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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mark DeSaulnier Representing the 11th District of California

Walnut Creek, CA – Today, Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10) announced that he will host a town hall in San Ramon on Thursday, May 28^th from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. PT to provide updates on his work to improve regional transportation, including investments in the I-680 corridor, to bolster education and ensure students with disabilities are protected, and to hold the Trump Administration accountable. The Congressman will also address the ongoing war in Iran and other pertinent issues, and take questions from constituents. 

Town Hall in San Ramon
Thursday, May 28^th
6:30 – 7:30 p.m. PT
San Ramon, CA
RSVP for exact location

 

The event is RSVP only. To reserve your spot and receive the address of the event, or to request special accommodations, visit https://desaulnier.house.gov/town-hall-rsvp or call (925) 933-2660. 

This will be Congressman DeSaulnier’s 266^th town hall and mobile district office hour since coming to Congress in January 2015.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (38th District of CA)

WASHINGTON – Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member Linda T. Sánchez (D-Calif.), Trade Subcommittee Chairman Adrian Smith (R-Neb.), Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-Calif.), chair emerita of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, and 23 colleagues today called on World Trade Organization Director-General Okonjo-Iweala to ensure that Taiwan’s effective exclusion from the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference in Cameroon will not set a precedent for future Ministerial Conferences.

Taiwan was effectively forced to choose between participating under the designation “Taiwan, Province of China” on official visas or sitting out entirely. The issue wasn’t resolved even after WTO Members, including the United States, raised serious concerns about undue pressure from China. It marks the first time Taiwan has been excluded from a Ministerial Conference since joining the WTO in 2002.

“It is an improper infringement of Taiwan’s right as a full WTO Member to force its delegates to choose between entering Cameroon for the Ministerial Conference on visas using the nomenclature ‘Taiwan, Province of China’ — which implies that Taiwan is not a WTO Member in its own right — or missing the Ministerial Conference altogether,” the members wrote.

In addition to Representatives Sánchez, Smith and Chu, the letter was signed by Representatives Ami Bera (D-Calif.), Donald Beyer (D-Va.), Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), Danny Davis (D-Ill.), Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), John Larson (D-Conn.), Michael Lawler (R-N.Y.), Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), Carol Miller (R-W.Va.), Dave Min (D-Calif.), Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Bradley Schneider (D-Ill.), Terri Sewell (D-Ala.), Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), Thomas Suozzi (D-N.Y.), Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) and Rudy Yakym (R-Ind.).

Full text of the bipartisan letter is available HERE and follows:

May 14, 2026

Director-General Okonjo-Iweala 
World Trade Organization
Centre William Rappard
Rue de Lausanne 154
1211 Geneva 2
Switzerland                

Dear Director-General Okonjo-Iweala:

We write to express our serious concern regarding Taiwan’s effective exclusion from the 14th Ministerial Conference in Cameroon.

Taiwan acceded to the WTO as its 144th Member in 2002 as “The Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu” (or “Chinese Taipei”). Since that time, other WTO Members and the WTO Secretariat have respected Taiwan’s status as a “Separate Customs Territory” with the same status as all other economies that have joined the WTO. This includes full and equal participation of its delegation at Ministerial Conferences. It is an improper infringement of Taiwan’s right as a full WTO Member to force its delegates to choose between entering Cameroon for the Ministerial Conference on visas using the nomenclature “Taiwan, Province of China”— which implies that Taiwan is not a WTO Member in its own right — or missing the Ministerial Conference altogether.

In light of this, we urge you to answer the following questions:

1. How will the WTO Secretariat ensure that this incident does not set a precedent for future Ministerial Conferences?
2. Is the WTO Secretariat putting in place written guidelines to provide assurances that similar incidents undermining the rights of Members will not occur at future Ministerial Conferences?

We look forward to receiving your response by June 3, 2026, and welcome an opportunity to discuss this issue in more detail.  We thank you for your efforts to lead the WTO through these consequential times and for your willingness to engage directly with the U.S. Congress on a range of important issues. 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (38th District of CA)

WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Linda T. Sánchez (D-Calif.) announced the winners of the 2026 Congressional Art Competition. The annual competition was held to recognize the artistic talent of high school students across California’s 38th congressional district. This year’s event was on May 5 at Liberty Community Plaza in Whittier.

“Every year, this competition reminds me of the incredible talent we have right here in our community,” said Congresswoman Sánchez. “These young artists pour their hearts into their work and it shows. I’m proud to recognize their talent and thrilled that our winner’s artwork will be on display in the United States Capitol for all of America to see.”

