Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (3rd District of Ohio)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tonight, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) released the following statement in response to President Trump’s announced two-year closure of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts:
“Once again, Donald Trump has acted with total disregard for Congress. The Kennedy Center is congressionally funded, and Congress should have been consulted on any decision to shut down its operations or undertake major renovations, especially for a two-year period.
Countless employees, artists, and others have existing contracts and agreements with the Center. What happens to them? Has Trump or his handpicked Board given any consideration to their livelihoods or futures? This is precisely why congressional oversight is essential.
And let’s be clear: remodeling the premises will not restore the Kennedy Center to what it was. A return to artistic independence will. America’s artists are rejecting this attempted takeover, and the administration knows it. That is why they are now scrambling for cover.”
CONGRESSWOMAN PLASKETT ALERTS TRAVELERS: NEW TSA FEE TAKES EFFECT FEBRUARY 1 FOR THOSE WITHOUT REAL ID
WASHINGTON, DC — Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett (D-USVI) alerts Virgin Islands residents and all travelers that beginning February 1, 2026, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will implement a $45 TSA ConfirmID fee for those arriving at airport security checkpoints without proper identification. This is a nationwide policy affecting all U.S. airports. The fee will apply to travelers aged 18 and older who do not have a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or other TSA-approved form of identification, such as a valid U.S. passport.
TSA ConfirmID is a voluntary, paid service that uses biometric data and federal databases to verify a traveler’s identity. The non-refundable $45 fee must be paid through Pay.gov and is valid for 10 days from the travel start date entered during payment. If you travel after the 10-day expiration, you must pay the fee again. While travelers can access Pay.gov on their mobile device at the airport, TSA strongly recommends paying in advance to avoid significant delays.
Important details travelers should know:
Accepted forms of ID include REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses, U.S. passports, passport cards, and other TSA-approved forms of identification.
TSA ConfirmID is voluntary. However, without it or acceptable ID, you may not be allowed through security and could miss your flight.
Bring a printed or electronic copy of your TSA ConfirmID payment receipt to show at the checkpoint.
Payment must be made through Pay.gov using a valid bank account (ACH), debit card, credit card, Venmo, or PayPal. Cash is not accepted.
Payment of the ConfirmID fee does not guarantee clearance through security. If identity cannot be confirmed, you may not be allowed through security.
The identity verification process at the checkpoint takes an average of 10-15 minutes but could take more time.
“I want to ensure that Virgin Islands residents are aware of this change well in advance so they can plan accordingly and avoid unexpected fees or travel disruptions,” said Congresswoman Plaskett. “Thanks to the dedicated work of the Virgin Islands Bureau of Motor Vehicles, residents can obtain REAL ID-compliant licenses. I strongly encourage anyone planning to travel to verify their identification is valid.”
Virgin Islands residents can apply for a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license at their local Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) by appointment only. For more information about REAL ID requirements, visit bmv.vi.gov.
St. Thomas BMV Office: 4605 Tutu Park Mall – Suite 231, (340) 774-4268
St. Croix BMV Office: 10065 Industrial Park, (340) 713-4268
St. John BMV Office: Government Complex, Cruz Bay, (340) 776-6262
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)
WASHINGTON — This morning, Speaker Johnson joined Kristen Welker on Meet the Press and Shannon Bream on Fox News Sunday to discuss the state of play regarding the partial government shutdown and the ongoing implementation of the Working Families Tax Cut legislation as tax season gets underway.
“I will say that we need good faith on both sides, especially in implementation. And the problem that you have in Minnesota is that you’ve had the governor and local leaders who have been in basically inciting violence in some cases,” Speaker Johnson said on Fox News Sunday. “They’re encouraging citizens to impede federal law enforcement, and that sets up a dangerous, chaotic situation. So, we need everybody to do their role and play their role and do their part, and I think we can.”
Watch Speaker Johnson on Fox News here, on Meet the Press here.
On government funding:
“We’ll get all this done by Tuesday; I’m convinced. We do have to do it by way of a rule process which will be probably on our own. I don’t understand why anybody would have a problem with this, though. Remember, these are the bills that have already been passed, we’re going to do it again… The Homeland Security bill is important, and we have important negotiations. The President is leading this; it’s his play call to do it this way. He has already conceded that he wants to turn down the volume, so to speak, and make sure this is done in an appropriate way.
“What a great step it was to put Tom Homan in charge of the situation in Minneapolis. He has 40 years’ experience, he’s brought a steady hand to the wheel. And all that is to be applauded. And he himself has already acknowledged to Leader Schumer in the Senate, and I’m sure he’ll say the same to House Democrats, that some of the reforms and the processes are fine with them. For example, we want body cameras on immigration custom enforcement agents. In fact, in the bill that the Democrats are currently rejecting, we put $20 million into that legislation to allow for that. So, look, I think there’s some healthy conversations in good faith that’ll be had over the next couple of days, and I look forward to that.”
