MIL USHOR-2b Engine

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

“If we don’t take this step, trust me, no town is safe. No county is safe. No state is safe from political retaliation by the administration.” 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Josh Harder (CA-10)

Scientific frontier has outgrown decades-old model for funding medical research and discovery

New “X-Labs” Initiative brings high-risk, high-reward research model to NIH for first time ever

WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Josh Harder (CA-09) announced new landmark legislation to supercharge medical breakthroughs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by transforming how the world’s top science agency invests in research. Led with Rep. Jay Obernolte (CA-23), Harder’s Launching X-Labs for Breakthrough Science Act brings a proven startup model of high-risk, high-reward scientific exploration to NIH for the first time ever, unlocking hundreds of millions of dollars for ambitious medical research.

American science is key to our productivity and success. NIH pioneered the polio vaccine, chemotherapy, and the Human Genome Project and has saved countless lives while ensuring America is the world leader in science and health care. But America is now falling behind – breakthroughs are slowing down and foreign competitors like China and Australia are speeding up because NIH is still using the same processes it’s used for 75 years. The vast majority of NIH grants are awarded to small, low-risk, university-based investigators with little collaboration and minimal equipment. Moreover, our top scientists are spending more than half their time filling out paperwork instead of developing science in a lab. 

“American science is losing its edge because we don’t invest in the risks necessary for modern breakthroughs,” said Rep. Harder. “We have to reinvent how we do innovation. We should learn from the proven startup science model and start giving higher-risk, higher-reward efforts the backing they need. Our families and our economy are depending on us.”

Alternative scientific funding models have shown that models that fund teams, not projects can produce groundbreaking results. Likewise, the National Science Foundation (NSF) is actively experimenting with this approach right now. Harder’s Launching X-Labs for Breakthrough Science Act helps the NIH take advantage of these innovations and will cut the red tape holding back American science while strengthening our scientific leadership and accelerating discoveries. The bill establishes the “X-Labs” Initiative, a four-part funding series at NIH:

1. Foundational Discovery (XL01) – Funding independent research organizations that produce new and major scientific discoveries.
2. Toolbuilding (XL02) – Research focused on identifying gaps in tools and infrastructure used in scientific discovery.
3. Biomedical Regranting (XL03) – Empowering scientific scouts to spot promising biomedical research.
4. New Institutions (XL04) – Seeding new institutions at the forefront of future scientific research.

Grants under XL01 through XL03 would receive $10-50 million every year for seven years, and grants under XL04 would seed new institutions with $1-5 million for up to three years. Here’s what the “X-Labs” Initiative would look like in practice:

• Discovering not just hundreds of thousands of potentially new materials, but identifying the manufacturing needs of the future right now.
• Unlocking the best-performing microbes for testing new medical theories that have been locked behind decades of research requirements.
• Supercharging the search for the next ten most promising solutions to biomedical bottlenecks.
• Building the runway that a future research team will use to develop new cancer therapies.

“Innovation thrives when researchers have the long-term support they need to explore groundbreaking ideas,” said Rep. Obernolte. “The X-Labs Initiative will empower institutions across the country to take on high-risk, high-reward projects that can transform human health. I’m proud to co-lead this effort to strengthen America’s scientific leadership and accelerate discoveries that will improve lives for generations to come.”

The Institute for Progress strongly endorses the Launching X-Labs for Breakthrough Science Act as an investment in institutional innovation for American science that will help ensure the U.S. remains the global leader in scientific discovery.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bruce Westerman (AR-04)

A big topic of discussion across Congress as of late is the upcoming deadline on the Continuing Resolution that was passed in November which reopened the government after the historic shutdown. As January 31st looms closer and closer, it is incredibly important to work efficiently in order to pass the remaining appropriations packages so that Congress can get back to funding the government through the regular order process.

One of Congress’ primary functions is to act as the purse-holder for our nation’s finances. This means we have the ability to determine how our taxpayer dollars will be spent. It is important to steward American’s hard-earned tax dollars to the best of our ability.

