MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (District of Columbia)

Washington, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Rep. James R. Walkinshaw (D-VA), Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-MD), Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA), and Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-VA) introduced legislation to pay all federal employees, as well as service members and federal contractors, during any shutdowns in FY2026. 

With Republicans continuing to threaten shutdowns and use federal workers as political leverage, the True Shutdown Fairness Act would ensure that during any FY 2026 shutdown, federal workers, service members, and contractors are paid and protected and that the Trump administration cannot use a shutdown to carry out reductions in force. 

“Federal workers and contractors – and their jobs – should never be used as leverage in political standoffs,” Congresswoman Norton said. “The True Shutdown Fairness Act would ensure that employees and contractors are paid during a shutdown in FY 2026 and would prohibit reductions in force, which can permanently damage the public’s access to services they have a right to receive from the federal government. Federal workers and the American public shouldn’t bear the cost of Congress’s failure to do its job.”

“Federal workers and service members should never be used as leverage in Republicans’ shutdown standoffs, and the Trump administration should never be able to use a shutdown to inflict harm on our federal workforce, as we have seen,” said Rep. Walkinshaw. “This bill would provide critical protections by ensuring workers get paid during any FY2026 shutdown, contractors can keep paying their staff, and the Trump administration would be blocked from using a shutdown as a smokescreen to purge the federal workforce through reductions in force.” 

“Our dedicated federal workers should never be pawns in a government shutdown fight,” said Rep. Raskin. “Our bill provides security to civil servants in MD-08 and across the country by protecting their paychecks and shielding them from any more of Trump’s reckless, unlawful firing sprees during a shutdown in FY26.”

“Federal workers and contractors are never responsible for government shutdowns, but they are always the ones who bear many of the worst consequences. The True Shutdown Fairness Act would ensure all federal workers, contractors, and servicemembers continue to receive their pay throughout a shutdown. These people devote their careers to serving the American people, their efforts are essential for keeping Americans safe and healthy, and they should be paid for their work regardless of political squabbles,” said Rep. Beyer.

“Since the last government shutdown, federal employees and contractors have continued to face uncertainty despite the essential work they perform every day,” said Rep. Kweisi Mfume. “These workers keep our government functioning, and they deserve stability and fairness when shutdowns occur. The True Shutdown Fairness Act is a common-sense solution that ensures our federal employees are fairly paid and protected for their work during a shutdown. I thank Representative Walkinshaw for his leadership and am proud to support this legislation.”

“Congress’ inability to pass budgets shouldn’t stop federal workers, contractors, and service members from getting a paycheck,” said Rep. Subramanyam. “This commonsense legislation ensures that if there is a shutdown in FY2026, personnel and contractors are paid and protected — and that no administration can use a shutdown as a pretext to carry out reductions in force. It’s a commonsense safeguard for the public servants and their families in our community.”

“Virginia is home to tens of thousands of federal workers, contractors, and service members who keep our country running. This week, many are once again being forced to wonder if they will get their next paycheck — not because they failed to do their jobs, but because of the chaos and cruelty coming from the White House,” said Rep. Vindman. “As their Representative, a 25-year Army officer, and as the husband of a former federal employee, I know the uncertainty and strain shutdowns place on families. My family has lived through it. Nobody should have to. I am proud to support this bill that would change just that.”

“Federal workers simply want to do their jobs and serve their communities – yet too often they are treated as bargaining chips by anti-worker politicians,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. “These are dedicated people with families to support – they shouldn’t have to worry about whether they’ll be able to pay the rent or buy groceries during a shutdown. The True Shutdown Fairness Act will ensure federal workers, contractors, and service members don’t miss a paycheck and protect federal workers from reductions-in-force during shutdowns. Further, the legislation is time-limited to avoid incentivizing more frequent and longer shutdowns that would stop funding for public services and cost our members’ jobs at the state and local level. Our members thank Reps. Walkinshaw, Raskin, Norton, Beyer, Subramanyam, Vindman, and Mfume for introducing this legislation to ensure federal workers have the security of knowing they’ll be paid regardless of the politics in Washington.”   

The Services Employees International Union (SEIU) and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) endorse the bill. 

Read the full bill text here. 

The True Shutdown Fairness Act is the House companion to legislation led in the Senate by Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).

