MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Angie Craig (MN-02)

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig released the following statement on her vote against the Republican-led National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

“For over six decades, the passage of the NDAA has been a bipartisan effort to protect our national security, support our veterans and servicemembers and ensure that the United States has the resources it needs to stay ahead.

“Unsurprisingly, House Republicans – who seem hell-bent on torpedoing any bipartisan negotiations this Congress – added last-minute provisions to the bill that target LGBTQ+ veterans and servicemembers.

“By introducing amendments that limit access to critical health care for servicemembers, veterans and their families; rubber stamp President Trump’s attacks on collective bargaining rights and allow arbitrary terminations of dedicated civil servants, they have made it impossible for me to support this bill.

“These provisions don’t make our country – or the people who put their lives on the line to defend it – safer. Instead, they put servicemembers, veterans and their loved ones at risk. I refuse to turn my back on those who work every day protect our freedoms.”

The NDAA passed the House with 214 Republican votes.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Angie Craig (MN-02)

Rep. Craig announced her bill today on MSNBC’s Morning Joe

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman John Garamendi – Representing California’s 3rd Congressional District

WASHINGTON, DC – This week, Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA-08), the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness, issued the following statement regarding today’s passage of the rule for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026:

“While I am proud of the work we’ve done, I cannot in good conscience support this year’s NDAA,” said Rep. Garamendi. “I am disappointed that my Republican colleagues have chosen the partisan path to empower President Trump’s authoritarian tendencies. I am alarmed at the bill’s erosion of fiscal discipline and constitutional boundaries. Programs like the nuclear Sentinel program have ballooned out of control, while taxpayer dollars are being spent to retrofit a luxury jet for President Trump. My concerns range from these programs being a waste of taxpayer dollars to blatant corruption.”

“I am also deeply concerned about the misuse of our military for immigration and law enforcement. President Trump has ordered deportation flights using C-17s and C-130s at ten times the cost of standard DHS flights. Not only is this wrong, it’s fiscally indefensible. These aircraft were built for combat, not domestic law enforcement.”  

“And this is not an isolated incident. President Trump has also misused our military by deploying 7,600 troops, including from some of our most combat-ready forces like the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) or 10th Mountain Division, to the southern border. These are some of our most prepared forces, and draining their readiness for political theater is reckless, dangerous, and leaves America less prepared for real emergencies.”  

“Taken together, these actions reveal a disturbing pattern. From Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles, President Trump has turned our military into a political weapon. And now, this bill hands him even more money to use the military for his own personal goals, marching our country towards a police state.”

“While I supported this bill in committee, working in a bipartisan way to address these and many other issues, the final version has been poisoned by Republican colleagues more interested in scoring political points than protecting our nation. Our defense policy should reflect accountability, readiness, and stewardship—not vanity projects, fiscal recklessness, or political grandstanding. For these reasons and more, I cannot in good conscience support this bill as amended.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman John Garamendi – Representing California’s 3rd Congressional District

WASHINGTON, DC — This week, Representative John Garamendi (D-CA-08), along with Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Rep. Greg Landsman (OH-01), demanded that the Trump Administration immediately reverse course on actions that jeopardize safety, environmental health, and labor protections for energy workers and the communities where they live.  

The full text can be found HERE.

“America cannot be energy independent without the workers who power it, yet Donald Trump is proving he’d rather side with corporations than the working class. Energy workers risk their lives every day, and their communities depend on strong protections for their health and safety,” said Congressman Garamendi. “Instead of strengthening these safeguards, Trump is tearing them down, putting workers, their families, and entire communities in danger. In my district alone, multiple refinery fires have already threatened lives, and his rollbacks make future disasters even more likely. Trump likes to call himself a friend of the working class, but if he truly cares, he should reverse course and stand with the energy workers who keep America running.”

“President Trump’s reckless agenda of defunding and deregulating federal agencies tasked with keeping Americans safe on the job is another reason his Administration is the most anti-worker administration since the Gilded Age. I am proud to join this effort with Congressman Garamendi to call on the President to reverse these policies that threaten the health and safety of workers and their communities across the country,” said Congressman DeSaulnier.

“These jobs are tough and often dangerous. Workers deserve strong protections so they can do their jobs safely, come home to their families, and know they’re shielded from sickness and injury. We’re fighting to make sure workers and their communities have the safeguards they need.” said Congressman Landsman.

