MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)

WASHINGTON — The FY26 National Defense Authorization Act helps the United States confront international challenges to our core interests by enacting President Trump and House Republicans’ Peace Through Strength Agenda.

President Trump and House Republicans’ Peace Through Strength Agenda in the NDAA:

The FY26 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) strengthens America’s defenses and advances President Trump’s ‘Peace Through Strength’ agenda — codifying his executive orders, ending woke ideology at the Pentagon, securing the border, revitalizing the defense industrial base, and restoring the warrior ethos.

• Secures the border: Deploys the National Guard, expands counter-narcotics missions, and boosts DOD support to DHS.
• Improves family life: 3.8% pay raise, better housing, stronger healthcare, and expanded childcare.
• Modernizes defense: Accelerates new weapons, AI, drones, missile defense, and nuclear deterrence.
• Strengthens deterrence: Fully funds nuclear modernization and space capabilities to outpace China and Russia.
• Ends wokeism: Eliminates DEI and CRT programs, restores merit-based promotions, and bans race-based admissions at service academies.

Building the Most Modern and Lethal Fighting Force in the World:

The FY26 NDAA equips America’s military with the strength to deter any adversary:

• Ships: New submarines, destroyers, and a Ford-class aircraft carrier.
• Aircraft: Dozens of new F-35’s and F-15EX’s, plus next-gen F-47 and F/A-XX programs.

• Munitions: $15B for missiles, rockets, and artillery to rebuild the arsenal.
• Technology: $142B for hypersonics, AI, drones, quantum computing, and space systems.

Building on the Working Families Tax Cut:

Earlier this year, President Trump signed into law the Working Families Tax Cut — the most pro-worker, pro-family economic package in decades. On top of tax relief and lower prices, it also delivered historic investments to strengthen America’s defenses:

• $150B for military modernization.
• $100B for border security, detention, deportations, and 10,000 new ICE agents.
• Major surge in U.S. defense production to rebuild the industrial base and onshore supply chains.

The FY26 NDAA builds on this foundation ensuring America has both the economic strength and the military power to deter our enemies and protect our interests worldwide.

The Bottom Line:

China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are testing America’s resolve. Under President Trump, the U.S. is rebuilding strength, restoring deterrence, and proving America will not back down.

The FY26 NDAA ensures our forces can deter any adversary and keeps the U.S. military the most capable in the world.

President Trump and House Republicans promised peace through strength. The FY26 NDAA delivers it.

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

September 11, 2025

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Congressmen Sean Casten (IL-06) and Jared Huffman (CA-02), Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee, sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin urging EPA to stop approvals and operations for carbon capture and storage (CCS) facilities until ongoing systemic problems have been addressed.

Recent events regarding CCS, including substantial well failures at the Archer Daniels Midland injection well facility in Decatur, Illinois, and a pattern of well failures and non-compliance at injection wells in Texas, demonstrate regulatory gaps that threaten underground sources of drinking water and warrant immediate EPA action. The events bring to light systemic problems with CCS technology and its regulation.

“On August 13, 2025, EPA issued an Administrative Order on Consent to Archer Daniels Midland for these violations, confirming that injected CO2 and brine migrated into an unauthorized underground formation,” the lawmakers wrote. “While the order acknowledges breaches of core safeguards, it imposes no penalties, does not suspend ADM’s permit, and leaves in place the weak rules that allowed this incident to occur. This underscores the urgent need for EPA to strengthen its Class VI oversight, update regulations, and halt additional injections until it can ensure such leaks will not endanger drinking water.”

The lawmakers expressed further concern about EPA’s oversight of CCS injection wells and urged EPA to stop approvals and operations until it is clear that the systemic problems have been addressed.

“We stand ready to work with EPA to safeguard our drinking water and public health,” the lawmakers continued. “The ADM order makes clear that current safeguards are insufficient to prevent dangerous CO2 migration, even under direct EPA oversight. Without stronger rules, robust enforcement, and adequate staffing, approving or operating additional Class II and Class VI wells risks repeating these failures and putting drinking water supplies at grave risk.”

A copy of the letter can be found here. Text of the letter can be found below.

Dear Administrator Zeldin:

We write to express our serious concerns regarding the adequacy of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) oversight of underground injection control (UIC) wells used for carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). Recent events, including the substantial well failures at the Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) Class VI injection well facility in Decatur, Illinois, and a pattern of well failures and non-compliance at Class II injection wells in Texas, demonstrate regulatory gaps that threaten underground sources of drinking water and warrant immediate EPA action. The events highlight systemic issues with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology and its regulation, raising serious concerns about the safety and viability of CCS.