2026 Winners

Click the image for high-resolution photos of the winner and her artwork

First Place – Maria Varquez, La Mirada High School – Merkado (painting)
$1,000 scholarship; artwork to be displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year

Second Place – Samantha Lin, Glen A. Wilson High School – Venomous Wealth (drawing) 
$400 scholarship

Third Place – Santiago Meza, Glen A. Wilson High School – Hunger (painting) 
$300 scholarship

Fan Favorite – Elijah Vilchis, Glen A. Wilson High School – Insecurity (drawing)
$200 scholarship

Honorable Mention – Juan Garcia, El Rancho High School – Emerald at the Edge (photography)
$100 scholarship

The Congressional Art Competition is held each spring by the House of Representatives to encourage and recognize artistic achievement among young people across the country.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO-02)

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO) released the following statement after she called for an FBI investigation into allegations from the Madison County, IL Sheriff’s Office of criminal mail theft and check washing connected to USPS processing facilities in the St. Louis region. 

“These are serious allegations that demand swift action from federal officials.  I am horrified, but sadly not surprised to hear reports that the United States Postal Service (USPS) in St. Louis has been unwilling to fully cooperate with local law enforcement investigating crimes of mail fraud, check washing, and other criminal activity.  The Postal Service serves the people, not themselves, and under no circumstances should they be hindering efforts to solve these crimes.  It’s time for the FBI to step in immediately and get to the bottom of this.”

Congresswoman Wagner said in her letter to FBI Co-Deputy Director Andrew Bailey:

“The Sheriff’s Office also raises serious concerns about the ability of local law enforcement to investigate these crimes. Specifically, the Sheriff’s Office states that its efforts have been ‘significantly hindered’ by a lack of cooperation from USPS personnel and management, including unresponsiveness or refusal to provide meaningful assistance despite formal requests for surveillance access, operational information, and coordination with investigators.

“These allegations are deeply concerning on their own. They also come against the backdrop of persistent mail service and mail security concerns across the St. Louis region. My office has repeatedly raised concerns with USPS regarding delayed mail, operational failures, and the erosion of public confidence in postal service reliability in the region. Separately, recent local reporting described a large pile of undelivered mail found dumped in north St. Louis, including letters, bills, and tax documents.  While it is unclear whether this reported incident is directly connected to the Madison County Sheriff’s investigation, it underscores the severe lack of confidence in USPS management in our community.”

Read the full letter here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Sean Casten (IL-06)

May 14, 2026

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Representatives Sean Casten (IL-06) and Gregory Meeks (NY-05) demanded information from the Trump Administration on how it is enforcing the 2023 plea agreement with Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. This follows recent public reporting indicating that Binance facilitated $1.7 billion worth of cryptocurrency transactions to flow from Chinese-owned accounts to digital wallets linked to Iran-backed terrorist groups, including the Houthi militants in Yemen.

“We are alarmed by public reporting that Binance permitted more than $1 billion in cryptocurrency transactions to flow to Iran-backed and U.S.-designated terrorist groups through its platform,” the lawmakers wrote. “…These apparent failures to enforce the terms of the 2023 agreement are par for the course, given Binance’s extensive financial ties to a cryptocurrency company backed by President Trump and his family.”

Binance and its former CEO pled guilty to violating U.S. anti-money laundering (AML) laws in 2023 after enabling transactions involving terrorist groups, child sexual abusers, fraudsters, scammers, and sanctioned persons in Iran. As part of a $4 billion settlement agreement, the Treasury Department and DOJ imposed separate compliance monitorships, led by a top law firm and a global consulting firm, to improve Binance’s controls to prevent future money laundering on its platform—including the financial crimes alleged in the Wall Street Journal reports.

The Trump Administration’s alleged failure to enforce the terms of the 2023 agreement is predictable, given that Binance and its former CEO have deep financial ties to World Liberty Financial (WLF), a cryptocurrency company that has earned the Trump family an estimated $1.2 billion. For example, Binance helped WLF launch its USD1 stablecoin and negotiated a $2 billion business deal that used USD1 coins, which is projected to generate millions in annual revenue for the Trump family. Last year, in an apparent quid pro quo move, President Trump pardoned Binance’s former CEO.

