MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Hank Johnson (GA-04)

Congressman Hank Johnson released the following statement: 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — “I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of my dear friend and colleague, David Scott. He was a man of deep faith who constantly studied the Bible, but he was never pompous and was simply a regular guy. When I came to Congress, he took me under his wing, showed me the ropes, and offered me some guidance that I have carried with me and tried to follow. He was a good man, and I will miss him. My and Mereda’s prayers are with David’s wife Alfredia, his daughters Dayna and Marcye, and the entire family and staff during this difficult time.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Alma Adams (12th District of North Carolina)

WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (D-NC-12) released a statement on the loss of Congressman David Scott of Georgia.

“I am deeply saddened by the news of my colleague Congressman David Scott’s death. Representative Scott was the first Black Chair of the House Agriculture Committee where I had the privilege of working beside him as Vice Chair. 

“During our time on the Agriculture Committee, we worked on policies supporting SNAP, nutrition, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

“Throughout his 23-year tenure in the House of Representatives, he has been a champion for HBCUs. As a proud graduate of Florida A&M University, he understood first-hand the importance of investing in our institutions. I will forever treasure our work together. 

“Representative Scott was a trailblazer in many ways and led Georgia’s 13^th District with purpose. His service is indelible. 

“I send my deepest condolences to his family members, loved ones, and constituents.

To Representative Scott: thank you. May you rest in perfect peace.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Aumua Amata (Western Samoa)

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is highlighting Arbor Day, which promotes the planting of trees, and widely emphasizes the value and benefits of trees, such as their role in oxygen, human health, food sources, wildlife habitat, and ecology. 

A view of the green mountainsides of Tutuila from 2019 – photo by Congresswoman Amata’s office

“We are blessed in our beautiful islands with lots of plant life and our land is green from shore to shore with our tropical rainforest,” said Congresswoman Amata. “We have plenty of fruit, coconut and other trees that provide some of the island foods we love for us and our islands’ wildlife. This week’s Earth Day and Arbor Day are wonderful times to pause and notice our trees and vegetation and be thankful. In other places, the goals of Arbor Day are incredibly important to restoring forests, stewarding the land, or recovering from wildfire damages, so we want to be part of championing these efforts. Here in American Samoa, along with our abundance, we have to contend with major storms, slides, heavy rainfall, and wave erosion. Arbor Day is always an excellent class project or opportunity to take care of our surroundings, and look to the future.”

The Roots of Arbor Day

Arbor Day began in 1872, starting in Nebraska, where the countryside was grassland, part of the U.S. “Great Plains.” Farmers and residents knew they would benefit from nearby trees for shelter and shade, and needed lumber for building and survival in their cold weather state. Soon, their “plant a tree” message developed and spread. That common sense goal reached other states, gaining the backing of newspapers, official proclamations by governors and legislatures, leading to volunteers, classroom projects, and the current focus.

“My friend Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman of Arkansas is the only forester by profession in Congress,” Amata concluded. “We oversee the U.S. National Forest Service, and related efforts from the National Park Service and Fish and Wildlife Service. In this Committee, I’ve had the opportunity to support bills encouraging planting millions of trees, supporting sapling nurseries, reforestation efforts, and wildfire defenses in the Western United States where our firefighters have responded repeatedly. Thank you again to our dedicated firefighting professionals this Arbor Day.”

The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Psalm 92:12

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Aumua Amata (Western Samoa)

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is welcoming an advancement of the bipartisan U.S. Vets of the FAS Act, H.R. 6652, to fulfill U.S. commitments to U.S. Veterans in the Freely Associated States (FAS) with telehealth and mail order pharmacy services. 

“Our U.S. Veterans deserve these services, and our bill affirms congressional intent with clear language regarding the COFA agreements to support our Veterans from the Freely Associated States, which honors all who served,” said HVAC Vice Chairman Amata. “I’m pleased to see our legislation take this first step in our Committee work, with more to do, but we have important bipartisan backing. This is another good bill where the Representatives from the Pacific territories and Hawaii are working together in full agreement.”

