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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | CONTACT: Olivia Porcaro 202-225-6165 

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) released the following statement after attending President Donald J. Trump’s State of the Union address:

“Throughout the first year of President Trump’s term as the 47^th President of the United States, the President has delivered on the mandate of the American people and truly ushered in the golden age. Tonight, President Trump delivered a powerful speech that illustrated just that,” said Congressman Cole.

“At the border, we have seen a complete one-eighty, as illegal “getaways” are down by 95 percent and migrant crossings are down by 99.99 percent. Rampant crime and disorder are turning into safer communities. We have made national security a priority again, making generational investments in America’s defense through the One Big Beautiful Bill and utilizing decisive leadership to make bold but necessary decisions like air striking Iran last year and capturing Venezuelan President Maduro earlier this year,” said Congressman Cole.

“I would be remiss not to mention the significant economic strides. The One Big Beautiful Bill provided the largest tax cuts in history and will bring long-lasting financial relief to families, workers, and small businesses. Years of inflation and stagnation are being replaced with renewed growth and a resurgent economy. Measurable progress has been made on cost-of-living pressures, drug costs have been lowered on the consumer, and red tape has been cut for small businesses,” said Congressman Cole.

“In just one year, President Trump has turned this country around. Under the previous Administration, our country had turned a blind eye to illegal immigration, we had lost respect on the world stage, and inflation was skyrocketing. Now, the American Dream is back. The United States is strong, prosperous, and respected – and, as President Trump said, the state of our union is strong,” said Congressman Cole.

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

WASHINGTON – Rep. Brad Schneider (IL-10) released the following statement in response to President Trump’s State of the Union Address:

“If you were fortunate to be watching the State of the Union at home tonight, you could have changed the channel after the USA Men’s Hockey Team was honored for bringing home gold. That was the best part of the longest-ever State of the Union Address. Congratulations to them – and to the USA Women’s Hockey Team and to all of our winter Olympians. 

“Nearly two hours later, the President presented the Congressional Medal of Honor to two war heroes. It was a moment that rightly united the entire chamber inspired by these two heroes’ sacrifice for our nation.

“Unfortunately, the rest of the President’s address was just more of Mr. Trump’s tired old grievances and lies. It’s obvious he has no serious plan to help hardworking Americans get ahead, no plan to lower the cost of groceries, to make it easier to buy a home or afford healthcare for their families. 

“Because of President Trump’s failed agenda, Americans are paying too much at the grocery store. Housing and utility costs are preventing families from reaching the American dream. Healthcare costs are so high, millions of Americans are being priced out of basic care altogether. 

“Instead of offering real solutions, the President bragged about kicking millions of people off food stamps, including children and seniors. He defended and doubled down on his illegal tariff taxes that raised costs for consumers and pushed small businesses to the brink of disaster. He brushed aside his administration’s vicious, violent, and cruel immigration policies that have resulted in the killing of American citizens. 

“I want to make life better for all Americans, to lower costs, to keep our communities safe and healthy, to preserve democracy, and to protect our national security. I wish that was the case as well for our President. Unfortunately, all the American people continue to get are broken promises, higher costs, and endless chaos. 

“Our nation deserves better. While Republicans continue to bury their heads in the sand and bend their knees in supplication to their failed, corrupt President, Democrats are fighting back, using every tool available to stop Trump and Republicans’ extreme policies and make life better for the American people.”

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

Congressman Bob Latta (OH-5) released the following statement after the State of the Union Address from President Donald Trump:  

“President Trump’s State of the Union was a reminder that when policies are focused on better outcomes for American families and workers, our country thrives. 

“The American Dream is coming back for working people because the Republican agenda is delivering real results. The Working Families Tax Cuts created a fairer, more efficient tax system, and families are seeing the impact where it matters most: in a stronger economy, bigger paychecks, and more affordable everyday costs. From lower energy bills to a simpler tax-filing process, life is becoming more affordable, and Republicans are leading the way.  

“As President Trump stated, the flow of fentanyl across our borders is down 56 percent in just one year. I am proud that my legislation, introduced with Rep. Morgan Griffith, the HALT Fentanyl Act, was signed into law last July to protect American communities by cracking down on deadly fentanyl substances and saving lives. Illicit fentanyl is a weapon of mass destruction and this law is already making a real difference.