It’s just plain, common sense that if you are given someone else’s money, it should be spent in a fiscally responsible way. When Congress continues to kick the can down the road every year when it comes to crafting our nation’s budget, we are not doing our job to take care of what American taxpayers have trusted us with.

This week, the House voted to pass three more appropriations bills through a minibus bill – meaning all three individual pieces of legislation were packaged together under one vote. This is oftentimes done in order to efficiently pass funding bills when there is a quickly approaching deadline. 

By passing the Commerce Justice Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, House Republicans have secured further funding for our programs that assist law enforcement in addressing the opioid crisis, illegal immigration, and other vital legislation that protects our communities.

Through the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act passage, funds have been allotted to safeguard our national security, unleash American energy dominance, and advance economic competitiveness. 

And with the passage Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, House Republicans are further committing to unleash American energy, ensure access to public lands, promote the reversal of harmful Biden-era rules that hamstrung farmers and industries, and restore agency funding levels.

With six down and six more to go, the House’s vote on this week’s Appropriations package was an excellent step in the right direction toward passing a complete Fiscal Year 26 Budget. It’s been far too long since Congress has passed the entire federal budget through the regular order process and unfortunately this broken system of Continuing Resolutions and government shutdowns has become the expected. It’s time to put that era to an end once and for all. 

House Republicans are determined to bring sanity back to the budget process in the 119^th Congress, and I’m hopeful that as we near our deadline at the end of this month, we can take one step further on the road to fiscal sanity.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA)

SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-07) released the following statement after SMUD Chief Executive Officer and General Manager Paul Lau announced that he would be retiring after almost 45 years at SMUD. 

“Paul Lau has led an extraordinary chapter for SMUD and for the Sacramento region,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “Paul has been a trusted partner and a dear friend. Throughout his tenure, he helped ensure that Sacramento families and businesses could count on reliable power at some of the lowest rates in California, while positioning our region as a national leader in clean energy innovation. His leadership of SMUD’s Zero Carbon Plan set an ambitious standard for what is possible when we take climate change seriously and invest in our communities at the same time.”

“I’ve been proud to work alongside Paul to identify our energy needs and to deliver federal investments that strengthened our grid and helped people across the Sacramento region,” Matsui continued. “Sacramento is truly stronger because of Paul’s service. I wish Paul and his family all the best in this next chapter.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Aumua Amata (Western Samoa)

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is reminding U.S. nationals from American Samoa that under current U.S. and state laws they absolutely cannot vote in elections outside of American Samoa unless they personally become U.S. citizens before voting. 

“It’s incredibly important to not become confused over this: U.S. nationals cannot vote outside our elections in American Samoa. Even if the poll workers do not stop you from voting, and you have a state driver’s license, it’s still not allowed, and can lead to huge legal problems,” said Congresswoman Amata. “If you want to vote in the United States, you must become a citizen first, even if you’ve lived in a U.S. community for many years.”

“Until we are certain that we have widespread 100 percent awareness of this fact, it’s helpful to have a reminder to be sure the word is out, and protect friends and family from a legal nightmare. It’s very important to make sure your graduating high schoolers who are still U.S. nationals know this clearly when they turn 18 and potentially go away to jobs and college,” Aumua Amata continued. “For those choosing citizenship, I have a bill to help that process for U.S. nationals, but nationals risk prosecution by voting in any state that requires U.S. citizenship to be eligible to vote, unless state law were to expressly provide that U.S. nationals also may vote in that state’s elections.”

Amata has introduced the American Samoa Statutory Nationality and Citizenship Act (H.R. 6158) to help individual U.S. nationals more readily transfer into U.S. citizenship as a personal choice, while not affecting American Samoa’s current status, which for over 125 years has protected the family land and chiefly (matai) systems within the traditional fa’a Samoa (Samoan way). 