“From a national security standpoint, the DOJ and Treasury have an obligation to cut through these obvious conflicts of interest, enforce compliance with U.S. AML and sanctions laws, and disrupt proven terrorist financing networks,” the lawmakers continued. “It is also important that both FRA and Sullivan & Cromwell fulfill their commitments to independently assess Binance’s systems and ensure that adequate controls will prevent any future financial crimes.”

In addition to Reps. Casten and Meeks, the letter was signed by Reps. Jared Huffman, Bill Foster, Dan Goldman, Brittany Pettersen, Sylvia Garcia, Joyce Beatty, Lloyd Doggett, and Gabe Amo.

Text of the letter can be found below. A copy of the letter can be found here.

Dear Acting Attorney General Blanche, Secretary Bessent, Ms. McLeod, and Ms. Levin:

We are alarmed by public reporting that Binance permitted more than $1 billion in cryptocurrency transactions to flow to Iran-backed and U.S.-designated terrorist groups through its platform. We write to request updates on the two compliance monitorships imposed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Treasury Department (Treasury), which are overseen by consulting firm Forensic Risk Alliance (FRA) and law firm Sullivan & Cromwell, respectively. These monitorships are intended to prevent these crimes after Binance admitted to providing financing for terrorists, money launderers, and sanctions evaders in Iran.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the DOJ is investigating Iran’s use of Binance’s platform to evade U.S. sanctions. However, it remains unclear whether the DOJ is appropriately focused on Binance’s alleged failures or solely on the activity that capitalized on Binance’s weak controls to funnel money to Iran-backed terrorist groups.

In 2023, Binance, as a corporation, and its founder, Changpeng Zhao (CZ), admitted to willful violations of the Bank Secrecy Act and criminal anti-money laundering (AML) and sanctions laws, and agreed to a $4.3 billion settlement, including commitments to overhaul the company’s AML and sanctions compliance program and to restrict access to U.S. customers. For years, Binance had knowingly served U.S. customers on its foreign, unlicensed platform and facilitated transactions on its platform with designated terrorist organizations, such as Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Al Qaeda, and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), as well as persons in sanctioned jurisdictions such as Iran, North Korea, and Syria.

As a part of a 2023 settlement agreement, Treasury selected Sullivan & Cromwell to manage a five-year monitorship that would oversee remedial undertakings necessary to address the clear violations of AML and sanctions laws, enable access to Binance’s books and records, and provide periodic reports to U.S. regulators. Treasury stated that Binance could face an additional $150 million suspended fine if the company fails to comply with the terms of the monitorship. Separately, the DOJ selected FRA to handle a three-year monitorship to remediate and enhance Binance’s AML and sanctions compliance programs.

However, while still under these monitorships, Binance reportedly processed $1.7 billion in cryptocurrency transactions from accounts tied to Chinese clients to wallets linked to Iran-backed terrorist groups, such as the Houthis. The investigators who flagged these illicit flows for Binance’s leadership were later suspended or fired, according to the reports. In addition, investigators identified 2,000 Binance accounts based in Iran, even though Iran is under heavy U.S. sanctions and severely restricted from accessing the global financial system. Binance’s CEO reportedly declined to take any action on these accounts.

These apparent failures to enforce the terms of the 2023 agreement are par for the course, given Binance’s extensive financial ties to a cryptocurrency company backed by President Trump and his family. A Bloomberg investigation found that Binance wrote the code for, helped create, and promoted World Liberty Financial’s (WLF) USD1 stablecoin, a financial product that has reportedly helped the Trump family earn more than $800 million from the sale of cryptocurrency assets, including WLF, in the first half of 2025. According to more recent estimates, Binance holds $4.7 billion in the USD1 stablecoin or 87% of all coins in circulation. Furthermore, in May 2025, Binance negotiated a $2 billion investment deal with a state-backed Abu Dhabi investment fund, which was settled via the USD1 stablecoin. This effectively gave WLF $2 billion in deposits to invest, which will likely generate millions in annual revenue for the Trump family. In October 2025, President Trump pardoned Binance’s founder, CZ. And in February 2026, CZ attended a WLF conference at Mar-a-Lago alongside President Trump’s sons and senior Administration officials.

From a national security standpoint, the DOJ and Treasury have an obligation to cut through these obvious conflicts of interest, enforce compliance with U.S. AML and sanctions laws, and disrupt proven terrorist financing networks. It is also important that both FRA and Sullivan & Cromwell fulfill their commitments to independently assess Binance’s systems and ensure that adequate controls will prevent any future financial crimes.