“Our economy continues to gain strength, with 172,000 new private-sector jobs added in January 2026 alone, clear proof that pro-growth, pro-worker policies are working. Our health care system has been streamlined, reducing waste, fraud, and abuse left by the Biden Administration and we’ve strengthened Medicaid. Since the beginning of this year, Republicans have delivered meaningful action to lower health care costs for Americans, including the launch of TrumpRx and passing the most Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBM) reforms ever enacted to date. At the same time, our borders are more secure, and law and order are being enforced so Americans can feel safe in their communities.  

“Alongside President Trump, Republicans in Congress have slashed the far-left energy agenda that drove up prices under the Biden Administration, and as a result, will save the average American household $2,900 in 2026. Costly subsidies and regulations aimed at eliminating natural gas and coal have weakened our nation’s energy supply, increased utility rates, and undermined energy reliability. By unleashing American energy dominance, we are strengthening our energy security, keeping the lights on, and lowering costs for families across the country. 

“President Trump secured our borders on the first day of his Administration by making clear that illegal immigration would be stopped and that Biden-era open-border policies would not be tolerated.

“As we continue to celebrate our nation’s semiquincentennial, we are reminded that the United States of America remains the greatest place in the world to live, work, and raise a family. When we stand united, our communities are stronger and more prosperous.” 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Richard Hudson (NC-08)

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Richard Hudson (NC-09) made the following statement.

“President Trump laid out a powerful case for the American comeback and proved strong leadership delivers results. Inflation is down to 2.4%, gas is at a four-year low, private sector jobs are rising, and the Working Families Tax Cuts are putting more money back in the pockets of seniors, parents, and small businesses.

House Republicans are working with President Trump to secure the border, unleash American energy, cut costly regulations, rebuild our military, and deliver historic tax relief. Under President Trump’s leadership, America is getting stronger every day.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Brett Guthrie (2nd District Kentucky)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, issued a statement following President Trump’s State of the Union Address to a Joint Session of Congress:

“Tonight, President Trump laid out a bold vision for the American people as we celebrate the 250th anniversary since our founding. By unleashing American energy dominance we can lower energy costs, strengthen our national security, and power innovation. As the President discussed in his speech, we must rely on baseload power from coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear, and hydropower that can provide the on-demand electricity we need. Our Committee will remain focused on cutting red tape and lowering prices for hard-working families.

“House Republicans stand with President Trump tonight, with a strong focus on making life more affordable for everyday Americans—not only when it comes to energy prices, but when it comes to the cost of health care, too. Previous Democrat administrations effectively broke our American health care system, and I applaud President Trump in his steadfast efforts to fix it. Through programs like TrumpRx, Americans now have access to the lowest cost prescription drugs. Through commitments like Making America Healthy Again, Americans see the promise of health improvements for generations to come. Our country’s milestone of 250 years signifies an opportunity to put the wellbeing of Americans back at the forefront of our health care system. 

 “As we look to the future, adversaries are challenging our standing as the world’s greatest innovator. Americans have the creativity and the skills to compete on the world stage, but we need the regulatory environment to match our aspirations. The President and I share a vision for a future where the United States can lead the development and deployment of cutting-edge technologies and Americans enjoy the benefits of these advances.

 “Tonight, the President outlined a vision of prosperity shared widely across the Republican Party. By unleashing American energy, lowering health care prices, and supporting U.S. innovators, President Trump and Committee Republicans are in lockstep fighting to address the issues that matter most to American families.”

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 major health care policies as he focuses on rural America. Chairman Griffith emphasizes support for community health centers and telehealth. In addition, Chairman Griffith highlights solutions like the Rural Health Transformation Program, a brand-new program that Republicans created through last year’s Working Families Tax Cuts.  

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

Making America healthy again starts with rural communities

Much of President Donald Trump’s domestic policy agenda is rooted in the blood, sweat and tears of rural America.

In our efforts to Make America Healthy Again, our agricultural industry is an integral partner.

Our farmers plant crops and stock grocery stores with fresh produce. Our cattle ranchers and poultry workers help feed American families. Rural America has a significant role in helping shield Americans from chronic disease and unhealthy foods.

And yet, health challenges threaten our reliance on its contributions.

Farmers work hard and long hours, at times under stressful conditions and often without much thanks. Their fitness and stamina are challenged as a result.

Communities in Appalachia, including those I represent, continue to reel from the devastating opioid epidemic.

Medical deserts in rural areas are growing.

