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Scott, McBath Press Trump Admin on Effectiveness of Illegal Deadly Boat Strikes in Curtailing Drug Use in the U.S.

Source: {United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bobby Scott (3rd District of Virginia)

Headline: Scott, McBath Press Trump Admin on Effectiveness of Illegal Deadly Boat Strikes in Curtailing Drug Use in the U.S.

“There have been numerous studies over the past three decades showing that it is far more cost effective to offer treatment to those with substance use disorders in order to reduce drug usage, rather than interdiction strategies.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) and Congresswoman Lucy McBath (GA-06) ledother House Democrats in sending a letter to top Trump Administration officials on whether this heavy-handed, legally dubious interdiction effort will have any meaningful effect on drug addiction and drug related deaths in the United States.  

“Regardless of the questionable legality of these strikes, an equally relevant question is whether this is even an effective means to curtail drug use in the United States,” the letter reads. “The cost of these airstrikes is likely in the tens of millions of dollars already. Furthermore, deploying a carrier strike group is estimated to cost upwards to $6.5 million a day and it is unclear how long the Ford carrier strike group will be deployed in support of this activity. Our nation already spends billions of dollars annually on the so-called war on drugs. While at the same time, we spend very little comparatively on education, treatment, and other demand-reduction strategies, despite all the research that shows those to be the most cost-effective strategies by far in reducing illicit drug use.”

The members highlighted evidence and research that shows these measures are ineffective. 

“There have been numerous studies over the past three decades showing that it is far more cost effective to offer treatment to those with substance use disorders in order to reduce drug usage, rather than interdiction strategies,” the letter states. “For example, in the 1990s, the RAND Corporation published a comprehensive study on controlling cocaine use and looked at the four primary control programs utilized by the government – source control, interdiction, domestic law enforcement, and treatment. The study addressed the question: How much would the government have to spend on each approach to decrease cocaine consumption in the United States by one percent?  The RAND study showed that, compared to treatment, it cost seven times more to achieve the same result with domestic law enforcement.  It costs 10 times more to get those results with interdiction, and 23 times more to achieve the results using the strategy of source control.”

The letter also highlighted the Trump Administration’s plans to dismantle key agencies meant to treat addiction. 

“With these illegal, and significantly costly, lethal strikes to interdict drugs entering the United States, the Trump Administration is doubling down on one of the least cost-effective means of reducing drug addiction and at the same time it is aggressively dismantling the very federal agency focused on mental health and addiction treatment,” the Members wrote. “Since the start of his second term, President Trump has taken actions to reduce staffing by 50 percent at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The Trump Administration has terminated $1.7 billion in SAMHSA block grants for state health departments and cut approximately $350 million in addiction and overdose prevention funding.”

The letter was also signed by: Representatives Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05), John Garamendi (CA-08), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), and James Walkinshaw (VA-11). 

Full text of the letter can be found HERE and below.

The Honorable Pam Bondi

Attorney General

U.S. Department of Justice

950 Pennsylvania Ave NW

Washington, DC 20530

The Honorable Pete Hegseth

Secretary of Defense

U.S. Department of Defense

The Pentagon

Washington, DC 20301

The Honorable Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Secretary of Health and Human Services

200 Independence Ave SW

Washington, DC 20201

  

Dear Attorney General Bondi, Secretary Hegseth, and Secretary Kennedy:

We write to you concerning the illegal military campaign against foreign nationals allegedly smuggling drugs in the United States on vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. 

These strikes are already in violation of the War Powers Resolution’s 60-day clock requiring termination of military action if the President is unable to obtain congressional authorization.[1] Further contravening federal law, the President has deployed the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to the Caribbean, further escalating this illegal military operation.  According to news reports, there have been at least 15 strikes carried out by our military in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, killing at least 64 foreign individuals – something that may be deemed an act of war by a foreign sovereign.[2] To date, the Trump Administration has failed to provide sufficient evidence that these individuals were so-called “narco-terrorists” and has failed to provide appropriate legal justification for these strikes to Congress. 