On the necessity of DHS continuing to detain and deport illegal aliens:
“We put all that funding in the Working Families Tax Cuts, and I’m glad that we did because we had to fix the crisis that was created by the Biden Administration over the previous four years. They opened the border wide. It was absolute chaos. We allowed, by some estimates, 20 million illegal aliens to come into the country and many of them hardened, dangerous people and criminals. We’ve got to get them out of the country. So, we had to front load the funding that will be there. And as you noted, it doesn’t matter what they do to the current DHS bill, those operations will continue.”
On the implementation of Republicans’ Working Families Tax Cut bill:
“The Working Families Tax Cut bill that we passed last year will be implemented fully this quarter and next. The economic growth numbers will go up. It’s written for lower- and middle-class earners and they are the ones that are going to feel the effects. No tax on tips, overtime, tax relief for seniors. The average American household’s going to have $10,000 more in their pocket because of the reforms that we put in. So, all boats will rise. People will see the effects of that. This is about promises made, promises kept, and we are excited to go out on the campaign trail and tell that story.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)
Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries released the following statement in commemoration of the beginning of Black History Month:
One hundred years ago, Dr. Carter G. Woodson established Negro History Week, the precursor to Black History Month, to celebrate the contributions and achievements of Black Americans. Dr. Woodson made the astute observation that “those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history.”
Black history is an indispensable part of the American story. From the resilience of enslaved Africans who were first brought here in 1619 to the valor of Black troops who served in every U.S. military conflict since the American revolution, brilliance of inventors like Dr. Charles Drew and courage of civil rights champions like Rosa Parks, Dr. King, Fannie Lou Hamer and John Lewis, Black Americans have shaped us into the nation we are today.
Ensuring that the full story of America is told is now more important than ever, with Donald Trump and his sycophants banning books about Black people from classrooms and libraries, sanitizing history at National Parks and Smithsonian museums and repeatedly glorifying the racist traitors who fought for the Confederacy. This erasure of history paired with the Trump administration’s elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives is part of a concerted attack on the livelihoods of Black Americans.
House Democrats will push back aggressively against efforts to turn back the clock on progress and whitewash American history. We remain inspired by the examples of those who got into Good Trouble and committed to pushing forward our country’s long, necessary and majestic march towards a more perfect union. Together, we shall overcome.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)
Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on ABC’s This Week, where he emphasized that House Democrats will continue to hold Donald Trump and Republicans accountable for the extremism they are unleashing on the American people and for their failure to lower the high cost of living.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: We’re joined now by the House Democratic Leader, Hakeem Jeffries. Congressman Jeffries, thank you for joining us right now. So this passed the House, so they passed the bill to keep the government open for another couple of weeks as you try to negotiate reforms on Homeland Security funding. Will the House follow the Senate’s lead and vote to keep the government open?
LEADER JEFFRIES: It was a meaningful step in the right direction, certainly the separation of the five bipartisan bills, which in our view promote the health, the safety and the economic well-being of the American people, need to move forward. And we’ll meet later on this afternoon as a Caucus to discuss what we believe is the best path. What is clear is that the Department of Homeland Security needs to be dramatically reformed—we share that view, as does Leader Schumer and Senate Democrats—in a variety of different ways. Body cameras should be mandatory. Masks should come off. Judicial warrants should absolutely be required consistent with the Constitution in our view before DHS agents or ICE agents are breaking into the homes of the American people or ripping people out of their cars. We need to make sure that there are complete and independent investigations so that when ICE or DHS agents break the law, they are held accountable, not by the Department of Justice, which has no interest in actually conducting a fair investigation in our view, but by state and local authorities. And we need to reiterate that the detention and deportation of American citizens, off the table. And using taxpayer dollars to brutalize everyday Americans or violently target law-abiding immigrant families needs to be off the table.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: That’s a list of serious reforms. Will you vote to keep funding Department of Homeland Security for the next two weeks as you negotiate those reforms?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, we’re going to have that conversation later on today and as we return to Washington. But the one thing that we’ve said publicly is that we need a robust path toward dramatic reform. The administration can’t just talk the talk. They need to walk the walk. That should begin today. Not in two weeks, today.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: But can you get these reforms that you’re calling for? No masks, body cameras. You just heard Deputy Attorney General Blanche say that they’re very much in support of these administrative warrants, not judicial warrants. Can you get them? How can they be enforced?