Given these challenges, it would be a mistake for Congress to sit idly by. Because of this, I am helping lead the charge on ways to deliver meaningful health care solutions for rural America.

For example, in the Rural Health Transformation Program, Congress allocated $50 billion to support rural hospitals. We created this generational investment through the Working Families Tax Cuts Act. The program will help modernize health care infrastructure, supplement health care services and expand access to care in rural America.

The program empowered states to develop comprehensive plans to support the program’s goals.

Right here in Virginia, Gov. Glenn Youngkin thoroughly considered a dozen rural communities when developing the Virginia plan, focusing on patient empowerment and preventative care to improve access, technology, and workforce development in rural Virginia.

The Rural Health Transformation Program is one part of the solution to provide financial support to our rural health care providers.

I am also focusing on strengthening community health centers (CHCs), which help address rural health care workforce shortages and fill gaps in our health system. CHCs play a critical role in delivering treatments and health care services in rural communities.

It is important that CHCs receive the assistance necessary for them to remain operational, which is why I was proud to support and see Congress recently pass a funding package which included health care extenders, part of which helps fund CHCs.

Rural America is home to scores of working families trying to make ends meet, and hours-long trips to receive health care won’t help pay the bills. The ongoing expansion of rural medical deserts also creates lasting health care dilemmas for these patients, who contemplate forgoing care just because seeing an in-person provider is too far. Telehealth is a helpful alternative to in-person care for many.

The government funding package that included CHC funding also extended telehealth reimbursement for two years.

I believe Congress must embrace a comprehensive strategy that promotes telehealth and provides certainty to providers and patients utilizing its services. Telehealth has not only reduced travel time and health care costs, but has also improved access to certain services, especially mental and behavioral health services.

Telehealth is also prevalent in the Rural Health Transformation Program, with states recognizing mobile units and virtual care as tools for supporting rural providers and patients.

Technological progress presents opportunity for telehealth to flourish as a 21st-century health care alternative. As we move to close the digital divide, we can also move to close the health care divide.

Taken together, these policies offer strong supports to rural health care well into the future. Much of America’s growing success hinges on rural America’s success.

And as a bedrock of the Trump coalition, we recognize that failing rural America is not an option.

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

Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA), Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD), and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC) today led 11 National Capital Region Representatives to demand the full authorization and funding of federal programs to repair and modernize critical water infrastructure nationwide, including urgent repairs to the Potomac Interceptor. The request follows a failure in the Potomac Interceptor pipeline which resulted in nearly 250 million gallons of sewage spilling into the Potomac River.

In a letter addressed to leaders of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Members requested specific funding to rehabilitate and modernize the Potomac Interceptor, in addition to the reauthorization of and increased funding for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund which helps states and localities repair and modernize wastewater infrastructure. Members also urged the prioritization of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) comprehensive study to identify a backup water supply for the Washington region, which currently lacks a secondary water source. 

“Congress must play a role in solving this crisis, investing in our nation’s wastewater infrastructure, and preventing this and similar crises from recurring. The failure of the Potomac Interceptor is an acute crisis for our region…” wrote the Members. “The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has stated that ‘our water infrastructure is aging and in need of repair to withstand the challenges of the 21st century.’ EPA’s most recent Clean Watersheds Needs Survey found that our wastewater infrastructure will require more than $630 billion in repairs and updates over the next two decades, far outpacing local and state capacity.”

“These steps are essential to respond to the devastating sewage spill from the Potomac Interceptor, and to spare other communities from facing similar crises in the future, which will inevitably occur without immediate investments in our nation’s water infrastructure.”

The letter is signed by U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), and Representatives Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Bobby Scott (D-VA), Kweisi Mfume (D-MD), Glenn Ivey (D-MD), Jennifer McClellan (D-VA), Sarah Elfreth (D-MD), April McClain Delaney (D-MD), Johnny Olszewski (D-MD), Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA), Eugene Vindman (D-VA), and James Walkinshaw (D-VA). 

Full text of the letter follows below, and a signed copy is available here. 

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Dear Chair Graves and Ranking Member Larsen:

As Members of Congress from Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia, we write to urge the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (Committee) to take urgent action to repair and modernize the Potomac Interceptor, a major regional wastewater conveyance pipeline for D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Since January 19th, and escalating since February 7th, a failure in the pipeline has resulted in nearly 250 million gallons of sewage spilling into the Potomac River, creating serious environmental and health concerns for our constituents. 

