MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jason Crow (CO-06)

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jason Crow (D-CO) has introduced the Protecting our Democracy Act, a slate of historic pro-democracy reforms aimed at preventing presidential abuses of power, rooting out corruption, strengthening checks and balances, and protecting American elections against foreign influence. Crow joined Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and 92 other Members of Congress in introducing the bill.

Upon returning to the White House, the President kickstarted a series of corruption schemes that have personally netted the Trump family billions. As gas, groceries, and healthcare have all gotten more expensive for working families, Donald Trump has increased his personal net worth by at least $3 billion—the most lucrative year of his life. And as Trump and congressional Republicans took away healthcare for millions, Trump funneled billions from anonymous donors and foreign governments through his personal cryptocurrency slush fund.

At the same time, this Administration is ignoring the Constitution to consolidate power. President Trump unilaterally launched a war with Iran, costing billions of taxpayer dollars and leading to the death of thirteen servicemembers. Trump officials at the DOJ and FBI are targeting political opponents. Federal agencies like FEMA are withholding funding to states that did not support Trump in recent elections. Trump-appointed Inspectors General are refusing to investigate wrongdoing. And the President has threatened to invade Democratic-run cities, send federal forces to polling places, and end an entire civilization.

“This is one of the most dangerous and corrupt Administrations in American history,” said Congressman Crow. “This President and his cronies are ripping away health care, ignoring rising costs, and spending billions on a reckless war—all while lining their pockets at taxpayers’ expense. Congress cannot stand by as they undermine our constitutional powers and use the presidency as a personal piggy bank. The American people deserve a government focused on making life more affordable for them, not one that makes this President and the elites around him richer. 

The legislative package includes provisions that:

1. Codifies constitutional prohibitions on foreign and domestic emoluments and prevents Trump-style abuses of power.
2. Increases transparency surrounding the Executive Branch’s implementation of spending laws, prevents the politicization of the civil service, and strengthens protections for whistleblowers who play a crucial role in Congressional oversight by exposing wrongdoing, often at great personal and professional risk.
3. Protects elections from foreign interference, requires presidential candidates to submit their tax returns to the Federal Election Commission, and increases disclosure requirements for online political advertisements. 
4. Requires the President to disclose to Congress any payments made to the President by an individual granted clemency or by an individual appointed to a position which requires the advice and consent of the Senate

Throughout his time in Congress, Congressman Crow has fought to protect democracy and end corruption. He has stood up to special interests and has not taken a dime of corporate PAC money. He is leading the fight to root out corruption in our elections, including through his End Dark Money Act to crack down on dark money’s influence on U.S. elections and his bipartisan Shell Company Abuse Act to limit foreign interference in U.S. elections. Crow is also calling on the U.S. House to ban its members from insider trading on prediction markets, and he’s an original cosponsor of the TRUST in Congress Act to ban members of Congress and their families from owning or trading stocks. 

Congressman Crow is looking to build a future that brings Americans together, protects our democracy, and ensures leaders are accountable to working class Americans—his vision for New American Patriotism. 

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

Washington, D.C. – United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) authored and introduced the American Sovereignty and Monterey Historic Military Site Study Act. This legislation would direct the Department of the Interior to evaluate the Lower Presidio Historic Park in Monterey, California for potential designation as a National Historic Park under the National Park Service. The bill would direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study within three years of funding and to submit a report to Congress with findings and recommendations on how best to preserve, protect, and interpret the site for future generations.

While both national parks and national historic parks are part of the National Park System and managed by the National Park Service, national historic parks are specifically designated to preserve and interpret sites of significant historical and cultural importance to the United States. Traditional national parks, by contrast, are primarily designated to protect outstanding natural landscapes and ecosystems. The Lower Presidio’s designation as a potential national historic park reflects the depth and breadth of its significance in our cultural history.

“Lower Presidio Historic Park holds over 12,000 years of history, as a tribal village for indigenous peoples to the landings of Spanish explorers to the location where Commodore Sloat planted the flag of the United States to the training site for the Buffalo Soldiers and many others who served in the United States Military, yet it has never received the national recognition that it deserves,” said Rep. Panetta. “The American Sovereignty and Monterey Historic Military Site Study Act would take the first step towards designating the site as a national historic park to provide the proper federal support to ensure that the land is preserved for generations to appreciate its historic significance. Through this legislation, we can begin the process of securing national recognition for the extraordinary legacy not just of the Lower Presidio Historic Park, but also of our home.”

