MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jack Bergman (MI-1)

This week, Rep. Jack Bergman cosponsored the Stop Insider Trading Act, legislation that would prohibit Members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children from trading individual stocks.

Concerns about stock trading by elected officials have grown in recent years, as multiple academic studies and media investigations have shown that Members of Congress have historically outperformed the broader stock market at rates that raise serious questions about access to nonpublic information.

Rep. Bergman noted, “The American people work hard for every dollar they earn, and they are right to be angry when politicians use insider information to trade stocks and game the system. The Stop Insider Trading Act helps restore trust by making clear that Members of Congress cannot profit from the same information they use to write the laws. This bill is about fairness, accountability, and making sure Washington plays by the same rules as the folks back home.”

The legislation, introduced by Rep. Brian Steil, passed the House Administration Committee today and now heads to the House floor for a vote.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman David G Valadao (CA-21)

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman David Valadao (CA-22) joined Congressman Josh Harder (CA-09) to introduce the Olive Oil Standards Act. California is the nation’s leading producer of olive oil, and the United States remains one of the largest olive oil markets in the world. Yet despite the growing domestic industry and consumer demand, the U.S. still lacks a uniform, enforceable standard of identity and grade standards for olive oil. This bipartisan bill directs the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to establish clear identity and grade standards for olive oil to protect consumers from misleading labeling and producers from unfair global marketplace conditions. 

“The Central Valley is one of the nation’s leading regions for olive oil production, and as demand grows, it’s important industry standards can keep up,” said Congressman Valadao. “By establishing identity and grade standards, we can protect consumers from misleading labeling, promote transparency in the marketplace, and ensure a level playing field for our domestic olive oil producers. I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing this bipartisan solution to bring long-overdue clarity and accountability to the olive oil market.”

“We already have the best olives grown right here in our own backyard, but Valley products are being crowded out in the grocery aisle by fake and fraudulent products. That hurts local businesses and shoppers,” said Rep. Harder. “It’s past time to crack down on misleading products once and for all. This common sense bill gives shoppers the transparency they need to buy local and keep their families healthy.”

“This legislation is a win for U.S. olive oil consumers and farmers,” said Kimberly Houlding, President and CEO of the American Olive Oil Producers Association. “When enacted, it will ensure that what is on the label is in the bottle and that the health benefits and value of extra virgin olive oil are preserved for all.”

The Olive Oil Standards Act would:

• Direct the FDA to establish a national standard of identity for olive oil to clearly define what qualifies as each grade sold in the United States.
• Create uniform grade standards for olive oil and olive-pomace oil, including extra virgin, virgin, refined, and other recognized categories.
• Require the FDA to report back to Congress within 120 days on actions taken to implement these new standards.

Read the full bill here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mark Pocan (2nd District of Wisconsin)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Mark Pocan (WI-02) and Ilhan Omar (MN-05), co-chairs of the Defense Spending Reduction Caucus, released the following statement after the Pentagon announced it failed its eighth consecutive audit late last month:

“It’s rich that just weeks after the Pentagon failed its eighth consecutive audit, Donald Trump called for boosting the Pentagon’s budget beyond the already unthinkable $1 trillion mark, to an even more outrageous $1.5 trillion. We cannot justify continuing to increase the Pentagon’s budget when the agency cannot even successfully pass a fiscal audit. The lack of accountability and transparency at the Pentagon is simply unacceptable, yet Congress continues to pour more and more taxpayer dollars into the agency each year. No other federal agency would be allowed to operate this way. It’s past time to rein in wasteful spending on ineffective weapons programs, stop rewarding wealthy and powerful defense contractors, and restore fiscal discipline to the Pentagon.”

Every federal department is required to conduct an annual audit; however, it took years for the Pentagon to complete its first one in 2018, and after eight attempts, it still has not passed. 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Joaquin Castro (20th District of Texas)

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Dina Titus (1st District of Nevada)

Congresswoman Dina Titus today introduced a resolution in the House demanding that the Trump administration provide all documents and communications relating to its threatened takeover of Greenland, including any plan to use military force to seize the Danish territory.