We have been closely monitoring the spill since it occurred, and are thankful that local partners and governments have already taken steps to manage its most immediate impacts and have remained in regular communication with our offices. The University of Maryland and local partners like Potomac Riverkeepers have monitored water quality and provided consistent public updates. The Maryland Department of the Environment, the Maryland Department of Health, the Virginia Department of Health, and the D.C. Department of Energy & Environment, have all issued public notices or advisories to inform the public about the quality of the river. Meanwhile, D.C. Water has implemented emergency measures to prevent sewage from further spilling into the Potomac River while it installs medium- and long-term repairs. While those repairs will take time and cannot reverse the environmental and health impacts of the spill, they are essential steps toward ending this crisis.

Now, Congress must play a role in solving this crisis, investing in our nation’s wastewater infrastructure, and preventing this and similar crises from recurring. The failure of the Potomac Interceptor is an acute crisis for our region, but its failure was caused by the same aging infrastructure that exists across the country. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has stated that “our water infrastructure is aging and in need of repair to withstand the challenges of the 21st century.” EPA’s most recent Clean Watersheds Needs Survey found that our wastewater infrastructure will require more than $630 billion in repairs and updates over the next two decades, far outpacing local and state capacity. Like other infrastructure included in that survey, the Potomac Interceptor’s age made it vulnerable to failure. The conduit, which runs from Virginia and Maryland to D.C. Water’s Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant, opened in 1964—more than 60 years ago.

We therefore request that the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure urgently act to repair the Potomac Interceptor. We also ask that you fully authorize and fund federal programs that prevent these crises for our region and others nationwide. Specifically, we request that the Committee:

1. Reauthorize, and increase authorized funding levels, for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF). The CWSRF was specifically designed by Congress to help states and localities repair and modernize wastewater infrastructure like the Potomac Interceptor. Reauthorizing this program at or above the levels set in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is essential to enabling communities across the country to avoid wastewater spills and other crises.
2. Authorize specific funding to rehabilitate and modernize the Potomac Interceptor. Unlike other water systems nationwide, the Washington region’s system includes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) as a major infrastructure owner and manager. As the Committee prepares the biennial updates to USACE’s funding priorities and projects as part of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), we ask that you authorize urgent funding for comprehensive rehabilitation and modernization of the Potomac Interceptor. That funding will allow for structural repairs, pipe lining, ventilation improvements, access structure replacement, odor and corrosion control upgrades, and modernization of monitoring systems.
3. As part of WRDA 2026, direct USACE to prioritize the execution of the comprehensive study on a backup water supply for the Washington region required by section 8201(a) (14) of WRDA 2022 as modified by section 1351 of WRDA 2024. Unlike other major metropolitan areas, the region lacks a secondary water supply, which would provide critical redundancy in the event of a future crisis. The region cannot afford a delay in identifying that second source or a narrowing of the study to focus only on near-term or small-scale measures.

These steps are essential to respond to the devastating sewage spill from the Potomac Interceptor, and to spare other communities from facing similar crises in the future, which will inevitably occur without immediate investments in our nation’s water infrastructure. To deliver those investments, we also ask the Appropriations Committee’s subcommittees on Energy and Water Development, and on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, to fully fund the CWSRF and authorized Potomac Interceptor repairs as they prepare Fiscal Year 2027 appropriations bills.

On behalf of the communities facing the most severe impacts from the failure of the Potomac Interceptor, we thank you for your attention to this urgent issue. We are willing and prepared to work with the Committee to secure real, long-term solutions to our region’s, and our country’s, wastewater infrastructure issues.

Sincerely,

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

House Republican leaders today secured the defeat of the ROTOR Act, aviation safety reform legislation drafted in response to last year’s fatal accident in the skies above DCA that claimed 67 lives. As family members of victims looked on from the House Gallery, Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and Majority Whip Tom Emmer all voted against the legislation, along with other members of the House GOP leadership team. They closed the vote as members were still arriving in the Chamber; when the gavel came down, the bill was just three votes short of passage.

Rep. Don Beyer, who represents a Northern Virginia district that includes National Airport (DCA), said:

“Mike Johnson and everyone on his leadership team should be ashamed of the way they treated the families of the victims of this tragic accident. The ROTOR Act passed unanimously in the Senate, and its opponents in the Department of Defense and Republican leadership had ample time to raise potential issues in a constructive manner. Instead, they chose to wait until these families had flown in from all over the country to honor their loved ones to inflict a shocking and heartbreaking defeat on them in person.

