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Rep. Loudermilk Statement on Future Plans – U.S. Representative Barry Loudermilk

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Barry Loudermilk (R-GA)

Washington, D.C. (February 4, 2026) | Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) issued the following statement:

“Serving the people of Northwest Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives is a tremendous honor; and throughout my six terms, I have focused on upholding the Constitution and representing the values of the Eleventh Congressional District and the great state of Georgia.

“I first ran for election to Congress in 2014 and, as I stated then, representing the people in Congress is a service, not a career; and although I continue to have strong support from the people of the Eleventh Congressional District, I believe it is time to contribute to my community, state, and nation in other ways. Therefore, I have decided not to seek re-election at the end of my current term in Congress.

“I have learned throughout my life that doing what is right is not always easy, convenient, or popular. My wife and I have prayed diligently and discussed this extensively; and, while this is not an easy decision, we believe it is the right one. While serving my constituents in Congress ranks among my greatest honors, being a husband, a father, and a grandfather holds even greater importance to me; and at this time, I wish to spend more dedicated time with my family.

“Thank you to the great people of Georgia’s Eleventh Congressional District for allowing me to serve you, and to my incredible staff for your years of outstanding service to our district, state, and nation.”

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Larsen Releases Statement on Trump’s Threats to Aircraft Manufacturing

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rick Larsen (2nd Congressional District Washington)

Larsen Releases Statement on Trump’s Threats to Aircraft Manufacturing

Washington, D.C., February 4, 2026

Today, Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement after President Trump threatened to decertify and add new tariffs on Canadian-made aircraft:

“Anyone with knowledge of aircraft manufacturing understands the key role Canadian partners play in building safe, reliable planes to transport people and goods across the continent. Threatening tariffs and decertification is bad for business, jeopardizes the industry and the aerospace supply chain and risks the jobs and livelihoods of thousands of hardworking women and men in my district and elsewhere.”

Rep. Larsen is a member of the New Democrat Coalition Trade and Tariffs Task Force and has been a leader in opposing the Trump administration’s tariffs.

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LEADER JEFFRIES: “TAXPAYER DOLLARS SHOULD BE USED TO MAKE LIFE MORE AFFORDABLE FOR EVERYDAY AMERICANS, NOT TO BRUTALIZE OR KILL THEM”

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

Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries held a press conference with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and members of House and Senate Democratic leadership, where he emphasized that taxpayer dollars should not be used to fund the Department of Homeland Security without dramatic changes to ICE and CBP operations that are harming the American people.

LEADER JEFFRIES: We had a very productive discussion, House and Senate Democrats standing together firmly on behalf of the American people. Taxpayer dollars should be used to make life more affordable for everyday Americans, not to brutalize or kill them. ICE is completely and totally out of control. Immigration enforcement should be just, it should be fair and it should be humane. That is not what is taking place right now. Dramatic changes are necessary at the Department of Homeland Security with respect to its enforcement activities so that ICE and other agencies are conducting themselves like every other law enforcement agency in the country, not, in so many instances, in a rogue or lawless manner.

There are several demands that we will articulate on behalf of the American people, which, of course, include, but are not limited to, mandatory body cameras. Judicial warrants, which, in our view, should be required before everyday Americans are ripped out of their homes or snatched out of cars violently. The Fourth Amendment is not an inconvenience. It is a requirement embedded in our Constitution that everyone should follow. Certainly, I think there’s agreement that no masks should be deployed in an arbitrary and capricious fashion, as has been the case, horrifying the American people. And of course, I think the American people believe that ICE shouldn’t be able to detain and deport American citizens, which we know is taking place right now. These are just some of the common-sense proposals that the American people clearly would like to see in terms of the dramatic changes that are needed at the Department of Homeland Security before there’s a full-year appropriations bill.

Full press conference can be watched here.

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Congressman Harris Sends Letter Urging NOAA to Declare Economic Fishery Disaster and Deliver Immediate Relief to Maryland Oystermen

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Andy Harris (MD-01)

WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01) sent a letter to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) requesting that the agency declare an economic fishery disaster to provide immediate assistance to Maryland oystermen following this year’s devastating season. The request was made under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, which authorizes federal emergency relief for fisheries affected by natural or economic disasters.