On August 13, 2025, EPA issued an Administrative Order on Consent to Archer Daniels Midland for these violations, confirming that injected CO2 and brine migrated into an unauthorized underground formation. While the order acknowledges breaches of core safeguards, it imposes no penalties, does not suspend ADM’s permit, and leaves in place the weak rules that allowed this incident to occur. This underscores the urgent need for EPA to strengthen its Class VI oversight, update regulations, and halt additional injections until it can ensure such leaks will not endanger drinking water.

ADM Decatur Leak and Abandoned-Well Failures

In March 2024, ADM identified a subsurface CO2 leak from its Illinois Class VI injection well facility caused by corrosion at a monitoring well.This followed years of monitoring equipment failures, dating back to 2020. In October 2024, ADM reported a second subsurface leak connected to another monitoring well. Concerns have been raised that other existing wells in the vicinity of the well failures could serve as vectors for the migration of CO2 into Lake Decatur, the primary source of drinking water for 80,000 people in central Illinois.

EPA notified injection well applicants in June 2024 that steel commonly used by the industry is prone to corrosion in the presence of CO2, but did not take steps to notify the public about the leak and threats to drinking water sources. It was ultimately media reports that made the public aware of these concerns, which surfaced five months after the leak was disclosed and two months after EPA notified pending permit applicants.

Broader Texas Class II Noncompliance

Following the public reporting regarding the ADM facility, EPA was made aware of well failures throughout Texas in an October 2024 letter highlighting:

• a sudden increase in significant non-compliance violations starting in 2011;

• and a higher percentage of Class II CO2 injection wells failing one or more mechanical integrity tests relative to other Class II wells.

Class II wells make up thousands of potential injection sites across the country used to extract oil by injecting CO2 deep into these formations. The practice of injecting CO2 into these wells carries many of the same risks associated with Class VI wells used for CCS; however, the regulations governing Class II wells are less stringent, posing an even greater risk of leaks.

Staffing and Programmatic Cuts at EPA

The Republican congressional leadership is moving forward with plans to cut EPA’s budget by 23%, on top of 3,700 staff who are no longer working at EPA since January of this year. These cuts raise grave concerns about EPA’s ability to comply with its mandate to protect human health and the environment. These cuts, moreover, compound specific concerns we have regarding EPA’s ability to effectively provide oversight and accountability for the UIC program, including ensuring compliance by states that have primacy over Class VI and Class II injection wells.

Concerns with Well Blowouts

Due to changes in the tax code under the recent budget bill, which increased subsidies for the use of CO2 for oil extraction, there are significant concerns with the potential impacts of CO2 well blowouts, uncontrolled releases of CO2 from Class II and Class VI wells, particularly in areas with a long history of oil drilling. Just as with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (3.19 million barrels over 87 days) and the Aliso Canyon methane blowout (109,000 metric tons from October 2015 to February 2016), CO2 wells can catastrophically fail.

CO2 blowouts pose particular risks due to the rapid expansion of supercritical CO2 that would occur during a blowout, as well as the extreme temperatures and pressures present in CO2 wells. Given the thousands of legacy oil and gas wells, especially along the Gulf Coast, we are concerned that a major CO2 blowout, with uncontrolled releases far from an injection site, could threaten the safety of nearby communities if the blowout reaches the surface.

Moratorium on CO2 Injections

We urge EPA to exercise its broad authority to protect sources of drinking water from “imminent and substantial endangerment” under the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. §300i) by:

• halting approval of Class II and Class VI wells;

• halting approval of primacy applications;

• directing existing injection well operators to cease injections;

• directing states with primacy to ensure compliance with this EPA objective; and

• keeping these restrictions in place until such time that EPA is able to:

  • ensure that CO2 is not leaking from wells;

  • update regulations to ensure that the integrity of injection well operations is sufficient to protect drinking water sources; and

  • ensure adequate staffing to provide direct oversight of injection wells to ensure protection of drinking water sources.

We also ask that you respond to the following questions by November 1 in order to allow Congress to provide resources to EPA in the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations legislation to ensure adequate protection for drinking water sources from the injection of CO2:

• How has EPA changed permitting of Class II and Class VI wells in light of the deficiencies discovered at the ADM facility?

• How has EPA revised its permit-review protocols and state primacy-application evaluations to prevent similar oversights in states with extensive oil-and-gas histories, including Texas, Louisiana, West Virginia, and Alaska?

• How was a permit issued to ADM without accurate subsurface mapping, and what steps has EPA taken to require comprehensive historical-well surveys prior to permit approvals?