LEADER JEFFRIES:The administrative warrants, in our view, aren’t worth the paper they are written on. This is an extreme administration unleashing brutality on the American people using taxpayer dollars. So we absolutely, as a condition of moving forward, in my view—I think this is a broadly held perspective shared by Democrats in the House and the Senate—need judicial warrants. More importantly, George, it’s a perspective held by the American people and we’re standing on their side.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Even if you get the agreement of Republicans in the Congress, can you trust the administration to actually enforce the changes?
LEADER JEFFRIES: This is one of the reasons—well, you’re absolutely correct that this is an untrustworthy administration. They’ve been lawless from the very beginning. It’s one of the reasons why we need to actually build these strict requirements in terms of behavior into the law so that the courts can hold them accountable and the American people through their representatives at the state and local level can hold these individuals accountable. But, you know, from the very beginning of this effort, with respect to the Department of Homeland Security, our premise has been simple—that ICE agents should conduct themselves like every other law enforcement agency in the country as opposed to running around, masked thugs in many instances, unleashing brutality on law-abiding American citizens and violently targeting immigrant families and communities or even, you know, holding in detention a five-year-old boy with a superhero backpack. That’s not the type of violent felon that the administration promised they were going to target. And the American people are rejecting it and we’re going to stand on their side.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Let me turn to the Epstein files. You heard Deputy Attorney General Blanche say this is over. They’ve released everything, just about everything they’re going to release. They’re going to allow Members of Congress to look at these unredacted files as well. So is it over?
LEADER JEFFRIES: It’s not over, and it will not be over until there is full and complete transparency as demanded by the survivors so that there can be full and complete accountability. This is a basic premise here in the country. And there are more than three million documents that are being withheld by the Department of Injustice. And so the question that has to be asked, that the American people are asking, is what are they hiding from the American people and who are they protecting? This was a law that was passed by bipartisan majorities in the House and in the Senate, reluctantly on the Republican side, but we brought them over into a more enlightened position, and it was even signed by Donald Trump as President. And so the demand is simple—comply with the law so that we can achieve the type of full transparency and visibility for the American people about all the wrongdoing that occurred and ensure that there can be accountability so that something like this, this reign of terror, never happens again.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: On the Epstein issue, as you know, the House Oversight Committee voted to hold President Clinton and Secretary of State Clinton in contempt. Nine Democrats voted for that resolution as well. It’s probably going to come to the House floor this week. You said you’re against this contempt vote. Why are you against it? How are you going to advise other Democrats to vote?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, we’ll have a conversation about that when we return. I think our view, my view at least, is that the Clintons have engaged in good-faith negotiations to try to arrive at an accommodation so that their testimony is offered with the Oversight Committee. And James Comer, the so-called Chair of the Oversight Committee, he just needs to take yes for an answer because it’s clear that the Clintons are prepared to appear and to have recorded testimony so that there’s a track record that everyone can subsequently evaluate. The notion that they’re going to go after Secretary Clinton and Bill Clinton with criminal contempt, in other words this is sort of a lock-her-up approach, seems completely inconsistent with the law if the goal is to actually try to get the information as opposed to create a political spectacle.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Do you think it’s possible that they can reach an agreement before the House votes on contempt?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Yes, and I’m very hopeful that an agreement will be reached so that the testimony can be adduced and the chips will fall where they may. The Clintons are ready to testify. That’s been made clear. The Republicans need to take yes for an answer.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: As you saw, I had several questions for Deputy Attorney General Blanche about conflicts of interest, including about this new report in the Wall Street Journal showing that the National Security Advisor to the UAE made an investment in the Trump family company just before the inauguration. As you know, there’s been several actions taken with the UAE since then. He says there’s no conflict. How do you respond?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Of course there’s a conflict. We have three issues of priority as House Democrats that we want to work on on behalf of the American people. One, we have to drive down the high cost of living, of course, because America is too expensive. Donald Trump promised to lower costs on day one. Costs haven’t gone down. They’ve gone up. Housing costs out of control. Grocery costs out of control. Utility bills, electricity bills totally out of control. Healthcare costs, of course, child care costs. All of it out of control. We need to deal with that. We need to fix our broken healthcare system, particularly in the midst of the assault that Republicans have launched. In their One Big Ugly Bill, they enacted the largest cut to Medicaid in American history, ripping healthcare away from millions of people, and in that same bill gave the Department of Homeland Security $191 billion, including $75 billion that went to ICE, so that taxpayer dollars could be used to brutalize the American people. We also need to clean up corruption wherever it’s found in the Congress, at the Supreme Court and certainly with the administration, I think the most corrupt administration in American history.Why is Donald Trump focused on enriching himself, his family and his friends, as opposed to focused on driving down the high cost of living? Why is he focused on destroying half the White House, trying to extort $230 [million] from the Department of Justice, or promoting his wife’s documentary, as opposed to fixing our broken healthcare system? Why is he focused on brutalizing everyday Americans by unleashing these masked agents in American communities as opposed to doing his job? Like the American people, George, have enough. The question is when will Republicans have enough with this failed presidency?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Mr. Jeffries, thanks for your time this morning.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Rep Ro Khanna (CA-17)
Washington, DC — Representative Ro Khanna (CA-17) senta letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Todd M. Lyons demanding immediate production of records and explanations for the unacceptable conditions Representative Khanna observed at the California City Detention Facility during a recent visit:
Dear Secretary Noem and Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Lyons:
I write to formally document grave deficiencies observed during my oversight visit to the California City Detention Facility and to demand immediate production of records and explanations. The conditions I witnessed raise serious concerns about conditions of confinement, access to medical care, and the absence of meaningful federal oversight.