Congressman Harris sent the letter in response to outreach from members of Maryland’s Eastern Shore delegation requesting federal assistance as local watermen face mounting economic strain driven by severe weather, reduced market access, and increased competition.

Statement from Congressman Harris:

“Severe weather this year, combined with shrinking market access and increased competition, left many crews effectively tied to the dock, with watermen able to fish for just one or two days all season. These pressures threaten both livelihoods and a major sector of the Eastern Shore economy. For that reason, I am urging NOAA to approve a federal disaster declaration because immediate disaster relief is necessary to help watermen recover from the financial losses caused by this season.”

Full text of the letter can be viewed here. 

For media inquiries, please contact Michella Carter at Michella.Carter@mail.house.gov

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Ranking Member Huffman Slams GOP Bill That Hands Mining Industry Power to Gut Its Own Regulations

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

February 04, 2026

Washington, D.C. — Today, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) took to the House Floor to oppose H.R. 4090, the so-called Critical Minerals Dominance Act, calling out the bill for giving the mining industry the power to rewrite its own rules while doing nothing to secure American supply chains.

Watch Ranking Member Huffman speak on House floor here. (February 4, 2026)

“I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 4090, a bill that hands the mining industry, amazingly, the power to gut its own regulations while doing nothing to secure American mineral supply chains or help make life more affordable for the American people. It’s more the same from House Republicans and this administration, more favors for their billionaire buddies, and more ways to enrich themselves, all at the expense of the American people who are struggling,” Ranking Member Huffman said on the House Floor.

“If we asked everyday Americans right now: “list a hundred things that you care about that you want Congress to be working on to make your life better,” I promise you that giving more sweetheart deals to multinational mining corporations would not be anywhere on that list.”

“I can think of a thousand better ways to spend our time than debating this bill on the House floor. We could be reining in the out-of-control agency ICE, which is terrorizing communities around the country, murdering people in the streets. We should be addressing skyrocketing health care costs, which our Republican colleagues seem to have forgotten entirely about. We could be talking about how to lower energy prices, including the skyrocketing utility bills caused by Donald Trump’s crazy war on clean energy. But no, we are back here once again talking about deregulation designed for and by the mining industry.”

On the lack of safeguards in the bill, Ranking Member Huffman added, “There’s nothing to stop this administration right now from prioritizing mines owned and controlled by our foreign adversaries, and that loophole, that glaring problem, that national security threat, is not corrected at all in this bill. There’s nothing to require a focus on minerals actually needed for clean energy and national defense, nothing to prevent the administration from approving mines on sensitive public lands, or even in our national parks.”

Background

H.R. 4090, the Critical Minerals Dominance Act, would codify parts of President Trump’s Executive Orders on mining and direct the Interior Secretary to expedite and approve priority mining projects with no restrictions on ownership, mineral type, or location. The bill creates no safeguards against prioritizing mines owned by foreign adversaries, fails to focus on minerals needed for clean energy or national defense, and would allow mining even on sensitive public lands. The legislation looks to the mining industry itself for direction on which regulations to roll back, with no requirement for public input or tribal consultation.

Earlier this week, Ranking Member Huffman – along with House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Ranking Member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) and Senate Energy and Natural Resources Ranking Member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) – demanded the Trump administration release documents and brief Congress on their unprecedented acquisition of equity stakes in multiple mining and mineral companies using taxpayer dollars. Since July, the administration has gone on a buying spree, aggressively acquiring ownership stakes in multiple private mining corporations – the very same ones that would benefit from H.R. 4090.

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SWALWELL, LAWMAKERS INTRODUCED BILL TO PROMOTE INTERNET FREEDOM AND ACCESS TO INFORMATION IN IRAN

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Eric Swalwell (CA-15)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representatives Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ), Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Dave Min (D-CA), and Stephanie Bice (R-OK) introduced the Internet Reach and Access Now Act or IRAN Act to promote internet freedom and access to information in Iran. 