The bill protects both collective self-determination for American Samoa and the individual rights of U.S. nationals, by enabling elective United States citizenship for individuals, and she will be posting more information about the bill in the months ahead. 

“I am saddened by the voting case in Alaska, and I hope the wonderful people of Alaska, where I’ve visited many times, will be forgiving of this mistake by the local U.S. nationals in their community,” Amata concluded. “Rather, I hope that this can become an educational moment, that the Lord can ‘work together for good’ by preventing future problems through public awareness while restoring our people in Alaska with compassion.” 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Frank Pallone (6th District of New Jersey)

Washington, DC — Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) has secured $1 million in federal funding for public safety improvements in Carteret as part of the Fiscal Year 2026 Appropriations bill.

“These upgrades will give Carteret’s police officers and first responders better tools to communicate quickly and effectively in emergency situations,” Pallone said. “Reliable, modern communications equipment is essential to public safety, especially in a community with major transportation corridors and industrial activity. This funding will help local officials respond faster and work more seamlessly with neighboring agencies when it matters most.”

The funding will support upgrades to Carteret’s law enforcement communications infrastructure, including improvements to closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems, mobile data laptops for patrol vehicles, and emergency call boxes. The investment will enhance situational awareness for officers in the field and improve the Borough’s ability to share information during emergencies, supporting both routine policing and large-scale incident response.

“We look forward to this congressional appropriations bill becoming law and are grateful to Congressman Pallone for securing this necessary funding to update critical infrastructure and equipment within our police department. This much needed support will work toward enhancing our ability to keep Carteret residents safe,” said Mayor Dan Reiman.

Community Project Funding allows members of Congress to direct federal resources to critical local priorities. Pallone requested this funding to address Carteret’s need for modernized public safety technology and to ensure local first responders have the tools necessary to protect residents and visitors alike.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Gregory W Meeks (5th District of New York)

Washington, D.C. – Today, Representatives Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Joaquin Castro, Ranking Member of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, and Greg Stanton, sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio strongly opposing the Trump administration’s threats to undertake unilateral military action in Mexico without Mexico’s consent and congressional authorization. 72 House Democrats joined the effort.
 
“Any unilateral U.S. military action inside Mexico without Mexico’s consent would destroy trust, eviscerate cooperation with Mexican authorities, and make it harder to keep drugs out of the communities we represent,” the lawmakers write.
 
The letter comes one day after President Donald Trump told Sean Hannity on Fox News, “We are going to start now hitting land with regard to the cartels.”

The full letter is here and below.

Dear Secretary Rubio,

We write to strongly oppose the unauthorized use of military force in Venezuela and threats from the President and administration officials alluding to U.S. military action inside Mexico without Mexico’s consent and without congressional authorization.

President Trump has falsely claimed he could legally order military action against Mexico without congressional authorization. In a January 3, 2026, interview with Fox News after the illegal strikes against Venezuela, President Trump asserted that “the cartels are running Mexico…we have to do something.” When asked in a December 9, 2025, interview with Politico whether he would consider taking action in Mexico, he replied “Sure. I would.” Unilateral military action against Mexico would be disastrous.

Mexico is America’s number one trading partner and critically important security partner with whom we share longstanding familial and border connections. Under President Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico has dramatically increased its cooperation with the United States. Any unilateral military action would violate Mexico’s sovereignty, and tarnish the new era of cooperation that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has ushered in.

The impacts of military action on American business interests would be far-reaching. U.S. foreign direct investment into Mexico surpassed $14.5 billion last year. More than one million American jobs are tied to cross-border commerce, and over five million U.S. jobs depend on commerce with Mexico.

Military action would also undermine our decades-long effort to address shared security interests, particularly those posed by transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) that traffic guns, illicit drugs, people, and more across the U.S. border. Over the past 20 years, the United States has launched programs to support progress in areas that have a high impact in fighting the fentanyl supply chain: strengthening the rule of law, limiting precursor chemicals, combatting corruption, limiting financial flows, and strengthening port-of entry enforcement. Last February, Mexico extradited 29 individuals sought by the United States for alleged cartel ties—one of the largest extraditions in the country’s history. In August, Mexico again transferred 26 inmates suspected of holding senior roles in some of the nation’s most powerful drug cartels, marking the second major extradition of the year.