We were told the facility currently detains 1,428 individuals, including 215 women —all held solely for civil immigration matters. Despite this, detainees appeared to be treated uniformly as high-security prisoners regardless of security classification or gender and despite the fact that the vast majority have never had criminal convictions. We observed no active recreation and no structured pro-social activities. There is no GED programming, no substance abuse support, and no religious services unless outside volunteers make the trip to the desert. Recreation spaces sat entirely empty. Women housed in low-security units were continuously locked in their cells and appeared to be subjected to identical restrictions as individuals in high-security detention.
During the visit, my staff and I met with 47 detained individuals. Most spoke cautiously, apparently inhibited by the lack of privacy and fear of retaliation. Despite the fact that all visitors are subjected to invasive patdowns and escorts, detainees reported that everyone, even those classified as low-security, are required to meet lawyers and loved ones behind glass and treated as convicted prisoners. Several detained individuals expressed frustration that their mail is often sent and received with long delays (up to several weeks). These all harm individuals’ ability to correspond with lawyers and outside support – not to mention loved ones – which reduces their time and ability to prepare for court hearings and sometimes leads to missed court hearings.
The physical conditions of the facility were unacceptable. The temperature was so cold that my staff struggled to take notes, yet neither our ICE escort nor facility staff could identify any policy for providing adequate cold-weather clothing. We did not see a single detained person with a jacket, sweater, or other appropriate clothing. Detainees reported infrequent access to showers and clean clothing, and staff were unable to produce a laundry schedule. The resulting lack of hygiene was obvious, not least by smell. Despite repeated requests, our ICE escort and facility staff were unable to provide any documentation of food safety inspections, calling into question compliance with basic health standards. One individual who has been held in the facility for months told us the conditions have continued to be so unbearable (some described it as “torture”) that he agreed to deportation simply to escape them.
Most alarming were the failures in medical care and grievance processing. We observed locked “sick call” and grievance boxes but were denied access to confirm whether requests were being addressed. Multiple detainees – including one we personally observed with a serious, visible injury – reported requesting medical care and never receiving it. Both a senior ICE official and facility staff admitted that urgent medical requests and grievances may sit unattended for weeks and are not reviewed on weekends or holidays. Detainees described even longer delays and reported being placed in solitary confinement when they complained of medical needs—an extraordinarily troubling and punitive practice. Facility staff also confirmed that legally required disability services coordinators are not onsite.
Equally disturbing, the California City Detention Facility has operated since August 2025 without a single Office of Detention Oversight inspection, National Detention Standards or Performance Based National Detention Standards audit or inspection, or verified compliance review under the Prison Rape Elimination Act or applicable disability laws. Oversight is not delayed; it is nonexistent.
Accordingly, I request the following records, covering the period from August 1st, 2025, to present, to be produced no later than February 12:
The governing contract between ICE and CoreCivic for the operations of California City Detention Facility
Any contracts governing the provision of medical care, including specialty care in the facility, and logs documenting the time between each medical request and delivery of care;
Complete grievance logs and grievance review policies;
All use-of-force logs;
Records of imposition of solitary confinement, segregation or isolation, whether disciplinary, medical or administrative in nature;
Out-of-cell and recreation time logs;
All food safety and health inspection records;
All requests for disability accommodations and the responses for each;
Records of detainee participation in any educational or structured pro-social activities or programming;
Schedules of any available programming (vocational, educational, substance abuse, therapeutic, self-help, religious, or group otherwise) and records of detainee participation in those offerings.
