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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH)

Today, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) released the following statement about his vote on H.R. 7147 – Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026:

“Granite Staters want law and order. They want their families to be safe. I appreciate the job that our law enforcement officers do every day, and I believe ICE should enforce our laws professionally, using the high standards employed by New Hampshire law enforcement.

“However, this administration has gone far beyond ICE’s intended role and shown a clear disregard for the best practices and high standards that federal law enforcement must meet. Instead, we have seen this government conduct operations that, according to local leaders, are actually making our country less safe.

“That is why I introduced an amendment to this legislation to redirect $75 billion in excess funding from the Republicans’ so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act from ICE and send it instead to local police departments who know their communities best. Unfortunately, the Republican majority blocked this amendment.

“Knowing this, I voted against this spending bill because American citizens and taxpayers deserve accountable government and commonsense guardrails for ICE. I will continue to work to strengthen public safety and stand with New Hampshire’s law enforcement community, which should be a model for this country and our federal government on how to build trust, meet the highest possible standards, and keep people safe.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH)

Today Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) proposed an amendment to the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026 to include his legislation, the PUBLIC SAFETY Act to redirect almost $75 billion in funding passed in the Republicans’ so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and send it instead to local law enforcement programs to help hire and train 200,000 local cops nationwide. This amendment is cosponsored by Representatives Greg Stanton (AZ-04), Susie Lee (NV-03), and Maggie Goodlander (NH-02).

Pappas’s legislation would not affect ICE’s regular appropriations, leaving the agency with historically normal funding levels to conduct traditional immigration enforcement operations. 

“While local law enforcement are repeatedly asked to do more with less, this administration is funneling billions in unnecessary funding to ICE to conduct operations that local law enforcement agree are actually making our country less safe,” said Congressman Pappas. “That is why I am introducing this amendment to fund our local police and provide them with the resources they need to protect their communities. I have heard directly from departments about the need for increased resources for recruitment, retention, training, and victim assistance. This amendment will allow local police to invest in the kind of tested and trusted law enforcement we have here in the state of New Hampshire.”

Pappas’s bill would prioritize effective law enforcement by investing in local police officers who undergo thorough training and have real ties to the communities they serve. Specifically, the Providing Useful Budgets for Localities to Invest in Cops by Substituting Appropriations from Federal Enforcement To Yield Results (PUBLIC SAFETY) Act would: 

• Reallocate $29.85 billion in OBBBA funds for ICE’s enforcement and operations to the COPS Hiring Program for the hiring of over 200,000 local police officers nationwide; 
• Waive the COPS Hiring Program’s matching contribution requirements for small jurisdictions; and
• Reallocate $45 billion in OBBBA funds designated for unnecessary and harmful additions to ICE’s detention capacity to the Byrne JAG program, which provides funding to support training, crime victim assistance, and crime prevention.  

While federal law enforcement has an important role to play in targeting undocumented violent criminals and securing the border, the Trump administration’s immigration policies are not keeping Americans safe. Instead, the reckless Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary, Kristi Noem, is putting thousands of unprepared and undertrained agents in our communities with unacceptable results. In the past year, ProPublica estimates that ICE has detained over 170 U.S. citizens. As of late November 2025, 73% of individuals held in ICE detention did not have a criminal conviction, and less than 5% had a violent criminal conviction. At the same time, ICE has lowered its training and hiring standards, putting undertrained and unvetted agents on the streets, straining already understaffed police departments.

New Hampshire has faced a police staffing shortage in recent years, including documented vacancies for 62 state troopers and dozens of positions across local departments. Pappas’s bill would help address that shortage by dramatically increasing funding for two key programs that help police departments hire and train officers, support victims, and invest in crime prevention, raising funding levels more than 200-fold compared to current levels. 

Pappas is a cosponsor of the bipartisan, bicameral Invest to Protect Act and leads the bipartisan EAGLE Act and BUILD Act, all of which would make targeted investments in local law enforcement. The bills would provide vital funds for recruitment and retention, training and accreditation, bringing outdated police facilities up to modern standards, and more.
 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Sanford D Bishop Jr (GA-02)

WASHINGTON – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA02), a senior member of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, supported the passage of H.R. 7148, a bipartisan bill which provides Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 funding for several federal departments, agencies and programs. As the final bill was negotiated, he helped block harmful policy provisions and funding cuts which would have decimated much needed investments in medical research into cures or treatments for cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease; public health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta; childcare access for working Georgia families; highway and transit improvements; and affordable housing.