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

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08), along with Majority Whip Tom Emmer, Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach, and Congressman Brad Finstad, introduced the Minnesota Voter Integrity Act of 2026, new legislation aimed at protecting the integrity of the state’s elections. Specifically, the legislation prohibits the state of Minnesota from receiving federal election assistance funds until the Minnesota Secretary of State cooperates with the Department of Justice’s current federal review of the state’s registration and voting practices.

“Minnesotans deserve to know their election process is fair, accurate, and protected for the future,” Congressman Stauber said. “Unfortunately, the Secretary of State’s office — with the support of Governor Walz — is so far refusing to provide the DOJ with voter registration and election data to verify its integrity. If Governor Walz and Secretary Simon want federal election assistance funding, they need to get serious about election security.”

On January 2, 2026, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon sent a letter to Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon requesting records relating to Minnesota’s voter registration practices. To date, the Secretary has not provided the appropriate information.

To read the bill, please click here. 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mike Thompson Representing the 5th District of CALIFORNIA

Washington, D.C. – Today, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04), Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Tax, announced legislation to prevent a sitting president from profiting from lawsuits against the United States government.

“President Trump continues to use the Office of the Presidency for personal gain, including by suing the federal government to line his own pockets. That’s unacceptable,” said Thompson. “That is why I am introducing legislation that ensures if a sitting president sues our government while in office, they get taxed 100 percent on any money paid to them through a trial or settlement.

“The President holds immense responsibility and influence. It is unacceptable for a president to use that position to financially benefit from the very government they were elected to lead.”

BACKGROUND

This legislation would add a new provision to the Internal Revenue Code imposing a 100 percent tax on any civil judgment or settlement paid by the United States to a sitting president or the president’s immediate family, if the legal action was filed while the president was in office. It will be formally introduced to the House of Representatives this week. 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Huffman Representing the 2nd District of California

Administration bypassed congressional oversight, waived investor protections before spending hundreds of millions on equity stakes in private companies

February 02, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Today, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Ranking Member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) and Senate Energy and Natural Resources Ranking Member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) sent letters to the Secretaries of Defense, Energy, Commerce, and Interior Departments demanding documents and a briefing on the Trump administration’s unprecedented acquisition of equity stakes in multiple mining and mineral companies using taxpayer dollars.

Since July 2025, the administration has gone on a buying spree, aggressively acquiring ownership stakes in Trilogy Metals, Lithium Americas, MP Materials, Vulcan Elements, ReElement Technologies, Korea Zinc, and USA Rare Earth, with even more deals in the pipeline. The federal government is now a significant shareholder in each company, a level of state control over private industry with few precedents in American history. The secrecy surrounding these deals and whether Trump and his allies are profiting behind the scenes erodes public trust at a moment when Americans are being asked to foot the bill.

“By privileging select corporations through direct ownership—essentially picking winners and losers—the government may undermine broader market competition and the development of innovative technologies or mineral or material substitutions,” the lawmakers wrote.

The letter demands the legal justification for the equity stakes, the criteria used to select these companies over competitors, and policies in place to prevent conflicts of interest when the government regulates companies in which it owns stock.

The lawmakers wrote, “To date, there has been no public disclosure of procedures or safeguards in place to ensure these ownership stakes do not influence permitting decisions, regulation generation, alteration, or enforcement, contracting decisions, or any other agency decisions relating to these mining and minerals projects.”

The letter asks whether administration officials, their families, Trump campaign donors, or Trump Organization affiliates hold personal stakes in any of these companies — and demands answers on what happens to Americans’ money if these bets go bad, who benefits if they pay off, and whether Congress will ever be notified when the government buys or sells stock.

“Ensuring these taxpayer dollars are effectively invested and potential proceeds are responsibly managed, without risk of corruption or conflicts of interest, is a matter of national security and public trust and warrants Congressional oversight,” the lawmakers wrote.

Read the full letter here.

Background

Red flags surround the administration’s critical minerals spending spree. USA Rare Earth, which received federal investment in late January, hired Cantor Fitzgerald to help with fundraising — a firm chaired by Brandon Lutnick, the son of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. The administration announced equity investments in Trilogy Metals while simultaneously directing agencies to fast track permitting for Ambler Road, a controversial project needed to access Trilogy Metals’ proposed mine. Trilogy Metals’ third-largest shareholder is John Alfred Paulson, a Trump megadonor and economic advisor.