Congress has a constitutional duty to ensure detention – particularly civil detention – is lawful, humane, and accountable. The Department of Homeland Security must not permit privately operated detention facilities to function without transparency, oversight, or basic regard for human dignity. I expect a complete and timely response.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mike Thompson Representing the 5th District of CALIFORNIA
Woodland, CA — This week, Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-04) was joined by over 1500 community members in Napa and Woodland to protest ICE’s rogue actions in Minneapolis and call for action. Thompson organized these events following the recent fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens — Renee Good, a mother of three, and Alex Pretti, a VA nurse — by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis. Thompson was one of the first members of Congress to sign onto articles of impeachment against Kristi Noem earlier this month, leads legislation to prohibit agents from wearing masks, and will be introducing legislation to mandate agents wear body cameras. Thompson also voted NO on funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol operations.
“I am sickened by the killing of two U.S. citizens at the hands of immigration enforcement agents. ICE is out of control,” said Thompson. “It’s past time my Republican colleagues in Congress act to join us in impeaching Kristi Noem, cutting ICE funding, and mandating better safety measures like body cameras to prevent agents from acting unlawfully and putting people in danger.”
In Woodland, Thompson hosted a “Fire Noem” Day of Action on Wednesday, January 28 at Heritage Plaza. More than 400 community members gathered to amplify calls for accountability in immigration enforcement and to call on Congress to act to impeach Noem. Thompson was joined by Yolo County Supervisors Angel Barajas, Lucas Frerichs, Sheila Allen, and Mary Vixie Sandy; Woodland Mayor Pro Tempore Mayra Vega; and Jake Whitaker, Chair of the Yolo County Democratic Party and former Woodland School Board Member.
In Napa, Thompson led a “Stop ICE” Day of Action on Friday, January 30 at Veterans Memorial Park, where more than a thousand community members and local leaders gathered to express concern about aggressive federal immigration tactics. Participating leaders included State Senator Christopher Cabaldon, Napa City Councilmember Bernie Narvaez, Indivisible Napa’s Pat Reynes, Napa Valley Together’s Jenny Ocon, Rabbi Niles Goldstein of Congregation Beth Shalom, and 13 year-old Edna Velazquez from Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School in St. Helena.
Thompson’s actions this week follow his early support of Representative Robin Kelly’s (IL-02) articles of impeachment against DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, which were introduced in the wake of the killing of Renee Good. Rep. Thompson was among the first Members of Congress to sign onto these articles of impeachment. He also voted against last week’s Department of Homeland Security funding bill, citing concerns about unchecked immigration enforcement authorities, although the bill secured enough votes to pass the House.
Thompson has hosted several “Know Your Rights” events over the past year for business owners, employees, and community members to help people understand what they should do if ICE comes to their home or business.
Video and photos from Thompson’s remarks and community participation at both the Woodland and Napa demonstrations can be accessed here.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)
Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on MS NOW’s PoliticsNation, where he emphasized that House Democrats will continue to fight back against the cruelty, crisis and corruption being visited against the American people by Donald Trump and his sycophantic co-conspirators.
REV. AL SHARPTON: Joining me now is House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Thank you, Leader, for being with us. Let’s start with the partial government shutdown, largely over DHS funding, and the breaking news tonight that you’ve reportedly told Speaker Mike Johnson that House Democrats will not provide the votes to pass the government funding bill through the fast-track suspension of the rules process. This will force House leadership to go through regular order and potentially jeopardize passage of the package. What can you tell us, Leader Jeffries, that this will do and why you’ve made that decision?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, good evening, Rev. It’s great to be with you. We clearly have a DHS and ICE agency that is completely and totally out of control. Taxpayer dollars should be used to make life more affordable for everyday Americans, not kill them or brutalize law-abiding immigrant families, which is what we’re seeing in Minneapolis and all across the country. We’ve laid out a clear set of demands. We’re in alignment with the way in which Leader Schumer and Senate Democrats have articulated those demands. And we’re going to need to see dramatic change as it relates to how the Department of Homeland Security operates moving forward. In terms of the legislation that’s gonna be in front of the House on Monday, we need a full and complete debate. And what I’ve made clear to House Republicans is that they cannot simply move forward with legislation taking a my-way-or-the-highway approach in the absence of House Democrats convening, which we’re going to do tomorrow, and having a discussion about the appropriate way forward and making sure that, in this two-week period of time that is contemplated by the continuing resolution that would freeze ICE funding for 14 days, that there’s a robust ironclad path to bringing about the type of change that the American people are demanding.