According to the Freedom House Index, Iran has the third worst internet freedom score in the world. The government of Iran uses the internet as a tool of political repression and surveillance. But the people of Iran are standing up and demanding basic human rights, freedom, and democracy. Access to the open internet can be a tool for political organizing, the free exchange of ideas and a connection to the global community of democratic peoples. Promoting internet freedom in Iran is a critical element of supporting the Iranian people in their struggle for a peaceful and democratic Iran. 

“Oppressive regimes fall when the illusion of their power breaks, and the people of Iran are ready to break through,” said Rep. Eric Swalwell. “Iranians want freedom, a mission I’ve always supported. That’s why I’m introduced the Internet Reach and Access Now (IRAN) Act, to expand access to free internet for the Iranian people. Open internet access is a powerful tool for change and empowers the people to stand against the regime. Iranians want what people everywhere want: the freedom to choose their own future.”

“The Iranian people have shown extraordinary courage in demanding basic freedoms from a regime that fears open communication,” said Congresswoman Claudia Tenney. “Instead of listening, the regime responds with censorship, surveillance, and internet shutdowns meant to isolate people from one another and from the world. The IRAN Act requires the U.S. government to implement and periodically update its strategy to expand access to the open internet for Iranian civilians. It ensures our sanctions are not unintentionally blocking essential communication tools and directs the State Department to address VPN access and internet blackouts head-on. This legislation is about matching the courage of the Iranian people with real, sustained support.”

“President Trump has said ‘help is on the way’ for Iranian people. Ensuring internet access would actually help people immediately–allowing them to access unbiased information, organize, and get in touch with loved ones. This is bipartisan, noncontroversial, and not militarily invasive; it can actually get done fast,” said Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari.

“There is nothing dictators fear more than an educated and connected people,” said Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar. “That is why the Ayatollah’s regime’s first instinct is always to shut down the internet, to silence the Iranian people’s cry for freedom. I am proud to co-lead the IRAN Act, because it creates a permanent strategy to keep Iranians connected, expand access to VPNs and satellite internet, and push back against regime censorship. From Iran to Cuba, access to information is the first step toward breaking the chains of tyranny.”

“Time and again, the Iranian people have shown extraordinary courage in standing up for their freedom. Authoritarian governments fear an open internet because it empowers truth and connection between people. The IRAN Act is a clear statement that the United States stands with the Iranian people in their struggle against this violent and repressive regime, and that we will use every tool available to keep them connected to each other and to the world,” said Congressman Dave Min. 

“I am proud to co-lead the Internet Reach and Access Now (IRAN) Act to help ensure the Iranian people have access to a free and open internet. As the Iranian people are taking to the streets to protest their oppressive regime, now is the time to ensure they have access to free and secure internet. This legislation is an important step in supporting their fight for freedom and democratic change,” said Congresswoman Stephanie Bice. 

“The Iranian regime’s recent nationwide internet blackout, imposed as tens of thousands of peaceful protesters were killed, underscores the urgent need for Congress to strengthen internet freedom tools for the Iranian people. The updated IRAN Act takes a critical step forward by expanding access to satellite, direct-to-cell, and other technologies that keep civilians connected when the regime attempts to silence them. PAAIA appreciates the bipartisan leadership behind this legislation and strongly supports its swift passage. Ensuring Iranians can remain online during moments of mass repression is essential to protecting human rights,” said Morad Ghorban, Director of Government Relations & Policy, Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA).

The IRAN Act Would:

