MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Michael McCaul (10th District of Texas)

WASHINGTON – Over the weekend, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Emeritus Michael McCaul — chairman of the Mexico-United States Interparliamentary Group (IPG) — led a bipartisan congressional delegation (CODEL) to Mexico. While there, the delegation met with Mexican lawmakers and other government officials to identify ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation on pressing topics including regional security, counternarcotics, immigration, trade, and agriculture.

The bipartisan delegation included IPG Ranking Member Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) and Representatives Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), Lou Correa (D-Calif.), Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.), Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas), Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), Michael Cloud (R-Texas), Dan Meuser (R-Penn.), and Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas).

“I’m proud to have led this delegation to Mexico to collaborate with many crucial partners, including our counterparts in Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies,” said Chairman McCaul. “With robust bipartisan representation from both the U.S. and Mexico, it’s clear that strengthening our bilateral relationship is a nonpartisan issue. Much progress has already been made under the Trump and Sheinbaum administrations on mutual priorities like security, trade, and immigration, and I look forward to deepening our collaboration for the benefit of both of our nations and the broader region.”

“I greatly appreciate Chairman McCaul’s partnership in leading this delegation, which underscored how vital sustained, bipartisan engagement with Mexico is to advancing priorities that affect border communities,” said Ranking Member Cuellar. “We had constructive discussions with Mexican lawmakers and senior officials on regional security, counternarcotics, immigration, trade, agriculture, and border infrastructure. These conversations are essential to strengthening border security, stopping the deadly flow of fentanyl, protecting American agriculture, ensuring USMCA delivers for U.S. workers, supporting cross-border trade, and holding Mexico accountable to its water treaty obligations. For South Texas, these issues have direct consequences for our economy, our security, and our communities, making continued coordination with Mexico a necessity, not a choice.”

In Mexico City, the delegation first stopped at the U.S. Embassy to receive a full briefing on U.S.-Mexico relations from Ambassador Ronald Johnson and his team. While there, they met and thanked several U.S. Marines who are serving in the country.

Next, the delegation met with Mexican Foreign Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente to discuss the importance of our bilateral relationship, regional security, and countering China’s influence in the Western Hemisphere.

Before leaving Mexico City, the delegation held a meeting with members of Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies, including Chamber President Kenia López Rabadán. The meeting featured representation from both chambers and six of Mexico’s political parties, including the ruling and opposition coalitions. Topics of discussion included security, trade, water, screwworm, and regional relationships.

The delegation also visited San Miguel de Allende, where they met with Mayor Mauricio Trejo Pureco and Governor Libia Dennise García Muñoz Ledo to discuss trade, tourism, opportunities in the upcoming USMCA renegotiation, and more.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (25th District of FLORIDA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the country approaches the eighth anniversary of the horrific shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which claimed 17 innocent lives, including 14-year-old Alyssa Alhadeff, we remember the victims and their families.

Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart, Dean of the Florida Delegation, continues to lead efforts to strengthen school safety measures as an original cosponsor of Congressman Burgess Owens’ (UT-4) Alyssa’s Act.

Congressman Díaz-Balart said, “I’m proud to continue my work in school safety, this time as co-sponsor of Alyssa’s Act, which will establish national school safety standards, including silent panic alarms directly linked to law enforcement.

I commend Rep. Owens for his commitment to education and safety initiatives and appreciate the opportunity to work alongside him, Alyssa’s parents, Lori and Ilan Alhadeff, and Max Schachter, father of Parkland shooting victim Alex Schachter, to make our schools safer for current and future generations.”

Congressman Owens said, “Our children are our future and our most important national resource. Alyssa’s Act will save lives, plain and simple. I am grateful for the bipartisan support we’ve gathered on this bill that would disseminate the best evidence-based practices, resources, and tools available to us to help keep our students safe in the hands of schools and districts across the country.”

Lori Alhadeff, CEO of Make Our Schools Safe said, “Alyssa’s Act sets clear, lifesaving standards for emergency response in our schools because when seconds matter, there is no time for confusion. Every classroom deserves a direct line to help. These standards are not optional they are the difference between chaos and coordination, between tragedy and lives saved.”

Max Schachter, Alex Schachter’s father and Founder & CEO of Safe Schools for Alex, said, “In an emergency, every second matters. During the Parkland school shooting, by the time law enforcement arrived 24 people had already been shot and/or killed—including Alyssa and my little boy, Alex. No family should ever endure that kind of loss. Every teacher needs the ability to immediately alert everyone on campus including law enforcement.