“On behalf of the City of Monterey, we express gratitude to Congressman Panetta for leading the effort to establish the Lower Presidio as a site of national significance,” said Monterey Mayor Tyller Williamson. “This designation ensures public access and preservation of the diverse history of this land, from its Indigenous roots and Spanish and American military eras to its role as a sacred ancestral homeland.”

“The City wholeheartedly supports this study and partnership model where the National Park Service operates the historic park in coordination with the Army and City government,” said Monterey Assistant City Manager Nat Rojanasathira. “This collaborative approach ensures the Lower Presidio remains a premier landmark within Monterey’s diverse network of cultural resources, parks and public spaces.”

Located within the U.S. Army Garrison Presidio of Monterey and open to the public since 1996, Lower Presidio Historic Park holds one of the most storied histories of any site on the West Coast. Over 12,000 years ago, the land was stewarded by the Esselen and Rumsen peoples. The site later witnessed the arrival of European explorers, the founding of the Spanish Presidio of Monterey in 1770, California’s time as the capital of Alta California, the raising of the American flag in 1846 by Commodore John Drake Sloat, the construction of the first major U.S. Army fort on the West Coast, service by the Buffalo Soldiers of the 9th Cavalry Regiment, and the establishment of what would become the Defense Language Institute, a cornerstone of American national security.

Full text of the bill is available here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05)

U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL-05), U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today reintroduced the bicameral Flood Mapping Modernization and Homeowner Empowerment Pilot Program Act. The bill would establish a pilot grant program through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to allow cities to develop better methods for mapping, understanding, and mitigating urban flooding while sharing findings with the federal government.

 “In communities across the country, including Chicagoland, urban flooding has a unique ability to wreak havoc in our communities, leaving Americans feeling helpless in the aftermath. Flooding can cause extensive property damage and impose a massive financial burden on homeowners. Even just a few inches of rain can be dangerous when combined with an out-of-date and inadequate understanding of the type and location of floods we face,” said Quigley. “I’m proud to reintroduce bipartisan legislation to give cities and towns the resources and tools they’ll need to proactively address flooding challenges. With the rise in extreme weather events and growing impacts of climate change, I’m hopeful my colleagues will be compelled to recognize the urgent need for this legislation.”

“It’s undeniable that the climate crisis is bringing more severe flooding to Illinois. Given this, we must ensure that Illinoisans have the resources to protect their lives and homes from flood damage,” said Durbin. “Our Flood Mapping Modernization and Homeowner Empowerment Pilot Program Act is designed to support urban communities in preparing for flood risks while providing our government with the necessary data to develop better preventative solutions.”

 “Every year, communities in Illinois and across the country struggle to plan for and recover from urban flooding, which climate change is exacerbating,” said Duckworth. “It’s critical we ensure our cities and towns have the resources they need to prepare for flooding, and this legislation and the pilot program it establishes will do just that. I’m proud to reintroduce our bill to help better understand flood risks, protect home and small business owners and help prevent and mitigate damage caused by urban flooding.”

As states experience more frequent urbanization, many communities have seen a rise in flooding activity, exacerbated by heavy rainfall, melting snow, and aging infrastructure. Many of these urban areas are often outside of regulatory floodplains, leaving residents unprepared when a disaster hits. 

Under the Flood Mapping Modernization and Homeowner Empowerment Pilot Program Act, 12 total cities, varying in size from 50,000 to 800,000 or more residents, would be able to apply for the pilot program, which would select three participant cities per year for four years. The bill would authorize $2 million for Fiscal Year 2027 and $5 million for Fiscal Year 2028 through Fiscal Year 2030 for grants to be made available to states and local government authorities in recognized urban areas. Grant recipients would have 18 months to conduct their projects upon receiving a grant. 

The program would also require lessons-learned reports from both the grant recipients and FEMA over the duration of the program. Project data and reports would be made publicly available to improve urban flood mitigation.

Illinois is home to one of the largest inland systems of rivers, lakes, and streams in the U.S., increasing the state’s flooding risk. Floods are the most common natural disaster in Illinois, accounting for more than 90 percent of the state’s declared disasters.

Bill text is available here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bill Huizenga (MI-02)

Today, Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-MI) and Congressman Lou Correa (D-CA) introduced the Veterans Suicide Prevention and Care Enhancement Act, bipartisan legislation aimed at improving mental health outcomes for veterans and helping reduce veteran suicide rates by expanding access to evidence-based suicide prevention care. The legislation seeks to increase the number of Community Care Network providers who complete evidence-based suicide prevention training administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs while also creating a publicly available preferred provider list to help veterans identify providers who best meet their needs.

