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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (8th District of Illinois)

GOP’s refusal to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies leaves millions facing skyrocketing premiums amid government chaos.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Andy Harris (MD-01)

On the morning of October 1st, 2025, a government shutdown took effect after funding authorization expired for the federal government.  

House Republicans passed bipartisan legislation to keep the government open, fully funded, and serving the American people. Unfortunately, that responsible plan has been blocked in the Senate as House and Democrats continue to demand $1.5 trillion in unrelated liberal priorities instead of voting to keep the government open. 

Despite the shutdown, my office will remail open without delay to constituent services, but we will not be able to arrange tours of the United States Capitol, the White House, federal agencies, or other landmarks for constituents visiting Washington, D.C. at this time.

Services That Will Remail in Effect: 

Airport Security: The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) continues unaffected. Travelers may face longer wait times going through airport security. 
  
Air Traffic Control: Operations are deemed essential and will go unaffected. 

FEMA: Emergency response functions will remain operational. 

Medicare and Medicaid: Operations are deemed essential and will go unaffected. Benefits will not be impacted during a government shutdown. 

Passports: Standard processing currently takes 4-6 weeks. During a shutdown, delays may increase. To renew your passport or get a new passport, it is recommended that you begin the process as soon as possible. All consular services abroad will remain open. 

Social Security: Payments will continue to be sent out to recipients. 

U.S. Postal Service: Operations are deemed essential and will go unaffected. 

Veterans Affairs: All VA hospitals and clinics will remain open. Some benefits offices and counseling services will be closed. The VA Contact Center will remain open and can be reached at 1-800-MyVA411. The Veterans Crisis Center is also available 24/7 to help veterans who call 988.

Resources for Federal Employees 

     ● OPM Operating Status 
     ● OPM Shutdown Furlough Guidance 

For agency-specific details, visit your departments .gov site (e.g., www.dhs.gov, www.va.gov) and check their  shutdown resource pages.  

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Andy Harris (MD-01)

“The only reason a government shutdown is on the table is because Democrats are demanding $1.5 trillion in unrelated spending demands including healthcare handouts for illegal immigrants. I voted to keep the government open and funded. The blame for this shutdown rests squarely with those who demanded trillions in unrelated, policy demands.” 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Robin Kelly IL

CHICAGO – U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02) released the following statement in response to news of President Donald Trump deploying at least 300 National Guard troops to Chicago today:

“President Trump is bringing war to Chicago. He’s called our city violent and out of control, yet he is the one who has endangered our communities, terrorized immigrants, and wreaked chaos. Just last week, ICE agents burst through an apartment building in my district with flashbang grenades and dragged children, some of them naked, into the street. This is not the America I know.

“The man in the White House is playing dictator and abusing his powers. While our economy is hemorrhaging money every day during Trump’s shutdown, he wants to further waste taxpayer dollars to deploy the National Guard. I refuse to bend the knee, although many of my Republican colleagues have, and I will never give in to a man hellbent on destroying our city.”

In April, President Trump terminated $811 million in grants, which included over $66 million to community violence intervention organizations, evidence-based solutions that have reduced crime in Chicago. This funding was designated by Congress through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which included large portions of Rep. Kelly’s legislative work.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Robin Kelly IL

“Instead of working to reopen the government, President Trump and Russ Vought, his Project 2025 architect, are holding our Red Line Extension hostage during the Republican shutdown,” said Rep. Kelly. “President Trump is not slick; I see what he’s doing, and I refuse to bend the knee to a bully in the White House who does not negotiate in good faith and holds an axe over South Siders’ Red Line. He is targeting Black people during a government shutdown, withholding 25,000 additional jobs and economic opportunity from South Siders. Meanwhile, President Trump is making sure that his Mar-a-Lago-style ballroom in the White House continues right on schedule.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Robin Kelly IL

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02) stood up for Americans’ healthcare at the Health Care Over Billionaires rally as Republicans march the government toward a shutdown.

“Republicans are in charge of the White House, the Senate, and the House – but they are nowhere to be seen to keep our government open. Democrats have repeatedly offered to negotiate in a bipartisan manner to keep the government open while lowering the cost of healthcare. President Trump and his Congressional Republicans gutted Medicaid by nearly $1 trillion in his Big, Ugly Law, and millions of more Americans will experience skyrocketing premiums due to their inaction. Healthcare is a right – not a privilege for the wealthy few and well-connected. I will always choose to fight for healthcare over billionaires every time.”

• For a family of four earning $64,000 a year, their annual premiums will increase by over $2,571.
• For a family of four earning almost $130,000 a year, their annual premiums will increase by $8,533.
• For a 60-year-old couple earning $82,800 a year, their annual premiums will increase by $16,637.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Robin Kelly IL

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02), co-chair of the bipartisan Maternal Care Caucus and Chair of the CBC Health Braintrust, released the following statement after President Donald Trump announced that the Food and Drug Administration will update labels to discourage pregnant women from using acetaminophen, falsely linking the over-the-counter painkiller with autism.