Congressman Bishop also was instrumental in the bipartisan effort to restore funding for the Job Corps program, which is one of the few national programs that specifically targets the 16 to 24-year-old population that is neither working or in school and provides a direct pathway into employment, including construction and manufacturing industries, apprenticeships, higher education, or the military.

Last year, President Trump sought to eliminate the program in its entirety and close nearly 100 Job Corps campuses across the country, including the Turner Job Corps Center in Albany, Georgia. The final legislation, however, includes $1.8 billion for the Job Corps program, which is the same funding level as FY 2025 and $800 million more than the FY 2026 Republican House bill. The measure also includes statutory language to restrict the arbitrary closure of Job Corps campuses.

Congressman Bishop also secured more than $6 million for projects in both rural and urban communities in Middle and Southwest Georgia that will create jobs, make housing more affordable, revitalize neighborhoods, and provide clean water. 

“The funding that I have secured for Georgia’s Second Congressional District will strengthen our communities and improve the quality of life for my constituents,” said Congressman Bishop. “I am especially pleased that Democrats and Republicans were able to come together in a bipartisan fashion to reverse many of the harmful cuts proposed by the Trump Administration. These funding bills should have been finalized last September. I am hopeful that, this year, Congress will put partisanship aside to enact policies that will reduce the high cost of healthcare, housing, groceries, utilities, and other everyday expenses hard-working families are facing.”

Last year, President Trump and House Republicans proposed eliminating the following programs. Congressman Bishop as well as Democrats on the House and Senate Appropriations Committee successfully fought to restore them in H.R. 7148: 

• Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Adult Job Training and Youth Job Training, which are designed to help job seekers access employment, education, training, and support services to succeed in the labor market and to match employers with employees. WIOA Adult Job Training is funded at $876 million and WIOA Youth Job Training is funded at $948 million.
• Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), which helps older Americans get back into or remain active in the workforce. SCSEP is funded at $395 million.
• Healthy Start, which is a program in over 100 communities throughout the United States to reduce infant and maternal mortality. Healthy Start is funded at $145 million.
• Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants, which are federal funds distributed by the U.S. Department of Education to states to improve teacher, principal, and leader quality, ultimately boosting student achievement, especially for low-income and minority students. The program is funded at $2.2 billion.
• Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), which provides annual funding to states, cities, and counties for community development, focusing on low- to moderate-income individuals by supporting housing, public services, infrastructure, and economic development to create viable communities. CDBG is funded at $3.3 billion.
• HOME Investment Partnerships, which provides grants to state and local governments to create affordable housing for low-income households. The program is funded at $1.25 billion.
• Lead Hazard Reduction Grant Program, which helps communities reduce lead and other housing related health hazards in homes built before 1978. The program is funded at $156 million.

Some of the funding highlights in the bill include:

• $400 million increase for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop cures and treatments for diseases.
• $170 million increase for Child Care and Head Start, helping provide American families access to early childhood education and childcare.
• $66.7 billion for rental assistance, which reverses President Trump’s efforts to slash funding for these programs by 50%.
• $366 million increase for the Homeless Assistance Grant program to combat homelessness.
• $1.6 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration to hire more than 2,500 air traffic controllers and bolster aviation safety.
• $1.7 billion increase for medical research funded by the United States Department of Defense.
• Fully funds the 3.8% pay raise for military personnel.

The specific funding which Congressman Bishop secured for Georgia’s Second Congressional District includes:

• $1,700,000 to the City of Americus for the Downtown Americus Streetscape Project, which aims to revitalize the community by enhancing the aesthetic appeal and functionality of the central business district. The funding will implement vital improvements such as upgraded sidewalks for accessibility, additional lighting for safety, and green spaces.
• $1,129,036 to theCity of Albany for neighborhood revitalization to restore historic homes and build new affordable workforce housing surrounding Phoebe Putney hospital to increase housing accessibility, promote social equity, stimulate economic growth, and attract the workforce to the medical and downtown community.
• $1,000,000 toMacon County to construct a community building to house a gymnasium and athletic facility that will also serve as a county-wide disaster relief shelter
• $1,000,000 to theCity of Whigham to build a municipal wastewater treatment plant to serve residents and businesses.
• $1,000,000 toCrawford County for the construction of a Youth Center, which will include a gymnasium and space to support a variety of recreational and extracurricular activities.
• $302,000 to theCity of Plains for the renovation of the exteriors of the public buildings for a one-mile stretch of SR-280, including paving and lighting of the parking lot for the recently constructed multipurpose community center.

