MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif)

Washington, DC – United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) led a bipartisan and bicameral coalition to urge the House and Senate Armed Services Committees to preserve critical legislation in the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that addresses food insecurity among military families.

Despite steps taken by Congress, including the creation of the Basic Needs Allowance (BNA) and the expansion of eligibility thresholds, new data makes clear that hunger remains a persistent and widespread issue for military households.  A recent follow-up report by the RAND Corporation confirmed that 25% of active-duty personnel across all branches of the military remain food insecure, with the overwhelming majority being mid-career and junior enlisted servicemembers.

The letter highlights two of Congressman Panetta’s bipartisan and bicameral amendments in the NDAA: 

1. Removing Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) from Basic Needs Allowance (BNA) income calculations. Under current law, BAH is included in income for purposes of determining BNA eligibility, even though this benefit is intended to offset housing costs. This structure unfairly excludes thousands of struggling servicemembers from receiving nutritional support. By excluding BAH from income, we can ensure that the BNA reaches the personnel most in need and more faithfully aligns with congressional intent. 

2. Establishing a new commissary benefit pilot program. This initiative would authorize the Pentagon to pilot a commissary coupon benefit at two military installations, helping servicemembers access affordable and nutritious meals at commissaries. It also directs the Pentagon to assess the program’s impact on food security, dietary health, commissary utilization, and impact on dining facilities. This measure provides a practical, immediate pathway to increasing access to nutritious food for those living on installations where dining facilities are often inadequate or inaccessible.

“Embarrassingly, way too many of our nation’s servicemembers and their families experience food insecurity, especially with the recent uncertainty around SNAP benefits during the shutdown,” said Rep. Panetta. “As members of the U.S. Congress, the least that we can do is to address military hunger in this year’s final NDAA. That must be our responsibility for the men and women in uniform and their families who are responsible for the security of our nation.” 

“The Basic Needs Allowance (BNA) is an innovative solution for our servicemembers who struggle to make ends meet, and Congress has an opportunity to expand access to this resource for more food insecure families in this year’s NDAA. With paychecks spread thin, benefits being slashed, and soaring grocery prices, our military families are feeling the pain. Our servicemembers deserve the same respect from the federal government that they show our country every day, and Congress can free them from the economic anxiety that plagues too many American families. MAZON welcomes this bipartisan and bicameral effort to expand the BNA and address food and nutrition security in the FY 2026 NDAA,” said Liza Leiberman, Vice President of Public Affairs for MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger.

Additional signers of the letter include; Roger Marshall (KS-Sen); Blake Moore (UT-1); Raphael G. Warnock (GA-Sen); Marilyn Strickland (WA-10);Danny Davis (IL-7); Maggie Goodlander (NH-2); Sara Jacobs (CA-51); Morgan McGarvey (KY-3); Dave Min (CA-47); Gwen Moore (WI-4); Eleanor Norton (DC-At-Large); Josh Riley (NY-19).

Full letter can be found here and below.

Chairman Rogers, Ranking Member Smith, Chairman Wicker, Ranking Member Reed,

As you begin to conference the House and Senate versions of the fiscal year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), we urge you to preserve Section 621 of the House NDAA, and Section 5621 of the Senate NDAA that address food insecurity in the military.  These sections are essential to improving the quality of life and readiness of our servicemembers, particularly those in the junior and mid-level enlisted ranks who are most affected by hunger and lack of access to quality nutritious meals.

During the past four years, Congress has recognized the urgent need to combat food insecurity among servicemembers. Establishing the Basic Needs Allowance (BNA) in the FY22 NDAA and raising the eligibility threshold to 200% of the federal poverty limit in the FY25 NDAA were important steps forward. However, recent analysis from the Pentagon and RAND has confirmed that food insecurity is far more widespread than initially believed, affecting as many as one in four servicemembers. Despite these findings, implementation of the BNA has been far too narrow, reaching only about 2,400 servicemembers, or 0.08% of those in need.

Two provisions in particular deserve continued support:

1. Section 621 of the House NDAA, Removing Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) from Basic Needs Allowance (BNA) income calculations.      Under current law, BAH is included in income for purposes of determining BNA eligibility, even though this benefit is intended to offset housing costs.  This structure unfairly excludes thousands of struggling servicemembers from receiving nutritional support.  By excluding BAH from income, we can ensure that the BNA reaches the personnel most in need and more faithfully aligns with congressional intent.
2. Section 5621 of the Senate NDAA, Establishing a new commissary benefit pilot program. This initiative would authorize the Pentagon to pilot a commissary coupon benefit at two military installations, helping servicemembers access affordable and nutritious meals at commissaries.  It also directs the Pentagon to assess the program’s impact on food security, dietary health, commissary utilization, and impact on dining facilities.  This measure provides a practical, immediate pathway to increasing access to nutritious food for those living on installations where dining facilities are often inadequate or inaccessible.