Regardless of the questionable legality of these strikes, an equally relevant question is whether this is even an effective means to curtail drug use in the United States?  The cost of these airstrikes is likely in the tens of millions of dollars already.  Furthermore, deploying a carrier strike group is estimated to cost upwards to $6.5 million a day and it is unclear how long the Ford carrier strike group will be deployed in support of this activity.[3]  Our nation already spends billions of dollars annually on the so-called war on drugs.  While at the same time, we spend very little comparatively on education, treatment, and other demand-reduction strategies, despite all the research that shows those to be the most cost-effective strategies by far in reducing illicit drug use. 

There have been numerous studies over the past three decades showing that it is far more cost effective to offer treatment to those with substance use disorders in order to reduce drug usage, rather than interdiction strategies.  For example, in the 1990s, the RAND Corporation published a comprehensive study on controlling cocaine use and looked at the four primary control programs utilized by the government – source control, interdiction, domestic law enforcement, and treatment.[4]  The study addressed the question: How much would the government have to spend on each approach to decrease cocaine consumption in the United States by one percent?[5]

The RAND study showed that, compared to treatment, it cost seven times more to achieve the same result with domestic law enforcement.  It costs 10 times more to get those results with interdiction, and 23 times more to achieve the results using the strategy of source control.  The RAND study found that to achieve the 1 percent reduction in cocaine use required $34 million ($75.5M in 2025 dollars) if you use treatment; $246 million (546.1M in 2025 dollars) for domestic law enforcement; $366 million ($813M in 2025 dollars) using interdiction; and $783 million ($1.7B in 2025 dollars) if you use a strategy of source control to achieve the same one percent reduction in cocaine use.[6]

With these illegal, and significantly costly, lethal strikes to interdict drugs entering the United States, the Trump Administration is doubling down on one of the least cost-effective means of reducing drug addiction and at the same time it is aggressively dismantling the very federal agency focused on mental health and addiction treatment.  Since the start of his second term, President Trump has taken actions to reduce staffing by 50 percent at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).  The Trump Administration has terminated $1.7 billion in SAMHSA block grants for state health departments and cut approximately $350 million in addiction and overdose prevention funding.[7]

At a House Committee on the Budget (CBO) hearing on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, the Director of the Congressional Budget Office was asked if there was any evidence that such heavy-handed, legally dubious interdiction efforts, such as what this administration is currently doing, had ANY effect on drug use in the United States in terms of availability and price.[8]  The CBO Director testified that he had no evidence that such a strategy had any effect at all.[9]

So, we respectfully ask the following questions:

  1. What evidence does the administration have that this is an effective strategy to reduce drug use and drug related deaths in the United States?
  2. How was it determined that the targeted vessels were carrying drugs and what was their intended destination for distribution? Please provide all evidence, documentation, and communications that support these findings, as well as documentation that establishes the type of cargo carried, intended location for delivery and distribution, source of cargo, as well as the involved cartels, suppliers, and distributors.
  3. How did the administration arrive at the decision that sinking and destroying these vessels were more effective than general interdiction methods?[10]
  4. What legal authorities is the administration relying on to conduct these strikes, and what findings were made to quell concerns within the administration regarding the legality of these strikes?
  5. What has this strategy cost so far to the American taxpayer? 
  6. What evidence does the administration have to support public statements made by the Attorney General that “258 million”[11] Americans have been saved as a result of the administration’s drug control and seizure polices? 
  7. What evidence does the administration have to support the President’s claim that “[e]very boat that we knock out we save 25,000 American lives”[12]? 
  8. What effect has the administration’s reductions in force at SAMHSA as well as the terminations of block grants to state health departments, and cuts to addiction and overdose prevention funding administered through SAMHSA had on reducing drug use and addiction?

Thank you for reviewing and answering these important questions.  Please provide all relevant evidence, documentation, and communications to support the administration’s answers. We expect a response by Friday, December 12, 2025. 

# # #

 

[1] P.L. 93-148, §5(b); 50 U.S.C. §1544(b)

[2]Aamad Madhani, US Carries Out New Strike in Caribbean, Killing 3 Alleged Drug Smuggler, Military.com (Nov. 2, 2025, 7:20 AM), https://www.military.com/daily-news/2025/11/02/us-carries-out-new-strike-caribbean-killing-3-alleged-drug-smugglers.html

[3]Henry J. Hendrix, At What Cost a Carrier?, (Center for a New American Security, 2013).