  • Require the Secretary of State to implement and regularly update a comprehensive strategy to promote internet freedom in Iran, coordinating across federal agencies.
  • Require the State Department to update the Comprehensive Strategy to Promote Internet Freedom and Access to Information in Iran, which was required by the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 (22 U.S.C. 8754).
  • Adds three new objectives to the comprehensive strategy to ensure the strategy more accurately reflects technologies used by Iranian civil society. The new objectives are:
    • Evaluating the use of virtual private networks (VPNs), satellite internet, and direct-to-cell (DTC) satellite technologies by civil society and human rights activists in Iran and developing strategies for increasing the accessibility of such technologies;
    • Working with Treasury and Commerce to ensure that enforcement of sanctions does not prevent companies from providing the technology and other tools necessary to access the open internet;
    • Assessing the ability of the Iranian regime to cut off all access to the internet and developing strategies to circumvent internet blackouts.
  • Require all new or modified satellite or direct-to-cell internet licenses granted by the FCC refrain from disabling or geo-blocking satellite or DTC coverage over the land territory of Iran, except where explicitly required by Federal law or other applicable regulations.
  • Require the Secretary of State, acting through the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor to establish programs to provide cybersecurity training and commercially available digital safety tools to assist Iranians in circumventing the Iranian regimes repressive censorship tools.
  • Authorize the appropriation of $15,000,000 per year for FY2027 and FY2028 to fund the aforementioned technologies in Iran, especially VPNs.

IRAN Act is endorsed by – Public Affairs Associations of Iranian Americans (PAAIA), FDD Action, Lantern, Psiphon, and NetFreedom Pioneers.

 

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Representatives Cohen, DeSaulnier and Ross and Senators Gillibrand and Lujan Introduce Legislation to Protect Drivers from Fatal Tractor Trailer Accidents

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

The Stop Underrides Act 2.0 would require side underride guards on new trucks and direct additional research and data collection about underride crashes

WASHINGTON – U.S. Representatives Steve Cohen (D-TN-9), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA-10), and Deborah Ross (D-NC-2) and U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) today introduced legislation to help prevent deadly truck underride crashes.

An underride crash occurs when a car slides under a large truck, such as a semi-trailer, during an accident. When these crashes happen, a car’s safety features are rendered useless because most of the car slides under the trailer and the trailer undercarriage crashes straight through the windows and into the passengers. The passengers in the car often suffer severe head and neck injuries, including decapitation. These accidents are frequently fatal, even at low speeds and also affect vulnerable road users such as bikers and pedestrians.

Studies and pilot programs show that a simple barrier attached to the lower area of a truck, called an “underride guard,” would help prevent a car from sliding underneath a truck in an accident. Under current federal law, unlike the rear of a truck, underride guards are not required to be on the sides or front of trucks. The Stop Underrides Act 2.0 would expand on current restrictions by instructing rulemaking to require side underride guards on new trucks, improving data collection, and directing additional research on underride crashes.

“The Stop Underrides Act 2.0 would help prevent these terrible and too-often fatal truck-trailer accidents by ensuring that cars can no longer slide underneath trucks,” said Representative Cohen. “In introducing this legislation, I’m reminded of my constituents Randy and Laurie Higginbotham who lost their son in an underride crash in Memphis in 2014. The Stop Underrides Act 2.0 builds on important progress made in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and will save lives by helping to end these fatal crashes.”

“With truck underride collisions claiming the lives of at least 300 people per year, the time to act on reforms is now. Small changes will make a big difference, and we cannot leave any room for error,” said Congressman DeSaulnier. “I am proud to join my colleagues in advancing this bill to put an end to these avoidable tragedies.”

“Requiring trucks to have underride guards is a simple way to prevent hundreds of deaths on our roads,” said Congresswoman Ross. “These guards are a proven, effective safety measure that will reduce underride crashes as well as severe injuries and fatalities caused by underrides. I have heard directly from families in my district about the lives this improvement could save. I’m proud to introduce legislation that will prevent vehicle fatalities and make our roads safer for drivers in North Carolina and across the country.”

“Truck underride guards are one of the best and easiest solutions for protecting passengers during collisions with large trucks,” said Senator Gillibrand. “The Stop Underrides Act 2.0 is commonsense legislation that will protect passengers and make our roads safer. I look forward to working across the aisle to get this passed.”

“I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing life-saving legislation to make our roads safer,” said Senator Luján. “The Stop Underrides Act will help prevent deadly underride crashes and protect families from tragic, preventable loss. I’m grateful for Senator Gillibrand’s leadership on this important issue, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to get this bill signed into law.”