REV. AL SHARPTON: So to get, so I’m clear on this, to really make sure I understand this, the Democrats in the House that you are the Leader of are saying that you want some definitive things done before you even get to a two-week deadline or two-week extension running out. You want to see something definitive, including the fact that many Democrats around the country, many people, want to see something about ICE, you want to see some melting of the ICE before you vote for the package.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, what we’re saying is that we need a clear path forward. And we haven’t had that discussion with the White House or anyone within the administration. And the things that we’ve talked about needing to occur—and we understand that we’re gonna have to build this into law and that’s what’s contemplated, we believe at least over the next two weeks—are things like no masks, body cameras being mandatory. We need judicial warrants before ICE can storm homes or rip people out of their cars in the horrific ways that we’ve been seeing. We need to make sure that ICE agents who violate the law can actually be criminally investigated and prosecuted by state and local authorities when their laws have been violated. There is no such thing, we believe, as absolute immunity, and it was horrifying to hear the Vice President make that observation a few weeks ago. We need ICE and DHS agencies to conduct themselves like every other law enforcement agency in the country. And what we’re saying is that if we’re contemplating a two-week freeze in order to get us to a place where we can see dramatic change, we want to understand that there’s an ironclad path forward to get those things done.
REV. AL SHARPTON: Now earlier today, a federal judge denied an emergency request from Minnesota to end Operation Metro Surge in the state. This as we’ve learned that Ohio appears to be the next target for an ICE surge and the DOJ has launched a civil rights investigation into Alex Pretti’s killing, but no federal investigation has been announced in the killing of Renee Good. Now, thousands of people flooded Minneapolis’ chilly streets for a second straight Friday calling for ICE to leave Minnesota and other states. We have seen additional demonstrations today. But what’s your message to the people who want to see ICE out of their communities and who want to see these killings fully investigated with agents held accountable both by the state and the federal government?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, the American way is a full and complete investigation. Nobody is above the law. But what we’re seeing from this Trump Department of Justice, from the Trump administration, in fact, from high-level members of the Trump administration, including so-called Secretary Kristi Noem, are excuses and lies trying to cover up an investigation, slandering Renee Nicole Good as a domestic terrorist, slandering Alex Pretti as a domestic terrorist or as Stephen Miller called him—a would-be assassin—when the American people know that the exact opposite was the case. And we are seeing thousands of people in Minnesota and beyond peacefully and powerfully and patriotically protest. And that’s consistent with American values. What the Department of Justice is doing—they can only be trusted to investigate Donald Trump’s political enemies. They can’t be trusted to conduct a fair, an impartial and an independent investigation, which is why one of the demands that we’ve been making in terms of what needs to happen moving forward with the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice is to make it clear that state and local officials, like the Attorney General of the great state of Minnesota AG Keith Ellison or others, have the ability to investigate federal agents who break the law.
REV. AL SHARPTON: Now, one of your Democratic Caucus Members, Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, was sprayed with vinegar this week at a town hall by an assailant now facing federal assault charges. The assailant appears to be a supporter of President Trump and the attack follows Trump’s claims this week that the DOJ and Congress are investigating Omar, who he suggested, without evidence, to have staged the town hall incident. A new report from U.S. Capitol Police has found threats against Members of Congress have spiked in 2025 for a third year in a row. So how do you keep your Members safe when the President is sending these kinds of messages, even when his administration is claiming they want to de-escalate tensions?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, Donald Trump needs to tone down his irresponsible rhetoric, which is fanning the flames of hatred against Members of Congress generally, and, of course, in this specific instance, against Representative Ilhan Omar, who’s a hard-working, conscientious, courageous public servant trying to do the best that she can under very difficult circumstances, to serve the people that she’s privileged to represent in Minnesota. We need to continue to lean in and do everything possible to protect the safety and the well-being of Members of Congress and their families so that during this very fraught time, and we’ve seen political violence increase over the last 10 years to levels that are unacceptable, that Members of Congress in the House and in the Senate can actually serve the people that they represent in this very challenging moment of trial, of tribulation and of turbulence.
REV. AL SHARPTON: Let me ask you something. You said yesterday that there was no basis for independent journalist Don Lemon’s arrest by federal agents in connection with a protest at a Minneapolis church this month. Then he was charged with conspiracy and interfering with the First Amendment rights of worshipers, along with seven other people, almost all of whom were Black, including three people arrested yesterday—two local activists and a Minneapolis-based journalist who live-streamed her arrest by FBI agents. Seems like the President has been especially keen on going after Black protesters and journalists, Congressman. What are your thoughts on that?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, there’s no doubt that Black and brown communities have been under assault during this presidency. Working class communities of every color have been under assault during this presidency. The economy under assault, healthcare under assault, nutritional assistance under assault, we know farmers and veterans have been under assault, due process, the American way of life, the rule of law and democracy itself. There’s been an all-out assault on the American people and Black and brown communities have been bearing a significant share of that extremism that has been unleashed here in the United States of America. There was no basis, in law or in fact, to arrest Don Lemon or any of the other journalists. We know that Don Lemon is an accomplished journalist with decades of service consistent with the First Amendment in this country. Donald Trump is trying to intimidate people who stand up to him. But the American people have demonstrated over the last year, we will not be intimidated by these extremists. The American people are pushing back significantly across the board. They know that the Trump administration and the extremists in the Republican Party have failed the country. Their policies have been a disaster. It’s one of the reasons why in the off-year election in November, Republicans are losing up and down the ballot and all across the country, decisively. And it’s my expectation that that’s going to continue. That’s why Democrats are going to take back control of the House of Representatives in November.