We request answers to the following questions, where applicable, by no later than May 29, 2026:

1. Has the DOJ opened a formal investigation into Iran’s use of Binance’s platform to evade U.S. sanctions as described in recent public reports? Please confirm if Binance’s alleged misconduct is the target or focus of such investigation.

2. Have Treasury, FinCEN, OFAC, or the CFTC initiated any review or investigation into the Iran-linked activity described in recent public reports?

3. Under the terms of the monitorship, Sullivan & Cromwell has reportedly requested that Binance provide information about the Iran-linked transactions. This reportedly includes information about the account owned by Hong Kong-based payments company Blessed Trust, which allegedly moved $1.7 billion to Iran-linked terrorist groups via Binance’s platform.

   1. When did Sullivan & Cromwell first become aware of the Iran-linked transaction flows?

   2. Please detail the specific information Sullivan & Cromwell has requested related to Blessed Trust’s Binance account.

   3. Reports indicate that Binance blocked many of Sullivan & Cromwell’s earlier requests. Has Binance complied with the request and provided the necessary information? Has Sullivan & Cromwell experienced any challenges in accessing this information?

4. If violations of the 2023 settlement agreements are substantiated, what enforcement mechanisms are available, including the potential imposition of any suspended penalties?

5. What is the current status of Binance’s exit from the United States? Have all U.S. users of Binance.com been confirmed as offboarded?

6. Binance has reportedly urged the Administration to remove the monitorships or reduce their duration and scope.

   1. Please describe the current status of the monitorships, the level of access that you have to Binance’s systems, books, and records, and your ability to interview its employees.

7. Regarding the monitors, a spokesperson told reporters that Binance is “in the process of fine-tuning the rules, but there is no loosening of controls.”

   1. Can you commit to ensuring the monitorships continue to require Binance to implement and maintain strong AML and sanctions compliance controls?

8. Binance has reportedly “staffed a dedicated monitor liaison office to ensure seamless and efficient operations.”

   1. Please list the dates of any communications with this office, identify the individuals involved, and summarize the content of such communications.

9. What reporting obligations does Binance currently have to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) under the monitorships?

10. Please provide us with a copy of the latest report provided to FinCEN, OFAC, DOJ, and the CFTC as required by the Treasury-imposed monitorship.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely,

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02)

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) announced today that he will introduce an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to prohibit any funds from being used to produce American warships, or parts of warships, overseas.

During a hearing today in the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), Golden questioned top officials from the U.S. Navy about the Navy Shipbuilding Plan. The plan includes a request for Congressional authority to move a portion of American shipbuilding overseas. 

“This administration has said over and over that it will prioritize American manufacturing. How could those goals possibly square with a request to offshore American fleet production?” Golden said. “Every ship or hull built overseas would weaken America’s shipbuilders, making it harder for them to maintain the capacity, knowledge and technical skill necessary to build and maintain our fleet.” 

In its latest budget request, the Pentagon has asked Congress to fund procurement for just one DDG-51 destroyer, the style of warships built at Bath Iron Works (BIW), down from the usual order of two or three destroyers. In response to questions from Golden, General Dynamics — BIW’s parent company — told HASC members yesterday that the reduced demand signal could trigger layoffs in Bath as soon as next year. 

Golden discussed the threat of layoffs Thursday while questioning Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao. 

“Stop and think about that: In the same year that American shipbuilders might get laid off, the U.S. Navy wants to employ foreign workers. Good luck selling that as anything but a one for one trade off. I can’t believe the Navy would even consider it and it would be an absolute shame if the Congress approved it.”

Golden will draft the amendment to prohibit the offshoring of American shipbuilding in the coming days and will introduce it later this month when the NDAA is opened to amendment. 

Click here for video of Golden’s remarks during today’s HASC hearing. 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Jared Golden announced today he will begin accepting nomination applications from Maine high school students for appointments to the United States service academies operated by the Army, Navy, Air Force and Merchant Marines. No nomination is required to apply to the United States Coast Guard Academy. 

Students should apply for a nomination in the spring and summer of their junior year. Golden will begin accepting nomination applications on May 15, 2026, from students for admission to the academies in the summer of 2027. 

For more information please contact: Casework Manager Kim Rohn at (207) 249-7400.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09)

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen, who has represented Tennessee’s 9^th Congressional District for more than 19 years, will hold a press conference at his office in Washington Friday morning to discuss his decision about his political future. His majority-Black district was gerrymandered into three Republican-leaning districts by the state General Assembly last week.

