MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jack Bergman (MI-1)

Last week, Reps. Jack Bergman (MI-01) and Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08), introduced the bipartisan Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources (RNGR) Support Act of 2026. This bill would strengthen Washington State’s wildfire resiliency and the national reforestation pipeline by formalizing the United States Forest Service’s RNGR program. 

“Healthy forests are an irreplaceable piece of our rural communities, our economy, and our environment,” said Rep. Bergman. “That’s why I’m proud to help introduce the RNGR Support Act – a common-sense, bipartisan effort to strengthen America’s reforestation pipeline and expand nursery capacity, including supporting critical facilities like the J.W. Toumey Nursery right here in Michigan’s First District. This legislation will help ensure our states, tribes, and private partners have the resources they need to restore and sustain our forests for generations to come.”

“As our forests face unprecedented threats brought on by wildfires, drought, and disease, we must take action to strengthen and streamline our national reforestation efforts,” said Congresswoman Schrier. “By codifying the Forest Service’s RNGR program, we can build a robust and effective national reforestation pipeline that supports the long-term health of our forests and public lands and improves our wildfire resilience.” 

The RNGR program plays an integral role in addressing increased nursery demand for information regarding the implementation of native species in restoration, reforestation, and conservation projects across the country. While currently underfunded, the existing RNGR program provides crucial information and assistance and, as such, contributes to long-term goals such as sustainability in our nation’s forests, increased timber production, and improved air and water quality. 

The RNGR Support Act would formally authorize the RNGR program and provide it with its own budget line item and funding. Taking this step will solidify the program’s footing and allow it to focus on technical and financial assistance to nurseries, research projects, and provide compelling and accessible online resources.   

“The USDA Forest Service Reforestation, Nursery, and Genetic Resources Program (RNGR) represents a key but under-resourced program for providing technical training, coordination, and support to state, private, and tribal nursery efforts,” said George Geissler, Washington State Forester. “The RNGR Support Act will provide additional funding and resources for the RNGR Program while creating opportunities for state, private and tribal nurseries to apply for infrastructure improvements to help these nurseries across the country produce enough seedlings to adequately address the nation’s reforestation needs, while ensuring the seed and seedling supplies are genetically suited to meet the needs of a changing climate.” 

“Post-wildfire areas make up the vast majority of today’s reforestation need. Without timely intervention, these areas are at a heightened risk of conversion and repeated high-severity fire, threatening watersheds, wildlife, and communities. It’s time to scale the full restoration pipeline, not just the planting—from seed collection to seedling cultivation, site prep, and everything in between,” said Rebecca Turner, Chief Policy and Partnerships Officer at American Forests. “The RNGR Support Act strengthens a critical piece of the pipeline by lifting up and leveraging state, Tribal, and private nurseries and increasing coordination across boundaries. American Forests commend Reps. Schrier and Bergman for championing this issue and for their commitment to the long-term health of our nation’s forests.”

The RNGR Support Act of 2026 is endorsed by the Puget Sound Partnership, National Association of State Foresters, American Forests, Bipartisan Policy Center Action, American Forest Foundation, National Association of Forest Service Retirees, National Alliance of Forest Owners, Carbon 180, and American Chestnut Foundation.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Robert Aderholt (AL-04)

Haleyville, Ala — Today, Congressman Robert Aderholt (AL-04) released the following statement after President Trump launched an attack early Saturday to target the Iranian regime.

“To call the current Iranian regime brutal would be an understatement. For nearly 50 years, its leaders have called for ‘Death to America’ and ‘Death to Israel.’ They are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American service members, including the 241 U.S. Marines murdered in the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing, as well as many other Americans killed directly and through their terrorist proxies. The current leadership has also suppressed and killed thousands of Iran’s own people simply for seeking a voice in their government. I stand with President Trump in leading America to take decisive action to restore stability to a region that has lacked it for far too long. The time for the people of Iran is now. May God bless our armed forces and the United States of America.”

In addition to serving as Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, he is also a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA) and Representatives Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Kevin Mullin (D-CA), and Russ Fulcher (R-ID) sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum urging the Department of the Interior (DOI) to develop a comprehensive strategy to reforest DOI-managed lands and address a growing reforestation backlog driven by wildfire, drought, insects, and disease.

“We strongly urge you to develop a comprehensive reforestation strategy for Department of Interior managed forests as an integral component to accomplishing President Trump’s public land management goals for strengthening wildfire response, post-wildfire recovery, and active forest management,” wrote the lawmakers. “Without timely reforestation, these scarred landscapes can be highly susceptible to flash flooding, impacting the public health and economic stability of nearby communities.”

To better address reforestation gaps, the Members request that DOI:

1. Conduct a department-wide assessment of reforestation needs and ability to meet those needs.
2. Enter a formal Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Forest Service to share resources and expertise.
3. Prioritize reforestation efforts through the Administration’s Make America Beautiful Again Commission and address the multi-million-acre reforestation backlog.

“Importantly, forest restoration, which can include pre-wildfire reforestation site preparation done in conjunction with active forest management, can also save tax-payer dollars,” the lawmakers added.

When wildfires rip through public lands, they do not just burn trees. They leave behind vast stretches of scorched hillsides where the roots that once held soil in place are gone.

Reforestation is the work of restoring those forests by growing and replanting native trees so the land can recover. But extreme heat, drought, insects, and disease are preventing many areas from regenerating on their own, leaving millions of acres at risk of staying barren for decades.

That has real consequences for families. When heavy rains come, burn scars can trigger flash flooding, debris flows, and landslides that threaten homes and roads, while also contaminating drinking water. This letter calls on Interior to appropriately treat reforestation like the public safety recovery work that it is.

Read the full letter HERE.

