Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)
WASHINGTON — On Day Three of the Democrat-led government shutdown, Speaker Johnson joined The Today Show on NBC, America’s Newsroom on Fox News, and Varney & Co on Fox Business.
On Democrats lying about providing funding for healthcare for illegal aliens:
Welcome to day three of the Democrat shutdown. Chuck Schumer and the Senate Democrats have now voted three times to reject the clean, simple continuing resolution that we passed out of the House two weeks ago to keep the government operating for the people, real pain for real Americans. And they’re claiming breathlessly Dana, that they’re not trying to restore free taxpayer-funded benefits and health care to illegal aliens. And it’s simply not true. I would direct everybody right now, go to Speaker.gov. That’s my official website. We put right there on the first page, the evidence, I have the receipts as Bill said earlier.
Chuck Schumer filed a counter proposal, a counter continuing resolution when they voted ours down. And what is in that? If you go there on the page, you’ll see, go to page 57. It’s buried in their document, but it says in that Section 2141 right there, Chuck Schumer filed it. It says they want to repeal the health provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill, the Working Families Tax Cut that we Republicans passed earlier this year, and that President Trump signed into law on July 4th. Now why is that so important? Because Dana, that’s where you’ll find, they want to add back in almost $200 billion of taxpayer funds to give free stuff to illegal aliens. 100% in writing — not a Republican talking point. It’s Chuck Schumer’s own document.
On Democrats handing the Trump Administration the ability to downsize the federal government:
You and I, the President, all fiscal conservatives, we’re for limited government. We believe the federal government is too big, it does too many things, and it does almost nothing well. In a situation like this, Chuck Schumer is the one who has made the decision to hand that pen to the President because whomever is sitting in the White House during a shutdown is given that responsibility. It’s a heavy one. They have to determine, if the spigot is turned off and the funding stopped, they have to determine which services, personnel, and policies are essential and which are not. Our President is sitting in the White House. If Joe Biden was sitting there, he’d look at it with very different lenses. But President Trump is going to use the fiscal conservative, small government conservative perspective and philosophy when he looks to evaluate what those programs are. That’s what Chuck Schumer and the Democrats have enabled, and President Trump may have an opportunity here to eliminate some of those wasteful programs, which would be great for American taxpayers. We want the government to be smaller, more efficient and effective. And now we have an opportunity, potentially, to do that.
On negotiatingthe approaching expiration of Democrat health care subsidies:
There are a lot of conversations about the expiring subsidies there. There are a lot of reforms that people have said would be absolutely essential for Republicans to consider in you know, voting to extend those. But here’s the very important point this morning, Stuart, those are December 31 deadline issues, not September 30. We passed the end of the fiscal year. The government shutdown is entering its third day. We’re in the third day now of the shutdown because Senate Democrats are playing politics with this. Real Americans are being harmed. You have veteran services, health services, women, infants and children nutrition programs that are stalled. We’ve got troops and TSA agents and border patrol agents serving without pay, FEMA services stopped in the middle of a hurricane season. This is not a game, and Chuck Schumer and the Democrats are playing a game that they said until just now would be dangerous and destructive for the people.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)
U.S. Representative Don Beyer, who represents a Northern Virginia district with one of the highest concentrations of federal employees and contractors in the country, today shared a webpage with resources to help federal workers and contractors as parts of the federal government remain closed following President Donald Trump and Republicans’ failure to negotiate a funding deal that would prevent Americans from losing their health care. More than 72,000 of Beyer’s constituents in Virginia’s Eighth Congressional District work directly for the government, and thousands more work as federal government contractors.