Under current law, providers in local communities outside the VA healthcare system may participate in the Veterans Health Administration Community Care Network without completing VA-administered suicide prevention training. The Veterans Suicide Prevention and Care Enhancement Act encourages greater participation in that training and improves transparency for veterans seeking care options in their communities. Joining Representatives Huizenga and Correa as original cosponsors are Congressman Tim Walberg (R-MI), Congressman Mike Lawler (R-NY), and Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ).

“When our servicemembers come home at the end of their service, our responsibility to them does not end,” said Congressman Huizenga. “Too many veterans continue to struggle with invisible wounds after returning home, and they deserve access to the highest quality mental health care available, wherever they receive it. This bipartisan legislation will help connect veterans with providers who have completed evidence-based suicide prevention training and improve transparency for veterans and families seeking care.”

“All gave some, and some made the ultimate sacrifice. Our veterans were willing to give their lives to defend American freedom and democracy. It is now our moral duty to provide them with the highest-quality mental health care,” said Congressman Correa. “I joined Representative Bill Huizenga in introducing the Veteran Suicide Prevention and Care Enhancement Act because veterans face a high risk of suicide. Not all wounds are visible, and we need to make sure that medical care is available to meet their needs. It is the least we can do to thank veterans for their sacrifice.”

“Our nation’s veterans have sacrificed so much for our freedoms, yet too many of these brave men and women struggle in silence,” said Congressman Walberg. “I am proud to join Representatives Huizenga and Correa on this bipartisan legislation, which will equip providers with the proper training to deliver high-quality mental health care to America’s veterans so that we can honor these heroes’ service with the care, dignity, and compassion they so rightfully deserve.”

“Expanding suicide prevention training for Community Care Network providers connects veterans with better-informed care, said Congressman Mike Lawler. “This also inspires greater confidence in our veterans that their providers are prepared to recognize warning signs and respond with the support they need. Our veterans are more than deserving of access to providers who understand the unique challenges they face after serving our country,”

According to the VA’s 2025 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report, 6,398 veterans died by suicide in 2023, an average of 17.5 veterans per day. The report also found that 61% of veterans who died by suicide in 2023 had not received VA healthcare services in the year prior to their death.

The Veterans Suicide Prevention and Care Enhancement Act is supported by organizations including the American Legion Department of Michigan and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

“The Department of Michigan American Legion supports efforts to reduce veteran suicides. The Veterans Suicide Prevention and Care Enhancement Act is one step in the direction of lowering veteran suicides by providing the proper training to those that provide care for veterans in the community.” Tim Poxson, American Legion Department of Michigan   

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bill Huizenga (MI-02)

Today, Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-MI) released the following statement after voting in support of a five-year farm bill. Specifically, this legislation reduces input costs, strengthens risk management tools, and expands food processing capacity, all while investing in the rural infrastructure that supports Southwest Michigan’s economy and agricultural community.

Importantly, this legislation includes provisions from Huizenga’s bipartisan Protecting America’s Orchardists and Nursery Tree Growers Act, which will strengthen and expand the Tree Assistance Program to better protect growers when severe weather, disease, or other losses threaten long-term production.

“This farm bill will help lower costs for the farmers who grow our food and the American families they help feed,” said Congressman Huizenga. “For years, family farms and specialty crop growers across Michigan have faced challenges that threatened their livelihood. This legislation delivers relief by giving farmers the certainty they deserve as well as the tools to cut costs, expand local processing, and strengthen domestic supply chains from the ground up. At the end of the day, this legislation will lower prices at the grocery store, help farmers thrive, and make life more affordable and healthy for families across Southwest Michigan.”

Key provisions in the House-passed farm bill include:

• Lowers grocery costs & improves health outcomes by focusing on nutrition science and access to healthier foods
• Invests in rural America—broadband, water, and infrastructure to lower the costs of local farm, small business, and household utility bills
• Modernizes risk management for specialty crop producers
• Backs specialty crops with $1B+ for research, competitiveness, and pest/disease research
• Cuts input costs by advancing precision agriculture
• Expands food processing capacity to strengthen supply chains
• Strengthens domestic sourcing to support American agriculture
• Protects U.S. farmland with CFIUS review for buyers tied to China, Russia, Iran, North Korea

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bill Huizenga (MI-02)

Today, Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-MI) announced the introduction of H.R. 8283, the Deterring American AI Model Theft Act. Companies such as OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic have all indicated publicly that they have faced “distillation” attacks from State-backed Chinese AI companies. These attacks systematically extract and steal critical data, such as model weights, architectures, and other technical characteristics, that foreign adversaries use to build their own AI models for cheap while bypassing compute restrictions. Distillation attacks are the latest avenue of Chinese economic coercion and theft of U.S. intellectual property and poses a direct threat to the national security of the United States and the economic competitiveness of U.S. companies.