In recent decades, the federal government has taken equity stakes in private companies only during financial emergencies: financial sector and automaker bailouts during the 2008 financial crisis and airline rescues during the pandemic. The Trump administration is doing something entirely different: using taxpayer money to buy stakes in companies while simultaneously regulating, permitting, and enforcing rules over those same firms. The federal government is picking winners and losers in an emerging industry, and taxpayers foot the bill if those bets go bad.

Before making these investments, the administration moved to shield its dealmaking from scrutiny by issuing Executive Order 14241 in March 2025, which waived congressional notification requirements under the Defense Production Act for projects exceeding $50 million. The order also waived SEC disclosure requirements that normally force mining companies to prove their projects are economically viable before attracting investors, protections designed to prevent American taxpayers and investors from getting burned on speculative ventures.

Trump and Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act provided nearly $13 billion for direct Defense Production Act grants and approximately $350 billion in available financing for critical minerals and related projects. This gave the administration no-strings-attached resources to buy stakes in private companies. The administration also recently expanded to funding equity deals through a $39 billion fund created by the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 in an unprecedented use of the grants and loans program for semiconductor incentives.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative for Western Samoa Congresswoman Aumua Amata

Headline: Amata Expects American Samoa’s Port Funding to Be Secured

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is expecting American Samoa’s funding to be secured, despite the current partial government shutdown. American Samoa has one House-passed funding addition that Congresswoman Amata requested now awaiting the vote that will end the shutdown, while another recent announcement is completed and was signed into law a week ago.  

Her House-passed requests include $1 million in project funds for port improvements, awaiting one last vote, and a $900,000 boost to American Samoa’s operations fund via OIA that was signed into law in late January. These appropriations legislative packages also contain broadly all other federal funding and services that the territory receives from various U.S. departments and agencies over the course of a year, including formulas and grants.

The House has successfully passed the traditional 12 appropriations bills for the year, but the Senate did not pass half of them in time to prevent a partial shutdown at midnight January 31, when the Continuing Resolution expired. Senators held up the remaining government funding over disagreements regarding Department of Homeland Security support levels. However, it is a partial shutdown because six of the 12 appropriations, already passed, were signed into law. 

Currently, a negotiated compromise proposal could be sent to the House this week that would pass full-year funding for remaining departments, agencies, and programs, including American Samoa’s port funding.  

“I’m very confident our funds will be secured,” said Congresswoman Amata. “American Samoa’s funding is in the House-passed appropriations bills that include the Department of Transportation, while the Department of the Interior is already funded. Our remaining funds are right at the finish line. I’m optimistic the necessary agreement will be in place soon, government funding will be voted through, and this partial shutdown will end much sooner than the unfortunate one that lasted from October 1 through November 12, 2025.”

She continued, “I oppose these shutdowns as they are generally unnecessary and funding disagreements should be resolved for the good of the country before deadlines.”

Funded departments include Agriculture, with its Nutrition programs, including American Samoa’s grant; Interior, with $29 million for American Samoa operations and other grant support; Veterans Affairs; Commerce; and Justice. Some of the key funded agencies include EPA, NOAA, and FDA. 

Departments awaiting final passage include Transportation, with highway and port funds for American Samoa; HHS; Labor; Education; Defense, which funds the military pay raise Congress already authorized; and Homeland Security. 

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

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jason Crow (D-CO-06), along with 12 other plaintiffs, were  granted emergency relief in his lawsuit to uphold congressional oversight at federal immigration detention facilities. A federal court ordered the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to temporarily restore Members’ right to unannounced congressional oversight of federal detention facilities. 

Under federal law, Members of Congress have the right to conduct unannounced oversight of DHS facilities used for immigration detention, including facilities run by ICE and those operated by private companies. However in January, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem secretly imposed a policy requiring that Members of Congress provide seven days’ notice before being granted access to federal immigration detention facilities. 