“The major typhoon damages emphasize the necessity of having these services in place and ready for our Veterans in these Pacific locations,” said Aumua Amata, who had led passage of the COFA legislation in the 118^th Congress, serving as Chairman of the Natural Resources Committee’s Task Force for that purpose. 

On Thursday, the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee’s (HVAC) Subcommittee on Health advanced this bill directing the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) to ensure these essential health services to veterans in the FAS. The bill is the cooperative effort of the three Pacific territories and the Hawaii House delegation: Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds (CNMI) with original cosponsors Congresswoman Aumua Amata (American Samoa), Congressman James Moylan (Guam), Congressman Ed Case and Congresswoman Jill Tokuda, both of Hawaii. 

The bill reinforces the commitment Congress made in the 2024 renewal of the Compacts of Free Association and ensures the VA fulfills that obligation, including reports to Congress to ensure accountability and progress, and a timeline for implementation. The next step for the bill is consideration by the full Committee.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Aumua Amata (Western Samoa)

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is pleased to welcome notice of a health services grant for maternal and child health care services. 

Dr. Anaise Uso in Congresswoman Amata’s office just last month in a health delegation to DC with Dr. Aifili John Tufa

This is a discretionary grant of $176,281 for the American Samoa Department of Health (ASDOH) from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), as part of a three-year project period already under way. 

“Thank you to Dr. Anaise Uso for her work ensuring ASDOH receives this grant and especially for her efforts and leadership of the medical services to care for our mothers, babies and young children,” said Congresswoman Amata. “Thank you as always to all our medical professionals for providing healthcare for our people.”

ASDOH is led by Director Dr. Saipale Fuimaono under the administration of Governor Pulaali’i Nikolao Pula and Lt. Gov. Pulumataala Ae Ae, Jr., and in Washington, D.C., HHS is led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and HRSA by Administrator Thomas Engels. 

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

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Representative Ed Case (HI-01), an eight-year member of the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations, responsible for all federal discretionary funding, reported that Appropriations yesterday approved its first of twelve annual Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 funding measures, the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies (MilCon-VA) Appropriations bill.

The measures fund military facilities throughout the Department of Defense, as well as the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and various small agencies and programs supporting our nation’s some 18 million veterans, including over 112,000 throughout Hawai‘i. As passed by the Committee, the bill’s FY 2027 total funding is $157 billion, nearly $20 billion above the FY 2026 enacted level. 

“I voted for our MilCon-VA FY 2027 measure because it advances our key military infrastructure worldwide as well as our multiple efforts for our veterans and their families, secures further hundreds of millions in investments in Hawaii’s military facilities which strengthen our state’s number two economic driver, protects key Native Hawaiian programs from elimination, and moves forward a second national cemetery to supplement a near-capacity Punchbowl,” said Case, who previously served on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and currently serves on its Subcommittees on Defense and Homeland Security.

During full Committee consideration of the bill, Case spoke on the critical need to reinvest in Hawaii’s aging military infrastructure (see here). He highlighted several key deficiencies, including failing sewage treatment systems at Pearl Harbor.

Also in this bill, Case successfully worked to protect Native Hawaiian programs that are under direct threats from by the Trump administration. “My Committee agreed with my requests to maintain contracting preferences for Native Hawaiians in the VA; continue funding for the Native American Veteran Housing Loan Program that assists Native Hawaiian veterans; and support the VA Center for Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islander (NHPIUSAPI) Veterans Health.” Case further worked to advance the health care needs of veterans residing in the Freely Associated States (Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia and Republic of Palau), as agreed to in the renewed Compacts of Free Association between the U.S. and those countries.

Further details follow:

Veterans-Related Programs

The bill provides $137 billion in discretionary spending for veterans-related programs, an increase of $4 billion above the FY 2026 enacted level.

“Hawaii’s veterans and their families make up one of the largest percentages of any state in our nation including in such key areas like women and minority veterans,” said Case.

“While this bill includes some important investments both parties can support, we must continue to do everything we can to lower the cost of living for our veterans and ensure they are able to find jobs, feed their families and keep roofs over their heads.”

