-6000. 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09)

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) today announced that St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital will receive two grants from the National Cancer Institute and that the University of Memphis will receive one grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

One of the St. Jude grants, for $622,500, is for research on transcriptional regulation in ZFTA-RELA ependymoma under the direction of Dr. Mark C. Mack in the Department of Developmental Neurobiology. The second St. Jude grant, for $289,893, is for research on a treatment for pediatric patients with relapsed refractory sarcomas under the direction of Dr. Rebecca Epperly, a faculty member in the Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy.

The University of Memphis grant, for $53,114, is for research into alcohol use by non-four-year college emerging adults, under the direction of clinical psychology doctoral student Jacob Tempchin.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

“St. Jude researchers are improving patient outcomes with the kinds of work these grants will underwrite. Understanding alcoholic behavior in young people is also likely to improve outcomes. I congratulate Drs. Mack and Epperly and Mr. Tempchin for the valuable work they’re doing.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)

More than 250 House and Senate Democrats filed an amicus brief to the Fifth Circuit arguing that mifepristone has undergone a rigorous FDA approval process and has repeatedly been found to be safe and effective

Amicus Brief (PDF)

WASHINGTON – This week, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)—alongside Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA), and Representatives Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), Diana DeGette (D-CO), and Jamie Raskin (D-MD)—led more than 250 Senate and House Democrats in filing an amicus brief to the Fifth Circuit in Louisiana v. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) focused on pushing back against Louisiana’s attempt to reinstate the in-person dispensing requirement for mifepristone.

Following the Supreme Court’s stay of the Fifth Circuit’s nationwide ban on telehealth access to mifepristone, the case went back to the Fifth Circuit. Louisiana is seeking a ruling that would force the FDA to reinstate the in-person dispensing requirement nationwide for mifepristone—a safe and effective abortion medication that has been FDA-approved since 2000. This medically unnecessary move would end patient access to mifepristone through telemedicine, the method by which more than 1 in 4 abortion patients receive their care in America today. It would remove patients’ ability to get mifepristone from their pharmacy, forcing them to find a provider that dispenses the medication.

The lawmakers argued that mifepristone already undergoes a rigorous FDA approval process, and the medication has repeatedly been found to be safe and effective. The court overturning this decision not only limits who is able to receive this vital and life-saving medication, putting lives at risk, but it also undermines the longstanding, congressionally mandated, and evidence-based decision-making process at the FDA.

“For more than a quarter century, FDA has repeatedly and consistently affirmed that mifepristone is safe. Over seven million patients in the U.S. have safely used mifepristone. And as with other drugs, FDA continues to monitor the post-marketing safety data on mifepristone—data confirming that mifepristone is safe without regard to how it is dispensed,” the members wrote.

The lawmakers emphasized that the in-person dispensing requirement was eliminated in 2021, prior to the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision of 2022, and not in response to the Supreme Court’s decision.

“The in-person dispensing requirement was first suspended by a court in 2020 and later eliminated altogether by the FDA in 2021, before Dobbs came down. Louisiana knows these facts but continues to make this spurious claim in its attempt to reimpose an unnecessary burden on all Americans, even residents of states that protect abortion. Decades after FDA’s initial approval of mifepristone and years after the in-person dispensing requirement was eliminated, Louisiana now seeks to re-impose this onerous nationwide restriction on all Americans. Granting such relief would undermine the science-based statutory framework Congress requires and threatens patient access to reproductive health care. As has been well documented, many Americans in states where abortion is legal live far from any reproductive health care provider. Reinstating an in-person dispensing requirement for mifepristone exacerbates an already significant reproductive health crisis by limiting access to the most common method of early abortion,” the lawmakers continued.

Louisiana’s request for a stay of FDA’s 2023 rule would result in the reinstatement of the in-person dispensing requirement for mifepristone nationwide—and if granted, would have no basis in law, and would threaten the congressionally-mandated evidence-based process for drug regulation. The lawmakers argue that the Fifth Circuit should deny the stay, protecting telehealth and pharmacy access to mifepristone.