Following House passage today by a 341 to 88 vote, the legislation moves to the United States Senate for its consideration.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Sanford D Bishop Jr (GA-02)

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) opposed the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act. The Trump Administration claimed that its deportation policy would focus on violent felons who are in the United States illegally. However, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has aggressively swept up American citizens and law-abiding immigrant families.

“Activities by ICE over the past few months on streets in communities across the country cry out for guardrails and accountability,” said Congressman Bishop. “Democrats have tried to negotiate in good faith with Republican leaders to include judicial warrant requirements, a prohibition on the detention and deportation of American citizens, the use of excessive force restriction, enhanced training, body camera mandate, and a mask ban. These are commonsense measures that would hold ICE to the same conduct we expect of every other law enforcement agency in the United States. Without them, I could not support this funding bill.”

“Though I support the mission and purpose of the Department of Homeland Security and ICE – which already received nearly $200 billion and $75 billion, respectively last summer – today’s bill lacked the protections we need to ensure the public’s trust and safety,” added Congressman Bishop.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08) announced securing $15 million in Community Project Funding for key transportation and infrastructure projects across Minnesota’s Eighth District in the recently passed FY2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations bill. Stauber advocated strongly for these projects to receive federal support.

“Safe and reliable roads, highways, and equipment are essential for our communities, workers, and economy in the Eighth District,” Congressman Stauber said. “I’m proud to have delivered $15 million for these much-needed projects that will improve safety, reduce congestion, and strengthen our infrastructure to keep our communities strong. I’ll keep fighting to invest in critical infrastructure projects that benefit the constituents of Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District.”

Congressman Stauber secured funding for the following projects:
●    $5,000,000 for County Highway 32 Pedestrian and Safety Improvement Project
●    $5,000,000 for US Highway 8 Reconstruction
●    $5,000,000 for Gantry Crane Refurbishment Project

These investments will enhance pedestrian safety, reconstruct vital highway segments, and refurbish critical equipment to support transportation efficiency and economic growth in northern Minnesota.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Ilhan Omar (DFL-MN)

WASHINGTON — Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Deputy Chair Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05) released the following statement opposing this week’s House Appropriations bill, which contains $28 billion in annual funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP):

“I will be joining my progressive House colleagues to vote no on this week’s appropriations bill, which provides tens of billions of dollars to Donald Trump’s ICE with no meaningful checks on its lawless and violent behavior. I call on all members of Congress to join us in opposing this legislation. 

“Kristi Noem’s ICE is completely out of control. In my community of Minneapolis, a masked ICE officer fired three times at point blank range on Renee Good, a mother of three, killing her in her own vehicle as she attempted to turn away. Senior Trump Administration officials then smeared the victim as a domestic terrorist, lied about what happened, and deployed the Vice President of the United States to say her killer ‘deserves a debt of gratitude.’

“ICE is shooting people in broad daylight, beating up teenagers, spraying tear gas on peaceful protesters, ripping people out of their cars and homes without warrants, racially profiling people based on their accents, taking kids from schools, and abducting people and shipping them to faraway detention camps with brutal conditions and no due process. 

“We say no to Congressional Republicans pushing legislation that provides $400 million more in ICE detention and $370 million more in ICE enforcement, on top of the unprecedented $75 billion that the agency received in Trump’s Big Ugly Bill as ICE terrorizes our communities—all paid for by cutting Americans’ health care and nutrition support.

“The Progressive Caucus is unified. I applaud our members for voting to adopt an official position to deny all funding to ICE’s enforcement actions until serious oversight, accountability and reforms are imposed, including an end to the violent occupation of American cities like Minneapolis. No more blank checks for a rogue agency that operates above the law, escalates violence, and erodes our most basic freedoms.” 