The measure also continues support for the VA Center for NHPIUSAPI Veterans Health. The Center’s doctors and scientists coordinate research from all over the Pacific Islands and the United States to specifically address veterans healthcare in the Hawaiian Islands and throughout the Pacific. The Center works with the University of Hawai‘i, and the bill encourages the VA to continue partnering with universities in the Pacific region focusing on issues unique to the NHPIUSAPI community.

The Committee accepted Case’s amendment (see here) to redirect the VA’s efforts to expand medical care for veterans living in the Freely Associated States (FAS), as previously instructed to do so by Congress. Citizens of the FAS enlist in the U.S. military at some of the highest enlistment rates per capita. In exchange for exclusive military basing rights, the U.S. provides the military defense of these countries as part of a decades-long compact agreement. In 2024, the Compact of Free Association Amendments Act gave the VA the authority to provide medical services and beneficiary travel benefits to U.S. veterans in the FAS. To date, the VA has not exercised this authority.

“U.S. veterans in the FAS deserve the same care as all other service members without having to navigate unjustified barriers or traveling long distances to get the case they need,” said Case.

“Today’s amendment will help clarify Congressional direction to provide these veterans the care they earned.”

The Committee included language requested by Case directing the VA to provide a report assessing the need and options for building a new national veterans cemetery in Hawai‘i, including the costs and size of land needed to support burials for the next 50 years. Case secured the language because the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific has been essentially closed to casketed burials since 1991 and will stop accepting cremated remains by 2036. This is a serious concern for the roughly 115,000 veterans living in Hawai‘i, some 11% of the state’s population.

This provision will help advance legislation introduced by Congressman Case, Congresswoman Jill Tokuda and Senator Mazie Hirono to build a new national cemetery in Hawai‘i. More details about Congressman Case’s Hawai‘i National Cemetery Act is available here.

The MilCon-VA Appropriations bill also includes $1.4 billion to meet the need for specific care for women veterans and supports the Office of Women’s Health, including its childcare initiative. These funds will allow the VA to continue hiring women primary care providers and to increase the number of peer support specialists for women veterans. These efforts have become even more critical as the number of female veterans using VA health care services has increased. 

“Women veterans often require specialized care due to unique health needs stemming from their military service and gender,” said Case. “With sustained support from my Committee over multiple years, Congress is working to ensure the VA sets the standard for women veterans care, ensuring consistent, high-quality services across all facilities.”

Other specific veterans-related programs and provisions requested and secured by Case include: 

• Protecting contracting preferences for Native Hawaiian owned business that work with the VA.
• $108 million for the American Battle Monument Commission, which manages the Honolulu Memorial at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
• $60 million for the VA Grants for the Construction of Veterans Cemeteries Program, which regularly provides funding to support Hawaii’s state cemeteries.
• $237 million for substance-use disorder (SUD) efforts to ensure veterans can receive timely SUD specialty services.
• $3.5 billion for the Veterans’ Homelessness Program Resources Account. This funding will enhance homeless veterans service providers’ ability to provide high demand care such as health services, substance use disorder programs, compensated work therapy and other supportive services.
• $349 million for Rural Health Initiatives, $2 million above FY 2026 level. This will improve access and quality of care for the more than three million enrolled veterans residing in highly rural areas.
• $8.5 million for the Native American Veteran Housing Loan Program, which is $3.6 million below the FY 2026 level.

Military Construction

The bill provides $19.2 billion for Department of Defense (DoD) military construction and family housing, $537 million below the FY 2026 enacted level.

Although Case supported the bill, he explained that “the bill fails to fully account for the President’s budget request, which was received too late to be incorporated. The bill must be amended along its path once the Committee has had time to review all the proposed construction projects, including the some $1.7 billion that I advocated for and that Hawai‘i is slated to receive under the President’s proposed budget – the second highest in the nation behind Alaska ($2.4 billion).”