Forging an army requires stamina and vigor, yet too often, servicemembers are unable to put nutritious meals on the table. With a proposed defense budget of nearly $900 billion in FY26, ensuring our servicemembers and their families have reliable access to healthy meals should be both feasible and a top priority.  We owe it to those who serve to safeguard their most basic needs.  Addressing hunger and ensuring access to nutrient-dense meals is fundamental to both our servicemembers’ well-being and our military readiness.

We respectfully urge you to preserve these provisions as the FY26 NDAA moves forward. Thank you for your continued leadership and commitment to the men and women of our Armed Forces.

Sincerely, 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif)

Washington, DC – United States Representative Jimmy Panetta released the following statement regarding his “No” vote on tonight’s Continuing Resolution:

“In my limited time in Congress, there have been 29 continuing resolutions (CR) for the federal budget, all of which have been the result of direct negotiations, agreements, or deals by the Republican and Democratic leadership of the House and the Senate. During the recent government shutdown, the Republicans who are in charge of the House, Senate, and White House refused to negotiate with the Democrats. After the longest government shutdown in history, a few Democratic Senators decided to vote for and help Republicans pass the current CR to reopen the government. Even with some positive funding provisions and protections for federal workers in the bill, there were no negotiations, no agreements, and no deals with any members of the House of Representatives on this CR.”

“Although the Senators who voted for the bill were assured of a subsequent vote around an extension of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits, there were absolutely no promises made by Speaker Mike Johnson for the same vote on the same type of issue to occur in the House of Representatives. Moreover, there were no negotiations, no agreements, and no deals made about extending the premium tax credits for the ACA or protecting healthcare for working families. With this President’s numerous attempts to abolish the ACA, his Administration’s impoundments and rescissions of previously legislated and agreed upon federal funding, and the compliant Majority in the Congress and Senate that voted for the largest reduction of Medicaid in history and abdicated its Constitutional duties to be a check and balance on this executive branch, we cannot solely rely on the CR vote in the Senate without any negotiations, agreements, or deals in the House of Representatives.”

“Additionally, the current CR also includes a provision that would allow Republican Senators to line their pockets with taxpayer funded dollars. A section was secretly tucked in to the CR late at night that would provide at least eight Republican Senators with the opportunity to sue and receive millions in taxpayer funded pay-outs over attempts to subpoena their phone records as a part of the government’s investigation into the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.”

“Without any negotiations, agreements, or deals with the House of Representatives, with the provision for a select few Senators to line their own pockets with taxpayer funds over litigation on the investigations into the January 6 attack, and without any efforts to protect healthcare or reduce costs for working families, I oppose the CR. After this vote, Republicans and Democrats from the House and the Senate must get back to governing by reclaiming and reestablishing our Article One authority. Together, we can work to negotiate bipartisan solutions for a responsible federal budget, ensure affordable and accessible healthcare, stop the tariffs imposed by this Administration which are increasing inflation and hurting our economy, and increase affordable housing, so that Congress can reduce costs for working families in California’s 19th Congressional District and across our country.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman John Larson (1st District of Connecticut)

Larson Visits Connecticut Foodshare Mobile Pantry in East Hartford

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Fri, 11/14/2025 – 12:26

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman John Larson (1st District of Connecticut)

Larson Announces $750,000 for Connecticut Trolley Museum

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Fri, 11/14/2025 – 12:22

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman John Larson (1st District of Connecticut)

Larson and Democratic Colleagues Announce Legislative Response to Trump-Musk Attacks on Social Security

AnnMarie.Kaupe…

Fri, 11/14/2025 – 12:02

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Sanford D Bishop Jr (GA-02)

WASHINGTON – Yesterday, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), a senior member of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, opposed the passage of H.R. 5371, a partial, temporary funding bill. During debate on the bill, Congressman Bishop noted the bill left behind millions of Americans facing the imminent, drastic increase in their health insurance premium costs as well as the ongoing attacks by the administration against nutrition programs that benefit farmers and families.