Specifically, this bill would:

  • Require the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to finalize rulemaking requiring side underride guards on commercial trucks.
  • Restart the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Advisory Committee on Underride Protection, to provide recommendations for how to reduce underride crashes and severe injuries and fatalities caused by underrides.
  • Require the DOT to publish a website making underrides research accessible to researchers, industry, and advocates.
  • Instruct the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a study on the prevalence of underride incidents, including those involving the fronts of large trucks.
  • Instruct the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study of the implementation of NHTSA’s 2022 rear underride rule and provide suggestions to better improve the rule.
  • Instruct NHTSA to review its Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and correct crashes in the database that should have been classified as an underride but were not.
  • Instruct NHTSA to create free, on-demand web-based training for state and local law enforcement to better identify and document underride crashes. 

This bill is supported by the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, America Walks, AnnaLeah & Mary for Truck Safety, Cascade Bicycle Club, Casey Feldman Foundation, Center for Auto Safety, EndDistractedDriving.org, Families for Safe Streets, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, League of American Bicyclists, Institute for Safer Trucking, Kids and Car Safety, Ride Illinois, Ride of Silence, Road Safe America, Sylvia Bingham Fund, Safe Routes Partnership, Stop Underrides, and Truck Safety Coalition.

“We appreciate Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) for her leadership on legislation to reduce preventable deaths and injuries involving large trucks. The Stop Underrides Act 2.0 would help stop devastating underride crashes by advancing research-backed protections which are long overdue. We urge Congress to advance this bill without delay to prevent more people from being horrifically killed or injured in an underride crash,” said Cathy Chase, President, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.

“I commend Senator Gillibrand and Congressman Cohen for introducing the Stop Underrides Act 2.0,” said Jennifer Tierney, Truck Safety Coalition and CRASH Board Member. “I lost my father, James Mooney, in a preventable side underride crash over 40 years ago. It is unconscionable that trailers still are not required to have side underride guards and my heart breaks for every single loss of life that could have otherwise been saved. This bill will save lives.”

“The Stop Underrides bill was written to solve the decades old problem of vehicle occupants and vulnerable road users from dying under tractor-trailers. It’s not the crash that kills; it’s the underride. Underride protection around tractor trailers and large trucks is necessary to save lives,” said Lois Durso-Hawkins of the Stop Underrides advocacy group.

“Hundreds of people are killed or injured each year in side underride crashes, a preventable consequence of semitrailer design. Requiring side underride guards on new semitrailers will save lives, protecting motorists and people walking or biking,” said Eric Hein, Board Member, Institute for Safer Trucking; bereaved father of Riley Hein.

“I’m grateful to Senators Gillibrand, Lujan, Blumenthal, and Duckworth, as well as Representatives Cohen, DeSaulnier, and Ross for taking this next important step to bring about long overdue underride regulations,” said Marianne Karth of AnnaLeah & Mary for Truck Safety. “The provisions in this bill need to become law to bring Americans safely home. I don’t want any more families to lose loved ones while engineering solutions gather dust on a shelf.”

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Underwood Demands Full Accounting of Operation Midway Blitz

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14)

WASHINGTON — Representative Lauren Underwood, member of the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, sent three investigative letters to Department of Homeland Security Secretary (DHS) Kristi Noem, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Rodney Scott, to demand answers and documentation related to Operation Midway Blitz.

In her letters, Underwood raised serious concerns about these agencies’ conduct, including potential constitutional violations, the wrongful detention of U.S. citizens, misuse of taxpayer dollars, and an unprecedented lack of transparency. The letters further underscore major unanswered questions about the cost, scope, and impact of immigration enforcement operations on Illinois’ communities.

“Congress has both the authority and duty to understand how taxpayer dollars are being spent and whether federal agencies are following the law,” Underwood said. “This Administration is completely out of control, and these so-called immigration enforcement operations in Illinois and around the country are terrorizing our communities, putting people in danger, and undermining our civil rights. I will not stop pressing for the accountability and transparency that our families deserve.”

Underwood and other Members of the Illinois delegation have repeatedly sought briefings, facility access, and basic details of immigration enforcement actions from the Trump Administration. Those requests have been consistently delayed or denied, obstructing Congress’s ability to conduct lawful oversight and help constituents impacted by enforcement actions.