I am deeply grateful to Representatives Diaz-Balart and Owens for sponsoring Alyssa’s Law. I look forward to working with them to pass this very important piece of school safety legislation.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (25th District of FLORIDA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart (FL-26), Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee and Chairman of the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Subcommittee (NSRP), along with Representatives Carlos A. Giménez (FL-28) and María Elvira Salazar (FL-27) sent a letter to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) at the U.S. Department of Treasury and the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) at the U.S. Department of Commerce demanding a full review and immediate action to deny any licenses that allow U.S. persons or entities to conduct business with the Cuban regime, a designated State Sponsor of Terrorism.

Read the full letter here or below.

Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart said, “I said it during President Trump’s first term, and I will say it again: I am convinced the anti-American dictatorships in Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua will not survive another term of bold and decisive American leadership under President Trump.

“The Cuban regime is weaker today than it has ever been. History makes clear that there is only one approach that works against brutal dictatorships: zero tolerance and maximum pressure.

“That means enforcing U.S. law, which prohibits all businesses from dealing with the Cuban regime and cutting off every dollar that props up a State Sponsor of Terrorism, as Congress mandated in the LIBERTAD Act of 1996.”

Congressman Carlos A. Giménez said, “President Trump’s decisive actions have brought us closer than ever to the collapse of the Communist regime in Cuba. We’re asking to shutdown every source of income the regime uses to repress the Cuban people. Close the valve of free oil from Venezuela, close the valve of flight and remittances, and close the valve of these businesses shipping luxury products from the US to Cuba, which undermines the intent of Congress and President Trump’s common-sense policy against the regime. God willing, the Castro regime will not survive these four years of President Donald J. Trump!”

Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar said, “U.S. law is clear: sanctions exist to deny economic support to the Cuban dictatorship until real democratic change occurs. That is why we are urging the Administration to review and revoke any licenses that directly or indirectly benefit regime-controlled entities, strengthen scrutiny of future licenses, and fully enforce the LIBERTAD Act. Every dollar denied to the regime brings the Cuban people one step closer to freedom.”

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

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) released the following statement today on the January jobs report: 

“Although last month saw modest job growth – with some 130,000 jobs added and the unemployment rate hovering around 4.3% – we ought to look at the January jobs report in the context of the past year. Since Donald Trump took office in January 2025, the unemployment rate has increased by 0.3%. That means 500,000 more Americans were unemployed last month than when Trump’s second term began. Additionally, the number of Americans struggling with long-term unemployment has gone up by 386,000 since January 2025. Instead of ushering in a renaissance for American manufacturing, Trump has cost our country 82,000 manufacturing jobs in his second term. Crucially, there are currently more people unemployed than there are jobs available.

“The job market’s poor performance, in addition to rising costs from Trump’s disastrous tariffs and from his attacks on the Affordable Care Act, might explain why 40% of Americans believe their lives will get worse in the next five years. That’s the highest level on record – even higher than it was at the peak of the pandemic. Donald Trump can’t relate. He profited billions of dollars off the presidency last year. As he builds himself a gilded ballroom, accepts lavish gifts from foreign nations, and uses his influence to boost his business, Trump has left the rest of the American people in the dust.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)

WASHINGTON — This morning, Speaker Johnson joined Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business’ Mornings with Maria to discuss the SAVE America Act, Congressional Democrats’ attempts to abolish ICE and hamstring lawful immigration enforcement, and President Trump’s trade agenda.

Watch Speaker Johnson’s full interview here.

On the SAVE America Act:

We’re going to do everything we can to get it to the President’s desk. As you know, it’s a top priority of his and of ours. House Republicans been working hard for years now to ensure the integrity of American elections, because it is essential to maintain a constitutional republic. We passed the SAVE Act in the last Congress, and in this Congress, and the SAVE Act just simply says, you must have proof of citizenship if you’re going to register to vote in federal elections, in American elections.

Well, now we’re going to pass the SAVE America Act. It has that same provision of citizenship proof, now you also have to have a valid photo ID to vote. What a concept. As you said, in some polls it’s a 90/10 issue, even 70% of Democrats agree that that is reasonable and necessary, but the Democrats in the Senate are trying to hold it up. And I’m hopeful that that Leader Thune and our Senate Republicans can get it done and get it to the President’s desk when we send it over.

On Democrat demands to restrict federal law enforcement or shut down DHS:

What Democrats are doing in this process is they’re putting hurdles in the way of the goal, and it hurts the American people. Remember, they forced upon us the longest shutdown in US history last fall, 43 days, and did real harm to the economy and to the American people for no reason. It’s all politics, and we’re asking them to put that aside and do what’s right for the American people.