“We need to know if there is anything behind President Trump’s saber-rattling – whether there are concrete plans to invade a country that has been one of our strongest NATO allies,” Congresswoman Titus said. “Denmark fought with us in Afghanistan, and 44 Danes lost their lives. Is this how we treat our allies?” 

Congresswoman Titus said the takeover of Greenland would be unprecedented and could mean the end of NATO. 

“By levying threats of force against a NATO member, Trump has already broken Article 1 of the North Atlantic Treaty. If he continues down this path, NATO will be dissolved and the strongest, most effective military alliance in history will crumble because Donald Trump wants to play strongman in the hemisphere.” 

The Resolution of Inquiry introduced by Congresswoman Titus directs the President and Secretary of State to turn over documents, communications, plans, analyses, and assessments by the Administration pertaining to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Denmark and the autonomous governing status of Greenland.

“We have heard Trump bluster about invading Mexico, Colombia, and Cuba,” Congresswoman Titus said. “Congress and the American people need to know whether Greenland is a blueprint for other planned Trump conquests.” 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Norma Torres (35th District of California)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (1st District of Washington)

Today, Representatives Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Lois Frankel (FL-22), Kim Schrier, MD (WA-08), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Greg Landsman (OH-01), Ami Bera, MD (CA-06), Rick Larsen (WA-02), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), and Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), along with 62 colleagues, urged House and Senate leadership to include language that would prohibit the implementation of new prior authorization requirements through artificial intelligence claims review in traditional Medicare in any final Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) funding agreement.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) model began January 1, 2026, in New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, and Washington. The model adds new red tape to traditional Medicare by contracting with private companies that use artificial intelligence to require prior authorization for certain services and treatments, including treatments for chronic pain, Parkinson’s disease, sleep apnea, and wound care.

“While we support innovation, efficiency, and eliminating waste, we are concerned that this pilot will delay care for essential services to treat pain, injuries, and chronic conditions,” the Members wrote in a letter to House and Senate leadership.

Concerns about prior approval are well-documented in Medicare Advantage and other private health plans. Federal watchdogs have found that insurers often deny care that later meets Medicare’s coverage rules, forcing patients and providers to navigate appeals, paperwork, and delays before care can move forward.

“These denials delay patient access to care while creating unnecessary administrative burdens for providers,” the lawmakers added.

Last August, DelBene and 16 other colleagues raised similar concerns directly with CMS and requested details about how the model would be carried out and how patients would be protected from delayed or denied care. CMS did not respond and has since moved forward with implementation despite these unresolved concerns. DelBene also introduced legislation to help seniors get the care they need when they need it by reforming prior authorization in Medicare Advantage.

Last September, the House Appropriations Committee unanimously adopted an amendment offered by Frankel to halt the implementation of WISeR in the Labor-HHS funding bill.

The full letter can be found here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the Monopoly Busters Caucus Chairs U.S. Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Chris Deluzio (PA-17), Pat Ryan (NY-18), and Angie Craig (MN-02) are demanding answers from major U.S. oil companies on their role in the Trump Administration’s military operation in Venezuela. 

The Chairs are calling for a full accounting of each oil firm’s involvement in the planning and execution of the U.S. attack and planned occupation of Venezuela. President Trump claimed he briefed oil executives before and after the attack, describing the oil industry as committed to investing at least $100 billion to rebuild the Venezuelan energy sector and asserting that the corporate expansion would receive military backup. 

“Public statements from President Trump suggest a level of pre-planned corporate-military integration that is as deeply troubling as it is legally fraught,” the Chairs wrote. “The claimed alignment between private profit and military force raises serious legal questions about the nature of your firm’s involvement in the operation and the planned occupation.”

The Members note that actions to help facilitate the military expedition or unauthorized negotiations with foreign actors may violate long-standing federal statutes like the Neutrality Act or the Logan Act. The Chairs also highlighted the risk of illegal collusion on Venezuelan ventures given the industry’s history of anticompetitive behavior.

“The American people deserve to know if our military is being used as a private security force for the oil industry,” the Members continued. “Congress has an important oversight and investigative role, and it is incumbent upon us to represent their frustration and concern.”

