MIL USHOR-2b Engine

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

Today, U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06) requested the Trump Administration release delayed funding that supports critical efforts to stop the spread of invasive species across the Great Lakes.

“These funds, which were supposed to be obligated by July 1, 2026, have not been released. These dollars are critical for the State of Michigan and the Great Lakes Commission (GLC) in their fight to protect the Great Lakes from invasive species,” said Congresswoman Dingell.

In a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Congresswoman Dingell asked for the immediate release of delayed Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) funding that supports critical efforts to stop the spread of invasive species across the Great Lakes. The funding delays have already forced Michigan to halt federally funded red swamp crayfish control efforts. Congresswoman Dingell warned that continued delays will threaten the health of the Great Lakes, the region’s economy, and the drinking water relied on by more than 40 million people.

A copy of the letter can be found HERE and text is below:

Dear Secretary Burgum:

This letter expresses concern regarding the delay in Fiscal Year 2025 funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). These funds, which were supposed to be obligated by July 1, 2026, have not been released. These dollars are critical for the State of Michigan and the Great Lakes Commission (GLC) in their fight to protect the Great Lakes from invasive species.

Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) is awaiting $806,428 for their invasive red swamp crayfish management project. The funding was supposed to be received on May 1, 2026. Since the red swamp crayfish’s initial 2017 invasion in Michigan, the MDNR’s work has been essential for suppressing their populations, mitigating their impacts to native species, habitats, and infrastructure, and advancing robust adaptive management for this invader within the entire Great Lakes region. The state has become a global leader in red swamp crayfish management but relies extensively on federal GLRI support for the program.

The delay in Fiscal Year 2025 GLRI funds has already impacted the MDNR’s ability to conduct red swamp crayfish management and resulted in the MDNR stopping all federally funded invasive crayfish control efforts in May 2026. Any further delays will have severe long-term implications for Michigan’s red swamp crayfish program. The MDNR and their partner Michigan State University will be forced to lay off five full-time staff. This would result in the loss of capacity to conduct red swamp crayfish response, control, monitoring, and research activities in Michigan. In turn, the species would spread unchecked across the Great Lakes region, increasing future control costs, and reducing the feasibility of future management efforts.

The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) is awaiting $933,809 for four projects that were to begin January 1, 2026. Instead, the projects — the Regional Great Lakes Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Landing Blitz, the eDNA Inland Lake Pilot Project, the Great Lakes Watercraft Coordinated Data Sharing Pilot, and the next phase of regional coordination of outreach and engagement with the bait industry — are all on hold because funding has not been received. Without this funding, GLC is unable to support their staff working on AIS issues and unable to address priority AIS issues identified by Great Lakes states across the entire region.

The Regional Great Lakes AIS Landing Blitz project works with representatives from all eight Great Lakes states to strengthen invasive species prevention efforts through small grant programs. These grants allow volunteers to go out to their local boat ramps to teach boaters and other recreators about the risks of spreading invasive species and the best practices they can take to protect the lakes they love. Over $150,000 goes to local partners to support states with the greatest need for additional boat inspection and outreach efforts. Without this small grant program, states lack the capacity and ability to provide consistent outreach, education, and boat inspections to recreational boaters, increasing the risk of AIS spreading into new waterbodies.

Another way that GLC battles invasive species is through their work to address introductions via bait. Their project to develop and produce a regional baitfish identification guide in collaboration with numerous partners across the Midwest is a critical effort to engage with the baitfish industry on preventative practices to best protect the Great Lakes region. Without the next phase of funding that was expected, GLC is unable to continue their outreach efforts and unable to produce the baitfish guide that was requested by state partners.

One of the largest projects that GLC’s Fiscal Year 2025 GLRI funding supports is the eDNA Inland Lake Pilot Project. This project aimed to set best practices for eDNA surveillance within inland lakes that a national effort could build on to expand to improve the efficiency of early detection and rapid response for aquatic invasive species. Many invasive species are difficult to track early in their invasion, and eDNA technology provides a highly sensitive approach to surveillance but needs more refinement before being rolled out at a larger scale. GLC and their partners on the project have already hired staff through planned awards to Michigan State University and two Cooperative Invasive Species Management Areas within Michigan to support the project. These staff began work on the project in good faith, but all work had to be stopped due to the funding delay, and staff will be laid off if the delay continues.

