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July 18, 2026

Steil Leads WI Republican Delegation, Requests EPA Hold Canada Accountable for Wildfire Pollutants

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Bryan Steil (Wisconsin-1)

Janesville, WI – Today, Congressmen Bryan Steil (WI-01), Derrick Van Orden (WI-03), Glenn Grothman (WI-06), Tom Tiffany (WI-07), Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05), and Tony Wied (WI-08) wrote to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, requesting the department review available actions under the U.S.-Canada Air Quality Agreement (AQA) to help address ongoing wildfire smoke in Wisconsin originating from Canada.

“Record-breaking wildfire smoke is inflicting real harm on Wisconsin families. We cannot allow this to continue. Canada must meet its clean air promise and prevent future wildfires from impacting Wisconsin families,” wrote the Representatives. “We write to respectfully request that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) take all appropriate measures under the U.S.-Canada AQA to address the impact of Canadian wildfire smoke on families in the Great Lakes Region and the Northeast.”

Read the letter here.

Background:

Smoke from recent wildfires, including those originating in Canada, has drifted into the United States, creating hazardous air quality ratings across Wisconsin.
On Thursday, July 16, 5 of the 10 worst areas for air quality in the world were in southern Wisconsin.
- Air Quality Index ratings exceeded 500 in many portions of Wisconsin, including Brown, Waukesha, and Kenosha Counties.
- Milwaukee saw its worst air quality on record, with an AQI of 566 – significantly higher than cities like Beijing (73) and Delhi (160).
Wildfires like those originating in Canada are a source of significant pollutants including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter.
The U.S.-Canada Air Quality Agreement was signed by the U.S. and Canada in 1991 and expanded in 2000. The agreement is designed to help reduce toxic air pollutants including ozone and particulate matter.
The letter requests that the EPA utilize this mechanism to address the impacts of ongoing wildfires and help mitigate future occurrences.

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July 18, 2026

Rep. Chu Commends Federal Court Order Requiring Immediate Reforms at Adelanto ICE Processing Center

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

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. District Judge Sunshine S. Sykes has ordered the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to immediately overhaul conditions at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center after finding that detainees are likely to succeed on claims that their constitutional and disability rights are being violated.

The ruling stems from a class-action lawsuit brought by detained immigrants and immigrant rights organizations citing detainee deaths, inadequate medical care, insufficient nutrition, and unsafe drinking water, unsanitary living conditions, and failures to accommodate people with disabilities.

Judge Sykes ordered DHS and ICE to implement sweeping reforms to medical care, sanitation, food service, recreation, disability accommodations, and visitation while the litigation proceeds. Within 14 days, ICE must submit a comprehensive remedial plan for medical care and disability accommodations, and two independent, court-appointed monitors will oversee compliance.

Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28), who has conducted oversight of the Adelanto facility, pressed ICE officials over documented abuses, and has called for its closure for more than a decade released the following statement:

“Today’s ruling affirms what we have known all along. Detainees held at Adelanto have been suffering and dying in unacceptably cruel and inhumane conditions. And those who have raised the alarm, including detainees participating in a hunger strike whom I met with last month, have faced solitary confinement or even deportation in retaliation for speaking out.

ICE must comply fully and immediately with the court’s order, implement every required reform without delay, and ensure that every person in its custody receives the constitutional protections and basic human dignity they are owed.

While this ruling is an important victory for detainees and their families, it cannot erase the years of preventable suffering that occurred before the court intervened. I will continue fighting to permanently close the Adelanto ICE Processing Center because no amount of court supervision can fix a detention system that has repeatedly failed to protect human life.”

Since the start of President Trump’s second term, five people have died while in ICE custody at Adelanto or shortly after being transferred from the facility. At least 13 people have died in connection with Adelanto since it opened, making it one of the deadliest ICE detention centers in the country. Over the years, detainees, advocates, medical professionals, and oversight officials have documented serious concerns at the facility, including delayed medical treatment, unsanitary conditions, inadequate access to hygiene products, barriers to communicating with attorneys and family members, and deaths that even ICE has deemed preventable.

The Adelanto ICE Processing Center is operated by GEO Group, a private prison contractor that receives millions of taxpayer dollars each year to detain immigrants on behalf of the federal government.

July 18, 2026

SCHNEIDER, FITZPATRICK INTRODUCE BIPARTISAN HONOR ACT TO END TAX CREDITS FOR BUSINESSES DEALING IN RUSSIA

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL)

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10) and Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), members of the House Ways and Means Committee, announced the introduction of the Hindering Oppressive Nations from Obtaining Revenue Act or HONOR Act to eliminate the ability of firms and individuals to claim a foreign tax credit against taxes paid to the Russian government. Senators Cortez Masto and Cornyn introduced the Senate version in January, and it was passed by unanimous consent in April.

“For more than twelve years, Russia has carried out an unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine,” said Schneider. “All of Europe and the U.S. must stand with the Ukrainian people. We cannot allow companies that finance Russia’s regime and continue Putin’s illegal war to get a tax break. I’m glad to work with my colleague Rep. Fitzpatrick to hold Russia accountable, stand with our ally Ukraine, and protect our nation’s security.”

“America’s tax code should never reward those who help bankroll the enemies of freedom. Every dollar paid to the Kremlin strengthens Vladimir Putin’s war machine and prolongs his brutal assault on Ukraine. The HONOR Act sends a clear message: companies that choose to finance tyranny will not be subsidized by the American taxpayer. We will stand with the Ukrainian people, defend the free world, and confront Russian aggression with the strength and resolve it demands,” said Fitzpatrick.

The bill would add Russia to the Section 901(j) list of sanctioned countries, a list of countries in which taxes paid can’t be offset by the foreign tax credit. Currently, the list includes North Korea, Iran, Syria, and Sudan.

View the full bill text here.

July 18, 2026