People who need help with federal agencies like ICE and DHS are always encouraged to contact Rep. Underwood’s office for free assistance at (630) 549-2190 or visit https://underwood.house.gov/services/help-federal-agency.

Full text of Underwood’s letters can be found here:

Investigative letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Investigative letter to U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Investigative letter to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

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Norton Condemns House Passage of Disapproval Resolution, Vows to Fight Passage in the Senate

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (District of Columbia)

The House passed the disapproval resolution to overturn a local D.C. tax law today.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – After House passage of a disapproval resolution repealing a local D.C. law that recently restored D.C.’s child tax credit, increased an existing earned income tax credit, and decoupled D.C.’s tax code from certain provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) called the measure paternalistic, democracy-denying, deliberate administrative and fiscal sabotage of the nation’s capital. 

The resolution was introduced by Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX). The decoupling provisions of the D.C. law are projected to generate approximately $600 million in local revenue over the next four years and decrease child poverty by 20%. 

If passed by the House, Senate, and signed into law by the president, the resolution would repeal a local D.C. law that recently restored D.C.’s child tax credit, increased an existing earned income tax credit, and decoupled D.C.’s tax code from certain provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). The D.C. law’s decoupling provisions are projected to generate approximately $600 million in local revenue over the next four years. 

“This resolution is nothing short of unprecedented and deliberate administrative and fiscal sabotage of D.C.,” Norton said. “D.C. is hardly an outlier in decoupling parts of its local tax code from the federal one. Congress has never overturned a revenue-raising law for D.C., and doing so now threatens D.C.’s credit rating and will inject chaos in the middle of tax filing season. The District’s Chief Financial Officer said it will force the District to halt filings while scrambling to rewrite forms and guidance. This is not governance or oversight, it is sabotage, and the damage will be severe and intentional.

“More than 700,000 residents of Washington, D.C., the majority of whom are Black and Brown, are worthy and capable of governing themselves. If D.C. residents disagree with the decisions of their elected council, D.C. residents can vote them out. That’s how democracy works. Members of Congress from distant states, who don’t live or pay taxes in D.C., are not accountable to D.C. voters – and who often don’t even understand how D.C. functions – have no business overriding local laws and stripping District residents of their right to self-government. 

“I’ll continue fighting to stop this resolution’s passage by the Senate.”

The Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee marked up and passed the Senate version of the bill today. The full Senate could vote on it as early as this week. There have been more attacks on D.C. home rule this Congress than any time since the 1990s.

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Days After Stockton Train Crash, Garamendi Calls for Passage of Railroad Safety Bill

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

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yesterday, Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA-08), a senior member of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, Congressman Chris Deluzio (D-PA-17), Congressman John Rulli (R-OH-06), congressional colleagues, labor leaders, and local leaders called on Congress to pass the commonsense and bipartisan Railway Safety Act of 2025. 

“Three years since the disastrous Norfolk Southern train derailment, we have had our share of almost serious accidents in our region including in just recently in Stockton,” said Rep. Garamendi. ” That’s why I’m proud to co-lead the Railway Safety Act because this bill is immensely important in California, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area where we depend on rail to transport countless goods and services essential for our economy. We will continue to fight for commonsense and bipartisan reforms to make our train tracks safe. Rail safety is just too important.” 

In addition to Congressman Garamendi, the event was also attended by: 

  • Congresswoman Dina Titus (NV-01), Ranking Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials 

  • Michael Baldwin, President of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalman, Chairman of the Rail Labor Division of the Transportation Trades Department (AFL–CIO) 

Photos of the event are available here, and a video of the press conference is available here

BACKGROUND: 

The press conference was held yesterday, exactly three years after the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, Members of Congress, community leaders, and labor leaders called on the need to implement needed railroad safety reforms. Since East Palestine, communities across the country have endured more than 200 crashes and more than 3,100 derailments, including several incidents involving hazardous materials.  

The Railway Safety Act includes measures that will keep workers and communities safe, including but not limited to: 

  • Increasing the types of hazardous materials subject to enhanced safety protections, such as vinyl chloride, which was involved in the Norfolk Southern derailment