[4] C. Peter Rydell & Susan S. Everingham, Controlling Cocaine: Supply Versus Demand Programs, RAND, Prepared for the Office of National Drug Control Policy, United States Army (1994).

[5] Id. At xii.

[6]Id. At xiii.

[7] O. Rose Broderick & Lev Facher, Trump cuts have decimated the federal addiction and mental health agency, STAT News (Oct. 30, 2025), https://www.statnews.com/2025/10/30/samhsa-grant-cuts-staff-reductions-impact-analyzed/

[8]Oversight of the Congressional Budget Office: Hearing Before the H. Comm. on the Budget, 119th Cong. (Nov. 18, 2025) (statement of Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, Member, H. Comm. on the Budget), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3AVSQs3KFg&list=PLFi-Fs54fIcwmgvdY31ReJqGdhpljUbyG.

[9]Oversight of the Congressional Budget Office: Hearing Before the H. Comm. on the Budget, 119th Cong. (Nov. 18, 2025) (statement of Hon. Phillip Swagel, Dir. of the Congressional Budget Office), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3AVSQs3KFg&list=PLFi-Fs54fIcwmgvdY31ReJqGdhpljUbyG.

[10]See Ryan Lucas, Justice Department official told prosecutors that U.S. should ‘just sink’ drug boats, NPR, Nov. 17, 2025, https://www.npr.org/2025/11/17/g-s1-97836/venezuela-evidence-doj-strikes-sinking-suspected-drug-boats-assertations

[11] Lev Facher, Did Trump’s fentanyl seizures save 258 million lives? Gross exaggeration, experts say, STAT, May 7, 2025, https://www.statnews.com/2025/05/07/pam-bondi-fentanyl-experts-say-attorney-general-claims-false-implausible-misleading/.

[12]President Trump Participates in a Press Conference with the Director of the FBI, The White House YouTube Channel (Oct. 15, 2025), https://www.youtube.com/live/f1M57bKXlKU?t=1414s.

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Scott, Foushee, McClellan Urge Full Review of Proposed Natural Gas Pipelines’ Environmental Impact

Source: {United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bobby Scott (3rd District of Virginia)

Headline: Scott, Foushee, McClellan Urge Full Review of Proposed Natural Gas Pipelines’ Environmental Impact

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), Congresswoman Valerie Foushee (NC-04), and Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) sent a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) urging the Commission to thoroughly review the environmental impacts of the Southeast Supply Enhancement Project (SSEP) and the Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate (Southgate) project before advancing the projects further. 

“We are concerned that FERC has not adequately reviewed all possible risks associated with the massive capacity expansion and resulting infrastructure of SSEP, the proposed changes to the Southgate project, the history of the developers’ compliance, and the colocation of these two projects,” the letter reads. “On behalf of communities in Virginia and North Carolina, we urge the Commission to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for both projects before considering them further. If FERC is unwilling to do so, we urge the Commission to deny the certification of both projects to ensure that the surrounding communities are not placed at undue risk.”

The members highlighted the worrisome track records for the developers of these two projects.

“Since construction began on the Mountain Valley Pipeline mainline project, the developer has shown an unwillingness to comply with environmental and safety regulations,” the letter states.“In 2018, the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia alleged 375 violations, including hundreds of water quality protection violations. The violations include unpermitted discharges into waterways, failure to maintain and repair erosion and sediment controls, violations related to road crossings over streams, and violations related to water diversions and drains… Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC also allegedly terminated one of its inspectors for reporting safety violations.  If that is true, this should also be considered in FERC’s assessment as this action is a clear sign that the developer is willing to act against reporting violations and avoid taking necessary steps to address situations as they arise.”

The letter also highlighted FERC’s inadequacy in considering the cumulative impacts of these two projects being built in close proximity to one another.