The final project the GLRI funding supports is the Great Lakes Watercraft Coordinated Data Sharing Pilot project. This would allow Great Lakes jurisdictions to share watercraft data with others in the region through a cohesive data collection program. The program would inform regional and national boater movement models, improve understanding of risk, and drive management and prevention actions for invasives. Without data sharing many of these jurisdictions are left on their own and in the dark about the level of risk the bodies of water they are responsible for face from invasive species.

The Great Lakes are a vital asset for the United States. They hold 90 percent of the United States’ supply of fresh surface water and provide drinking water for well over 40 million people. More than 1.5 million jobs are tied to the Great Lakes, which are a key economic engine for the region that generates billions of dollars. Invasive species put all of this at risk, and these decisions will impact the lakes. It is far less expensive to invest in preventative actions and innovative management, like the projects led by MDNR and GLC, than to manage the fall out of unchecked invasive species spread.

Given the significant threats the Great Lakes face from invasive species, we ask the Department of the Interior to immediately release GLRI’s obligated funds for Fiscal Year 2025 to MDNR and GLC so they can resume their vital work to protect the lakes and the communities that depend on them for generations to come.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bill Foster (11th District of Illinois)

Washington, DC — Today, Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) introduced two pieces of legislation to help Americans facing opioid use disorder (OUD) access effective treatments: the Expanding Opportunities for Recovery Act and the Examining Opioid Treatment Infrastructure Act.

The Expanding Opportunities for Recovery Act would empower the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment to give new grants to states, allowing each state to expand its capacity for OUD prevention and treatment where it is most needed.

The Examining Opioid Treatment Infrastructure Act would direct the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to evaluate and report on outpatient and inpatient treatment availability and scarcity across the country. This information will prove critical as Congress tries to best allocate resources to help Americans struggling with OUD. 

“The opioid epidemic has devastated families and communities in Illinois and across the nation for far too long,” said Foster. “Thanks to the success of federally funded medical research, we now have highly effective treatments available. I’m proud to introduce this legislation to make sure everyone who needs these cutting-edge treatments is able to access them.”

A copy of the Expanding Opportunities for Recovery Act is available here, and a copy of the Examining Opioid Treatment Infrastructure Act is available here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08)

Comprehensive Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) Reform Legislation Will Keep Patients Healthy, Preserve Competition, and Deliver Affordability

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Bryan Steil (Wisconsin-1)

Washington, DC – On Saturday, July 11, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act (H.R. 6644) became law. This package of bills increases housing supply, reduces government regulation, cuts red tape for building and lending, and addresses high housing costs. It includes the Accelerating Home Building Act (H.R. 5907), a bill co-led by Congressman Bryan Steil (WI-01) and Congresswoman Janelle Bynum (OR-05).

“Red tape and bureaucratic delays have put homeownership out of reach for many Wisconsin families,” said Steil. “The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is a step forward to increase housing supply and reduce burdensome regulations to help make housing more affordable. I appreciate the strong bipartisan support to move this bill forward and help make life more affordable for working families.”

CLICK HERE to read the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act.

CLICK HERE for a one pager on the bill.

Background:

Housing costs continue to rise due to a lack of supply, workforce shortages, and costly government regulations. These costs have put homeownership out of reach for many families. 

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act boosts housing supply by modernizing standards, cutting red tape to reduce the cost of manufactured homes by approximately $3,000.  It updates federal permitting to ensure that projects without environmental impacts do not need to undergo additional environmental reviews. 

This is the first meaningful housing reform package to pass Congress in over 30 years.

The bill passed the House on Tuesday, June 23rd, on a bipartisan vote of 358-32 and the Senate on Monday, June 22nd, on a vote of 85-5.