“The National Transportation Safety Board’s final recommendations on its investigation of the collision made clear that having access to Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) In technology would have given the pilots a fighting chance at avoiding the collision. They recommended these fixes 17 times, dating back years before last January’s accident. The families of the victims said repeatedly that the ROTOR Act was the most important and urgent legislative response to that accident that claimed the lives of their loved ones. It is one thing to oppose the bill that makes these reforms, but engineering its surprise defeat as the family members looked on from the gallery, voting against it, and even closing the vote as Members were still voting is needlessly underhanded and disgraceful.

“We need the safety reforms in the ROTOR Act, and today’s vote shows that these reforms have the support of large, bipartisan majorities in both chambers. Committee leaders must take prompt action to resolve differences without further delay. My heart goes out to the family members who were just put through new anguish entirely unnecessarily, and they will have my support as we work to fix this. We cannot and will not let this disgusting failure be the final word – the families deserve better, and the country deserves better.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA)

“Tonight, we heard nothing new from Donald Trump—it was a long speech where he said nothing. It was a total regurgitation of the same lies we have heard from him since day one.

“The American people don’t need a two-hour lecture from Donald Trump about the State of the Union. They live it. They see it at the grocery store and every time they open a utility bill. They feel it every day. No amount of demented rambling can cover up the reality that his economic policies are screwing over everyday people so he can take care of his millionaire and billionaire donors. His illegal tariffs are raising the cost of everything, and his economy sucks.

“This Administration always finds time for another tax break, another loophole, another giveaway if you’re rich and powerful. That’s exactly what he did in his Big Ugly Bill. But if you’re a worker trying to keep up with rent, a parent struggling with childcare costs, or a senior deciding which prescription to skip this month—the White House doesn’t care about you at all.

“He claimed he’s lowered health care costs and prescription drug prices. That’s a lie. He’s done the opposite—ripping coverage away, gutting Medicare and Medicaid, and pushing costs onto seniors, people with disabilities, and working families who already can’t afford one more hit.

“The President said Americans are safer than we’ve ever been. Another lie. At home, people are watching on social media while American citizens get shot by federal officers. Abroad, our allies can’t trust us, and our enemies are laughing at us.

“Above all, the President spent tonight laying out a dystopian vision for our future: a country where the rich get richer, the economy is rigged for those at the top, and the truth gets buried. He’s turned the presidency into a grift—public power for personal profit—padding his family’s pockets and rewarding the cronies who keep the scheme going. And because that kind of corruption can’t survive real scrutiny, he’s trying to lock in power by rigging the next election via voter suppression.

“He spewed lie after lie after lie. He lied so much, it would make Kim Jong Un blush. And Republicans applauded time after time—because they are in a cult.

“As for transparency and accountability, he did not mention the Epstein files even once, notwithstanding the fact that dozens of survivors were present in the gallery watching his speech. Just like his Attorney General, Pam Bondi, he refused to even acknowledge their presence. This Administration is collapsing under the weight of its ties to a global child rape ring—Trump’s name alone appears over 5,000 times in the Epstein documents we’ve seen so far, and we still do not have answers about what he did, what he knew, and when he knew it.

“The American people need lower costs, safer communities, and a government that works for them. Instead, tonight, the President delivered a self-worshipping propaganda reel—bragging, blaming, and lying to cover up his failures. What a pathetic joke.”

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

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Representative Ed Case (Hawai‘i – District 1) issued the following statement after attending President Trump’s State of the Union address tonight to Congress: 

“This was the most unpresidential State of the Union I have heard. Stoking fear, inflaming prejudice, playing to division, turning American against American, refusing responsibility, undermining democracy, gaslighting the real challenges Americans face, further alienating the world.

“Most directly, the President again scoffed at affordability, as if somehow we should not believe the reality we live of unacceptably high costs of food, health care, housing, childcare, education, small business, and on and on. Mr. President, the people of Hawai‘i do not feel that life is better on your watch.

“Regardless, I will continue to work with this administration, my colleagues in Congress and anyone else who wants to find real solutions to the real challenges we face. And I will continue, as part of a separate, independent and co-equal branch of government, to oversee and check and balance the President wherever I must.”

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