In the Senate, the amicus brief was signed by all 47 Democratic U.S. Senators.

In the House, the brief was signed by 212 Democratic U.S. Representatives.

The amicus brief can be read in full here.

In her time serving in Congress, Rep. Pressley has fought persistently to protect and advance reproductive justice and ensure fundamental life-saving reproductive health care for all.

• In June 2026, during a speech on the House floor, Rep. Pressley commanded a moment of silence to honor those who have died because they were denied essential abortion care. 
• In June 2026, Rep. Pressley led a press conference with House Democratic Leadership to mark the fourth anniversary of the devastating Supreme Court Dobbs decision and offer her vision of seeing true reproductive justice realized and essential reproductive healthcare protected and expanded.
• In June 2026, Rep. Pressley joined impacted individuals and abortion storytellers to initiate a powerful day of action for the fourth anniversary of the devastating Dobbs decision, offering a message of resilient community support and a commitment to ensure abortion care is treated as the fundamental human right it is. Video is available here.
• On the anniversary of the Dobbs decision, Rep. Pressley introduced the Abortion Justice Act, sweeping, intersectional legislation to address access to abortion care and put forth a comprehensive vision of a just America where abortion care is readily available—without stigma, shame or systemic barriers—for all who seek it, regardless of zip code, immigration status, income, or background.
• Rep. Pressley is a lead co-sponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA), bicameral federal legislation to guarantee equal access to abortion care, everywhere. 
• Rep. Pressley is also a lead co-sponsor of the EACH Act, bold legislation to repeal the Hyde Amendment and help guarantee abortion coverage—regardless of how a patient gets their health insurance.
• Shortly before the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, Rep. Pressley led a group of her Black women colleagues in writing to President Biden urging him to declare a public health emergency amid the unprecedented threats to abortion rights nationwide.
• Rep. Pressley condemned the Supreme Court’s leaked draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade., and implored the Senate to protect abortion rights and slammed the white supremacist roots of anti-abortion efforts.
• Rep. Pressley has been outspoken in demanding justice for Adriana Smith, a 30-year-old pregnant mother who was declared brain dead in February and was forced to remain on life support due to Georgia’s abortion ban. In June 2025, Rep. Pressley delivered an impassioned floor speech in which she underscored that Adriana’s case is far too common in the unjust history of denying Black women their dignity, humanity, and right to bodily autonomy – and that GOP abortion bans such as Georgia’s deepen this pain and bar critical healthcare freedom. Rep. Pressley issued a statement after Adriana’s infant son Chance was delivered via emergency Cesarean section and Adriana was taken off life support.
• In May 2026, Pressley and her colleagues led 250 House and Senate Democrats in filing an amicus brief to the Supreme Court urging them to overturn a Fifth Circuit decision that would upend the FDA approval process and restrict access to mifepristone.
• On August 18, 2025, Rep. Pressley issued a statement applauding the passage of the updated Shield Act in Massachusetts, signed into law by Governor Maura Healey this month. The expanded Shield Act strengthens legal protections for people seeking reproductive and gender-affirming care in Massachusetts.
• On July 3, 2025, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on the final passage of Republicans’ Big, Ugly Bill that will rip healthcare and food assistance away from millions of people, including in Massachusetts, push reproductive healthcare further out of reach nationwide, and fuel Trump’s unlawful mass deportation agenda.
• On July 1, 2025, Rep. Pressley filed an amendment to Republicans’ Big, Ugly Bill to protect and expand reproductive healthcare.
• On June 26, 2025, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on the harmful Medina v. Planned Parenthood ruling, the Supreme Court’s decision to allow South Carolina to bar Medicaid patients from receiving healthcare services at Planned Parenthood.
• On June 24, 2025, Rep. Pressley joined House Democratic Leadership for a press conference to mark the somber anniversary and renew her calls for comprehensive legislation to protect abortion care and expand access to reproductive healthcare.