“The recommendation also does not adequately consider the cumulative impacts, including water quality and public safety impacts, that may occur due to the colocation of portions of the SSEP and the Southgate project,” the members wrote. “Approximately 95 percent of the SSEP’s proposed Eden Loop is within a quarter mile of Southgate, and multiple waterways would be impacted by both projects. The potential for permanent cumulative impacts from individual pipeline crossings is compounded when there are multiple crossings of a waterway or in a watershed. The colocation of two high-pressure, large diameter pipelines is of significant concern for local residents.”

Full text of the letter can be found HERE and below.

The Honorable Laura Swett

Chairwoman

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
888 First Street NE

Washington, DC 20426

Ms. Debbie-Anne Reese

Secretary

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
888 First Street NE 

Washington, DC 20426

 

RE: Environmental Assessments for Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate (Docket No. CP25-60-000) and Southeast Supply Enhancement Project (Docket No. CP25-10-000)

Dear Chairwoman Swett and Secretary Reese,

We write to you regarding FERC’s current review of the proposed Southeast Supply Enhancement Project (SSEP) and Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate (Southgate) project. We are concerned that FERC has not adequately reviewed all possible risks associated with the massive capacity expansion and resulting infrastructure of SSEP, the proposed changes to the Southgate project, the history of the developers’ compliance, and the colocation of these two projects. On behalf of communities in Virginia and North Carolina, we urge the Commission to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for both projects before considering them further. If FERC is unwilling to do so, we urge the Commission to deny the certification of both projects to ensure that the surrounding communities are not placed at undue risk.

SSEP is one of the largest natural gas capacity expansions proposed in decades, but FERC found no significant impact on human health or the environment despite only preparing an environmental assessment (EA) for its review. Under every metric, this is factually incorrect, including project footprint, horsepower upgrades to compressor stations, and capacity increase. This massive project will have significant environmental impacts that demand a thorough review and a complete EIS. Further, not conducting an EIS for SSEP would be a dramatic departure from past FERC policy and practice for projects of this magnitude. The Commission has consistently completed EISs for projects much smaller in size than SSEP.

On June 18, 2020, FERC issued a final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Southgate project. The FEIS determined that the project would create air and noise pollution detrimental to surrounding communities, cause long-term cumulative effects on wetlands and uplands, and result in a variety of other environmental impacts. Guided by the FEIS, FERC issued a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity authorizing Southgate to transport 375,000 dekatherms of natural gas per day (Dth/d) based on the project’s design at the time. Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC, the developer of the Southgate project, has since significantly changed the project’s scope and operations in its amended application. These changes include, but are not limited to, increasing the pipe’s diameter from 16- and 24-inches to 30-inches, modifying the project’s route, and raising the project’s operational capacity to 550,000 Dth/d. Despite these major changes, FERC’s EA of the amended project recommended a finding of no significant impact which does not require a new EIS be prepared. There are several faults within FERC staff’s rationale in issuing this recommendation.

The EA relies heavily on the assumption that Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC will adhere to the construction and mitigation protocols that the company enumerated in its application. Since construction began on the Mountain Valley Pipeline mainline project, the developer has shown an unwillingness to comply with environmental and safety regulations. In 2018, the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia alleged 375 violations, including hundreds of water quality protection violations. The violations include unpermitted discharges into waterways, failure to maintain and repair erosion and sediment controls, violations related to road crossings over streams, and violations related to water diversions and drains. That matter was resolved with a negotiated consent decree, or settlement, which required Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC to pay a $2.15 million penalty and pay for third-party environmental auditing. Since the consent decree was entered in 2019, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has cited Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC for additional violations. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection has also issued more than 50 violation notices to the developer. 

Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC also allegedly terminated one of its inspectors for reporting safety violations. If that is true, this should also be considered in FERC’s assessment as this action is a clear sign that the developer is willing to act against reporting violations and avoid taking necessary steps to address situations as they arise. It should also be noted that the Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company (Transco), the developer of the SSEP, has a similar history of environmental and safety violations which should be considered in evaluating the SSEP. 