REV. AL SHARPTON: Let’s come back to Capitol Hill for a moment, Congressman. More than three million new Jeffrey Epstein files were released by the DOJ yesterday, the largest release so far. And what the DOJ says is the last batch of the Epstein Files coming more than a month after the mid-December deadline mandated by Congress. Still, DOJ hasn’t released all related documents in its possession. What’s your reaction and what’s the next step for the House in terms of investigating this since we don’t have all of the documents?
LEADER JEFFRIES: The Department of Justice has failed to comply with the law, which requires a complete release of documents consistent with the sentiments of the courageous survivors of the Epstein affairs and the horrendous situations that they were put into by this monster, as well as the people who were associated with him. The American people deserve complete and total transparency, so there can be complete and total accountability. This is a law that was passed and, in fact, signed by President Donald Trump over his initial objections for months. So it’s clear that if you are withholding approximately three million documents, which is the case right now, we have to ask the question, what is the Trump administration continuing to hide from the American people?
REV. AL SHARPTON: Now, let’s stay on the Hill for a moment. The Supreme Court is set to decide on whether Trump can fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook. Fed Chair Ron Powell is watching that case closely as his term enters its last few months. Yesterday, Trump announced his pick for Powell’s replacement, former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh, whose name popped up in the Epstein files yesterday, though there’s not any evidence of wrongdoing on his behalf. Warsh’s father-in-law is a long-time Trump ally who’s pushed the President on taking over Greenland. What’s your reaction to all of this? After all the Fed is supposed to be—it’s supposed to be independent? So how do you react to all of this?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, Donald Trump’s policies have failed the American people in terms of the economy. They promised to lower the high cost of living on day one. Costs haven’t gone down under the Trump presidency. Costs have gone up. Housing costs out of control. Grocery costs out of control. Electricity bills out of control. Healthcare costs out of control. Child care costs out of control. Life has become more difficult economically under Donald Trump policies and under Republican policies. And so, under normal circumstances, his pick to be the next Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board should be closely scrutinized to make sure that it’s actually someone who’s going to help the American people out as opposed to just following direction from Donald Trump and bending the knee to his extreme ideas which have already proven to be a disaster. And good for Senator Thom Tillis who’s indicated because of this assault that has taken place on Lisa Cook, on Jerome Powell and on others that he doesn’t intend to allow any of Trump’s nominations, including the one related to being the next chair, to move forward. I completely and totally support that position and hope that every single Member of the United States Senate freezes any nominations related to Donald Trump’s efforts to alter the independence of the Federal Reserve Board.
REV. AL SHARPTON: Now, later in this hour, I’ll be talking with the chair of the Fulton County, Georgia Board of Election Commissioners, following the FBI raid this week on the County Board of Elections Office to seize 2020 ballots. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was on site for the raid, raising questions about why the U.S. spy chief was present for a domestic law enforcement action and concerns about how the President may use the federal law enforcement to potentially influence the midterm elections. The administration has said that the DNI plays a crucial role in election security. What do you make of that explanation, particularly with the midterms nine months away and having such significance for the future of this country?
LEADER JEFFRIES: The explanation offered by the Trump administration has zero credibility. There was absolutely no reason for the Director of National Intelligence to be present at what should be a law enforcement activity that is completely domestic in nature. And I think there’s reason for all of us to continue to be concerned that Donald Trump and Republicans have adopted voter suppression as an electoral strategy. They know they can’t win a free and fair election in November. They’re going to get crushed, wiped out all across America because of their failed policies, and the fact that Democrats are the only ones in this country right now, in terms of a political party, talking about driving down the high cost of living, dealing with the affordability crisis that Donald Trump doesn’t think exists and fixing our broken healthcare system. And so, we’re going to have to work with Governors and Attorneys General and Secretaries of State all across the country, as well as the legal community, civil rights groups, democracy protection groups like Democracy Forward and others who are doing a tremendous job to make sure that we are ensuring a free and fair election in November so that it’s the American people who get to decide who is in the majority in the House and in the Senate, not Donald Trump and his corrupt sycophants.