“Thousands of USW members proudly serve their communities, helping our nation meet its energy needs,” said USW International President David McCall. “These vital workers, like all workers, deserve to remain safe on the job. Yet, the Trump administration’s continuing assault on the agencies tasked with upholding workers’ rights and maintaining workplace health and safety demonstrates a profound disrespect for energy workers and their security. We commend Rep. Garamendi for his efforts to shine a light on this crucial issue as we fight to keep energy workers safe and healthy.”

“American energy workers are powering our homes, fueling our economy, and bolstering our country’s energy independence,” said Jason Walsh, BlueGreen Alliance Executive Director. “But with the inherent dangers of this work—to both workers and communities—we have a responsibility to put strong, enforceable protections in place so that every worker can go home safe at the end of the day. The right to organize and bargain cannot be optional—unions save lives and they are essential to securing the standards this critical industry deserves.”

“Workplace protections have never been sufficient to protect coal miners from harm. Today, thousands of miners still suffer from black lung disease, a debilitating and deadly disease caused by overexposure to coal and rock dust during their careers,” said the Appalachian Citizens Law Center. “And yet, rather than address this occupational epidemic, the Trump Administration has been gutting the institutions that enforce health and safety measures in coal mines, develop new technology and processes to make coal mines safer, and help take care of miners once they are sick. Miners and their families deserve better. We’re grateful for members of Congress, like Representatives Garamendi, DeSaulnier, and Landsman, who are demanding explanations for these shameful actions.”

“The science is clear that workplace protections for energy workers are crucial to limit their exposure to harmful and dangerous conditions and could even be lifesaving,” said Chitra Kumar, former EPA EJ official and Climate and Energy Managing Director, Union of Concerned Scientists. “Just as low-income and communities of color are disproportionately exposed to toxic chemical facilities and polluting coal, oil and gas operations, workers in these industries also face serious health risks on the job. This administration’s disregard for workers who have served the country’s energy needs is on full display with the sweeping cuts to agency budgets and worker protection programs.”

Energy jobs—from oil and gas to coal and chemical refining—are often hazardous, and workers deserve strong safeguards. Unfortunately, the Trump administration has repeatedly taken steps that weaken these protections, including:  

• Slashing funding and operations at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, including ending black lung diagnostic services for coal miners.
• Attempting to dissolve the Chemical Safety Board, which investigates major industrial accidents.  
• Curtailing OSHA’s authority to enforce workplace protections in high-risk industries.  
• Issuing Clean Air Act waivers to refineries and coal plants on “national security” grounds, bypassing health standards, defunding EPA environmental justice programs, and cutting agency staff.  
• Undermining the National Labor Relations Board, leaving it largely unable to operate.  

The letter is endorsed by the United Steelworkers Union, the BlueGreen Alliance, the Union of Concerned Scientists, and the Appalachian Citizens Law Center.  

This letter was also signed by Representatives Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Greg Landsman (OH-01), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Betty McCollum (MN-04), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), Christopher Deluzio (PA-17), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Frank Mrvan (IN-01), Emilia Sykes (OH-13), Diana DeGette (CO-1), Kim Schrier (WA-08), Darren Soto (FL-09), Sam Liccardo (CA-16).

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Eric Swalwell (CA-15)

Washington, D.C. — Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced the appointment of Congressman Eric Swalwell (CA-14) as Ranking Member of the newly established Judiciary Select Subcommittee on January 6. 

The original January 6 Select Committee was created to conduct oversight into the causes and consequences of the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and to recommend measures that will protect Congress and American democracy from future threats. This subcommittee was created to re-write history in the service of a twice-impeached president. 

“I’m thankful to Leader Jeffries, and to my colleagues, Representatives Crockett and Moskowitz, for their eagerness to serve alongside me. Since the Civil War, the three most consequential days in American history have been Pearl Harbor, 9/11, and January 6. These days are so seared into our memories because we saw them with our own eyes,” said Rep. Eric Swalwell (CA-14).

“But Donald Trump is on a war path to rewrite that history. He has pardoned the insurrectionists, vilified the cops who defended us, attacked those who investigated him, and even forced the Smithsonian to whitewash the record.

“My father was a cop, my brothers are cops, and I was a prosecutor, but you don’t need a law enforcement background to know that in America, we don’t choose criminals over cops. 

“Trump is trying to do with January 6 what conspiracy theorists did with 9/11, deny the truth of what happened and create more division in our country. We didn’t buy those lies then, and we won’t buy them now, because we saw it with our own eyes. That much is simple. 