This idea about the judicial warrants just, for one example, what they really want, what Democrats want, what they’re working towards, is unimpeded illegal immigration. They want to continue the terrible policies of the Biden-Harris administration when they literally opened the border wide and brought in about 20 million illegal aliens into the country over that time period. Many hardened criminals, dangerous persons, they don’t want any of them deported. If you put a judicial warrant in the way, it will impede the entire process. It will add layers and layers of delay and an impossibility to apprehend and remove many people because we simply don’t have the manpower or the time, the court systems to be able to do that. Under the current way the law works, right now, Immigration and Customs and Enforcement have the ability to issue a warrant of removal and to go and apprehend these people. The Democrats want to stop that, and if their policies were enacted, we would just have open borders. We’d have open unimpeded immigration and that is not what the American people voted for and we’re doing the right thing. The President is laser focused on restoring law and order, and it will be one of the great achievements and a big part of his legacy.

On President Trump’s successful trade agenda:

The tariffs have been a tool that the President has used very effectively to level the playing field and put America back on top. And I think it’s wrong for Congress to step in the middle of that. Also, remember, this is pending at the US Supreme Court. There’s a big case pending that we’ve all talked about so much, and that decision could come down on any day, and the court will decide on this as well. So, I just think we need to pause Congress’s consideration of this and not get in the way of the President and what he’s trying to achieve, because it’s been great for the economy. All boats are rising, you know, you talk about it every morning. We’re ushering in a new golden era and the President’s trade policies, and his strategy is a big part of what has brought that about. So, we need to allow it to continue.

America is back. We’re the greatest nation in the history of the world. We’re the strongest nation. We have now fixed that disparity in trade because we have a Commander in Chief who’s bold enough to call it out, and he has. His bold action is what’s gotten us back in a good position on the economy. Inflation did not go through the roof, as everybody, you know, said and expected that it would because the tariffs, we are moving up. The economic growth numbers are off the charts. Literally. The CBO was saying just several months ago that they were expecting a 1.8% economic growth rate, and in the fourth quarter of last year it was over 5%. And we’re expecting more going forward.

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

Larsen Releases Statement on Tumbler Ridge Shooting

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (12th District of Michigan)

Representatives Debbie Dingell (MI-06) and Gwen Moore (D-WI), co-chairs of the Bipartisan Working Group to End Domestic Violence, sent a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. to express serious concerns about potential pauses for the only federal funds dedicated to the primary prevention of domestic and sexual based violence – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Rape Prevention and Education (RPE) and the Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancement and Leadership Through Alliance (DELTA). 

“A grant recipient shared that, per a call with staff with Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) staff, all but 12 states have had their funding for these programs denied due to not following the President’s Executive Order issued on August 7, 2025, ‘Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking’,” the lawmakers write. “They shared that they were instructed by staff to make changes to their documentation in order to comply with the Executive Order and receive the funding, and were given only five days to make these “corrections”.

“This directive lacks necessary clarity and threatens to create economic instability for recipients that rely on this funding,” the lawmakers continue. “These critical programs are evidence based, successful, and require this funding from the CDC to help local grantees implement their work.

“These vital, often life-saving programs need adequate resources to serve our communities,” the lawmakers conclude. “Domestic and sexual violence can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time and it is critical we have programs in place to not only respond to violence after it happens, but also to get to the root of the problem and learn how to prevent it from occurring at all. Investment in prevention of domestic and sexual violence bolsters the health and safety of our communities. Continued interruptions to these grant programs will undermine our nation’s public health response to domestic and sexual violence.”

Read the full text of the letter here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Sharice Davids (KS-3)

Today, Representative Sharice Davids (KS-03) expressed strong opposition to plans to open and operate Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities in the Kansas City metropolitan area, including proposed sites in Leavenworth, Kansas and south Kansas City, Missouri — the latter originally intended for economic development.

In her letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials, Davids warned that large-scale detention centers would undermine public safety, strain already-stretched local infrastructure and emergency services, derail economic development plans, and divert critical resources away from local law enforcement and community-based public safety efforts.

“I write to express deep concern and strong opposition to any plans to open and operate Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities in the Kansas City metropolitan area,” wrote Davids. “These actions — along with the rapid expansion of immigration detention facilities far beyond the border — are making communities less safe, diverting critical resources from local law enforcement, and undermining efforts to stop the flow of illicit drugs into the United States.”