The following Hawai‘i projects listed in the budget can later be included in the MilCon-VA bill after the Trump administration provides the detailed justifications for the projects:

• Pearl Harbor Dry Dock 3 Replacement ($507 million)
• Red Hill Water Treatment Plant ($248 million),
• Pacific Warfighting Center Expansion ($184 million),
• Pacific Missile Range Airfield Pavement Upgrades ($142 million),
• Kāne‘ohe Bay Company Compound $134 million),
• Wheeler Aircraft Maintenance Hangar ($90 million),
• Kāne‘ohe Bay 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment Armory Expansion ($77 million),
• Helemano Wells and Storage Tanks ($72 million),
• Fort Shafter Clearwell and Booster Pump ($71 million),
• Kāne‘ohe Bay Main Gate Entry Control Point ($49 million),
• Schofield Wildfire Station ($30 million),
• Schofield Elevated Tank and Distribution Lines ($26 million),
• Schofield Water Storage Tank ($21 million),
• Maui Secure Integration Support Lab acquisition ($4 million).

Other specific military construction programs and provisions requested and secured by Case critical to Hawai‘i include: 

• $750 million for the Energy Resilience and Conservation Investment Program, which helps military installations in Hawai‘i and nationwide transition to renewable energy sources.
• Language directing the Army to provide a report on the 25th Infantry Division’s current headquarters, to include operational risks, the plan for addressing facility requirements and a detailed timeline and estimated costs for improvements to ensure adequate capability and resiliency.
• Language directing the Navy to study a long-term cost benefit analysis of Waterfront Production Facilities at each public shipyard, timeline and estimated costs for planned Waterfront Production Facilities under Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP) and actions that can be taken to accelerate the construction of SIOP-related Waterfront Production Facilities.
• Language directing the Army and Defense Health Agency to conduct preliminary construction planning to renovate Tripler Army Medical Center, to include the core buildings constructed in the 1940s and address related infrastructure needs such as a parking structure.
• Language directing a report assessing the progress of the Hawai‘i Infrastructure Readiness Initiative, a decade-long infrastructure improvement plan for U.S. Army Garrison Hawai‘i that was estimated to invest over $1 billion in Hawai‘i.
• Language supporting dual use military-civilian infrastructure investments in the FAS for the first time in generations and requesting details of how to better foster the civilian-military relationship for major planned military construction in the region.

The measure is the first one of the twelve bills to be taken up by the House Appropriations Committee that will collectively fund the federal government for FY 2027 (commencing October 1, 2026). 

The bill now moves on to the full House of Representatives for its consideration. 

A summary of the MilCon-VA funding bill is available here.