“As Ranking Member, my mission is clear: to honor the heroes of January 6 by protecting the truth, defending the rule of law, and ensuring this never happens again. This is not about partisanship, it’s about patriotism.”

Joining Congressman Swalwell on the January 6 subcommittee are Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, who will serve as an ex officio member, and Reps. Jasmine Crockett and Jared Moskowitz. 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose)

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee passed H.R. 5089, the Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025, during a full committee markup. This critical legislation, led by Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren and former SST Committee Chairman Frank Lucas, builds on the success of the committee’s Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017. It aims to further enhance the capabilities of the U.S. weather enterprise by modernizing essential research programs, advancing innovative forecasting and prediction methods, and improving emergency preparedness for communities nationwide.

“I’m glad that we came together to pass the Weather Act Reauthorization through Committee today,” Ranking Member Lofgren said. “This bipartisan bill will ensure NOAA has the tools, capabilities, and workforce to sustain and advance its lifesaving work. I thank both Chairman Babin and Mr. Lucas for their partnership in this effort over the past several years. Now, for our constituents in every corner of the nation, we must keep up this momentum and get this bill through the House, the Senate, and enacted into law.”

“The devastating flooding that struck Texas this summer highlights the urgent and often unpredictable nature of severe weather, reminding us that a single storm can alter lives in an instant,” Chairman Brian Babin said. “Accurate and timely weather forecasts are essential for effective preparation and response, ensuring that we are well-equipped to handle whatever nature brings. The Weather Act Reauthorization will significantly enhance our nation’s weather forecasting capabilities and improve the prediction of high-impact weather events. Additionally, it will bolster emergency preparedness by improving how weather and flood alerts are communicated, providing crucial information from warnings to updates. Many thanks to Rep. Lucas and Ranking Member Lofgren for their leadership in advancing H.R. 5089 and ensuring the United States is positioned to lead the world in weather forecasting. This is sensible legislation that I am proud to support, and I look forward to sending it to President Trump for signature.”

“From my time as the Science Committee Chairman to my time spent on the farm, I’ve seen firsthand that accurate and reliable weather forecasting is crucial for the day-to-day lives of Americans nationwide,” Rep. Lucas said. “The fact is, whether you work in Agriculture or on Main Street, weather conditions have an acute effect on all of us. That is why reauthorizing the Weather Act is so important. Not only will this legislation ensure the American weather enterprise remains a global leader in forecasting and innovation, but it also serves as a lifesaving tool to improve the accuracy and timeliness of weather predictions. Protecting American citizens and industries stands at the heart of President Trump’s America First agenda, so I look forward to seeing this bill reach his desk to be signed into law.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-42)

Today, Congressman Ken Calvert issued the following statement regarding the murder of Charlie Kirk:

“Charlie Kirk was murdered today because of his thoughts and beliefs. Today, like so many times before, Charlie was sharing those opinions with students on a college campus, having an open dialogue about America’s path forward. Our country was founded to provide people like Charlie, as well as anyone who might disagree with him, the right to stand in the public square and express themselves. I’m heartbroken that we, as a country, failed to protect Charlie’s liberties today. We have to do better. We have to be able to speak, listen, and disagree with our friends, neighbors, and fellow Americans without resorting to hatred and violence. My prayers are with Charlie’s wife Erika, his two small children, as well his family and friends who have lost an American patriot.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Scalise (1st District of Louisiana)

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined CBS News’ CBS Mornings following the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Leader Scalise stressed that Americans cannot turn to political violence, but instead should follow Charlie’s example and turn to civil debate and the ballot box.