REV. AL SHARPTON: Now I know we’re out of time, but I must ask you this, tomorrow is February 1, the beginning of Black History Month. And under this administration, we’ve seen in many states and a tone set, in my opinion, by the administration to try and really minimize, if not wipe out, Black history and many aspects of American life, being able to learn about it in schools and other places. How do you view the importance of Black History Month 2026, given the assault in many areas on even teaching or talking about Black history?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Black history is now more important than ever. It’s the 100th anniversary of Black History Month, and we’re thankful for what it represents, which is a celebration of the African American journey in this country, which cannot be separated from the American journey. It’s one and the same. And the movements that Donald Trump is attempting to wipe out, whether that relates to abolition or the movement that brought about Reconstruction or the movement that connected to the civil rights era, which was all about making sure that there was actually liberty and justice for all and equal protection under the law, the progress that has been made, led by African Americans at these moments, of course, has benefited African Americans in of being full and complete participants in the American dream to the best of the country’s ability. We’re not a perfect country. We’re marching toward a more perfect union. But these efforts at progress improve the situation for everyone. So Black history is American history and we’re not going to let Donald Trump and the extremists ever erase it.
REV. AL SHARPTON: All right, Democratic House Leader, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of Brooklyn, New York, I might say. Thank you for being with us.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Robert Aderholt (AL-04)
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Friday, January 30, 2026, Congressman Robert Aderholt (AL-04) hosted the second annual AUKUS defense industry event in Huntsville, Alabama, bringing together defense and national security leaders from Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States to discuss advanced defense capabilities, strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific, and the role Alabama plays in the future of allied security cooperation.
The forum builds on the Congressman’s inaugural AUKUS gathering held in 2024 and continues a first-of-its-kind opportunity to connect experts and innovators responsible for one of the most ambitious defense cooperation initiatives of this generation.
“Huntsville is the Rocket City — the town that helped win the space race — and today, the men and women shaping the future of defense cooperation and deterrence are gathered right here in Alabama,” Congressman Aderholt said. “AUKUS is about maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific, but at its core it reflects something even deeper: trust among allies. That trust must now be translated into real capabilities, delivered with urgency.”
Congressman Aderholt was joined by Congressman Dale Strong (AL-05), who also participated in today’s event and emphasized North Alabama’s strategic importance to allied defense innovation.
“There are few better places to bring the stated goals of AUKUS Pillar Two to life than North Alabama and Redstone Arsenal,” Strong said. “Our region has long been a key national security player, and this trilateral agreement is no different. This second annual forum is just another example of how Alabama continues to lead the way in increasing defense cooperation, innovation, and information sharing between the United States and our allies.”
Congressman Aderholt emphasized that the advanced capabilities central to AUKUS align directly with Alabama’s strengths and the work already being done across the state’s defense and technology sectors, including cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence and autonomy, quantum technologies, undersea capabilities, hypersonic and counter-hypersonic development, electronic warfare, innovation and information sharing, and deep space radar.
During remarks, the Congressman also underscored the need for the United States and its allies to modernize the way defense capabilities are developed and fielded, warning that outdated processes and bureaucracy risk slowing progress at a time when speed and innovation are essential.
“The tools that won the 20th century could cost us victory in the 21st if we fail to adapt,” Aderholt said. “Bureaucracy is a luxury we can no longer afford. AUKUS can help drive a new way of doing business — moving faster, thinking bigger, and delivering results with the urgency this moment demands.”
As a member of the House Appropriations Committee and the Defense Subcommittee on Appropriations, Congressman Aderholt highlighted Congress’s responsibility to ensure the Department of Defense has the flexibility needed to plan, fund, and field joint capabilities in a timely and innovative manner, while maintaining accountability.
The Congressman also introduced Alabama native Major General Terry Grisham, who has been named to lead the transition of the United States Space Command from Colorado Springs to Huntsville. Major General Grisham will oversee the relocation of U.S. Space Command from its temporary headquarters in Colorado Springs to its permanent home in Alabama.
“Alabama has long been at the forefront of America’s defense and space leadership,” Aderholt said. “With Major General Grisham’s leadership, our state will continue to play a critical role in the next chapter of national security and space operations.”
The event reaffirmed Huntsville’s role as a national hub for defense innovation and underscored Alabama’s growing leadership in emerging technologies vital to U.S. and allied deterrence in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Joaquin Castro (20th District of Texas)
January 31, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) released the following statement on Judge Biery’s order to release five-year-old Liam and his dad, Adrian:
“Judge Biery ordered ICE to release Liam. I’ve reached out to Liam’s mom and lawyers to let them know I will continue to do everything I can to make sure he is safe. Thank you to folks all across the country and around the world for speaking out in support of Liam and so many other children in detention.”