The recommendation also does not adequately consider the cumulative impacts, including water quality and public safety impacts, that may occur due to the colocation of portions of the SSEP and the Southgate project. Approximately 95 percent of the SSEP’s proposed Eden Loop is within a quarter mile of Southgate, and multiple waterways would be impacted by both projects. The potential for permanent cumulative impacts from individual pipeline crossings is compounded when there are multiple crossings of a waterway or in a watershed. The colocation of two high-pressure, large diameter pipelines is of significant concern for local residents. Multiple local governments and other elected officials have expressed concerns about the safety and health impacts of these proposed pipelines.

We urge you to prepare Environmental Impact Statements for the Southeast Supply Enhancement Project and the amended Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate project before moving forward in reviewing these projects. If FERC is unwilling to do so, we urge the Commission to deny the Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity for both projects.

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

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Ranking Member Betty McCollum on Caribbean Boat Strike: 'Deeply Alarming'

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D, MN-04), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, issued the following statement on Thursday:

“The footage of the September 2nd boat strike in the Caribbean was deeply alarming and calls into question the Trump administration’s respect for the laws of armed conflict. The Pentagon should immediately release the strike video in its entirety so that the American public understands what President Trump has directed in the Caribbean without any authorization from Congress. Congress has a responsibility to fully investigate not only the September 2nd strike but the Trump administration’s entire operation in the Caribbean and should take testimony from Secretary Hegseth, U.S. Special Operations Commander Admiral Frank Bradley, and U.S. Southern Commander Admiral Alvin Holsey.”

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Ranking Member Betty McCollum Demands Answers in Letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn)

“It is imperative that the Department of Homeland Security stop racially targeting the Somali community,” said Congresswoman McCollum

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem sent Wednesday evening, Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D, MN-04) expressed outrage over the Administration’s deliberate targeting of Minnesota’s Somali community and demanded answers on the Department’s actions in the Twin Cities Metro area. Read the full text of the letter below or view a copy of the letter on Congresswoman McCollum’s website. 

Dear Secretary Noem:

I write to express my outrage at the Trump Administration’s deliberate targeting of the Somali community in Minnesota. The President’s escalating racist attacks calling members of the Somali community “garbage” are vile, abhorrent and below the dignity of the Oval Office. 

America has lived through very dark chapters when entire communities were treated as less than human. Native Americans were violently forced from their homes and onto reservations. Black Americans faced systemic dehumanization and were subjected to laws that codified their oppression. Chinese immigrants were rounded up during the era of exclusion. Japanese Americans were interned in camps against during World War II.  Each of these actions became a stain on our history.  

President Trump was wrong when he said members of our Somali-American community are “garbage.” Our Somali community are human beings. They are elected officials, business owners, doctors, nurses, teachers, drivers, neighbors and friends. The Somali community is woven into the fabric of Minnesota and are inseparable from the fabric of America, and their contributions strengthen both our state and our nation. 

As a Member of Congress representing many Somali families in Minnesota 4th District, I strongly oppose the Department of Homeland Security’s operations against the Somali community. I expect answers to the following questions no later than close of business on December 12, 2025.

  • The vast majority of Minnesota’s Somali community are U.S. citizens or Legal Permanent Residents. How will you ensure that American citizens are not wrongly targeted, harassed or criminalized by the Department of Homeland Security?
  • What justification and explanation can the Department of Homeland Security offer for these pending Enforcement and Removal Operations that only destabilize and erode the trust between law enforcement and communities?
  • What safeguards has your office put in place for pending Enforcement and Removal Operations to prevent any violations of due process?
  • How will you ensure that Department of Homeland Security operations do not harm or put people’s lives in danger?

It is imperative that the Department of Homeland Security stop racially targeting the Somali community.  This policy only instills fear and divisiveness in our country.  Minnesotans and the American public deserve better.

I look forward to hearing from you soon. 

Sincerely,

Betty McCollum

Member of Congress

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Congresswoman Betty McCollum Statement on Trump's Racist Attacks on Somali Community

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D, MN-04) released the following statement in response to President Trump’s announced deployment of 100 ICE agents to the Twin Cities intended to target Somali Americans: 

“Somali Americans are a valued part of our community. President Trump calling fellow human beings ‘garbage’ is not only beneath the office but calls into question his capacity to serve all Americans. Trump’s ugly attacks on the Somali community do not reflect the views of our state, nor the reality of the contributions Somalis make every day. They are elected officials at the federal, state and local levels. They are business leaders, teachers, nurses, ride share drivers, neighbors, and friends. We will not be divided. We are One Minnesota. 