Click here or the image above to view Leader Scalise’s full interview. 
On engaging in civil discourse:“It’s so sad for so many reasons. Charlie was somebody we all respected. Charlie was somebody that inspired young people, and not just young people, millions of people to get involved in politics, even people who didn’t agree with him. But it was partly because he did engage with people, as you mentioned, in discourse. Even if people disagreed with him, he wasn’t calling them names. He would engage and talk about the differences. We’ve got to get back to that. We cannot let what happened yesterday be the norm. Unfortunately, we’ve seen politics degrading, where some people feel if they disagree with you politically, they’ve got to try to go and eliminate those people. That is not what America is. We solve our differences at the ballot box. It’s just sad that what happened yesterday in Utah did happen. I sure support law enforcement in their efforts to catch the shooter, and I’m confident they will. But it’s just such a sad loss for our country.”On Leader Scalise’s personal experience with violence:“Yesterday was a tough day. I mean, as I’m processing what happened to Charlie, and he hadn’t passed away yet, but you could see from the videos that were out there, it was a bad shot. I’m praying for his family, and I think we all need to keep Charlie’s family, my gosh, that beautiful young family in our prayers. But then we had votes on the House floor, and we were on the House floor for about an hour and a half. It was hard to focus because my mind just kept going back to Charlie and his family.“Surely went back to 2017 and the shooting where a crazed gunman tried to kill me and about a dozen other members of Congress because of our political beliefs. You just don’t want, and this can’t be allowed to be acceptable. We all have to denounce what happened yesterday and all resolve to do better. Our friends that we know that maybe get more vitriolic. You can be angry about politics, but you don’t express that violently.”On denouncing political violence:“What we all need to do is, number one, recognize one of the greatest things in America is that we do have differences and that we can express them. There are countries where you can’t. You’ll be executed in the street for disagreeing with your government. So number one, celebrate the fact that we have differences and we can freely express them. And don’t allow anybody to try to threaten somebody, to try to physically attack somebody for their differences. And that’s not just all of us in politics. We clearly need to do better. I share that with my colleagues all the time. We’re going to have differences. Don’t make them personal. Don’t try to demonize. You almost make somebody a character, a meme, instead of a human being. That’s what we all are, and that’s what Charlie was.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Scalise (1st District of Louisiana)

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined Fox News’ Special Report with Bret Baier to discuss the horrific assassination of conservative leader Charlie Kirk. Leader Scalise highlighted Charlie’s enduring legacy and how he led by example – engaging in thoughtful discourse, never violence.

Click here or the image above to view Leader Scalise’s full interview. 
Excerpts from Leader Scalise’s interview: 
On the assassination of Charlie Kirk:“Sad day, a lot of anger, frankly. My prayers are with the family of Charlie. I mean, he’s got a wife, young kids, obviously, his parents, close friends. Charlie was such an inspirational person. I mean, you saw that brought thousands of people out on the college campus there at Utah Valley [University], would do that all around the country. And somebody who really talked about a civil discourse. Let’s go debate. You might think differently than me, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Let’s talk it out. And you just go prove your point. I’m going to talk about what I believe in. And that’s what America is about. And I think, Bret, that’s the biggest concern is that there are some people that think that political violence is a way to shut other people down. That is not what America is, and it can’t ever become that.”On condemning violence:“It’s clear that it was, as the governor depicted, a political assassination. When you have somebody at a distance on a rooftop, whether it was 200 yards away, but clearly a high-powered rifle in one shot, meaning they were intending to take out Charlie. It’s alarming. Again, it angers you, it disgusts you, but there’s no doubt that was the intention. We will find out more. I’m glad the FBI is working so closely with law enforcement, and they’re moving swiftly to get answers and ultimately to bring those responsible to justice.“Well, the message should be, number one, let’s look in the mirror for sure. Everybody ought to know what makes our country great is that we do have political differences and we can express them. But how do you express them, Bret? You express them vocally. You can vote, by the way. Part of the most powerful way you can express differences is by voting. But violence is not the answer. Any kind of violence, whether it’s shooting, stabbing, hitting somebody, that’s not the way we resolve our differences. Everybody ought to denounce that, Bret. I think that’s the first thing we all should do is denounce what just happened to Charlie Kirk, regardless of what you think of his politics, that nobody should think that’s okay. For anybody who’s thinking of doing something like that, go just check what the foundation in this country is really about, and it’s not that.”On Charlie’s legacy:“He’s a one of one. Charlie was an inspirational person. Charlie was a visionary. Charlie really saw as a student, he recognized as a student on a college campus that something’s going wrong on college campuses where they’re trying to indoctrinate, not educate people. Ultimately, he walked away from that because he didn’t feel like it was worth his time to stay there. He wanted to go and do something about it. That’s when he started Turning Point USA. He actually started a movement. How many young people do that? Not many. Takes a very special person, frankly, a person that is able to inspire other people, which Charlie did, to bring people into that movement. He brought them first by the tens and then by the hundreds and ultimately by the thousands in campuses all across this country. Charlie’s gone, and it’s going hurt all of us. But his legacy will never be forgotten. We can’t let that movement die because it’s so important that young people feel attached to what they believe in and not be afraid to express it, whether it’s on a college campus or supporting a candidate of their choice.”