What: A press conference to discuss Congressman Cohen’s political future

When: Friday, May 15, at 11 a.m.

Where: 2268 Rayburn House Office Building

RSVP to Congressman Cohen’s communications director at Bartholomew.Sullivan@mail.house.gov

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09)

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) today led a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urging him to rescind any consideration of producing a gold coin with the likeness of President Donald J. Trump, noting that the plan “conflicts with federal law, congressional precedent, and well-established principles governing United States currency.” Current federal law stipulates: “Only the portrait of a deceased individual may appear on United States currency and securities.”

“Day after day, the Trump Administration ignores laws and demolishes well-established democratic norms,” said Congressman Cohen. “Minting a coin with a sitting President’s likeness is blatantly illegal, and something typically done only under dictatorships and monarchies.”

The letter is signed by Congresswomen Zoe Lofgren of California, Betty McCollum of Minnesota, Jahana Hayes of Connecticut, and Eleanor Holmes Norton of Washington, D.C., and Congressman Gilbert Ray Cisneros Jr. of California.

The letter reads in part:

“We write to urge you to rescind any consideration of producing a gold or circulating coin or currency featuring President Donald J. Trump’s likeness during his lifetime. Such an action would conflict with federal law, congressional precedent, and well-established principles governing United States currency.

“The prohibition of using the likeness of any living person on U.S. currency is clear and has been for 160 years. Congress has repeatedly confirmed its intent on this issue, as recently as 2005…

“In 2005, President George W. Bush signed the Presidential $1 Coin Act into law, which further reinforces the restriction: ‘No coin issued … may bear the image of a living former or current President, or of any deceased former President during the two-year period following the date of the death of that President…’

“Due to the statute’s clear prohibition and the broader historical and policy rationale, we respectfully urge you to immediately halt any consideration, planning, minting, printing or distribution of coinage or currency featuring President Trump’s likeness while he is alive. Thank you for your careful attention to this matter, which is critical to preserving both legal integrity and public confidence in the nation’s money.”

See the letter here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)

Pressley: “With a nationwide assault on reproductive healthcare deeply impacting our siblings with disabilities, this bill is timely, urgent and responsive.”

Bill Text | Bill Summary

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Co-Chair of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus, along with Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), reintroduced their Reproductive Health Care Accessibility Act, legislation to help women with disabilities—who face discrimination and extra barriers when seeking care—get better access to the timely, informed, and culturally competent reproductive health care they deserve.

“Everyone should have equitable access to healthcare. Disability justice and reproductive justice are connected,” said Congresswoman Pressley, Co-Chair of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus. “With a nationwide assault on reproductive healthcare deeply impacting our siblings with disabilities, this bill is timely, urgent and responsive. I’m grateful to Senator Murray, Senator Duckworth, and our advocates for their ongoing partnership on this legislation.”

“Every single American woman deserves reproductive health care from a provider that understands her unique needs and treats her with dignity and respect as she makes her personal health care decisions—this is especially true for women with disabilities who often face discrimination and additional barriers to receiving basic health care,” said Senator Murray. “While Republicans do all they can to rip away health care, attack our reproductive rights, and try to ban abortion nationwide, I am continuing to fight back and ensure that all women can access high-quality care from providers who understand their unique needs. This bill will help make a big difference in making sure people with disabilities can get the informed and accessible reproductive health care they deserve.”

“Americans with disabilities have long faced barriers to health care services, equipment and providers—and those barriers have only multiplied under the Trump Administration when it comes to reproductive care,” said Senator Duckworth. “Between the fall of Roe and Republicans passing $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts, it’s shameful how Donald Trump has made sure it’s even harder for people with disabilities to access reproductive health care. I’m proud to introduce this bill with Senator Murray to help ensure that Americans with disabilities are not left behind in getting the care we need, when we need it.”

All Americans deserve to decide if, when, and how to start and raise a family—including the roughly one in four adults with disabilities, who report wanting children as much as those without disabilities do. But people with disabilities have long experienced discrimination and barriers when accessing sexual and reproductive health care. They are also less likely to receive contraception counseling and timely prenatal care, experience a higher rate of sterilization, and are at a greater risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes. And they face other barriers to accessing reproductive care, such as a lack of accessibility at health care facilities, accessible medical diagnostic equipment, accessible travel, and health care providers trained on how to treat and address the unique, diverse needs of people with disabilities receiving reproductive health care.