The Deterring American AI Model Theft Act addresses this problem by authorizing discretionary sanctions, creating a name and shame list of AI thieves, and approving a pathway for the U.S. State Department to interphase with private industry to share best practices and study attacks to strengthen defense.

“Model extraction attacks are the latest frontier of Chinese economic coercion and theft of US intellectual property,” said Congressman Bill Huizenga. “American AI models are demonstrating transformative cyber capabilities, and it is critical we prevent China from stealing these technological advancements. I am proud to champion the Deterring American AI Model Theft Act to advance the third pillar of the Trump Administration’s AI Action Plan. We must be more proactive in stopping the circumvention of US export controls by foreign adversaries.”

“American AI leadership rests on two pillars: the ingenuity of our innovators and the resolve, including of our government, to safeguard what our innovators build from those who seek to steal it. The Deterring American AI Model Theft Act of 2026 establishes a clear—and sorely needed—framework to identify foreign actors extracting American models, hold them accountable through existing authorities, and strengthen coordination between innovators and government. We commend Representative Huizenga for introducing it and urge the House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) to advance it.” – Meredith Potter, Executive Director, American Security Fund

Distillation, when carried out with the approval of the AI model owner, is a legitimate and valuable tool for research and innovation. This bill protects such activity by disentangling it from illicit “model extraction attacks.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bill Huizenga (MI-02)

Today, Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-MI) announced that communities across Southwest Michigan will receive federal funding from the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations legislation. Specifically, the communities of Battle Creek, Benton Harbor, Holland, Jenison, Kalamazoo, and Portage will receive federal funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) through Community Development Block Grants (CDBG).  CDBG provides annual grants on a formula basis to states, cities, and counties to develop viable urban communities by improving housing and providing a better living environment. Additionally, CDBG expands economic opportunity, principally for low- and moderate-income residents.

“These investments will help improve housing affordability and housing availability for lower- and middle-income families across Southwest Michigan,” said Congressman Bill Huizenga. “I am glad to see the Department of Housing and Urban Development, under the leadership of Secretary Turner, continue to prioritize both quality of life as well as improved housing options for Michiganders.”

The communities of Battle Creek and Kalamazoo will also receive federal funding through the HOME Investment Partnerships Program. The HOME Investment Partnerships Program provides formula grants to states and localities – often in partnership with local nonprofit groups – to fund a wide range of activities including building, buying, and/or rehabilitating affordable housing for rent or homeownership or providing direct rental assistance to low-income people. HOME is the largest federal block grant to state and local governments designed exclusively to create affordable housing for low-income households.

CDBG Funding Recipients

Battle Creek – $1,172,453

Benton Harbor – $388,678

Georgetown Charter Township – $245,163

Holland – $347,365

Kalamazoo – $1,611,363

Portage – $208,331

HOME Funding Recipients

Battle Creek – $238,167.87

Kalamazoo – $491,270.56

The State of Michigan also received a direct allocation totaling $33,947,877 for CBDG and $15,561,558.40 for HOME. This funding is on top of the funding distributed to municipalities across Michigan. Municipalities and counties that received direct federal funding include:

Battle Creek, Bay City, Benton Harbor, Canton Township, Clinton Township, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Detroit, East Lansing, Farmington Hills, Flint, Genesee County, Georgetown Charter Township, Grand Rapids, Holland, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Kent County, Lansing, Lincoln Park, Livonia, Macomb County, Midland, Monroe, Muskegon, Muskegon Heights, Niles, Norton Shores, Oakland County, Pontiac, Portage, Port Huron, Redford, Roseville, Royal Oak, Saginaw, St Clair Shores, Southfield, Sterling Heights, Taylor, Traverse City, Warren, Washtenaw County, Waterford Township, Wayne County, Westland, and Wyoming.

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

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Nydia M Velázquez (D-NY)

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

As President Trump arrives in China for a two-day summit with Xi Jinping, U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06) is calling on the president to keep his word to the American people and not allow China to manufacture in the U.S. or let Chinese car companies disrupt the American auto industry. 