Steil’s Accelerating Home Building Act creates a grant program within the Department of Housing and Urban Development to help towns and cities implement pattern zoning, a process for architects and local governments to develop “pattern books” full of pre-approved, standardized plans and designs for use in their communities. This process tackles housing affordability by reducing red tape, lowering design costs, streamlining zoning approvals, and accelerating construction timelines.

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

Legislation Would Provide Care for Underserved Patients; CBO: Will Save Nation $6B

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman John Moolenaar (4th District of Michigan)

Headline: Moolenaar, Huffman Introduce Legislation to Improve, Modernize Rural Health Care

This week, Congressman John Moolenaar and Congressman Jared Huffman (D-CA) introduced the Medicare Access to Rural Anesthesiology Act. The legislation would allow rural hospitals to use Medicare funding to hire physician anesthesiologists. Under current law, hospitals are only permitted to use Medicare funding to hire certified anesthesiologist assistants or nurse anesthetists. 

“Rural Michigan residents deserve to have access to the highest quality health care available. That is why we must modernize Medicare’s regulations and allow rural hospitals to recruit and pay physician anesthesiologists. Our commonsense, bipartisan legislation makes a small change to existing law to let these hospitals effectively use the funds already available to them and ensure Americans in rural communities can receive the anesthesia services they need, when they need them,” said Moolenaar. 

“Rural hospitals and health centers, like the many throughout my district, serve communities that would otherwise have no access to essential health care. But their remote locations present many unique challenges – including building and sustaining a strong workforce,” saidRep. Huffman. “Our bill would remove barriers for anesthesiologists to participate in rural incentive programs that are a critical tool for rural medical facilities to attract and retain the staff they need to care for our communities.” 

The text of the Medicare Access to Rural Anesthesiology Act can be found here.  

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

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, on July 14, Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12), introduced the Forensic Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) Pilot Program Act. 

FACT programs are specialized community-based mental health programs that help people with serious mental illness who have been involved with the criminal justice system get the urgent psychiatric care they need, successfully re-enter their communities, and reduce the risk of being incarcerated again.

This program model uses a dedicated team that provides around the clock care for clients. The team includes mental health professionals, specialists in psychiatry, substance abuse treatment, employment and housing services, forensic peer support, and a criminal justice system partner.

The FACT Pilot Program Act would establish a 5-year pilot grant program that provides funding for existing FACT programs to expand and increase capacity to serve more clients. 

This initiative is in direct response to the increased rates of serious mental illness for individuals involved in the criminal justice system, with two in five people who are incarcerated having a history of mental illness.  

“Many people with a serious mental health condition leave the criminal justice system with no psychiatric support, no job, and no housing. They are being set up to fail,” said Congresswoman Adams. “FACT programs have been shown to improve mental health outcomes and reduce repeat offenses. If we want to reduce crime rates and address the mental health crisis, expanding this program should be a national priority.”

This bill would also fund a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) study to evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot program and provide recommendations for improvement at the end of the five years. The study would also create a framework to help states and localities, especially rural communities, develop and implement FACT programs.  

In 2025, North Carolina invested $9.5 million into FACT teams in high-needs areas across the state. Currently, this funding supports only five county programs, limiting the number of clients who can be served. Additional investment is needed to ensure that FACT programs throughout the state can meet the growing demand for services.

You can read the full text of the bill here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose)

(Washington, DC) — Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology is holding a Space Subcommittee hearing titled, “A Review of the Office of Space Commerce’s Mission Authorization Proposal.”

Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren’s (D-CA) opening statement as prepared for the record is below:

Thank you, Chairman Haridopolos, for holding this hearing, and thank you to Mr. Jordan for appearing before us today.

The United States has an international obligation under the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 to authorize and supervise non-governmental activities in space conducted by U.S. individuals or entities. Currently, the U.S. policy framework for authorizing and supervising space activities pertains only to commercial launch and reentry, commercial space-based remote sensing, and radiofrequency communications. Yet, we know that much more is on the horizon, or even happening already. It seems like almost every day we are reading about a new planned commercial space technology or service—some more far-fetched than others.  