The legislation would provide grant funding for training and education programs for health care professionals focused on the reproductive health needs of people with disabilities, help to increase the representation of people with disabilities in the health care provider workforce, and establish a new technical assistance center to provide recommendations and best practices regarding sexual and reproductive health care for people with disabilities, among other things. The lawmakers first introduced the bill in 2022, and reintroduced it in 2023 as well.

The Reproductive Health Care Accessibility Act would lower barriers to sexual and reproductive care and help ensure disabled people get timely access to culturally competent health care. Specifically, the bill would:

• Provide grant funding to carry out training programs for health care professionals providing reproductive health care for individuals with disabilities;
• Establish grants to expand the health care provider workforce by increasing the number of people with disabilities in those professions;
• Provide grant funding to carry out education programs for entities with a demonstrated expertise in serving individuals with disabilities, focused on the sexual and reproductive health care needs of this population;
• Create a new technical assistance center to provide recommendations and best practices regarding sexual and reproductive health care for people with disabilities; and
• Direct the Department of Health and Human Services to carry out a study to analyze reproductive health care for people with disabilities.

The legislation is also cosponsored by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), John Fetterman (D-PA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Edward Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

The legislation is endorsed by American Civil Liberties Union, All* Above All, Catholics for Choice, Center for American Progress, In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda, National Abortion Federation, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, National Council of Jewish Women, National Disability Rights Network, National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, National Health Law Program, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, National Network of Abortion Funds, National Partnership for Women and Families, National Women’s Law Center Action Fund, Physicians for Reproductive Health, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Power to Decide, and Reproductive Freedom for All.

“The barriers disabled people face when trying to access reproductive health care are real, longstanding, and too often ignored. This bill recognizes that accessibility is not optional when it comes to bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom,” said Mia Ives-Rublee, Senior Director of the Disability Justice Initiative at the Center for American Progress. “Everyone deserves the ability to make informed decisions about their own health and future, and that means ensuring care is accessible, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of disabled people.”

“For too long, our health care system has subjected people with disabilities, and especially disabled Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, to discrimination in sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care. And while this discrimination often violates federal civil rights laws, it persists,” said Madeline Morcelle, Senior Attorney at the National Health Law Program. “We are proud to endorse the Reproductive Health Care Accessibility Act because it invests in solutions that will help prevent discrimination before it happens, such as comprehensive provider training and grants to increase disabled representation in the SRH care workforce. Together, these measures will help foster a future in which people with disabilities’ sexual and reproductive autonomy is honored, pain and other symptoms are not dismissed, and SRH care is accessible, trauma-informed, culturally and linguistically appropriate, non-coercive, and delivered with dignity.”

A one-pager on the bill is available here.

The full text of the Reproductive Health Care Accessibility Act is here.

In her time serving in Congress, Rep. Pressley has fought persistently to protect and advance reproductive justice and ensure fundamental life-saving reproductive health care for all.