“Following the law is not optional,” said Congressman Crow. “2025 was the deadliest year at federal immigration facilities in decades. The Trump administration is using billions of taxpayer dollars to carry out a violent and lawless immigration agenda with virtually no transparency or accountability. Today’s ruling was another victory on behalf of oversight and work to hold this administration accountable.”

In July 2025, Congressman Crow sued the Trump Administration after it unlawfully denied him from a federal detention facility in Aurora.

Additional Members of Congress who were recently denied access to federal immigration detention facilities joined Crow as plaintiffs in the lawsuit: Representatives Joe Neguse (D-CO-02), Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08), Bennie Thompson (D-MS-02), Veronica Escobar (D-TX-16), Dan Goldman (D-NY-10), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY-13), Jimmy Gomez (D-CA-34), Norma Torres (D-CA-35), Raul Ruiz (D-CA-36), Robert Garcia (D-CA-42), Lou Correa (D-CA-46), and Kelly Morrison (MN-03).

Since his election to Congress, Crow has fought to promote transparency, oversight, and accountability in federal immigration detention centers. He introduced bipartisan legislation guaranteeing Members of Congress the right to conduct unannounced, in-person oversight visits of ICE detention facilities, including to check on any concerns related to public health and the humane treatment of detained individuals.

Crow regularly conducts oversight of Aurora’s immigration detention facility. Since 2019, he has visited the facility to conduct oversight ten times. Crow’s staff have also visited the facility more than 80 times to conduct oversight. Public reports of such visits, along with conditions at the facility, are published on Crow’s website.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Joe Neguse (D-Co 2)

Emergency Ruling Reaffirms the Right and Duty of Members of Congress to Conduct Unannounced Inspections Amid Alarming Reports of Abuse

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Diana DeGette (First District of Colorado)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Diana DeGette (CO-01) released the following statement after voting against the minibus funding package for Defense, Labor-Health and Human Services (HHS), and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development (THUD):

“This package includes real and meaningful wins for public health, medical research, working families, and communities in Denver. That includes funding for diabetes research and community health clinics,” said DeGette. “However, good policy can only do so much when this administration continues to act lawlessly, bypass Congress, and drag our country toward unnecessary conflict while demanding ever-growing military budgets.

“I cannot fund an administration that is bombing multiple countries, threatening allies like Denmark and Canada, and ignoring Congress’s role in authorizing the use of force.”

The Defense portion of the package increases Department of Defense funding to $838.7 billion, $8.4 billion above the Trump administration’s own budget request. That is in addition to the more than $150 billion already provided to the Pentagon under the Big Bad Bill.

 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Diana DeGette (First District of Colorado)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Diana DeGette (CO-01) released the following statement before voting against the Department of Homeland Security funding bill:

“The Trump administration has weaponized ICE and Border Patrol, turning those agencies into masked, hostile police forces that are terrorizing the American people. ICE has become a rogue agency that has gone far beyond its original mandate. It should be immediately dismantled.
 
“I will not support funding for the Department of Homeland Security when ICE and Border Patrol agents are assaulting protestors, detaining and arresting people with impunity, inciting violence, and shooting and killing American citizens. Furthermore, Secretary Kristi Noem and her thugs have been acting in violation of court orders and in contempt of Congress, and she should be impeached.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Diana DeGette (First District of Colorado)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Diana DeGette (CO-01) released the following statement after Donald Trump announced a health care “proposal.”

“Today is the last day of open enrollment, and Donald Trump is floundering. His proposal is a feeble attempt to save face as he knows that the American people do not trust him or Congressional Republicans when it comes to health care. They have failed to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits. Instead, they are advocating for failed policies that don’t work, including junk plans and provisions that increase what Americans pay for premiums on quality insurance.

“The rest of the plan is just minor tweaks to existing policies which will not increase transparency nor meaningfully lower costs for the American people. It also doubles down on his failed drug pricing deals which will harm American innovation while not helping Americans at the pharmacy counter. Finally, it includes PBM reform which would be law right now if Donald Trump and Elon Musk hadn’t killed it at the end of 2024.

“This proposal confirms that Republicans have no real plan to address the health care crisis they created. At the end of the day, this announcement from the Trump administration will do nothing to truly lower the cost of health care in the United States. I call on Republicans to come to the table with Democrats and find a bipartisan solution that will lower health care costs and make care more accessible for every American.”