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U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum Statement on Federal Law Enforcement Presence in Saint Paul

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn)

SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Congresswoman Betty McCollum issued the following statement on Tuesday:

“Today, masked federal agents were involved in another enforcement activity in Saint Paul, this time at a residential address the Payne-Phalen neighborhood. My office continues to seek answers about the circumstances surrounding these actions. Let me be abundantly clear: I strongly oppose the Trump administration’s actions to stoke conflict and division in our community. People have a right to express their first amendment freedoms, including protesting actions by their government, but they have a solemn obligation to do so peacefully.”

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Congresswoman Betty McCollum Defends Minnesota's Somali Community During Remarks at Minnesota State Capitol

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn)

“An attack against one of us is an attack against all of us,” says Dean of Minnesota’s Congressional Delegation

SAINT PAUL, Minn. — In a post on his social media platform late Friday night, President Donald Trump announced that he would “immediately” terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somali immigrants living in Minnesota. In response to the President’s attacks on Minnesota’s Somali community, Congresswoman McCollum joined Minnesota leaders and stakeholders from the Somali community at a press event in the Minnesota Capitol Rotunda on Monday morning to defend our Minnesota values and vibrant immigrant communities. During the press event, Congresswoman McCollum delivered the following remarks: 

“The Somali-American community is a vibrant part of our state, and I’m here today to stand with my brothers and sisters. In Minnesota, as was pointed out by the other speakers, we welcome our immigrant neighbors and treat them with respect, and we treat them with dignity. It’s been 50 years since the Vietnam War when we welcomed Hmong and Lao war veterans who fought alongside American forces during the secret war in Laos. They were welcomed into our communities. In the 1990s during the Somali Civil War, Minnesota again provided a safe new home for families displaced by extreme violence. The Minnesota immigrant communities are making contributions that make our neighborhoods and our nation a better place. 

“Republicans continue to single out Democratic states that follow federal immigration law, turning our neighbors into scapegoats to win votes. I’m ready to get to work, seriously, about fixing our broken immigration system. It’s time for Trump and Republicans to come to the table if they truly care about comprehensive reform that upholds America’s values and keeps our country safe. Instead, for months Trump’s been stoking tensions across the country with reckless and illegal mass deportations that violate the essence of America: due process. Across America, he’s illegally deploying the National Guard and at the cost of hundreds of millions of dollars per day. In Washington D.C., it’s $1.3 million per day for the deployed National Guard. 

“Now, back to late Friday night, when he hurled ugly late-night threats against Minnesota’s Somali community. You have to ask yourself why. It’s because Trump and Republicans are doing nothing to address the real crises facing us as Americans: The U.S. economy is in shambles, the cost of living is soaring, Trump and Republicans have created a health care crisis, and they’ve failed to deliver essential heating assistance for Minnesotans this winter.

“We know that when Donald Trump is in trouble, he always falls back to what he knows: throwing attacks and creating chaos. Americans deserve better than Trump’s attacks and misinformation about what’s happening here in Minnesota. Here’s the reality: Crime is declining. We continue to be ranked as one of the best states to start a business and raise a family. If Trump and House Republicans are serious about addressing the real challenges facing our country, they wouldn’t be attacking; they’d be listening to Minnesotans seeing their health care premiums rise, struggling to afford Trump’s taxes of tariffs – and that effects everything from groceries, to gas, to heating.   

“I want to be clear: An attack against one of us is an attack against all of us. I’m proud to stand up for our Minnesota values with my brothers and sisters. I thank Governor Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison for all they do to move things forward in court. And I’m so proud to stand with my brothers and sisters in the Minnesota House and Senate. We haven’t changed our values since I served here. Let me say it again: An attack against one of us is an attack against all of us.”

Click here to watch Congresswoman McCollum’s remarks on YouTube.