 “The president must keep his word to the American people and not allow China to manufacture in the U.S. This is not about hostility toward the Chinese people or opposition to trade. It is about protecting American workers, safeguarding supply chains, defending privacy, and preserving America’s long-term economic independence,” Congresswoman Dingell wrote in a new op-ed for Fox News. “Sometimes the strongest dealmaking strategy is knowing when to walk away — because a bad deal with China that undercuts American workers, manufacturers, farmers, and communities would cost the United States far more than it would gain.”

The new op-ed from Congresswoman Dingell follows her bipartisan legislative efforts alongside Congressman John Moolenaar (R-MI-04), Chairman of the Select Committee on China, on the Connected Vehicle Security Act. The legislation would prohibit the importation, manufacture, and sale of connected vehicles, software, and hardware linked to China.

Congresswoman Dingell’s op-ed can be found HERE and below:

Americans should be worried about President Trump’s upcoming summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Recent musings out of the White House sound like President Trump may be willing to allow Chinese manufacturers to produce in the U.S. This is a serious threat to both our economic and national security, and something many of us in the Congress – in a rare bipartisan effort – will fight with all our might. These days, when you can get both sides of the aisle to agree on anything, it’s usually a sign that something should be done.

That is true for the new bipartisan legislation I am leading alongside Congressman John Moolenaar to ban Chinese car companies from doing business here to disrupt our manufacturing economy, put American auto workers out of a job, and put our national security at risk.

For decades, the United States embraced globalization under the assumption that deeper economic integration would be mutually beneficial and create American jobs. Free trade was the cry of billionaires, economists, and corporate leaders. The reality is far from what was predicted. America has witnessed entire industries be destroyed and hollowed out. Steel mills closed, semiconductor production moved overseas, suppliers built in Asia, Mexico and around the world and manufacturing communities from Michigan to Pennsylvania lost jobs that once supported middle-class families.

China does not play under the same free-market rules that America does. Their global dominance rose because no one competing with them is playing on a level playing field and the global marketplace is at a significant disadvantage. Chinese companies receive massive subsidies from their government (the Chinese Communist Party), preferential financing, intellectual property advantages, manipulated currency, and strategic direction from Beijing. Allowing those same firms to produce inside the United States will give a geopolitical adversary leverage over America’s economy from within.

Nowhere is this concern more urgent than in the auto industry. Modern vehicles are no longer simply cars and trucks — they are rolling computers. Autonomous and connected vehicles continuously collect enormous amounts of information, including location data, driving patterns, camera footage, mapping information, and personal information tied to drivers and passengers. Vehicles are equipped with advanced sensors and software that track where Americans live, work, worship, seek medical care, and send their children to school. While these metrics are essential for improving safety and innovation, we must also protect this information from our adversaries.

I led more than 70 Democrats in the House in warning the administration that Chinese-connected vehicles engage in extensive data collection and transmission, including GPS locations, driving behaviors, and in-car conversations. I warned that this data, if routed to servers controlled by Chinese entities, will ultimately be accessed by the Chinese government under its national security laws.

That possibility alarmed not only my Democratic colleagues who signed my letter to the president, but the over 50 Republican colleagues in the House who signed a similar letter. We are all warning that any effort to lower barriers for Chinese automobiles or otherwise facilitate their entry into the U.S. market would pose a direct threat to American manufacturing, workers, and national security. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are also urging President Trump to maintain existing bans and close loopholes that could allow Chinese vehicles assembled in Mexico or Canada to enter the United States through USMCA trade provisions.

Industry leaders themselves are sounding the alarm. Ford CEO Jim Farley recently warned that allowing Chinese automakers into the U.S. market would be “devastating” for domestic manufacturing and raised concerns about the enormous amount of data collected through cameras and connected vehicle technologies.

This is ultimately about resilience and sovereignty. A nation that cannot produce its own critical goods — or protect the data generated by its citizens — cannot fully control its own future. The United States should welcome fair competition and international investment from partners who share democratic values and market principles. But when it comes to strategic industries central to national security, economic stability, and personal privacy, America must ensure the next generation of manufacturing and mobility is built by companies committed to America’s interests — not controlled by an authoritarian rival.

The president must keep his word to the American people and not allow China to manufacture in the U.S. This is not about hostility toward the Chinese people or opposition to trade. It is about protecting American workers, safeguarding supply chains, defending privacy, and preserving America’s long-term economic independence. Sometimes the strongest dealmaking strategy is knowing when to walk away — because a bad deal with China that undercuts American workers, manufacturers, farmers, and communities would cost the United States far more than it would gain.