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The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is made up of nearly 100 members standing up for progressive ideals in Washington and throughout the country. Since 1991, the CPC has advocated for progressive policies that prioritize working Americans over corporate interests. The CPC champions policies including comprehensive immigration reform, good-paying jobs, fair trade, universal health care, debt-free college, climate action, and a just foreign policy. The caucus is the leading voice calling for bold and sweeping solutions to the urgent crises facing this nation, including ending America’s broken for-profit health care system, raising American wages, eliminating political corruption, supporting the labor movement, and taking action to protect the planet for generations to come.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi Representing the 12th District of California

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement on her vote against H.R.7147, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2026:

“Today, I am voting HELL NO on the Department of Homeland Security appropriations legislation. With this bill, it is now clear that Donald Trump and Republicans slashed Americans’ health care funding to write a blank check for cruelty and impunity.

“Americans are being told to accept higher health care costs so this Administration can maintain their reckless and unaccountable enforcement agenda without meaningful reforms or guardrails for ICE and CBP. Democrats have raised repeated concerns about unlawful practices, lack of transparency, and deadly harm to families and communities. Those concerns have been ignored.

“We can fund our security without abandoning our values, but this bill fails that test.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Frank Pallone (6th District of New Jersey)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) has secured $250,000 in federal Community Project Funding for Fiscal Year 2026 to support pedestrian, public space, and infrastructure improvements in the Elberon section of Long Branch, focused on the area surrounding the Elberon library and train station.

 

“This funding helps Long Branch improve safety and accessibility around a key transit area while preserving an important piece of local history,” said Pallone. “By upgrading public space near the train station and library, this project strengthens the Elberon neighborhood and makes the area more usable for residents, commuters, and visitors.”

 

The funding will support the redesign and resurfacing of the Elberon train station public parking lot, along with the creation of a small public park adjacent to the library. Planned improvements include new green space with grass and tree plantings, seating areas with benches and wooden swings, bike racks, and upgraded lighting to improve safety and accessibility for residents and transit users.

 

The project also includes improvements along Lincoln Avenue, following a historically significant route that connects the Elberon train station to the Church of the Seven Presidents. The corridor traces the path President James A. Garfield traveled in 1881 after being shot in Washington, D.C., when local residents constructed a temporary railroad spur to transport him to Elberon to recover.

 

“This funding will help Long Branch improve safety and accessibility around the Elberon train station and library while creating new public space for the community,” said Long Branch Mayor John Pallone. “We appreciate Congressman Pallone’s work to secure federal funding that supports smart infrastructure improvements and helps preserve the character and history of the Elberon neighborhood.”

 

As part of the project, the historic Garfield Tea House will be relocated to the new library park. The structure was built using railroad ties from the emergency rail line constructed for President Garfield and will serve as a visible historical element within the improved public space. The City of Long Branch is also coordinating with NJ Transit to create a small exhibit inside the Elberon train station highlighting the area’s history and Garfield’s time in Long Branch.

 

The Elberon improvements project was requested by Pallone through the Fiscal Year 2026 federal appropriations process, which allows members of the U.S. House to direct Community Project Funding toward locally identified infrastructure, transportation, and community development priorities.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Frank Pallone (6th District of New Jersey)

WASHINGTON – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) touted the inclusion of important health care provisions in the final set of government funding bills, which passed in the House today.

 

The package of health care initiatives was rejected by the House Republican leadership in December 2024 when Elon Musk intervened and scuttled a bipartisan agreement. Over the last year, Pallone continued the drumbeat and successfully fought to move these policies that will support health care facilities in New Jersey and help lower costs for Americans:

 

“While this package was needlessly held up by Elon Musk for over a year, I’m relieved we’re finally able to pass it in the House. This agreement has a number of important policy victories including an 8% increase in funding for Community Health Centers, prevents devastating cuts to hospitals that care for underserved communities, and funds Teaching Health Centers through 2029.

 

“I also fought to increase funding to address a critical funding shortfall in the World Trade Center Health Program to ensure our 9/11 heroes receive the care they deserve, including those at our local clinic at Rutgers in Piscataway which has treated thousands of first responders and survivors. I’m also pleased to announce the agreement extends Medicare telehealth for two years to ensure seniors can continue to receive the care they need and helps lower prescription drug prices for patients by cracking down on unfair practices by Pharmacy Benefit Managers.

 

“Unfortunately, these funding increases are a drop in the bucket compared to Republicans’ devastating health care cuts in Trump’s Big Ugly Bill, which will result in millions losing their health coverage.