Davids cited reports that ICE is negotiating to purchase a warehouse in south Kansas City to establish a 7,500-bed detention center on land owned by Port KC — property that was sold with the understanding that it would be used for manufacturing and economic development. She also raised serious concerns about a $60 million contract signed last fall between ICE and private prison operator CoreCivic to house detainees at a facility in Leavenworth, Kansas, pointing to the company’s troubling track record related to staffing, conditions, and coordination with local law enforcement.

The letter also highlights broader concerns about the administration’s immigration enforcement approach, including the use of masked and militarized federal agents, lack of transparency and oversight, and data showing that a significant share of ICE detainees have no criminal convictions or pending charges.

Davids emphasized that while thoughtful immigration enforcement and bipartisan reform are necessary, the administration’s current approach is making communities less safe. She demanded written responses to a series of questions regarding the administration’s plans, coordination with local authorities, and safeguards to protect American citizens and legal residents.

Read Davids’ full letter here or below:

Dear Secretary Noem and Mr. Lyons,

I write to express deep concern and strong opposition to any plans to open and operate Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Proposed facilities in Kansas City, Missouri, and Leavenworth, Kansas would undermine public safety, derail local economic development priorities, and divert critical resources away from local law enforcement and community-based public safety efforts.

Last month, ICE personnel toured a warehouse in south Kansas City and are reportedly in negotiations to purchase the facility to establish a 7,500-bed detention center. However, the facility was given tax exemptions by Port KC with the clear understanding that the site would be used for economic development and manufacturing growth. This apparent shift in use raises serious concerns that the building owner’s actions are misleading and inconsistent with local intentions, paving the way for a large-scale prison tied to this administration’s reckless immigration enforcement. 

Additionally, last fall, private prison operator CoreCivic signed a $60 million contract with ICE to house detainees at a facility in Leavenworth, Kansas.  While this matter faces pending action by the City of Leavenworth, CoreCivic’s historic operation of this facility is troubling, including issues with staffing, humane conditions, lack of cooperation with local law enforcement, and more. 

These efforts are compounded by masked, militarized federal agents roving our streets, detaining peaceful protesters, legal residents, and even American citizens without transparency, oversight, or accountability. Despite claiming to target violent criminals, this administration detained more than 29,000 people with no criminal convictions or pending charges last month; estimates suggest that nearly 75 percent of current ICE detainees have no criminal convictions. 

Taken together, these actions — along with the rapid expansion of immigration detention facilities far beyond the border — are making communities less safe, diverting critical resources from local law enforcement, and undermining efforts to stop the flow of illicit drugs into the United States. These detention warehouses are also inhumane and would burden local infrastructure and medical and emergency services that are already stretched thin.

Thoughtful immigration enforcement is necessary. I will keep pressing my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to negotiate bipartisan immigration reforms that do not overwhelm our systems, provide a clear pathway to citizenship, and secure our border from violent crime and drug trafficking. However, your actions are undermining these efforts and leaving communities less safe.

Therefore, I ask that you respond to the following questions by February 27, 2026:

• Is the administration currently negotiating or planning to negotiate the purchase, lease, sublease or other occupation of a future detention facility in south Kansas City, Missouri? If so, what is the maximum number of people you plan to detain there?
• Does the administration plan to immediately house detainees at the CoreCivic facility in Leavenworth, Kansas pending municipal action? If so, what is the maximum number of people you plan to detain there?
• If you proceed, can you guarantee that only people with a criminal conviction or who have been charged with a violent crime will be held at these facilities?
• If you proceed, can you guarantee that no American citizens or legal residents will be detained at these facilities?
• Have you coordinated with local law enforcement to ensure these facilities do not pose a public safety concern?
• How much investment and resources are being taken from local law enforcement to pay for these mass detentions?

I strongly oppose the opening of any detention center in the Kansas City metro area and urge you to immediately reconsider these decisions. Thank you for your attention to this matter. 

Sincerely,

Sharice L. Davids
Member of Congress

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

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem requesting a meeting with her, local law enforcement, and area officials to discuss the proposed immigration detention center in Kansas City, Missouri. The letter underscores deep and growing opposition from the community and calls out DHS’s failure to respond to questions first raised by the Congressman in a January 2026 letter. In the earlier correspondence, Rep. Cleaver condemned Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) actions surrounding the proposed facility and raised serious concerns about the lack of transparency in the decision-making process and the inhumane practice of warehousing people in detention centers. The letter also warned that the continued expansion of these facilities threatens due process, civil liberties, and the fundamental human rights of both immigrants and American citizens – concerns that, to this day, have gone unanswered.