Congresswoman Matsui has long championed forest resilience and restoration as essential to protecting communities from catastrophic wildfire and accelerating recovery after disasters strike. More information on the Congresswoman’s record on a broad range of environmental issues can be found HERE.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) released the following statement on President Trump’s unauthorized war in Iran:

“Early this morning, President Trump launched a major attack on Iran and openly called for regime change—without consulting Congress and without seeking authorization from the American people’s elected representatives. That is a flagrant violation of the Constitution and a dangerous escalation that puts American service members, civilians in the region, and global stability at grave risk.

Republicans will inevitably try to downplay this action as something short of war. The President himself makes clear that is false. In his own words: ‘The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties. That often happens in war.’ When a president acknowledges casualties and calls it war, Congress cannot pretend otherwise.

The consequences are already unfolding. Iran has launched retaliatory strikes across the region. A U.S. Navy base in Bahrain has been hit. Airspace over the UAE and Qatar has been shut down. Iran-allied militias in Iraq have announced they will begin attacking American bases. Israelis are racing to bomb shelters. Civilians in Tehran are fleeing their homes. This is not a limited operation—this is a war, and it is spreading by the hour.

The President took this country into that war based on claims his own intelligence community has not confirmed. The New York Times reports this morning that Trump’s central assertions about Iran’s nuclear program—that it had restarted, that Iran had enough material for a bomb within days, that it had missiles capable of reaching the United States—are either false or unproven. We were told similar things before Iraq. We know how that ended. The American people are still living with the consequences of wars launched without accountability or an endgame. We cannot repeat those mistakes. 

My colleagues have introduced a bipartisan War Powers Resolution, and Democrats were already planning to force a vote the moment Congress reconvenes next week. Speaker Johnson should call the House back to Washington immediately to take up that vote. Congress must reassert its constitutional authority, halt unauthorized military action, and make clear that no president—of either party—has the power to drag this nation into war alone.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA)

BUTLER, PA — Today, U.S. Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA) announced the launch of the 2026 Congressional Art Competition for high school students across Pennsylvania’s 16th Congressional District.

The annual competition, officially sanctioned by the U.S. House of Representatives, provides high school students the opportunity to showcase their artistic talent on a national stage. The winning artwork from PA-16 will be displayed in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., from June 2026 through May 2027.

“I am always impressed by the creativity and talent of students throughout our district,” said Rep. Kelly. “The Congressional Art Competition gives young artists the opportunity to have their work recognized at the national level. I encourage every high school in PA-16 to participate.”

Students in grades 9–12 who live in or attend school in Pennsylvania’s 16th Congressional District are eligible to submit original two-dimensional artwork. Accepted mediums include paintings, drawings, photography, computer-generated art, collages, prints, and mixed media.

The submission deadline for artwork and required entry forms is April 10, 2026.

Students may submit entries individually and attend the district Art Show with their families, or art teachers may submit artwork as a group and attend as a class.

The PA-16 Congressional Art Show and Awards Reception will be held on April 24, 2026. Additional details will be provided to participating students and schools.

To assist schools and students, Rep. Kelly’s office is offering to coordinate artwork pickup from participating schools throughout the district.

Educators and students seeking additional information are encouraged to contact the PA-16 district office at 724-282-2557 or email Julie.Swartfager@mail.house.gov.

WATCH: Rep. Kelly opens the 2026 Congressional Art Competition with a message for students, teachers, and parents.

To learn more about the competition, visit Kelly’s website here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn)

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

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

A PDF of the full letter can be found here.

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

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

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

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

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

Garden State Lawmakers Call Out DHS Secretary Kristi Noem for Softening Standards

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman John Garamendi – Representing California’s 3rd Congressional District

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

WASHINGTON, D.C. –687 members of the National Academy of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and National Academy of Engineering, including 10 Nobel Laureates, publicly endorsed the Articles of Impeachment against RFK Jr. introduced by Representative Haley Stevens (D-MI).

Signing in their individual capacities, the members issued a clear warning: science and public health are under attack.

“As [Rep. Haley Stevens] has stated: ‘Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has turned his back on science, on public health, and on the American people – spreading conspiracies and lies, driving up costs, and putting lives at risk.’ He has done this by (e.g.) cutting funding for lifesaving research, withholding funds for previously approved biomedical research, restricting access to vaccines, removing experts from the CDC’s advisory panels, misrepresenting scientific findings, approving the use of chemotherapy drugs to treat autism without FDA due process regarding risks to children’s health, and endangering pregnant women by raising unnecessary alarms about Tylenol, all without established evidence.”

The continued momentum behind these Articles, now backed by hundreds of leading scientists, physicians, engineers, and Nobel Laureates, demonstrates the growing, bipartisan recognition that we need to protect public health and restore scientific integrity and that RFK Jr. must be removed from office.

Click here to see the full list of scientific endorsers. 

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

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to DTE’s announcement that it will seek yet another electricity rate increase, Rep Haley Stevens issued the following statement:

“This is outrageous. DTE is out of control. They’ve raked in taxpayer support to fix the grid yet bills for hardworking Michigan families keep going up while executives and shareholders cash in.

“For months, I’ve been working on legislation to rein in DTE and out-of-control utility companies from raising rates. Under my bill, utility companies would face significant penalties if they raise rates within three years:

• In year one, any residential rate increase will lose them their federal funding.
• In years two or three, any rate increase must be accompanied by a cut to executive pay of twice the percentage of the increase or they lose their federal funding.

“This is about making sure Michigan families aren’t paying more just to make corporate executives richer. With DTE now threatening yet another rate hike, I’m doubling down. In the coming weeks, I will introduce legislation to make sure we are protecting Michigan ratepayers, not corporate profits.”

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