 

“It’s unconscionable that Republican leaders are doubling down on their cruelty by refusing to include the Affordable Care Act enhanced tax credits, which passed the House overwhelmingly earlier this month. It’s time for Senate Republican leaders to stop playing games and put the House-passed bill on the floor immediately so that we can help lower health costs for millions of Americans who are bearing the brunt of the Republican health care crisis.”

 

Pallone fought to include a number of important policy provisions in the government funding package, including:

 

• The largest increase in mandatory funding for Community Health Centers in a decade—equivalent to $4.6 billion for 2026;
• Increasing federal funding for the World Trade Center Health Program to ensure program stability for first responders and survivors to continue to receive the care and services they need;
• Preventing $16 billion in hospital cuts from going into effect for facilities that disproportionately serve vulnerable patients, many of which are in New Jersey;
• Strengthening the health care workforce with significant funding increases for Teaching Health Centers (65% increase from 2025 to 2029) and the National Health Service Corps (13% over 2023).  Pallone previously helped secure a federal Planning and Development grant for the Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey Community Health Center. That grant supports the groundwork needed to establish a residency program and positions New Jersey to compete for full Teaching Health Center status in the future;
• Helping lower prescription drug costs for patients by cracking down on unfair practices by Pharmacy Benefit Managers; and
• Guaranteeing access to no-cost generic medications for low-income seniors and people with disabilities on Medicare and making it easier for low-cost generics to enter the market

 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Grace Meng (6th District of New York)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Reps. Grace Meng (D-NY) and Lois Frankel (D-FL), Ranking Members of key Appropriations Subcommittees, Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, as well as Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Co-Chairs of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus (RFC), led 67 Members of Congress in sending a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio to continue demanding answers about the ongoing waste and destruction of life-saving, taxpayer-funded contraception and other health supplies.

Last year, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) purchased $9.7 million worth of contraceptive supplies including birth control pills, hormonal implants, shots, and intrauterine devices (IUDs) to be distributed to sub-Saharan African countries. When the Trump Administration shuttered USAID, it dismantled international family planning programs and decided to destroy the nearly $10 million in usable products rather than distribute them. They were scheduled to be incinerated in July 2025 but have been sitting in warehouses in Belgium since that time.

The letter asks the State Department to clarify the quantities and types of supplies currently in storage, and the Department’s plans to transport, distribute, or destroy them. It follows reports from November 12, 2025, detailing that four truckloads of contraceptive commodities remain in storage in Geel, Belgium, and could be immediately distributed to communities in need if the State Department reversed its decision to destroy them. Reports also indicated that an additional twenty truckloads of U.S.-funded health supplies were moved to another facility in Kallo, Belgium, and may have been rendered unusable due to improper storage conditions.

In their letter, the Congressmembers wrote, “The destruction of contraceptives and other medical supplies is an appalling waste of taxpayer dollars and denies people lifesaving health care, part of a troubling pattern the State Department has followed—including the spoiling and subsequent incineration of 500 metric tons of emergency food the administration could have provided to hungry people. The human toll of this Administration’s dismantling of international family planning programs is nothing short of devastating. The American people deserve to know the fate of U.S.-funded medical supplies held in Belgium—the very same types of supplies millions of people across the U.S. rely on every day to ensure their reproductive freedom—and the cost of the State Department’s actions that continue to keep lifesaving supplies from reaching communities in need.”

Estimates suggest that if distributed, the $9.7 million in contraceptive supplies could prevent 362,000 unintended pregnancies, 110,000 unsafe abortions, and prevent 718 more maternal deaths.

“It is appalling that the Trump administration has spent months dodging questions and accountability about their decision to destroy nearly $10 million worth of already-purchased contraception,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Action Fund.  “The administration’s actions are a disgraceful attack on essential care and a complete waste of taxpayer dollars. Unfortunately, this is entirely in line with the president’s anti-sexual and reproductive health agenda abroad that has already had deadly consequences. We thank Rep. Meng, Frankel, and Meeks for championing the fight to distribute these essential commodities.”

Additionally, this letter echoes concerns raised in correspondence sent to the Acting Inspector General for the U.S. State Department in July, led by Meng, Frankel, and Don Beyer (D-VA), and signed by 80 Members of Congress.

A copy of the letter to Secretary Rubio can be viewed here.