Just last week, the Federal Communications Commission—the FCC—approved a license for a space activity that will, by design, reflect sunlight back and alter the physical conditions on Earth. In a rare admission, the FCC said that addressing any concerns related to the satellite’s purpose was outside of their jurisdiction. That admission illustrates, in part, why we are here today. No federal agency has statutory authority to oversee novel space missions. 

How we, in Congress, consider which agency should have such statutory authority to ensure novel space activities align with our international Treaty obligations is not just an interesting policy question. There are real risks—including potential financial liability—for the U.S. taxpayer. Companies and investors also need predictability in the regulatory landscape as they weigh business decisions.

We have worked on this topic in multiple Congresses and have seen many proposals over the years from the Executive Branch and the Legislative Branch. We have not yet landed on a solution—and we need to.

I believe that we ought to advance a commercial space industry that contributes to the public good and a strong economy. Clarity about who regulates specific activities is needed. I also believe that any solution must allow for some commonsense rules for in-space operations to address international obligations, national security, foreign policy, public health and safety, and national interests—like maintaining a safe and accessible space environment and not undermining our own scientific capabilities on the ground and in space.

In that regard, Mr. Chairman, I would urge that we also consider the expertise and equities of other relevant agencies such as Department of Defense, Federal Aviation Administration, and NASA. 

I also want to highlight one of the Office of Space Commerce’s other activities that is of immense importance: standing up a civil space situational awareness capability to monitor satellites and space debris and notify operators of potential collisions. This effort, called Traffic Coordination System for Space, or TraCSS, has reached a pilot phase.

Yet, inexplicably, the Administration’s fiscal year 2027 budget request does not propose funding to continue the TraCSS project. Do we not need to worry about potential collisions in space, especially as orbits become increasingly congested? 

Despite the importance of TraCSS and a global space economy in the hundreds of billions of dollars, OMB requested just $11 million for the Office of Space Commerce for fiscal year 2027, an 80% cut from the fiscal year 2026 appropriation. Should we conclude from this budget request that the Administration does not prioritize ensuring that the United States remains the world leader in commercial space? It is not clear to me how the Office of Space Commerce would be able to take on the added responsibilities we are to hear about today at that funding level. 

Well, we have a lot to discuss, and I look forward to our witness’s testimony.

Thank you again, and I yield back

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Angie Craig (MN-02)

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig introduced legislation to create a public option and lower health care costs for Minnesotans struggling to afford sky-high insurance premiums.

Rep. Craig’s Medicare-X Choice Act builds on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicare frameworks to create a Medicare Exchange plan that would offer affordable health insurance options to families, individuals and small businesses and increase competition in the health insurance market. The bill would also permanently extend the ACA enhanced premium tax credits that Congressional Republicans allowed to expire at the end of 2025, codify the “family glitch” fix and provide funding for a national reinsurance program – policies that Rep. Craig has long championed.

Americans are facing skyrocketing insurance premiums following the expiration of the ACA tax credits and the implementation of President Trump and Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which cut nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid last year. As a result, 17,000 Minnesotans have dropped their MNSure coverage – the health insurance plan they purchased through the state’s ACA marketplace – this year alone.

“Even before Republicans made historic cuts to Medicaid and stripped the American people of the ACA tax credits they relied on to afford health coverage, it was too expensive to be sick in this country,” said Rep. Craig. “Now, thousands of Minnesotans have lost MNSure coverage and countless others are paying through the roof just to access the basic health care they need. But it doesn’t have to be this way. A public option will offer folks across this country lower premiums for quality care, and that’s why I’m proud to be introducing this common-sense legislation in the house – to actually lower health care costs and increase competition in the marketplace.”

Since coming to Congress in 2019, Rep. Craig has worked to lower health care costs and make quality care accessible to every Minnesotan.

In April, she introduced the Patient Refunds for Bad Denials Act to hold health insurance companies accountable for above-average denial rates and refund patients for medical payments that should have been covered by insurance. And in February, she introduced the Patient Debt Relief Act to ease the burden of medical debt on Minnesotans by protecting individuals from predatory debt collection practices and requiring hospitals to offer more manageable repayment options.