No doubt Mexico still faces political and rule-of-law challenges that threaten its progress. Yet, with renewed efforts of President Sheinbaum’s government, Mexico has bolstered intelligence for fighting organized crime; significantly reduced homicide levels; overseen the largest seizure of fentanyl in Mexico’s history; and worked with the legislature to ban the production, distribution, and acquisition of fentanyl and its precursor chemicals.

U.S. policy should recognize this renewed progress and that our bilateral cooperation with Mexico is increasing enforcement capacity and getting results.

Any unilateral U.S. military action inside Mexico without Mexico’s consent would destroy trust, eviscerate cooperation with Mexican authorities, and make it harder to keep drugs out of the communities we represent.

At a time when we need to build trust and work with our allies in the face of global competition, we urge the Administration not to undertake unilateral, kinetic action that could violate Mexico’s sovereignty, increase the flow of migration as Mexicans seek safety, disrupt business that supports large swaths of the U.S. economy, or undermine the security progress we have made together. We ask you to commit to no unilateral U.S. military action inside Mexico without congressional authorization.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Gregory W Meeks (5th District of New York)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (3rd District of Ohio)

WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today, U.S. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) issued the following statement regarding the passage of Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credit extension in the House of Representatives:

“Today I proudly joined House Democrats to enthusiastically vote YES to extend the ACA tax credits, taking a monumental step forward in the fight to protect affordable health care for Ohioans and all Americans.”

“Let’s be clear: House Republicans fought us every step of the way in passing this bill and protecting health care. However, House Democrats prevailed, in spite of Republican-led efforts to sink this major health care win for Americans.”

“Now that the bill has achieved passage in the House, it is en route to the Senate for vote. I encourage Ohioans and all who depend on affordable health care to participate in your democracy by ensuring your elected representatives know where you stand on the extension of these credits.”

“These crucial tax credits lift the financial burden of health care for so many members of our valued Columbus community–especially the most vulnerable and marginalized among us: our elders, disabled people, kids, and other neighbors, depend on health care that doesn’t break the bank.”

“Without this extension, Affordable Care Act enrollees in Ohio could see their health insurance premiums skyrocket. Nationally, 1 in 4 ACA Marketplace enrollees say they will likely go uninsured if their costs doubled – this means people remain sick and some will die; leaving families to face impossible decisions regarding the health of their loved ones.”

“There’s still time not only for this vote but for open enrollment to secure affordable health care.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (3rd District of Ohio)

WASHINGTON D.C. — Today, U.S. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) released the following statement after Congresswoman Julia Brownley (CA-26) announced she will not seek another term in the House of Representatives:

“Congresswoman Julia Brownley is a leader guided by integrity and purpose and a relentless advocate for communities across Southern California.

From her early service on a local school board, where she fought to ensure students with disabilities were supported, to her work in the California State Assembly and the United States Congress, Julia has built a career grounded in compassion, persistence, and a steadfast belief in public service. She has never lost sight of who government is meant to serve.

Julia is my classmate, dear friend and a proud founding member of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, Julia has been a fierce and effective champion for women veterans. She helped lead the fight to address the unique and often overlooked challenges they face, including her leadership on the Female Veterans Suicide Prevention Act and the Deborah Sampson Act. Because of her work, women who served our nation are better supported and better protected.

On the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Julia focused on advancing federal investments that modernize critical infrastructure, create jobs, and drive economic growth across Southern California and the nation.

Julia is a trusted colleague and friend, and I have been honored to serve, travel and strategically plan alongside her. She will be missed in the House, and I wish her and her family every success and fulfillment in the next chapter ahead.”

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