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Reps. Cleaver, Bacon Introduce Bipartisan Foster Youth Bill of Rights Resolution

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II (5th District Missouri)

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Representatives Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) and Don Bacon (R-NE), members of the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth, introduced a Foster Youth Bill of Rights Resolution to help ensure foster youth nationwide are informed about their rights while in foster care. While fifteen states and Puerto Rico have enacted their own Foster Youth Bill of Rights, foster youth rights vary from state to state, with most states providing no guaranteed foster rights at all. The bipartisan resolution is an effort to raise awareness for the existing rights that some states guarantee to foster youth, highlighting ten separate rights that should be afforded to foster youth nationwide.

“Every child in America deserves to feel safe and valued, and we can make no exceptions for the children in our foster care system,” said Congressman Cleaver. “As we work to provide a legal framework for guaranteed protections that should be afforded to foster youth nationwide, I’m proud to introduce the Federal Foster Youth Bill of Rights with Congressman Bacon. Together, we will keep fighting to ensure these children receive the support and stability they deserve.”

“As a foster to adopt parent I know foster youth are an at-risk population through no fault of their own, and it is our responsibility to not only protect them, but to help them get the best outcome possible,” said Rep. Bacon. “The creation of a Foster Youth Bill of Rights will empower them to effectively advocate for themselves and provide another layer of protections.”

“The Foster Youth Bill of Rights affirms what every young person in foster care deserves: safety, dignity, equitable access to resources and opportunities, and a fair chance to build a bright future,” said Rebecca Louve Yao, CEO, National Foster Youth Institute. “As an organization focused on young adults transitioning out of foster care, we believe this bill strengthens the foundation they need to secure safe housing, pursue their education and careers, and enter adulthood with hope and confidence rather than uncertainty. With this legislation, Congressman Cleaver has elevated both the legal protections and lived experiences of children and young adults in care, and we are deeply grateful for his unwavering commitment to foster youth.”

Due to America’s deeply fragmented foster care system and underinvestment in foster youth, children in foster care are at a significant disadvantage, with one report finding that adults aged 22-44 who have ever been in foster care were twice as likely to lack either a high school diploma or GED compared to their peers who have never been in foster care. According to the Fist Star Institute, 11 states received a “D” or “F” grade on their legal rights for foster youth.

The Foster Youth Bill of Rights Resolution affirms the basic rights all foster children are entitled to, including the right:

  1. To receive an education and remain in their original school, if desired;
  2. To participate in extracurricular, cultural, and social activities appropriate to the youth’s age and developmental needs;
  3. To receive needed health services, including medical, dental, vision, and mental health services;
  4. To freedom from abuse, neglect, or corporal punishment;
  5. To be represented by, and speak to, a guardian or attorney ad litem;
  6. To adequate and healthy food, adequate clothing, and a safe and comfortable living environment;
  7. To freedom from discrimination based on race, gender, religion, or disability;
  8. To have continued contact with siblings, if desired;
  9. To regular or at least reasonable contact with their assigned caseworker or an employee of the agency responsible for their child welfare services; and
  10. To be informed of their rights.

The Foster Youth Bill of Rights is endorsed by FosterClub, Child Welfare League of America, and National Foster Youth Institute.

The Foster Youth Bill of Rights is cosponsored by Reps. Lateefah Simon (D-CA), Joyce Beatty (D-OH), Shontel Brown (D-OH), Dwight Evans (D-PA), and Gwen Moore (D-WI).

Official text of the Foster Youth Bill of Rights is available here. 

 

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee’s Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.

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Reps. Cleaver, DeLauro, and 30 House Lawmakers Call for Additional Support to Small and Specialty Farmers

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II (5th District Missouri)

(Washington, D.C.) – This week, U.S. Representatives Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) and Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), along with 30 other House Democrats, called on the Trump administration to include small and specialty crop farms if the Administration moves forward with any federal effort to provide economic relief for farm losses due to President Trump’s trade wars.