“Government shutdowns are deeply harmful to our country, and the dedicated public servants who work on behalf of the American people are often the ones who suffer most. This shutdown piles onto the devastating damage already inflicted by the Trump Administration, which has shuttered entire agencies, carried out illegal reductions in force, and deliberately fostered a toxic environment across the federal government,” said Rep. Don Beyer. “I continue to urge President Trump and my Republican colleagues to govern responsibly and negotiate a swift resolution in Congress that reopens the government and protects Americans from skyrocketing health care cost increases. It’s my hope that the resources provided on my website will be helpful for the federal workers and contractors I represent as they navigate this challenging time.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green Ohio)
Today, Congressman Bob Latta (OH-5) released the following statement to recognize National Manufacturing Day and the importance of manufacturing to the economies of Ohio and the United States:
“Ohio’s Fifth Congressional District is proud to be home to more than 1,000 manufacturers, supporting 86,000 jobs that drive our state’s economy. From small family-owned shops to large-scale productions, our manufacturers are leaders in innovation and productivity, producing goods that reach our communities in Ohio, across America, and around the world. On National Manufacturing Day, we recognize the men and women whose hard work keeps Northern Ohio strong. Their skill and dedication are at the heart of what keeps Ohio moving.
“The future of modern manufacturing shows that as supply chains for critical infrastructure grow increasingly vital to meet rising energy demands, we must support manufacturers across key industries that drive America’s leadership in technology and energy. I am proud to support U.S. manufacturers working in onshore manufacturing, and as the Chairman of the Energy Subcommittee on the Energy and Commerce Committee, I’ll continue to champion policies that keep energy costs affordable so that our businesses and manufacturers thrive.
“To all of the hardworking men and women in our manufacturing industries—thank you for everything you do to build a stronger Ohio and a stronger America.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Paul Tonko (Capital Region New York)
ALBANY, NY — Congressman Paul D. Tonko (NY-20) blasted President Trump and this administration for illegally terminating $7.56 billion in protects aimed at driving energy independence, creating jobs, and strengthening domestic manufacturing.
The Department of Energy terminated 321 financial awards, all but a handful of which are located across 16 states that supported Vice President Harris in the 2024 Presidential election. The cuts include 26 awards, totaling $179,834,935, that would be carried out in whole or in part in the Capital Region.
The illegally terminated projects were previously appropriated by Congress in a bipartisan manner and were competitively selected. These projects were canceled despite the fact that DOE remains open and operational using unexpired financial resources in a government shutdown.
“Instead of sitting down with Democrats to talk about preserving affordable health care, Donald Trump has shut down the government, used the jobs and livelihoods of thousands of federal workers as collateral, and has now unilaterally canceled nearly $180 million in funding for dozens of projects in the Capital Region and hundreds more across the country — all in Democratic-led states,”Congressman Tonko said.“Let’s be clear — these aren’t Democratic or Republican projects, these are cutting-edge contracts working to drive innovation and bring energy costs down for everyone. Donald Trump cares more about his own power than making life affordable for the American people.
“Threatening retribution for your political opponents is the behavior of dictators, not Presidents. This is exactly the type of lawless behavior that Democrats are fighting to rein in.
“I was always taught to stand up to bullies, and that’s what I plan to do.”
The full list of projects canceled in the Capital Region and across the nation can be viewed HERE.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08) released the following statement after Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats continued to block the passage of H.R. 5371, resulting in a government shutdown.
“Two weeks ago, House Republicans did our job and voted for a clean, nonpartisan continuing resolution to keep the government open. Sadly, Democrats in Congress are holding government funding hostage in an attempt to force the American taxpayer to fund a $1.5 trillion partisan wish list that includes free taxpayer funded healthcare benefits for illegal aliens, $500 million for liberal media outlets like NPR, climate and DEI initiatives in foreign countries, and a $50 billion cut from rural health. To prioritize healthcare for illegal immigrants over healthcare for American citizens in rural areas shows just how out of touch the Democrat party has become.
“Ensuring our government remains open and working for the American people is not a partisan issue, and it is sad that the Democrats have made it one. In 2024, Chuck Schumer stated that a shutdown would mean chaos and pain for the American people. I’d urge Senator Schumer and his fellow Democrats to remember his own words because the American people deserve better than this hypocrisy. They deserve better than a Schumer shutdown.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Dan Newhouse (4th District of Washington)
Headline: Newhouse Applauds Trump Administration for Lowering Farm Guestworker Wages
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) released the following statement on the United States Department of Labor’s announcement of new methodology for determining the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) used to set wages paid by employers utilizing the H-2A program.