• On the anniversary of the Dobbs decision, Rep. Pressley introduced the Abortion Justice Act, sweeping, intersectional legislation to address access to abortion care and put forth a comprehensive vision of a just America where abortion care is readily available—without stigma, shame or systemic barriers—for all who seek it, regardless of zip code, immigration status, income, or background.
• Rep. Pressley is a lead co-sponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA), bicameral federal legislation to guarantee equal access to abortion care, everywhere. 
• Rep. Pressley is also a lead co-sponsor of the EACH Act, bold legislation to repeal the Hyde Amendment and help guarantee abortion coverage—regardless of how a patient gets their health insurance.
• Shortly before the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, Rep. Pressley led a group of her Black women colleagues in writing to President Biden urging him to declare a public health emergency amid the unprecedented threats to abortion rights nationwide.
• Rep. Pressley condemned the Supreme Court’s leaked draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade., and implored the Senate to protect abortion rights and slammed the white supremacist roots of anti-abortion efforts.
• Rep. Pressley has been outspoken in demanding justice for Adriana Smith, a 30-year-old pregnant mother who was declared brain dead in February and was forced to remain on life support due to Georgia’s abortion ban. In June 2025, Rep. Pressley delivered an impassioned floor speech in which she underscored that Adriana’s case is far too common in the unjust history of denying Black women their dignity, humanity, and right to bodily autonomy – and that GOP abortion bans such as Georgia’s deepen this pain and bar critical healthcare freedom. Rep. Pressley issued a statement after Adriana’s infant son Chance was delivered via emergency Cesarean section and Adriana was taken off life support.
• In May 2026, Pressley and her colleagues led 250 House and Senate Democrats in filing an amicus brief to the Supreme Court urging them to overturn a Fifth Circuit decision that would upend the FDA approval process and restrict access to mifepristone.
• On August 18, 2025, Rep. Pressley issued a statement applauding the passage of the updated Shield Act in Massachusetts, signed into law by Governor Maura Healey this month. The expanded Shield Act strengthens legal protections for people seeking reproductive and gender-affirming care in Massachusetts.
• On July 3, 2025, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on the final passage of Republicans’ Big, Ugly Bill that will rip healthcare and food assistance away from millions of people, including in Massachusetts, push reproductive healthcare further out of reach nationwide, and fuel Trump’s unlawful mass deportation agenda.
• On July 1, 2025, Rep. Pressley filed an amendment to Republicans’ Big, Ugly Bill to protect and expand reproductive healthcare.
• On June 26, 2025, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on the harmful Medina v. Planned Parenthood ruling, the Supreme Court’s decision to allow South Carolina to bar Medicaid patients from receiving healthcare services at Planned Parenthood.
• On June 24, 2025, Rep. Pressley joined House Democratic Leadership for a press conference to mark the somber anniversary and renew her calls for comprehensive legislation to protect abortion care and expand access to reproductive healthcare.
• On June 23, 2025, Rep. Pressley and the women of the Massachusetts delegation, Whip Katherine Clark (MA-05), Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Rep. Lori Trahan (MA-03) joined Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts President Dominique Lee for a press conference in solidarity with Planned Parenthood as they collectively fight to stop Republicans’ latest attack on reproductive freedom in the GOP’s Big, Ugly Bill.
• On May 29, 2025, Rep. Pressley reintroduced a resolution demanding equitable access to reproductive and sexual healthcare for people with disabilities, and designating a day in May as “Disability Reproductive Equity Day.”
• On May 21, 2025, Rep. Pressley delivered a powerful speech on the House Floor in which she slammed Republicans’ reconciliation bill that would slash Medicaid, which is necessary to ensuring safe, healthy reproductive care and maternal health nationwide.
• On April 3, 2025, Rep. Pressley, alongside Reps. DeGette, Chu, Leger Fernández, Fletcher, Davids, Williams, sent a letter signed by 162 Members urging Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to restore all appropriated funding for Title X providers and coordinate an urgent meeting on the matter.
• On April 2, 2025, Rep. Pressley rallied with Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), colleagues, and advocates outside the U.S. Supreme Court for Medicaid patients’ ability to access routine care at Planned Parenthood health centers.
• On March 5, 2025, Rep. Pressley and the Reproductive Freedom Caucus issued a statement condemning Donald Trump’s plans to drop the U.S. government’s case against Idaho’s violation of Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) protections for emergency abortion care.
• In January 2025, Rep. Pressley gave an impassioned speech condemning H.R. 21, Republicans’ cruel anti-abortion bill that criminalizes providers and denies families care.
• In January 2025, Rep. Pressley was announced as Co-Chair of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus for the 119^th Congress.
• In October 2024, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on Josseli Barnica, who died on Sept. 3, 2021 after being denied emergency abortion care in Texas as she suffered a miscarriage.
• In September 2024, in a House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee Hearing, Rep. Pressley highlighted the harmful and deadly impact of abortion bans in America to date, and outlined in detail the shameful circumstances under which Amber Nicole Thurman died after being denied necessary abortion care in Georgia.
• In May 2024, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on a Louisiana bill that would classify medication abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol as controlled substances. 
• In April 2024, at a House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Pressley played “Fact or Fiction” with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert Califf to emphasize the safety and efficacy of medication abortion drug mifepristone.
