MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jim Costa Representing 16th District of California

FRESNO, Calif. – U.S. Congressman Jim Costa (CA-21) invites all community members of California’s 21st Congressional District to participate in “Holiday Cards for Vets” program. During these challenging times, everyone can use some love and kindness, through heartfelt and homemade cards; especially our Veterans. Residents are encouraged to participate by dropping off or mailing homemade cards to Costa’s offices in Fresno and Visalia. Deadline for submission is Wednesday, December 10th, 2025, at 5:00 P.M. 
Ahead of the holidays, Costa’s office will deliver the submitted cards to local veterans at the Fresno VA Hospital, Fresno Vets Home, Coffee with a Veteran in Visalia, and our local Posts.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE: 

Grab your art supplies and write a heartfelt note to a local Veteran.  
No glitter or sealed envelopes.
Participating schools and organizations with a large volume of holiday cards for Veterans may contact our office to arrange a pick-up.  

MAILOR DROP OFF CARDS:

Fresno District Office: 2440 Tulare Street, Suite 420, Fresno, CA 93721
Visalia District Office: 425 E. Oak Ave, Suite 202, Visalia, CA 93291

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Sean Casten (IL-06)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Don Bacon (2nd District of Nebraska)

Bacon Named One of Most Effective Lawmakers in 118^th Congress

Washington – The Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL), a partnership between the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and Vanderbilt University, released its Interest & Legislative Effectiveness Scores for the 118^th Congress, ranking Representative Don Bacon (NE-02) as the most effective Republican House Member in the Defense policy area.

This recognition follows CEL’s announcement earlier this year naming Rep. Bacon one of the top effective legislators overall for the 118^th Congress. Rep. Bacon was ranked second overall in the Republican Party for effectiveness, scoring high in defense, Native Americans, banking and commerce, and law, crime and family issue areas.

CEL’s Legislative Effectiveness Scores methodology combines fifteen metrics capturing how many bills each member of Congress sponsors in a given issue area, how far those bills advance through the lawmaking process, and the substance of their policy proposals. In the Defense category, Rep. Bacon earned a score of 36.1 compared to 10.6 for his Democrat colleague Mark Takano (CA-39).

You can view CEL’s complete Interest & Legislative Effectiveness Scores here.

“Since coming to Congress in 2016, I have embraced cooperation and creativity to get things done for Nebraskans and I thank the Center for Effective Lawmaking for this recognition,” said Rep. Bacon. “I am willing to work with anyone who shares my desire to make life better for Americans, and I look forward to continuing that level of effectiveness in the 119^th Congress.”

The Center for Effective Lawmaking said the following in their announcement: 

“Our analysis found that Representative Bacon ranked as the most effective Republican House Member in the policy area of Defense in the last Congress. This is in addition to our previous analysis showing him as one of the most effective Republican House Members in the last Congress overall, as well as the most effective Representative in terms of having their sponsored standalone bills substantially incorporated into the laws of other members of Congress. We congratulate the Representative for his hard work and setting an example for promoting the importance of effective lawmaking.”

###

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman David G Valadao (CA-21)

WASHINGTON – Congressman David Valadao (CA-22) and Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) reintroduced the Strengthening Election Cybersecurity to Uphold Respect for Elections through Independent Testing (SECURE IT) Act. This bipartisan bill would require that voting systems undergo simulated cyberattacks as part of their standard certification process to help bolster the security of our election systems from foreign and domestic bad actors.

“Ensuring trust in our nation’s elections is vital, and in order for people to have confidence in our democratic process, we need to be doing everything we can to secure any vulnerabilities,” said Congressman Valadao. “The SECURE IT Act would proactively help discover potential flaws in our electoral system by outlining robust system security check requirements, and I’m proud to help lead this bipartisan effort to strengthen our election infrastructure.”

“We’ve got to do everything we can to shore up America’s cybersecurity and voting systems and help make sure they remain strong and secure,” said Congressman Deluzio. “I’m proud that this bipartisan bill will help identify and fix voting system vulnerabilities and conduct important system testing. We must make sure America’s democratic infrastructure can weather any and all attacks from our adversaries.”