• On June 23, 2025, Rep. Pressley and the women of the Massachusetts delegation, Whip Katherine Clark (MA-05), Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Rep. Lori Trahan (MA-03) joined Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts President Dominique Lee for a press conference in solidarity with Planned Parenthood as they collectively fight to stop Republicans’ latest attack on reproductive freedom in the GOP’s Big, Ugly Bill.
• In June 2025, Rep. Pressley demanded justice for Adriana Smith, a 30-year-old pregnant mother who was declared brain dead in February and was forced to remain on life support due to Georgia’s abortion ban.
• On May 29, 2025, Rep. Pressley reintroduced a resolution demanding equitable access to reproductive and sexual healthcare for people with disabilities, and designating a day in May as “Disability Reproductive Equity Day.”
• On May 21, 2025, Rep. Pressley delivered a powerful speech on the House Floor in which she slammed Republicans’ reconciliation bill that would slash Medicaid, which is necessary to ensuring safe, healthy reproductive care and maternal health nationwide.
• On April 3, 2025, Rep. Pressley, alongside Reps. DeGette, Chu, Leger Fernández, Fletcher, Davids, Williams, sent a letter signed by 162 Members urging Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to restore all appropriated funding for Title X providers and coordinate an urgent meeting on the matter.
• On April 2, 2025, Rep. Pressley rallied with Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), colleagues, and advocates outside the U.S. Supreme Court for Medicaid patients’ ability to access routine care at Planned Parenthood health centers.
• On March 5, 2025, Rep. Pressley and the Reproductive Freedom Caucus issued a statement condemning Donald Trump’s plans to drop the U.S. government’s case against Idaho’s violation of Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) protections for emergency abortion care.
• In January 2025, Rep. Pressley gave an impassioned speech condemning H.R. 21, Republicans’ cruel anti-abortion bill that criminalizes providers and denies families care.
• In January 2025, Rep. Pressley was announced as Co-Chair of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus for the 119^th Congress.
• In October 2024, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on Josseli Barnica, who died on Sept. 3, 2021 after being denied emergency abortion care in Texas as she suffered a miscarriage.
• In September 2024, in a House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee Hearing, Rep. Pressley highlighted the harmful and deadly impact of abortion bans in America to date, and outlined in detail the shameful circumstances under which Amber Nicole Thurman died after being denied necessary abortion care in Georgia.
• In May 2024, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on a Louisiana bill that would classify medication abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol as controlled substances. 
• In April 2024, at a House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Pressley played “Fact or Fiction” with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert Califf to emphasize the safety and efficacy of medication abortion drug mifepristone.
• Shortly before the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, Rep. Pressley led a group of her Black women colleagues in writing to President Biden urging him to declare a public health emergency amid the unprecedented threats to abortion rights nationwide. 
• Rep. Pressley condemned the Supreme Court’s leaked draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade., and implored the Senate to protect abortion rights and slammed the white supremacist roots of anti-abortion efforts.
• In August 2023, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on the Fifth Circuit Court decision in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA.
• In July 2023, Rep. Pressley, alongside Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Rep. Cori Bush (MO-01), and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), reintroduced the Reproductive Health Care Accessibility Act, legislation to help people with disabilities—who face discrimination and extra barriers when seeking care—get better access to reproductive health care and the informed care they need to control their own reproductive lives.
• In July 2023, Rep. Pressley applauded the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of over-the-counter birth control.
• In May 2023, Rep. Pressley applauded the FDA Advisory Committee’s unanimous, 17-0 vote to recommend the approval of the first-ever application for over-the-counter birth control. She and Senator Murray also held a press conference applauding the decision and urging the FDA to approval over-the-counter birth control without delay.