“Farmers and ranchers in Central Washington have been at a disadvantage for years due to high wages in the H-2A program,” said Rep. Newhouse.“The new AEWR methodology from the Department of Labor will allow employers to pay workers at a competitive rate that is commensurate with their work and experience. This will save employers who utilize the H-2A program billions of dollars per year in costs and deliver much needed relief to producers who have been strained by workforce costs.”
“I want to thank my former House colleague and current Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer for her decisive action.”
Historically, the AEWR has been determined by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Farm Labor Survey.The Department of Labor’snew methodologywill use wage data reported for each U.S. state and territory by the Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey.
For the vast majority of H-2A job opportunities, the Department will use OEWS survey data to establish AEWRs applicable to five Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes combining the most common field and livestock worker occupations previously measured by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Labor Survey (FLS), which covered six SOC codes.
These AEWRs will be divided into two skill-based categories to account for wage differentials arising from qualifications contained in the employer’s job offer. For all other occupations, the Department will use the OEWS survey to determine two skill-based AEWRs for each SOC code to reflect wage differentials. The threshold determination for assigning the SOC code(s) and applicable skill-based AEWR will be based on the duties performed for the majority of the workdays during the contract period and qualifications contained in the employer’s job offer.
Finally, to address differences in compensation between most U.S. workers and H-2A workers who receive employer-provided housing at no cost, the Department will implement a standard adjustment factor to the AEWR to account for this non-monetary compensation that employers will apply when compensating H-2A workers under temporary agricultural labor certifications.
While the effective date of the new methodology is October 2, 2025, active contracts will not be changed to reflect the new rates.
The Department of Labor projects this new methodology will save employers up to $2.46 billion annually.
Please note that attempts to reach the Department of Labor, or other federal agencies, for more information may be impacted by the government shutdown.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (25th District of FLORIDA)
IMMOKALEE, FL– On Tuesday, October 1, Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-26) will attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of major street and infrastructure improvements in Immokalee. This event marks a meaningful milestone following the $13 million Congressman Díaz-Balart secured through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s TIGER grant program.
Event Details:
WHO:
Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart (FL-26)
Commission Chairman Burt L. Saunders (District 3)
Commissioner William L. McDaniel Jr. (District 5)
Commissioner Rick LoCastro (District 1)
Staff from Senator Kathleen Passidomo & Representative Lauren Melo’s offices
WHAT:
Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for Immokalee Street and Infrastructure Improvements
WHEN:
Wednesday, October 1, 2025
9:30 a.m. ET
WHERE:
Collier Area Transit (CAT) Immokalee Transfer Station (see location diagram below)
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)
Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on MSNBC’s The Beat and reaffirmed that Republicans are causing the government shutdown because they are unwilling to protect healthcare, a central issue to the quality of life of the American people.
MELISSA MURRAY: Joining me now to discuss all of this is House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Leader Jeffries, thanks for joining us. What can you tell us about where we are with these negotiations? Apparently, there’s nothing to discuss.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, good evening, Melissa. Great to be with you. And that’s exactly right. Since the White House meeting that took place on Monday, Republicans have gone radio silent. It’s clear that they wanted to shut this government down, and they wanted to shut it down because they were unwilling to provide healthcare to working-class Americans. Our position remains the same. We’re ready, we’re willing, we’re able to sit down with anyone, any time, any place—here at the Capitol or back at the White House—to have a conversation about reopening the government in the midst of this Trump shutdown, finding a bipartisan path toward reaching a spending agreement that actually meets the needs of the American people and making sure that we address the Republican healthcare crisis, which is devastating people all across the country.
MELISSA MURRAY: Can we talk a little bit about what you just said? The Democrats have been very clear in their messaging. You are emphasizing that the shutdown is about the Republicans refusing to restore healthcare funding, but some have argued that it would be equally compelling for the party to say that it is refusing to fund an administration and government that is bent on abusing its power. Why focus exclusively on healthcare? Why not carry both messages forward?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, in the legislation that we introduced as part of our Democratic approach related to avoiding a shutdown—or in this instance, now reopening it—we made clear two things: that we’re faced with a massive Republican healthcare crisis related to the largest cut to Medicaid in American history. Hospitals and nursing homes and community-based health clinics are closing all across the country, including in rural America. And now Republicans are refusing to renew the Affordable Care Act tax credits for working-class Americans, everyday Americans and those who are struggling in this Trump economy, where life has already become far too expensive. And so, we believe that healthcare is a central issue. Republicans have said it’s an extraneous issue. At the same time, in the Democratic proposal to continue funding, we’ve also indicated that we can’t simply proceed as if this is business as usual. If we reach a bipartisan agreement, then we’ve got to make sure there are enforceability mechanisms to ensure that the agreement that was reached is actually kept and that the Trump administration follows the law.