Background:

The security of America’s election infrastructure is central to maintaining voters’ confidence in the democratic process. While federal law requires the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to test and certify voting system hardware and software, current regulations under the Help America Vote Act of 2002 do not explicitly mandate penetration testing—a key cybersecurity practice that helps identify system vulnerabilities. The SECURE IT Act strengthens election security by directing the EAC to incorporate penetration testing into its certification process and establish a voluntary coordinated vulnerability disclosure program, enabling independent researchers to examine election systems for potential cybersecurity risks.

Read the full bill here.

###

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Earl L Buddy Carter (GA-01)

Headline: WATCH: Carter supports research and development to improve outcomes for children with rare diseases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) today spoke on the House floor in favor of H.R. 1262, the Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act, which boasts bipartisan support and invests in research and development of cures and treatments for children with rare diseases, including cancer. 

Watch and read his full speech here: 

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the bipartisan Give Kids a Chance Act, which supports research and development of drugs for children with cancer and other rare diseases.

“Nearly 70% of rare diseases start in childhood, and most still have no approved treatments. The Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher program has been a catalyst for developing therapies for these vulnerable populations. 

“Thanks to this program, treatments have reached children suffering from nearly 40 rare diseases, many of which previously had no FDA-approved options and often led to severe disability or death before adulthood.

“Since 2012, the Rare Pediatric Disease PRV Program has helped bring more than 60 new treatments to market and has driven investment in hundreds of additional therapies for rare pediatric diseases that would otherwise be financially unviable.

“The Give Kids a Chance Act restores this critical program, ensuring that we continue to spur innovation, improve outcomes for young patients, and close gaps in pediatric drug research.

“Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill.”

Read full bill text here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)

Reps. Don Beyer (D-VA), Mike Lawler (R-NY), and Scott Peters (D-CA) today introduced the bipartisan Childhood Diabetes Reduction Act to address growing public health concerns regarding rising childhood obesity rates and diet-related chronic diseases such as diabetes. The legislation would require the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) implement clear nutrient and health warning labels and ban junk food advertisements targeting children. It would also direct the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand research programs on the health effects of ultra-processed foods and requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to lead a national initiative to educate children and families on nutrient warning labels and the health risks associated with ultra-processed foods.

“Today, one in five American children are living with heightened risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other diet-related chronic diseases,” said Rep. Beyer. “Congress must take bold action to protect the health of our youngest citizens. Our legislation would do just that by empowering families with the tools and information they need to make healthier choices while holding the food and beverage industry accountable for targeting our children with unhealthy products.”

“Childhood diabetes is affecting more and more families in our communities, and we have a responsibility to address it with commonsense, bipartisan solutions,” said Rep. Lawler. “I’m proud to be a co-lead of this legislation, which improves transparency in food labeling and gives parents clearer information to help families make informed choices about what their kids consume. Supporting parents with facts, not burdens, is an important part of protecting children’s health and reducing long-term medical costs for families in the Hudson Valley.”

“Childhood obesity has more than tripled over the last four decades, due in large part to ultra-processed and calorie-dense foods marketed to kids,” said Rep. Peters. “Families should know exactly what their child is eating without marketing gimmicks or misleading packaging. That’s why I reintroduced the Childhood Diabetes Reduction Act, which creates a clear front-of-package labeling requirement for junk foods, stops companies from pushing them on kids, and helps families make informed choices to keep their children healthy.”

“It’s thrilling to see this bill introduced in the House. If passed, this bill would establish the US as a global leader in taking action to promote health for kids,” said Dr. Lindsey Smith Taillie, Professor at the University of North Carolina and Co-Director of the UNC Global Food Research Program. “Scientific evidence shows that front-of-package labels like the ones proposed give parents the information they need to make healthy choices for their children.”