• In May 2023, Rep. Pressley, along with Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) and Ami Bera, MD (CA-06) and Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), reintroduced their bicameral Affordability is Access Act to ensure that once the FDA determines an over-the-counter birth control option to be safe, insurers fully cover over-the-counter birth control without any fees or out-of-pocket costs.
• In April 2023, Rep. Pressley issued a statement condemning the Texas court ruling on mifepristone, and discussed the Texas case in a recent floor speech in which she affirmed medication abortion as routine medical care and access to mifepristone as essential. She later joined Governor Maura Healey, Senator Elizabth Warren (D-MA), and local leaders in announcing action to protect Mifepristone in Massachusetts.
• In March 2023, Rep. Pressley, along with Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Reps. Schakowsky, Lee, DeGette, Torres and Strickland, reintroduced the Abortion is Healthcare Everywhere Act harmful and discriminatory Helms Amendment and expand abortion access globally.
• In March 2023, Rep. Pressley and Senator Hirono led their colleagues in reintroducing a bicameral congressional resolution honoring abortion providers and clinic staff. 
• In March 2023, Rep. Pressley delivered a speech in which she discussed the pending court case in Texas, which aims to restrict access to medication abortion across the entire nation. In her remarks, Rep. Pressley affirmed medication abortion as routine medical care, and accessibility to the abortion pill mifepristone as essential.
• In September 2021, Rep. Pressley issued a statement condemning the Supreme Court’s inaction on SB-8, Texas’ restrictive abortion law. Later that month, she participated in a House Oversight Committee hearing to examine the threat posed by abortion bans and underscored the urgency of the Senate passing the Women’s Health Protection Act. 
• In April 2021, Rep. Pressley, along with Congresswomen Barbara Lee (CA-13), Diana DeGette (CO-01) and Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), led a group of 131 Democratic members in reintroducing the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance Act or the EACH Act, which would repeal the Hyde Amendment and ensure that all people, regardless of income, insurance or zip code, can make personal reproductive health care decisions without interference from politicians. She re-Introduced the legislation In January 2023.
• Rep. Pressley has led calls in Congress for the FDA to remove medically unnecessary restrictions on the medication abortion drug mifepristone, and applauded the FDA’s action in January 2023 to allow retail pharmacies to dispense abortion medication pills.
• As Chair of the Pro-Choice Caucus’s Abortion Rights and Access Task Force, Congresswoman Pressley led the fight to repeal the Hyde Amendments from annual Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies appropriations bills and in July 2020 published a Medium post on the importance of doing so. She applauded the removal of the Hyde Amendment in President Biden’s FY2022 budget.
• In May 2020, she led more than 155 Members of Congress in calling on House Democratic leadership to ensure that any future COVID-19 relief packages rejected Republican efforts to use the public health crisis to diminish abortion access.
• In August 2021, Rep. Pressley, Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, and Pro-Choice Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Diana DeGette and Barbara Lee led more than 70 of their House Democratic colleagues in introducing a resolution in support of equitable, science-based policies governing access to medication abortion care. 
• In January 2023, Rep. Pressley introduced a resolution to condemn all forms of political violence in the U.S., regardless of its target or intent. That same day, she delivered a powerful speech on the House floor slamming Republicans’ harmful, misleading anti-abortion resolution.
• In September 2022, Rep. Pressley hosted U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra at the Codman Square Health Center in Dorchester for a convening on their work to address the Black maternal health crisis and the criminalization of abortion care in states across the nation following the harmful U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health. 
• In May 2019, she led more than 100 colleagues in introducing H.Con.Res.40, a resolution reaffirming the House of Representative’s support for Roe v. Wade.
• In June 2019, Rep. Pressley introduced H.R. 3296, the Affordability is Access Act, to make oral contraception available without a prescription. 
• In September 2016, as a member of the Boston City Council, Pressley championed a resolution calling on Congress and President Obama to repeal the Hyde Amendment and reinstate insurance coverage for abortion services.

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