MELISSA MURRAY: There’s going to be a lot of pain here, not just in the area of healthcare. We are hearing that the administration is preparing for mass permanent firings. I just want to remind everyone that Project 2025, the GOP blueprint for the second Trump presidency, was unabashed in its desire to remake the federal government, including proposing massive cuts to the federal workforce. An architect of Project 2025, Russ Vought, is now the head of the White House Office of Management and Budget, and that’s the group that’s driving these planned firings. I’m going to play a tape of Speaker Johnson responding to questions about Vought’s role in all of this, as well as tape of what Vought had to say before the election. Here it is.
VIDEO OF SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON: Russ does this reluctantly. We had a 45-minute telephone conference with him yesterday. He talked to all the House Republicans. He takes no pleasure in this.
VIDEO OF OMB DIRECTOR RUSS VOUGHT: We want the bureaucrats to be traumatically affected. We want to put them in trauma.
MELISSA MURRAY: Speaker—Do you believe that Speaker [Johnson] is correct that this is not what Russ Vought wanted to do? Or does it seem like maybe the shutdown was a convenient vehicle for stripping down the federal government, and this is perhaps what they wanted all along?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, Donald Trump and Republicans definitively wanted to shut down the government. For them, cruelty is the point. But as it relates to mass firings, we’ve seen them engage in mass firings from the very beginning of this administration. And so, to the extent that they continue to proceed down this road in the context of the government shutdown, they’ll simply use it as a pretense, but this is what they’ve wanted to do all along. But the American people are paying close attention. They know that Republicans control the House, the Senate and the presidency. They’ve shut this government down. Democrats are very clear. We want to reopen it. We stand by hardworking federal civil servants. We want to find a bipartisan path forward. But it’s got to be an agreement that actually meets the needs of the American people in terms of their health, their safety and their economic well-being in an environment where the Trump economy is increasing costs on everyday Americans by thousands of dollars a year. And now, because of their refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, more than 20 million Americans are about to experience dramatically increased premiums, co-pays and deductibles. That’s unacceptable in the wealthiest country in the history of the world.
MELISSA MURRAY: I’m glad you mentioned that the Republicans not only control the White House, but both chambers of Congress. And that puts Donald Trump right at the center of all of this. Earlier this week, your colleague, Congresswoman Madeleine Dean, confronted Speaker Johnson about the president. Take a listen.
VIDEO OF REP. MADELEINE DEAN: The President is unhinged. He is unwell.
VIDEO OF SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON: A lot of folks on your side are, too. I don’t control anyone.
VIDEO OF REP. MADELEINE DEAN: Oh my God, please. That performance in front of the generals?
VIDEO OF SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON: I didn’t see it.
VIDEO OF REP. MADELEINE DEAN: That is so dangerous. You know I serve on Foreign Affairs and Appropriations. It’s a collision of those two things. Our allies are looking elsewhere. Our enemies are laughing.
VIDEO OF SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON: I just left the Speaker’s—
VIDEO OF REP. MADELEINE DEAN: You have a President who—you have a President who is unwell.
MELISSA MURRAY: Notably, Speaker Johnson doesn’t actually deny the idea that President Trump is unwell. What do you make of that?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, the Speaker was clearly uncomfortable by that conversation, and Representative Dean always speaks truth to power. And here’s the reality. We had a White House meeting. Subsequent to that meeting, the behavior that we’ve seen from Donald Trump has been unhinged and out of control, and clearly unserious at a moment when we should be actually conducting ourselves in a way to try to find a path forward. But their behavior demonstrates the fact that they wanted to shut this government down. They thought they could break the will of House and Senate Democrats. That’s not happening. And it’s not happening because we’re standing up for everyday Americans. Cancel the cuts, lower the cost, save healthcare.