Over the last two decades, the availability and consumption of unhealthy, ultra-processed foods with little nutritional value has increased dramatically and increasing evidence links consumption of these ultra-processed foods to negative health outcomes. According to the CDC, nearly 15 million Americans aged 2-19 years are living with obesity, increasing their risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, asthma, sleep apnea, and other diet-related chronic diseases. A new study led by Harvard Medical School and Mass General Brigham researchers found that consuming ultra-processed foods increases the risk of early-onset colorectal cancer.

Full text of the Childhood Diabetes Reduction Act is available here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green Ohio)

Latta Champions HALT Fentanyl Law on Comcast Newsmakers

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett (USVI)

For Immediate Release                             Contact: Tionee Scotland
November 14, 2025                                                    202-808-6129

PRESS RELEASE

PLASKETT, KING-HINDS, RADEWAGEN, MOYLAN INTRODUCE BILL TO REINSTATE DE MINIMIS EXEMPTION FOR U.S. TERRITORIES

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett (D-U.S. Virgin Islands) joined Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds (R-Northern Mariana Islands), Congresswoman Amata Radewagen (R-American Samoa), and Congressman James Moylan (R-Guam) to introduce H.R. 5960, a bipartisan bill to restore duty-free treatment for low-value shipments from the U.S. territories following the recent suspension of de minimis privileges under Executive Order 14324.

The legislation addresses concerns raised by territorial residents about being charged rates or classifications that treat their shipments as foreign. It restores the tariff treatment Congress specifically designed for Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands, and it makes clear that the territories should not be swept into trade restrictions aimed at foreign countries. The measure responds to mail delays, unexpected charges, and other disruptions created by recent federal tariff changes.

“For too long, U.S. territories have been treated as afterthoughts in trade policy—swept into restrictions meant for foreign countries despite being integral parts of the United States,” said Congresswoman Plaskett. “This legislation permanently protects the de minimis exemption for our territories and requires federal agencies to consider territorial impacts before enacting trade restrictions.”

“The Northern Mariana Islands and our sister territories have a clearly defined status under U.S. law,” said Congresswoman King-Hinds. “We are not foreign countries, but neither are we part of the customs territory. Our relationship is unique, and that is reflected in the laws that govern how our goods move through the American market. This bill restores that balance and makes sure federal policy honors the intent of Congress.”

“Our people in the islands deserve the same federal services at the same rates as the rest of the United States,” said Congresswoman Radewagen. “That’s an important principle of fairness, and it’s also important for our local economies, so our hardworking small businesses have services and shipping at standard U.S. rates. Thank you to Reps. King-Hinds, Moylan, and Plaskett as we work together on our bipartisan legislation.”

Congressman Moylan of Guam, who is also a cosponsor of the measure, noted the importance of restoring the exemption for territorial residents and shared, “I am proud to join my colleagues in introducing this essential legislation. The recent executive order suspending the de minimis exemption has a real impact on the lives of the people of Guam and is an unjust policy to levy on only those living in the US Territories. Through this legislation we’re making our voices clear: Americans in the Territories should be treated equally to those in the States.”

Under the bill, the U.S. Department of the Treasury would be required to admit goods originating in the covered territories duty-free, consistent with the treatment Congress intended prior to January 1, 2025. The bill also restores parity among the territories by adding the Northern Mariana Islands to the list of areas eligible for the “bona fide gifts” exemption under the Tariff Act of 1930.

The bill includes a new requirement that federal agencies consult on the territorial effects of any future trade or tariff changes. This provision reflects the concern shared by all four territorial delegates that federal policy decisions can unintentionally sweep the territories into rules designed for foreign countries. The consultation requirement ensures that federal agencies consider how proposed policy changes may affect territorial residents, local businesses, and the cost of essential goods and services.

“This measure is an important step in ensuring fairness and consistency in federal trade policy, said Congresswoman Plaskett. “Our residents pay taxes, serve in uniform, and are American citizens in every sense—they deserve economic policies that recognize that reality. This legislation represents our united voice as territorial delegates: our constituents are Americans, and federal trade policy must reflect that reality.”

###

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

Griffith Announces $1,806,699 HHS Grant to Buchanan County Head Start

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Paul Tonko (Capital Region New York)

Tonko Statement on Passing of Torben and Jean Aabo