“While this bill included some bipartisan work to provide investments in agriculture and rural America, the rest of the bill does more to harm Americans than to help them. As such, I had to oppose this bill,” said Congressman Bishop. “This summer, the big ugly bill made drastic cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, and SNAP. While it made tax breaks for billionaires permanent, it let ACA tax credits that millions of hardworking Americans rely on to get affordable healthcare expire. Now, millions of Americans have seen their premiums skyrocket and, for over a month, Congressional Republican leaders refused to negotiate with Democrats to avoid this fiscal cliff and lead us out of this shutdown.

“I have heard, first-hand, from so many Georgians in the Second Congressional District that this is a matter of life and death,” noted Congressman Bishop. “Families should not have to choose between putting food on the table or going broke because of medical bills. We cannot afford to have hospitals and nursing homes cut services or close outright.”

Congressman Bishop concluded, “Since January, this Administration has used DOGE and executive orders to illegally deconstruct programs, eliminate federal workers, and withhold funds required by law. Even when challenged by the courts, the Administration has either refused to comply or dragged its feet in doing so. During the shutdown, this continued when the White House refused to distribute emergency SNAP funds that were available and required to be used, by law and court order. Even though today’s bill passed, how can we trust that the President will respect this law?”

The Congressman spoke in opposition to the bill during the debate. You can watch his remarks on his website and the transcript of remarks, as delivered, follow:

Thank you, Ranking Member DeLauro.

As Ranking Member of the Agriculture, Rural Development, and FDA Subcommittee, I rise to oppose this bill. Though it does represent, for the most part, solid bipartisan work to provide investments in agriculture and rural America, I am disappointed that the rest of it falls far short of the needs of most Americans.

Healthcare providers and patients are frustrated and frightened by the imminent skyrocketing of healthcare costs caused by the loss of the ACA tax credits and cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, and lifesaving biomedical research.

My constituent, Angela Hoomes, is unable to walk without debilitating pain. She is worried that, without the tax credits, she won’t be able to afford health insurance to complete the multiple back surgeries she needs.

For many Georgians, healthcare is a matter of life and death.

Our Republican colleagues could have corrected this in the Rules Committee, but they rejected an amendment last night that would have lowered health premium costs.

To me, that is unconscionable.

So are the Administration’s actions during the shutdown.

As a Christian, I am outraged that USDA used the shutdown to illegally withhold SNAP from 42 million Americans. USDA had the chance to do the right thing and use designated contingency funds but rejected it. And, when ordered to do so by the courts, they fought all the way to the Supreme Court to keep hungry families from receiving food.

America produces the highest quality, safest, most affordable, and abundant food, fiber, and medicine anywhere in the world.

To that end, this bill provides many welcome investments.

It fully funds SNAP and WIC, replenishes the SNAP and WIC contingency funds, and fully funds cash value vouchers for fruits and vegetables for women and children.

It also helps rural America by providing $1 billion in single family direct home loans – $120 million over the House level – and funding water and wastewater programs at $446 million, both issues that Democrats tried to address in full committee.

The bill provides $1.8 billion for the Agricultural Research Service and $1.6 billion for NIFA—protecting farmers, small businesses, and families against President Trump’s budget request to eliminate land-grant university research and extension activities across the country.

I am pleased to see the bill language requires the USDA to notify Congress before cancelling grants over $1 million.

The agriculture portion of this bill does make positive steps in the right direction.

The bill discards many of the harmful policy riders in the House bill, yet it does not go far enough to negate House language falsely questioning the safety of Mifepristone and encouraging the FDA to explore liability protections for certain infant formula manufacturers, over which the agency has absolutely no jurisdiction.

And while the overall funding package may reopen the government for a month or two, this bill does not address the breach of trust this Administration has demonstrated since January.

They failed to follow the law, and we cannot trust that they will even execute this bill if we vote on it today.

They cut SNAP by 20% in the big ugly bill this summer, dismantled and defunded federal programs, fired federal workers, and illegally ignored court orders.

This bill fails to address the healthcare crisis, and bipartisan outrage has erupted over language in this bill to pay millions of dollars, taxpayer dollars, to a handful of Senators whose phone records were subpoenaed in relation to the January 6 investigation.

It is a bad bill. Oppose it.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Sanford D Bishop Jr (GA-02)

COLUMBUS, Ga. – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), the Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, responded to rulings by federal judges in Rhode Island and Massachusetts that require the Trump Administration to use existing contingency funds to support the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beyond November 1.