“President Trump’s ability to stretch and break reality knows no bounds, but this is truly ridiculous. There is no causal relationship between acetaminophen and autism; in fact, acetaminophen is the safest drug for pregnant women to take for fevers and pain. It is deeply concerning that President Trump, anti-vaxxer RFK Jr, and reality TV host Dr. Oz are setting public health standards. We are dealing with real crises that have real consequences. Women die every day due to preventable pregnancy-related causes like post-partum depression, hemorrhage, heart conditions, blood clots, and preeclampsia. Women and families need actual solutions – not faux doctors and a President who can’t even pronounce ‘acetaminophen.’”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Robin Kelly IL

CHICAGO – U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02) released the following statement after voting no on the Charlie Kirk resolution:

“The resolution did not condemn political violence, did not offer solutions to gun violence, and did not include any unifying language to lower temperatures of our country’s political climate. So, let me be clear: I condemn political violence, I have urged my colleagues many times to pass gun safety reform, and I believe our democracy needs healing.

“I disagreed with almost everything Charlie Kirk said – but he did not deserve to be murdered for what he said. His children will now have to grow up without a father, and that is very sad. No family should experience that heartbreak, which is why I ran for Congress in the first place. Gun violence, in its many forms, is too prevalent in our country – from the 110 Americans who die every day to Speaker Melanie Hortman’s murder to the school shooting in Colorado that happened the same morning as Charlie Kirk’s murder. Our country desperately needs universal background checks, an assault weapons ban, red flag laws, community violence intervention funding, and a Congress that will take action to end gun violence.

“As gun violence continues to ravage communities on President Trump’s watch, I have not seen a single effort from this administration to end gun violence – only efforts to roll back any gun safety progress and threats to send the National Guard. Instead, the Trump administration has shifted its attention to avenge Charlie Kirk, even bullying ABC to take Jimmy Kimmel off the air in an appalling move of censorship. President Trump has gone as far to say, ‘I hate my opponents,’ during a moment when we need a leader to unify the country. It is exactly this hateful, escalatory rhetoric that leads to political violence.

“Right now, our government is on the brink of a shutdown. Congress needs to come together to solve our healthcare crisis, lower the cost of living, end gun violence, and deliver for all American people – not just the ones who sit on your side of the aisle.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative David Kustoff (TN-08)

WASHINGTON – Two years ago today, Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, changing the world forever. These savage terrorists murdered men, women, and children; violently took more than 250 people hostage, including Americans; and then despicably celebrated the bloodshed and loss of life.

October 7^th, 2023, marked the largest massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust. After the Holocaust, the world said, “never again.” Now, America and the world must be committed to the security and sovereignty of Israel and her people so that such a tragedy must truly never happen again.

As we mark two years since that fateful day, Hamas still has innocent hostages held captive, and antisemitism is rising in our own country and around the world. 

I am honored to serve as the Chairman of the House-Knesset Parliamentary Friendship Group. In this role, I will continue to reiterate that the House of Representatives, both Republicans and Democrats, unequivocally stand with Israel. Additionally, I am committed to ensuring Israel has the resources she needs to defend herself and her people.

I am inspired by the resilience of the Israeli people and their hope for a more peaceful future. We must continue to support Israel’s commitment to defeating Hamas and returning each hostage home.

The United States will always stand unequivocally with our greatest friend and ally in the Middle East, Israel.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative David Kustoff (TN-08)

WASHINGTON – Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to advance a rulemaking that would allow prisons and other correctional institutions to deploy cellphone jamming technology that combats contraband devices. The FCC’s action was applauded by Congressman David Kustoff (R-TN), a longtime proponent of the technology who led several colleagues in submitting a letter yesterday that encouraged the vote.

“I salute the efforts of the FCC and Chairman Carr to make cellphone jamming in prisons possible,” said Congressman Kustoff. “I have been a vocal supporter of similar policies for years and have sponsored legislation to address contraband cellphone use in prisons. Stopping criminals from illegally using phones stops crime.”

Congressman Kustoff introduced the Cellphone Jamming Reform Act of 2025, H.R. 2350, in the U.S. House of Representatives in March of this year. Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas introduced a companion bill, S. 1137, in the U.S. Senate

Criminals use contraband cellphones to coordinate illegal activity while incarcerated, posing a serious threat to public safety, correctional employees, and other inmates. It is a problem nationwide. One study referenced by the FCC found that more than 25,000 such phones had been discovered by authorities in a single year. The phones can be delivered to prisoners through a variety of illegal means–including visitor smuggling and even drone deliveries to jail yards–and then used to facilitate criminal activity.

Today’s action by the FCC authorized a framework for cooperation between departments of correction and wireless carriers for jamming only those phones that are considered contraband. The policy is designed to prevent any harmful interference to wireless carrier networks or the devices of Americans who live, work, and travel near prisons.

“There’s no reason that it should be possible for prisoners to order hits, organize gang activity, and traffic drugs from the comfort of a jail cell,” added Kustoff. “These crimes destroy communities and lives. If there’s no signal, there’s no crime.”

Click here to read a copy of the letter that Congressman Kustoff and colleagues sent to FCC Chairman Carr and the FCC encouraging them to advance the rulemaking. 

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