MELISSA MURRAY: In terms of who will be impacted most by this, Politico is reporting ‘that these cuts will impact 16 states, including New York, all of which voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris.’ Russ Vought has not publicly announced cuts that would affect a state that backed Trump in 2024. Leader Jeffries, is the pain of the shutdown going to be disproportionately borne by those in blue states? Is that the point of all of this?
LEADER JEFFRIES: I don’t think that, in fact, is the case, and what we’ve actually seen throughout this Trump administration is that the pain that they’ve inflicted on the American people, the chaos, the extremism that has been unleashed on the American people, is impacting everyone. Their One Big Ugly Bill, which every single Democrat in the House and the Senate opposed, largest cut to Medicaid in American history. They ripped food out of the mouths of children, seniors and veterans. And all of this was done so they could provide massive permanent tax breaks to their billionaire donors, to the wealthy, the well-off and the well-connected, to subsidize the lifestyles of the rich and shameless. And they did it at the expense of working-class Americans in blue states, in red states and in purple states. And the pain that they will try to inflict on the American people in the context of this Trump-Republican shutdown will impact everyone.
MELISSA MURRAY: Right. Before we let you go, Leader Jeffries, The [New York] Times is reporting that Trump has ‘determined that we are in a war against drug cartels,’ and, as you know, only Congress has the power to declare war. Are there any conversations ongoing among your colleagues about the extrajudicial killings that this administration has recently carried out in international waters and this new claim to war powers?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Yes, and those conversations are being led by Greg Meeks, the top Democrat on Foreign Affairs, Adam Smith, the top Democrat on Armed Services, and Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the Intel Committee, all of whom will continue to speak out forcefully and aggressively in defense of the Article I power as the only branch of government that can declare war. I support those efforts entirely and pushing back against another instance of executive overreach. And unfortunately, what we see from our House Republican colleagues is that they continue to behave as nothing more than a rubber stamp for Donald Trump’s extreme agenda.
MELISSA MURRAY: All right, Leader Jeffries, thank you so much for kicking us off tonight.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rick Larsen (2nd Congressional District Washington)
Larsen Releases Statement on Trump Administration Raising Costs by Cancelling Clean Energy Projects
Everett, WA, October 2, 2025
Today, Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement after the Trump administration announced the cancellation of funding for the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub and ten other projects in Washington state:
“The Trump administration is raising the cost of living by cancelling local clean energy projects. The Department of Energy is clawing back a billion dollars in funding for Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub, which has bipartisan support and is set to create thousands of good-paying jobs while decreasing energy prices across our region.
“Cutting these funds delays the inevitable as clean energy trends toward hydrogen production for industrial use. The President is targeting his political opponents with these cuts, but the economic hurt of these decisions will be felt by everyone in our communities regardless of their politics.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)
Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries held a press conference on the Capitol steps, where he emphasized that President Trump and Republicans are shutting down the government because they refuse to provide the healthcare that the American people need.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Good afternoon, everyone. This is day two of Donald Trump’s shutdown, but it’s day 256 of the chaos that the Trump presidency has unleashed on the American people. Republicans have shut the government down because they don’t want to provide healthcare to working-class Americans. House Democrats continue to be here, on duty. House Republicans are on vacation. We are ready, we are willing, we are able to sit down with anyone, any time, any place, including the President and the Vice President, to try to find a path forward, to reopen the government, enact a spending agreement that actually meets the needs of the American people, while at the same time addressing the Republican healthcare crisis.
Unfortunately, Republicans have shown zero interest in even having a conversation. After the White House meeting on Monday, we’ve seen behavior by the President that is unserious and unhinged. And Leader Schumer and myself haven’t gotten a single phone call as it relates to a follow-up conversation. We are ready to have that conversation, but we need credible partners on the other side of the aisle. And Donald Trump and Republicans have made clear they wanted to shut down the government, they want to inflict pain on the American people, they continue to engage in their retribution efforts and they have zero interest, zero, in providing high-quality, affordable and accessible care to everyday Americans.