• Shortly before the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, Rep. Pressley led a group of her Black women colleagues in writing to President Biden urging him to declare a public health emergency amid the unprecedented threats to abortion rights nationwide. 
• Rep. Pressley condemned the Supreme Court’s leaked draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade., and implored the Senate to protect abortion rights and slammed the white supremacist roots of anti-abortion efforts.
• In August 2023, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on the Fifth Circuit Court decision in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA.
• In July 2023, Rep. Pressley, alongside Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Rep. Cori Bush (MO-01), and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), reintroduced the Reproductive Health Care Accessibility Act, legislation to help people with disabilities—who face discrimination and extra barriers when seeking care—get better access to reproductive health care and the informed care they need to control their own reproductive lives.
• In July 2023, Rep. Pressley applauded the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of over-the-counter birth control.
• In May 2023, Rep. Pressley applauded the FDA Advisory Committee’s unanimous, 17-0 vote to recommend the approval of the first-ever application for over-the-counter birth control. She and Senator Murray also held a press conference applauding the decision and urging the FDA to approval over-the-counter birth control without delay.
• In May 2023, Rep. Pressley, along with Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) and Ami Bera, MD (CA-06) and Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), reintroduced their bicameral Affordability is Access Act to ensure that once the FDA determines an over-the-counter birth control option to be safe, insurers fully cover over-the-counter birth control without any fees or out-of-pocket costs.
• In April 2023, Rep. Pressley issued a statement condemning the Texas court ruling on mifepristone, and discussed the Texas case in a recent floor speech in which she affirmed medication abortion as routine medical care and access to mifepristone as essential. She later joined Governor Maura Healey, Senator Elizabth Warren (D-MA), and local leaders in announcing action to protect Mifepristone in Massachusetts.
• In March 2023, Rep. Pressley, along with Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Reps. Schakowsky, Lee, DeGette, Torres and Strickland, reintroduced the Abortion is Healthcare Everywhere Act harmful and discriminatory Helms Amendment and expand abortion access globally.
• In March 2023, Rep. Pressley and Senator Hirono led their colleagues in reintroducing a bicameral congressional resolution honoring abortion providers and clinic staff. 
• In March 2023, Rep. Pressley delivered a speech in which she discussed the pending court case in Texas, which aims to restrict access to medication abortion across the entire nation. In her remarks, Rep. Pressley affirmed medication abortion as routine medical care, and accessibility to the abortion pill mifepristone as essential.
• In September 2021, Rep. Pressley issued a statement condemning the Supreme Court’s inaction on SB-8, Texas’ restrictive abortion law. Later that month, she participated in a House Oversight Committee hearing to examine the threat posed by abortion bans and underscored the urgency of the Senate passing the Women’s Health Protection Act. 
• In April 2021, Rep. Pressley, along with Congresswomen Barbara Lee (CA-13), Diana DeGette (CO-01) and Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), led a group of 131 Democratic members in reintroducing the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance Act or the EACH Act, which would repeal the Hyde Amendment and ensure that all people, regardless of income, insurance or zip code, can make personal reproductive health care decisions without interference from politicians. She re-Introduced the legislation In January 2023.
• Rep. Pressley has led calls in Congress for the FDA to remove medically unnecessary restrictions on the medication abortion drug mifepristone, and applauded the FDA’s action in January 2023 to allow retail pharmacies to dispense abortion medication pills.
• As Chair of the Pro-Choice Caucus’s Abortion Rights and Access Task Force, Congresswoman Pressley led the fight to repeal the Hyde Amendments from annual Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies appropriations bills and in July 2020 published a Medium post on the importance of doing so. She applauded the removal of the Hyde Amendment in President Biden’s FY2022 budget.
• In May 2020, she led more than 155 Members of Congress in calling on House Democratic leadership to ensure that any future COVID-19 relief packages rejected Republican efforts to use the public health crisis to diminish abortion access.
• In August 2021, Rep. Pressley, Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, and Pro-Choice Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Diana DeGette and Barbara Lee led more than 70 of their House Democratic colleagues in introducing a resolution in support of equitable, science-based policies governing access to medication abortion care. 
• In January 2023, Rep. Pressley introduced a resolution to condemn all forms of political violence in the U.S., regardless of its target or intent. That same day, she delivered a powerful speech on the House floor slamming Republicans’ harmful, misleading anti-abortion resolution.
• In September 2022, Rep. Pressley hosted U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra at the Codman Square Health Center in Dorchester for a convening on their work to address the Black maternal health crisis and the criminalization of abortion care in states across the nation following the harmful U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health. 
• In May 2019, she led more than 100 colleagues in introducing H.Con.Res.40, a resolution reaffirming the House of Representative’s support for Roe v. Wade.
• In June 2019, Rep. Pressley introduced H.R. 3296, the Affordability is Access Act, to make oral contraception available without a prescription. 
• In September 2016, as a member of the Boston City Council, Pressley championed a resolution calling on Congress and President Obama to repeal the Hyde Amendment and reinstate insurance coverage for abortion services.

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