The oil companies have been given until January 30 to provide written responses and all relevant internal documents with information on:

• Executive Branch Coordination: Details of all meetings and communications with the Executive Branch regarding the military intervention and planned infrastructure development.
• Intelligence Sharing: Any intelligence, technical specifications, or data related to Venezuela that firms provided to the Executive Branch.
• Reimbursement and Assets: Agreements regarding the Venezuelan oil the President intends to personally control or reimbursements for any planned industry investments.
• Legal Risk and Immunity: Internal analysis of legal risks and any promises of legal immunization offered by the Trump Administration.
• Labor and Affordability: Projected impact of potential multi-billion-dollar investments in Venezuela on domestic workforce and energy prices.

The letter was sent to the large U.S. oil companies that reportedly met with the Trump Administration on January 9 at the White House (letters linked): Chevron, ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, Continental Resources, Marathon Petroleum Corporation, Valero Energy Corporation, and Halliburton Company.

Issues: Science, Technology, & Antitrust

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

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA)

WASHINGTON—Today, Rules Committee Ranking Member James P. McGovern (D-MA) announced a statewide End Hunger Now Tour, during which he will visit every congressional district in the Commonwealth to hear firsthand from people struggling to put food on the table, see how the Trump administration’s cruel cuts to nutrition assistance are hurting our communities, and spotlight the courageous people and organizations making a difference in the fight against hunger.

                                                                                       

“Republicans cut nearly $200 billion in nutrition assistance just to give their billionaire donors another massive tax break in their Big Ugly Bill,” said McGovern. “I’ve warned for months about how disastrous their policies will be for hungry Americans and working people, and we’re now starting to see the devastating impacts. Unlike my Republican colleagues, I’m listening to the people who are getting screwed by Trump’s economy, and I’m going to keep fighting on behalf of the people all across Massachusetts and the country who don’t know where their next meal is going to come from.”

McGovern’s tour comes as people across the country are starting to see substantial cuts to nutrition assistance after Republicans enacted the largest cut to food assistance in American history. The Big Ugly Bill cuts SNAP benefits for all 42 million beneficiaries, including 16 million kids, 8 million seniors, 4 million people with disabilities, and 1.2 million veterans. The bill takes food benefits away from 5 million people nationwide, including nearly 100,000 Massachusetts residents, by enacting draconian and onerous new red tape—requiring veterans, families with teenagers, older adults, homeless individuals, and former foster youth to jump through hoops just to get the food assistance they desperately need.

“Not only is this administration making hunger worse—now they’re trying to hide it by canceling USDA’s research and reporting on hunger in America,” continued McGovern. “Not on my watch. I’m launching this tour to hear directly from folks struggling with hunger, local officials, and the incredible nonprofit leaders on the front lines of fighting food insecurity in Massachusetts.”

Congressman McGovern’s statewide End Hunger Now Tour officially begins on Friday, January 16th, with events in Massachusetts’ 8th and 7th congressional districts. Details for both stops will be announced shortly.

“I’m thankful that Congressman Lynch and Congresswoman Pressley are hosting the first leg of my tour, and I look forward to joining more of my Democratic colleagues in their communities later this month,” McGovern concluded.

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McGovern is a senior member of the House Agriculture Committee and a leading national voice in the fight to end hunger. For decades, he has championed working families and vulnerable communities—fighting back against repeated efforts to cut food assistance and spearheading efforts to strengthen and expand programs like SNAP, school meals, and summer nutrition. He helped to create and maintain the Gus Schumacher nutrition incentive program to bolster access to fresh local food. During the COVID-19 pandemic, McGovern’s advocacy helped deliver historic increases in nutrition benefits, keeping food on the table for millions of families across the country. McGovern is also the Co-Chair of the House Hunger Caucus and founded the Food is Medicine Working Group, where he has pushed to treat hunger as both a moral failure and a public health crisis. He played a pivotal role in convening the 2022 White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health—the first in more than 50 years—successfully securing funding for the conference and helping produce a national strategy to end hunger by 2030. McGovern is also a principal author of the George McGovern–Bob Dole International Food for Education Program and has been recognized for his leadership with a James Beard Leadership Award and the McGovern-Dole Leadership Award from World Food Program USA.