“This is a crisis, and it is worsening every day,” the legislators wrote. “If your Administration moves forward with plans to provide economic relief to large farmers suffering due to high input costs and lost export markets, you must not forget about small and medium-sized farms, family farms, and specialty crop farmers. These farmers are vital to local economies and are the backbone of our nation’s food supply. They provide fresh fruit and vegetables to local stores, feed our families, and power rural communities by creating jobs and supporting local businesses. The loss of even more small farms will devastate communities, restrict the food supply, and have long-term economic and food security ramifications for the United States and for the world.”

The president’s trade wars have closed access to critical foreign markets that American producers depend on, lowering the value of crops like soybeans, which are Missouri’s largest commodity crop, and driving up farm bankruptcies. The value of U.S. soybean exports to China never fully recovered after the U.S. tariff war with China in President Trump’s first term, when the value of U.S. soybean exports to China plunged from $14 billion in 2016 to $3.1 billion in 2018. At the same time the soybean markets are under threat, farmers are being hit with higher input costs from Trump’s tariff war.

The letter was co-signed by Representatives Alma Adams (D-NC), Gabe Amo (D-RI), Becca Balint (D-VT), Sanford Bishop (D-GA), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Julia Brownley (D-CA), André Carson (D-IN), Ed Case (D-HI), Joe Courtney (D-CT), Shomari Figures (D-AL), Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), Josh Harder (D-CA), Jahana Hayes (D-CT), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Jonathan Jackson (D-IL), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Bill Keating (D-MA), Greg Landsman (D-OH), John Larson (D-CT), Jim McGovern (D-MA), Chris Pappas (D-NH), Patrick Ryan (D-NY), Bobby Scott (D-VA), Eric Sorensen (D-IL), Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Jill Tokuda (D-HI), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ).

Official text of the letter is available here.

 

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee’s Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.

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Cleaver Among Lawmakers Calling on Trump Administration to Stop Politicizing Houses of Worship; Defend Separation of Church and State Ahead of Court Arguments

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II (5th District Missouri)

Lawmakers to Trump Administration: Taxpayers should not be “compelled to subsidize political speech.”

(Washington, D.C.) – This week, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO), a Methodist Minister for over 5 decades, Representative James Clyburn (D-SC), Chairman of the Democratic Faith Working Group, and Representatives Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Jared Huffman (D-CA), along with Senator Ron Wyden, Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, led lawmakers in objecting to the Trump Administration’s attempts to exempt two specific organizations from the law. In a new letter to Acting Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service Scott Bessent, the lawmakers urged the Trump Administration to withdraw a proposed settlement in National Religious Broadcasters Association v. Bessent which carves out exceptions to the foundational principle of separation of church and state.

For the past 70 years, a provision of the tax code known as the Johnson Amendment has insulated nonprofits, faith-based organizations and houses of worship from electoral politics. In order to qualify for 501(c)(3) status, nonprofits and houses of worship cannot engage in tax-exempt political speech. Despite widespread support for the Johnson Amendment among thousands of nonprofits and houses of worship, the Trump Administration reversed course on a lawsuit targeting the Johnson Amendment in an attempt to exempt two churches from complying with the law. 

“Congress has considered and rejected multiple attempts to modify the Johnson Amendment,” the lawmakers wrote. “Members have long understood the moral imperative of shielding nonprofit service organizations, including houses of worship, from electoral politics while protecting taxpayers from being compelled to subsidize political speech. Your Proposed Consent Decree is nothing more than a transparent end-run around Congress, which has consistently rejected attempts to change this 70-year-old law.”

“The Proposed Consent Decree seeks to exempt two specific organizations favored by the government out of the more than 1.5 million 501(c)(3) organizations in the United States from following the law,” the lawmakers continued. They noted that the reasoning in the proposed settlement “blows the door wide open for both secular nonprofits and all other religious organizations to petition the courts for their own free pass to engage in tax-exempt electoral speech. This settlement radically reinterprets the law and creates another opening for political actors to use charitable nonprofits to anonymously funnel unlimited money into elections.”

“The IRS should reject the false tension that the religious Right has tried to create between these two principles,” the lawmakers concluded. “The Religious Free Exercise and Establishment Clauses are equally essential, and they stand best when they stand together.”

The letter was co-signed by Representatives Mark Pocan (D-WI), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), and André Carson (D-IN), along with Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI).

The official letter is available here.

 

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee’s Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.