• Given that steel used in existing wells is prone to corrosion, what steps has EPA taken to ensure that well equipment at existing Class II and Class VI wells is not corroding and posing a threat to drinking water?

• What steps has EPA taken to ensure that injection well operators are not using steel that is prone to corrosion in CO2 injection wells?

• Given that standard monitoring equipment was unable to detect a second leak at the ADM injection site, how has EPA changed monitoring protocols to ensure detection of future leaks?

• Is EPA aware of other leaks or well failures at Class II or Class VI wells?

• Why did EPA fail to notify the public about the leak, even while it notified the industry of issues with corrosion of steel in injection wells?

• What steps has EPA taken to ensure that states with primacy over Class II and Class VI wells are updating monitoring, oversight, and permitting in light of revelations from the Texas and ADM well failures?

• To what extent are staff positions responsible for the monitoring, reporting, and verification of CO2 injection wells no longer filled at EPA headquarters and regional offices?

• Can you provide an assessment of staffing changes within EPA’s UIC and SDWA enforcement offices over the past five years?

• Can you provide an evaluation of how resource constraints have affected permit reviews, inspections, and enforcement actions at EPA in general and for the UIC program specifically?

• What analyses or modeling has EPA conducted or is planning to conduct to quantify the likelihood and potential consequences of CO2 well blowouts in various environments?

• What steps does EPA take to ensure that if a catastrophic blowout were to occur, well operators would be able quickly to identify and plug the well and prevent drinking water contamination?

We stand ready to work with EPA to safeguard our drinking water and public health. The ADM order makes clear that current safeguards are insufficient to prevent dangerous CO2 migration, even under direct EPA oversight. Without stronger rules, robust enforcement, and adequate staffing, approving or operating additional Class II and Class VI wells risks repeating these failures and putting drinking water supplies at grave risk.

We request a written response to each of the points above and look forward to your prompt engagement on this urgent matter. Please have your staff contact Nikki Roy (nikki.roy@mail.house.gov) on Rep. Casten’s staff with questions.

Sincerely,

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05)

• The implementation of stronger and more targeted sanctions aimed at crippling Dictator Putin’s regime.
• The acceleration of vital air defense systems, military aid, and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, ensuring they have the tools needed to defend their sovereignty and protect their citizens.
• Enhanced coordination and cooperation within NATO to bolster the security of Eastern European nations and to prevent future violations of alliance airspace.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (12th District of Michigan)

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-06) today introduced the HCBS Worker Protection Act, legislation that would enable independent provider home care workers to make deductions from their pay for typical employment benefits. This bill strikes language from the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” that would prohibit Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) workers from being able to make deductions from their own pay for health insurance, skills training, union dues, charity contributions, and other employment benefits that other workers enjoy. 

“Expanding access to home care is critical. We know that the majority of people who require long-term care would prefer to receive it in the comfort of their homes and communities where they can live with dignity and independence,” Dingell said. “In order to expand home and community-based care, we must support the workers who provide these crucial services. We cannot expect people to do this work if we deny them the benefits they would receive if they worked for another employer. This bill would help improve pay and benefits for HCBS providers and strengthen the workforce.”  

This bill is endorsed by Caring Across Generations, AFSCME, SEIU, National Domestic Workers Alliance, and National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals.

“Home care workers nationwide have long organized for fair pay, benefits, and the freedom to support themselves while caring for seniors and people with disabilities,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. “As they continue to fight for dignity and respect on the job, the so-called ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ goes out of its way to target this predominantly women- and women-of-color workforce by blocking them from making voluntary paycheck deductions — a basic right most other workers can exercise freely. Rep. Dingell’s HCBS Worker Protection Act of 2025 would strike this unfair and discriminatory measure and protect providers’ hard-fought freedoms. Congress should not tell home care workers how to spend their own paychecks, and we are proud to support this bill.”

“Home care workers do the essential work that keeps our families safe and our communities running. But instead of honoring that work, Republicans in Congress have targeted them with yet another attack—this time through the OBBBA – which blocks these workers from making voluntary paycheck deductions to support their union,” said Leslie Frane, Executive Vice President, SEIU. “This restriction strips them of a fundamental right all workers deserve: the freedom to build a strong union and advocate for better conditions. It’s a move rooted in a long history of systemic racism against a workforce made up largely of women of color and immigrants. Rep. Dingell understands that striking down the harmful restriction is critical to ensuring care workers have the freedom to come together, speak out, and build their union. This isn’t just about paycheck logistics — it’s about dignity, stability, and having a real voice to improve their lives and the care they provide.”

“Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS) are a lifeline for families across the country. The quality of this care depends on being able to appropriately compensate the qualified, compassionate workforce who cares for our loved ones,” said Ai-jen Poo, President of the National Domestic Workers Alliance. “We applaud the introduction of the HCBS Worker Protection Act for taking an important step towards ensuring the care workers who provide these critical services to our aging and disabled family and community members are paid accordingly. Our care workforce deserves the dignity of a living wage and families deserve the peace of mind knowing their loved ones are receiving the care they need.”

“This bill does something that historically our country has not, recognizing the value of direct care workers and the support that they need to care for those who need it,” said Joseph Macbeth, CEO of the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals. “Given the massive cuts to Medicaid passed in July, and the major impact that will have on this workforce, this legislation is an imperative for direct care workers and the people with disabilities who rely on them.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

Know Your Immigration Rights

If you or a loved one encounter immigration enforcement officials, it is essential that you know your rights and have prepared your household for all possible outcomes.

Ask for a warrant: The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution protects you from unreasonable search and seizure. You do not have to open your door until you see a valid warrant to enter your home or search your belongings.

Your right to remain silent: The Fifth Amendment protects your right to remain silent and not incriminate yourself. You are not required to share any personal information such as your place of birth, immigration status or criminal history.

Always consult an attorney: You have a right to speak with an attorney. You do not have to sign anything or hand officials any documents without speaking to an attorney. Try to identify and consult one in advance.

The New York City Office of Civil Justice and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) support a variety of free immigration legal services through local nonprofit legal organizations. To access these resources, dial 311 and say “Action NYC,” call the MOIA Immigration Legal Support Hotline at 800-354-0365 Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. or visit MOIA’s website.

Learn more here: KNOW YOUR IMMIGRATION RIGHTS  – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

Yesterday, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke on the House Floor to call for a Conference Committee on a spending agreement that meets the needs of the American people and make clear that House Democrats will not vote for legislation that harms the American people.

LEADER JEFFRIES: From the very beginning of this Congress, Democrats have made clear that we are willing to work with anyone in this town who is committed to lowering the high cost of living. America is too expensive and far too many people in this country are working hard and playing by the rules, but they’re unable to get ahead and can barely get by. And yet, what we’ve seen from this Congress is that our colleagues on the other side of the aisle have consistently made life harder for everyday Americans. That’s what the One Big Ugly Bill was all about. Hurt everyday Americans in order, Mr. Speaker, to reward billionaire donors with massive tax breaks. Why was this done? The One Big Ugly Bill rips healthcare away from millions of Americans. Hospitals, nursing homes and community-based health clinics will close. And now the American people are confronting dramatic increases in healthcare premiums, co-pays and deductibles. America is already too expensive. President Trump and House Republicans are making things worse.

Democrats are prepared, under the leadership of Rosa DeLauro, to sit down any time, any place, to negotiate a bipartisan spending agreement that meets the needs of the American people in terms of their health, public safety and economic well-being. What Democrats will not do is support partisan spending legislation put forth by Republicans that continues to gut the healthcare of the American people. Enough is enough. We need to reverse the damage that has been done, not do more. The One Big Ugly Bill steals food from the mouths of hungry children, seniors and veterans. Why? Once again, to pay for massive tax breaks to Republican billionaire donors. Unacceptable and unconscionable. This motion to instruct will help ensure that in a conference between the House and the Senate, between Democrats and Republicans, we are actually protecting women, infants and children here in the United States of America. All over. In urban America, rural America, small town America, suburban America, ex-urban America and the heartland of America. The assault on the social safety net that Republicans have engineered this Congress, Mr. Speaker, has been completely and totally unacceptable, hurting everyday Americans and exploding the debt and the deficit at the same period of time.

Nothing has been done by this Republican-led Congress to lower the high cost of living. Donald Trump promised that costs would go down on day one. Costs haven’t gone down, they’re going up. Inflation is on the way up. Life has gotten more expensive. Electricity bills skyrocketing out of control and now healthcare premiums on the verge of increasing by thousands of dollars a year for 20 million Americans unless Republicans choose to join us and act with respect to the tax credits that will expire at the end of this year connected to the Affordable Care Act.

There is much work that needs to be done. And again, Democrats ready to sit down any time, any place, to work out a spending bill on a bipartisan basis that actually makes life better for the American people. But we will not allow this administration and the Republican Congress to continue to hurt everyday Americans. That’s why we strongly support this motion to instruct, and that is why we have made clear that under no circumstances will we support a partisan Republican spending bill that continues to rip away healthcare from the American people. Vote yes on this motion to instruct. And I yield back.