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

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

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Jim Costa (CA-21) honored Family Healing Center as his honoree at the 2026 Crime Survivors and Justice Caucus Awards, held at the Library of Congress during National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.
Each year, Members of Congress nominate individuals from their communities who have made a meaningful impact supporting victims of crime, raising awareness, and strengthening services for survivors. This year’s honorees represent the work happening on the ground to help individuals and families navigate some of the most difficult moments in their lives.
“The Family Healing Center is doing the kind of work that too often goes unseen, but makes a real difference in people’s lives,” said Congressman Costa. “When I visited their facility, it was clear how much care goes into creating a space where survivors feel safe, supported, and able to begin again. Many of their leaders come from law enforcement backgrounds, bringing firsthand experience to the work they do every day to help women and children rebuild after trauma. For families in the San Joaquin Valley, they provide a place to turn in moments of crisis and a path toward a brighter future. I’m proud to recognize their commitment to supporting victims and strengthening our community.”
“The Family Healing Center began in 2011 with a singular mission: to break the silence and heal the wounds of family violence,” said Steven Wright, board chairman of the Family Healing Center. “By giving a voice to the vulnerable and unheard, we provide children with a dedicated space to heal and find protection from the shadows of abuse. This recognition honors our ongoing commitment to stopping the cycle of trauma and ensuring every child has a safe path forward.”
The annual awards ceremony, hosted by the Congressional Crime Survivors and Justice Caucus, brings together survivors, advocates, and leaders from across the country to recognize those advancing victims’ rights and services.
National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, observed April 19–25, honors victims, supports survivors, and reaffirms a national commitment to justice and healing.
ABOUT THE CRIME SURVIVORS AND JUSTICE CAUCUS
Founded in 2005 by former Rep. Ted Poe and Rep. Jim Costa, the Crime Survivors and Justice Caucus (formerly the Victims’ Rights Caucus) works in a bipartisan manner to identify, address, and elevate the needs of crime victims and survivors and communities affected by crime, while respecting due process and the rights of the accused. For more than two decades, the Caucus has helped protect and strengthen critical programs supporting victim services nationwide, including the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) and the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), and has served as a resource to Members and communities impacted by mass violence.
ABOUT FAMILY HEALING CENTER
The Family Healing Center is a non-profit organization that provides critical services to women and children who are victims/survivors of sexual and physical abuse, domestic violence, and victims who witness abuse. It is a comfortable place where women and children can feel safe and free from distractions and/or public scrutiny. The center strives to promote a sense of safety, trauma reduction, and consistency to abuse survivors and non-offending family members.
At the Center we care for victims of Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Family Violence with care and compassion. Our staff members are here to help you and your family through the healing process.
ABOUT THE ED STOUT MEMORIAL AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING VICTIM ADVOCACY
Ed Stout Memorial Award for Outstanding Victim Advocacy recognizes a professional, volunteer, or organization whose efforts directly benefit victims and survivors of crime, including innovations in victim assistance and services, program development, policy change, public awareness, and collaboration among community and justice-based partners. 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05), Ranking Member of the Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Appropriations Subcommittee, delivered remarks at the House Committee on Appropriations Full Committee Markup of the FY 2027 Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) bill in support of an amendment by U.S. Representative Norma Torres (CA-35) that would prohibit the hiring of insurrectionists who participated in the events of January 6, 2021 from holding a position of responsibility in the federal government. Below are a video and transcript of his remarks:

Click here to watch a video of his remarks.

“The President had the authority to do what he did. The question is, what did the people do? What did these people, who were either convicted or plead guilty and found guilty, do? Mr. Chairman, January 6th, 2021, was one of the darkest days in the history of our country and of our institution. The President of the United States invited people to Washington, D.C. for the express purpose of ‘stopping the steal.’ He then proceeded to incite those people in front of the White House, the White House that he is now dismembering. He then, after inciting that mob, said, ‘I want you to go down to the Capitol, stop the steal,’ and a direct quote is ‘Fight like hell.’ This was not an act of a President of the United States to suggest that people involve themselves in petitioning their government. It was [an] incitement to destroy their government, undermine the Constitution of the United States, and to have the result the loss of life by some officers, the injury of others, and to send a message around the country that the Constitution should be undermined by force. That is treason, and the rationalization of treason is a danger to our nation, and then incitement to others to do the same.

“The President said that he would pardon some 1500 people who were found guilty or pled guilty, either by a jury of their peers or by a judge, or by their own admission. The President had said during the course of the campaign to the Proud Boys, ‘Stand back and stand by.’ Why did he pardon these people over the objections of some of his supporters? In my view, it is because he wanted them to ‘stand by and stand back,’ and as a result, he pardoned them so that they would be out of prison. I don’t think there’s a previous example of this action by any President of the United States. This is an incitement to the extent that people can rationalize, ‘Well, if he calls us again to Washington, if he loses his hope to violate the Constitution again and be elected a third time,’ or, perhaps, as he said, ‘If you elect me, you won’t have to have another election.’ That’s a quote. I don’t know exactly what he meant by that, but it is ominous. And if we as a Congress continue to pretend that was just another day in Washington, we undermine our oath and our country.

“This amendment says we will not rationalize it by having people who pled guilty, found guilty, pardoned or not, serve in the institution that they threatened on January 26th – excuse me, January 6th, 2021. But I fear that that group of 1500 people is going to watch this committee and see some 33 or 34 people say, ‘It was okay. We’ll forget it. Come work with us.’ The lady’s amendment simply says, ‘We are not going to rationalize insurrection. We’re not going to stand by – stand back and stand by while this occurs.’ I urge us all to stand united and say this conduct is impermissible in America. You go to the ballot box, you debate, you resolve differences peacefully. Support this amendment.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Norma Torres (35th District of California)