“The chaos this administration brought to the streets of Minneapolis has no place in Kansas City. If there is any confusion, look to the actions of our local government. Without hesitation, the city council passed a resolution that implemented a five-year moratorium on non-municipal detention facilities. For an administration that often flexes their ‘mandate’ and perception of the voters’ will, it would be a disrespectful miscalculation to ignore the Kansas City community,” Congressman Cleaver wrote in a letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.

Today’s letter reiterates unanswered questions, requests a meeting before the end of the month to allow federal officials to hear directly from local leaders and law enforcement about the real-world consequences of the proposed facility and their united opposition against its creation, and reaffirms Rep. Cleaver’s commitment to ensuring that any federal action affecting the region prioritizes community safety, transparency, and accountability.

“Given that these concerns are urgent and your office has not provided a response before the January 23, 2026 deadline, I now respectfully request that you meet with me and local officials, provide additional information to those who would be tasked with overseeing any potential facility in our jurisdiction, and allow us to share our serious concerns. The 770,000 people who call Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District home deserve an explanation, and please know that silence would be an uncivil response,” Cleaver concluded.

The official letter from Rep. Cleaver 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.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Raul Ruiz (36th District of California)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Raul Ruiz (D-CA) and Congressman Gabe Evans (R-CO) introduced the Critical Minerals and Manufacturing Support Act 2.0, bipartisan legislation to expand domestic battery manufacturing, reduce reliance on foreign adversaries, and strengthen America’s clean energy and advanced manufacturing supply chains.

The bill updates and strengthens the Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit to better support U.S.-based production across the full battery manufacturing supply chain—particularly electrode active materials critical to electric vehicles, grid storage, and national security technologies.

The legislation directly supports regions like California’s Lithium Valley, where domestic lithium extraction, processing, and battery-material manufacturing are advancing. By recognizing and incentivizing every step of the battery manufacturing supply chain—from critical mineral production to advanced materials manufacturing—the bill will position Lithium Valley as a fully integrated, end-to-end battery hub, driving job creation, lowering manufacturing costs, and strengthening domestic supply chains.

“America cannot lead the clean energy economy if we continue to outsource the materials that power it,” said Rep. Ruiz. “This bipartisan legislation makes a strategic investment in American manufacturing and American workers, especially in regions like Lithium Valley, where we have the opportunity to build a fully integrated regional battery supply chain. By strengthening domestic production, we can lower costs, create good-paying jobs, and ensure we are not dependent on prohibited foreign entities for the critical minerals that power our future.”

“America should never be dependent on foreign adversaries for the materials that power our vehicles, our grid, or our national security. I’m proud to co-lead the Critical Minerals and Manufacturing Support Act 2.0, bipartisan legislation that expands domestic battery manufacturing, strengthens supply chains, and ensures federal incentives support U.S.-made components. This bill creates certainty for manufacturers, supports American workers, and puts our nation’s economic and energy security first.”
— Congressman Gabe Evans (CO-08)

Key Provisions of the Enhanced Critical Minerals and Manufacturing Support Act Include:

• Boosts tax credits for U.S. battery makers by increasing support from 10% to 25%, making domestic production more affordable and competitive across the battery supply chain.
• Protects U.S. national security by ensuring batteries cannot receive federal support if they rely on critical minerals sourced from prohibited foreign countries after 2026.
• Updates outdated rules so federal incentives apply to modern and next-generation battery materials used in today’s electric vehicles and energy storage.
• Includes silicon as a supported battery material, helping American manufacturers develop more advanced and longer-lasting batteries.
• Gives manufacturers long-term certainty by extending tax credits through 2041, encouraging companies to invest, expand, and create good-paying jobs in the United States.

The legislation applies to battery components produced and sold after December 31, 2025.

This legislation is supported by EnergySource Minerals, the Battery Advocacy for Technology Transformation (BATT) Coalition, and Forge Nano, reflecting broad industry backing for domestic battery manufacturing and workforce development.

“CMMSA 2.0 strengthens U.S. energy security by supporting domestic production of critical battery materials essential to American manufacturing and infrastructure. By reinforcing incentives for U.S.-based supply chains and trusted sourcing, the bill helps reduce reliance on foreign producers. EnergySource Minerals supports this legislation because long-term energy leadership depends on producing essential materials responsibly here at home.”
— Carmen Rene, Chief Financial Officer, EnergySource Minerals

“It is essential to our national security to enable a domestic supply chain for battery materials, something Forge Nano has made a priority for many years. Forge Nano is excited to work with Rep. Evans on helping incentivize this critical industry and protect it from adversarial nations.”
— James Trevey, Chief Technology Officer, Forge Nano