The full Floor speech can be watched here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Huffman Representing the 2nd District of California

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jim Costa Representing 16th District of California

WASHINGTON – Every day, 13 Americans die waiting for a lifesaving organ. To address this crisis, Representatives Jim Costa (D-CA) and Beth Van Duyne (R-TX), along with Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), introduced the Permanent OPTN Fee Authority Act. This bipartisan legislation modernizes the nation’s organ transplant system by ending outdated private financial control and placing it under direct and fully transparent federal oversight.
“As co-chair of the Organ and Tissue Transplantation Awareness Caucus, I know how critical it is that families waiting for a lifesaving organ can trust the system to be fair, transparent, and accountable. This bipartisan bill ensures that every dollar collected goes directly toward strengthening the network, improving outcomes, and giving patients the best possible chance at life,” said Congressman Costa.
“Two years ago, Congress took a much-needed, bipartisan step to reform the organ donation system, in particular by empowering the federal organization responsible for ensuring the system is safe and effective for donors and recipients. It’s now clear that additional authority is needed to make good on our goal of empowerment and independence. I’m proud to join my House colleagues in this effort, and I hope it can get signed into law soon on behalf of all Americans who expect our nation’s organ donation system to be the best in the world,” said Senator Wyden. 
“Patients and families deserve a system that they can trust, especially when it comes to organ transplantation,” said Congresswoman Van Duyne. “The Permanent OPTN Fee Authority Act will increase transparency and accountability in the transplant network. I am glad to join Rep. Costa and Senator Wyden on this bipartisan commonsense reform that will put patients first.”

BACKGROUNDFounded in 1984, the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) is a federal program under the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) that is responsible for coordinating all organ donations and transplants nationwide.
For 40 years, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) has been the sole contractor running the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). That included collecting fees from hospitals every time a patient was added to the transplant list.
This legislation would shift that authority to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), ensuring that registration fees are collected securely, managed openly, and reinvested to strengthen the nation’s transplant system. HRSA would use Pay.gov, a secure government platform, to collect fees and ensure the money is used directly to support the transplant system and improve outcomes for patients.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Diana DeGette (First District of Colorado)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Diana DeGette (CO-01) and Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (CA-02), released the following statement after the Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced a proposal to rescind President Biden’s Public Lands Rule which conserves and protects America’s public lands. 

“Donald Trump’s reckless ‘drill baby drill’ agenda is once again putting Colorado’s cherished public lands at risk,” Rep. DeGette said. “The Public Lands Rule preserves more of the nation’s public lands from the threat of future development, and by rescinding this rule, the Trump Administration is threatening the very landscapes that make our state special—and undermining years of progress—all to line the pockets of Big Oil and Gas. I will fight tooth and nail against this reversal and continue working to ensure that conservation remains at the heart of how we manage America’s public lands.” 

“Rescinding the Bureau of Land Management’s Public Lands Rule is the latest move in Trump’s calculated campaign to dismantle protections for America’s public lands,” Rep. Huffman said. “Days ago, his Interior Department quietly issued another order making it harder for BLM to buy land for public access and conservation. Now, they’re doubling down, handing 245 million acres over to oil, gas and mining interests behind closed doors and with no accountability. The Public Lands Rule was popular because it works. It put conservation on equal footing with energy development, grazing, and other uses, while strengthening outdoor recreation on lands that belong to every American. From California’s coastal monuments to Montana’s high plains, these landscapes are part of our natural heritage. Public lands are part of the solution to the climate crisis. They are not Trump’s to sell off. They belong to all Americans, and we’re not about to hand the keys over to the same polluters and profiteers who created this crisis. We will continue to fight to keep public lands in public hands.” 

Under the Biden Administration, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) finalized the Public Lands Rule to preserve more of the nation’s public lands from the threat of future development, improve land health by advancing restoration efforts, and create new restoration and mitigation leases. It also expanded the definition of “multiple use” to include ecological restoration and protection, ensuring the long-term health and resilience of public lands. 

Rep. DeGette has been a long-time steward of public lands protection and led several pushes to BLM to finalize the Conservation and Landscape Health rule. She and Rep. Huffman applauded the initial ruling from President Biden and BLM last April. 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23)

Every minute of warning could mean hundreds of fewer funerals. Accurate cones of impact allow more families to put smarter preparation and evacuation plans in place, and that’s exactly what NOAA provides for all of us. I’m so proud that my bipartisan amendment to protect NOAA’s current facilities in the face of devastating cuts passed in the committee. And I’ll fight to make it law.