“Once again, federal courts have ruled actions by this Administration unlawful. Two federal judges have now ruled that the Administration has a mandate – by law – to use the $5 billion in dedicated SNAP contingency funds, and that it also has the authority to transfer more funds to SNAP to ensure full benefits can be paid in November. The administration must take this action now to help prevent over a million Georgians and millions more people across this country from going hungry,” noted Congressman Bishop.

“Last week, my colleagues and I sent a letter to USDA urging them to use these contingency funds and their full legal authority to provide SNAP benefits. Not only did our request go unanswered, but the Administration has falsely claimed, repeatedly, that it could not do so and passed the buck and blame,” added Congressman Bishop. “Today’s rulings show once again that the Administration is not being honest with the American people, and now Americans risk going hungry because of it.”

You can read the October 24 letter from Congressman Bishop and House Democrats sent to the USDA, on the U.S. House Agriculture Committee Democrats’ website.

Earlier today, Congressman Bishop was in Midland, Georgia, visiting Feeding the Valley and meeting with community organizations to talk about the importance of SNAP to Georgia’s families and farmers.

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PHOTO: Congressman Bishop with community leaders and nutrition program advocates in Midland, GA

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Sanford D Bishop Jr (GA-02)

COLUMBUS, Ga. – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), a senior member of the United States House Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement regarding the ongoing effort to fund the federal government:

“I remain committed to working with my colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, to get the government open and working for the people. Unfortunately, since January 20, we have witnessed a relentless effort to dismantle the federal government and eliminate its ability to serve the American people.

“This past March, Congress passed – and the President signed – an inadequate, interim federal spending bill. Despite that, the Administration continued to illegally withhold funds and services dictated by that very law. Without Congressional approval and regardless of court rulings against them, they have used DOGE and the Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Voght – the architect of Project 2025 – to gut federal departments and agencies, including those responsible for veteran care, air travel safety, food safety, and even nuclear safety.

“As part of the Big Ugly Bill in July, this Administration pushed Congressional Republicans to take healthcare away from tens of millions of Americans by cutting Medicaid, Medicare, and tax credits for Affordable Care Act premiums. In the coming days, Americans will see their healthcare premiums skyrocket. And we are already seeing hospitals, healthcare centers, and nursing homes either cutting back services or closing outright because of this. All of that was to pay for permanent tax breaks for billionaires at the cost of permanently cutting healthcare used by most Americans.

“It is hypocritical for Republican leaders to say that they want the government to be open when they have been systematically dismantling it since January. It is unreasonable for Republican leaders to expect Democrats to agree to any funding bill without guarantees that they will stick to the deal when they have repeatedly caved to the President on illegally withholding funds or granting rescissions to spending he does not like.

“I opposed the current bill because I stand with Georgians against the Republican effort to strip away their lifesaving healthcare. With the imminent increase in healthcare premiums days away, millions of Americans cannot wait for Congress to deal with this later. Congressional Republican leaders need to come to the negotiating table, right now, with Democrats and pass a funding bill that truly reopens the government, protects their healthcare, and provides the resources to meet the immediate, ongoing needs of all Americans.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Robin Kelly IL

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02) released the following statement after voting no on the Republican partisan funding bill that does not extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits:

“Republicans gutted our healthcare, handed billionaires a $4.5 trillion tax break, shut down the government, and returned after a 54-day paid vacation to do nothing to lower healthcare costs. I absolutely voted no on their partisan funding bill,” said Rep. Kelly. “The American people cannot and should not trust President Trump with their healthcare. For years, Republicans have tried to dismantle the ACA, which has allowed millions of Americans to receive affordable health insurance. Without the ACA tax credits, 15,000 of my constituents will see their premiums skyrocket, and Illinoisans will experience a 78% increase next year. That’s unacceptable. With my strong no vote, I will continue to fight for people’s healthcare today and every day.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Robin Kelly IL

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02) thanked Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (CA-11) for her historic career in Congress following her announcement that she will not seek reelection.

“For nearly 40 years, Speaker Emerita Pelosi has remained committed to fighting for her constituents and hardworking Americans across the country. She made history as the first woman to be House Speaker, then wielded her immense power to pass the Affordable Care Act, the American Rescue Plan, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act. She’s shown generations of women what it means to know and use their power to build a better America. Even beyond her service in Congress, I know she’ll continue to protect our democracy.”