In 2022, the provision of Rep. Craig’s bill that capped insulin copays at $35/month for Medicare recipients was signed into law as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. That same year, Rep. Craig successfully pushed the Biden Administration to close the “family glitch” – a move that lowered health care costs for an estimated 62,000 Minnesotans.

In 2019, Rep. Craig introduced her first health care bill, the State Health Care Premium Reduction Act, which would provide funding for state reinsurance programs to directly lower premiums, out-of-pocket costs and deductibles, and make the ACA tax credits permanent.

Senators Michael Bennett (D-CO) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) have introduced companion legislation in the Senate. Reps. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Mike Quigley (D-IL-05) are original co-sponsors in the House. Her bill is supported by Minnesota Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX)

Washington, D.C.—Today, House Ways and Means Committee members Representatives Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) and Lloyd Smucker (R-PA), introduced the Vaccine Injury Compensation Modernization Act to provide overdue updates and improvements to the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) and allow pending COVID-19 vaccine claimants to seek relief under the VICP. 

“Vaccines save lives and are an essential public health tool.  In the rarest of instances when a related injury is suffered, compensation for medical bills and related losses should be prompt and reasonable,” said Congressman Doggett.  “But that has not been happening because of extended delays, outdated compensation caps, and failure to include coverage for COVID-19 vaccines.  By making much-needed improvements to assure a prompt and fair response to vaccine-related injuries, this legislation will bolster consumer confidence and help combat misinformation.”

“Vaccines remain an important public health tool, but when rare vaccine-related injuries occur, Americans deserve a compensation system that is fair, transparent, and efficient,” said Rep. Smucker. “Our legislation strengthens the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program while bringing COVID-19 vaccine claims into the program, so they are handled under the same fair and efficient process as other vaccine injury claims.”

Established in 1986, the VICP provides a no-fault alternative to the traditional legal system through which consumers can be compensated for rare vaccine-related injuries.  The VICP provides necessary protections and certainty for patients, vaccine administrators, and vaccine manufacturers alike, but has not been significantly updated since first established and now has a significant case backlog.

Due to the unique emergency authorizations first granted to COVID-19 vaccines, injury claims were initially filed under the separate Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP).  Despite COVID-19 vaccines receiving full FDA approval and being added to immunization schedules, COVID-19 vaccine claims still remain under the CICP, which has not yet rendered decisions on over 6,745 claims and provided only nominal payouts for the very few approved.  Unlike the VICP, the CICP does not offer judicial review and claimants may only recoup medical and work-loss expenses that have not been compensated by other payors.  The VICP offers stronger due process protections as well as damages for pain and suffering, though these damages are capped at 1986 levels.

The Vaccine Injury Compensation Modernization Act would:

1. Permit COVID-19, RSV, Shingles, and Dengue vaccine claims to be filed under the VICP.
2. Reduce case backlog by expanding the number of Special Masters (judges for the VICP) from a ceiling of 8 to a floor of 10 and by permitting Special Masters to serve for multiple terms.
3. Expedite claims processing by requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General to submit a budget implementation action plan outlining the required resources to eliminate case backlog.
4. Provide fair compensation by increasing the cap on damages for the first time since 1986.
5. Ensure adequate program resources by increasing the vaccine excise tax for the first time since 1986.
6. Ensure consumers have sufficient time to file claims by increasing the statute of limitations from 3 years to 5 years.
7. Expedite the addition of new vaccines to the program by requiring HHS to promulgate rulemaking to add a CDC-recommended vaccine or injury to the injury table within 6 months of a recommendation rather than 2 years.
8. Expand the types of vaccines eligible for coverage under the VICP by including vaccines and injuries recommended by the CDC for administration in adults.
9. Ensure all types of CDC recommendations qualify for VICP coverage, including recommendations that may be qualified for certain pre-existing conditions, age groups, or other factors.

A copy of the bill text can be found here.

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