MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11)

Washington, D.C. — Today, Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens introduced the Inclusion, Development, and Economic Advancement (IDEA) Act to protect minority-owned businesses from the Trump Administration’s efforts to dismantle the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA)—a move that threatens jobs, innovation, and Michigan’s economic progress.

Michigan is home to one of the nation’s largest and most diverse entrepreneurial communities, particularly in high-tech manufacturing, engineering, and small business development. MBDA partnerships and accelerator programs have helped Michigan companies scale production, reach new supply chains, hire local workers, and grow in emerging sectors like mobility and advanced manufacturing. Trump’s actions threaten that progress, and the IDEA Act ensures Michigan entrepreneurs don’t lose momentum.

The IDEA Act creates a statutory grant program to support business accelerators that expand access to capital, business networks, supply chains, and mentorship in underserved communities. Specifically, the bill will:

• Launch an MBDA accelerator grant program dedicated to serving minority-owned businesses

• Provide up to $1 million per accelerator for direct capital support through cash grants, networking programs that connect entrepreneurs to investors and innovation hubs, and other assistance approved by the Under Secretary of Commerce for Minority Business Development

• Require public transparency and reporting on the number of grants awarded and minority-owned businesses served

• Crack down on fraud by establishing penalties for knowingly misusing grant funds

“Let’s be clear: President Trump is turning his back on minority entrepreneurs—including right here in Michigan,” said Rep. Stevens. “Across our state, minority-owned businesses are creating jobs, fueling manufacturing, and building wealth for working families. The IDEA Act protects Michigan jobs, strengthens local supply chains, and invests in the small business owners who are the backbone of our communities.”
 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – ICYMI: Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens sounded the alarm about the mounting health care costs and groceries prices Michigan families are battling.

With critical health care subsidies set to soon expire, Stevens reiterated her concerns about Republican’s plans to raise health care costs, saying the consequences would be devastating.

Stevens pointed to her No Tariffs on Groceries Act as a way to reduce prices and ease pressure on families at the grocery checkout line.

WWMT:

• [Congresswoman Stevens] says lawmakers have to come up with an agreement soon.

• She’s worried about Michiganders having to keep up with inflation, with groceries getting more expensive. And she says health care will get even pricier if Republicans succeed in cutting health care.

• “Hundreds of thousands of Michigan residents are going to lose coverage and face higher costs… that’s going to create some long-term damage for Michigan.”

• The health care subsidies are set to expire after next Saturday, November 1st. Stevens says health care will get more expensive after that.

• She worries more people will start putting bills on credit cards, especially because the consumer price index isn’t being released, and inflation is still high.

• She says her No Tariffs on Groceries Act is designed to help folks.

WGTQ

• “There’s a lot at stake for Michigan during this shutdown. Too many hard-working people aren’t getting paid.”

• “Families are struggling to make ends meet.”

• Stevens says health care could also get more expensive, with tax subsidies set to expire November 1st.

• “People are going to be forced to put more bills on credit cards with high interest rates.”

• “People are going to be priced out of their health care, and that’s not right.”

• “We’ve got an administration and Republican leaders who, you know, don’t want to come to the table for everyday people.”

• “People are being hurt. We need a better deal.”

 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – ICYMI: Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens blasted President Trump and his Republican allies for their reckless shutdown tactics, which are putting federal workers and Michigan families at risk.

With the Republican shutdown stretching on, Rep. Stevens called on her colleagues to stand up to Trump’s reckless political games and make sure public servants are being compensated for their work, and raised alarm over skyrocketing health care costs for hardworking families in Michigan.

WLAJ:
 

• “It’s very frustrating to see a commander-in-chief who doesn’t care about paying federal workers—people who are working through a shutdown in this time. Trying to throw them away like yesterday’s trash is wholly unacceptable. We should be doing everything we can to ensure that people are compensated for their work and that their pocketbooks are protected.”

Bloomberg:
 

 

• “Look, I’ve done my part in the House, and I did vote alongside the people of Michigan and their pocketbooks.”

• “I’ll be very clear with you. We are in a health care crisis, and the responsibility of this moment is with the governing party, and what they are not doing is working in a very reasonable way with the other side of the aisle to keep the government funded…”

• “… the people who are paying the price are Michiganders.”

• “And I see this everywhere I go, the rising cost of food, that is grocery bills that are going on credit cards.”

• “700,000 Michiganders who are going to lose their health care when these Medicaid cuts go into effect, and notices that were given in the summer from this tax bill to Michiganders about their health care coverage and their benefits.”

• “And look, it’s not acceptable. People can’t afford more.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11)

Pontiac, MI  –  Today, Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens joined local leaders, students, and educators for the kickoff of Oakland County’s Manufacturing Day 2025 at the Oakland Schools Technical Campus in Pontiac. Stevens delivered remarks to students and chaperones before they departed for tours of leading manufacturers across the region.

During her remarks, Stevens celebrated National Manufacturing Day as an opportunity to honor Michigan manufacturers and showcase the career pathways available in the advanced manufacturing sector. She reminded students that Oakland County is at the heart of Michigan’s industrial strength and told them they would be visiting companies on the frontlines of developing technologies.

Congresswoman Stevens has been a steadfast champion of Michigan manufacturing She connected the day’s visits to her record in Congress, noting that one of her first acts was introducing the Building Blocks of STEM Act to expand opportunities for young people to explore science and engineering. She highlighted her role in helping pass the CHIPS and Science Act. Stevens also pointed to her Manufacturing Monday program, mirroring the student site visits, as a way she has stayed engaged with Michigan manufacturers and carried their voices back to Washington. Through these efforts, she has consistently worked to strengthen supply chains, create jobs, and ensure Michigan and America’s leadership in advanced manufacturing.

“Whether it’s securing our supply chains, supporting small and mid-sized manufacturers, or investing in the workforce, Michigan is leading the way,” said Rep Stevens. “Today’s Manufacturing Day shows the incredible potential of our students to carry forward our state’s proud legacy of innovation.”

Photo available for media use below. Videos for media use can be provided upon request.

 

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

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is requesting that the U.S. House of Representatives delay her paycheck until the federal government has reopened, to stand with all those awaiting paychecks. Her pay would not be restored until federal employees are being paid, military personnel are fully supported and certain to receive their next paychecks, and services to the people have resumed.

In the lengthy 2018 shutdown, Congresswoman Amata also requested her pay be held up until the shutdown was solved, by making a formal request to the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the House. The pay for Members of Congress is not subject to the shutdown, based on constitutional requirements to pay the Congress, so it is up to individual Members to take action to hold up their own pay in solidarity with the millions of Americans bearing the cost of the shutdown.

“I appreciate that some other Members of Congress are also making the decision to delay their pay in recognition of the shutdown’s cost to the people of the country, though most of us have high housing costs in the DC area,” said Congresswoman Amata. “We must stand with the many Americans who are not being paid due to the shutdown, and many others who face delays in having federal services processed or other uncertainties.”

“I continue to disagree with the Senate vote that shut down the federal government in the first place, as I believe that health care priorities, including those I support, are best solved with bipartisan dialogue while the government is open and at work for all Americans,” Amata continued. “I’m encouraged by some of the suggestions from Senate Majority Leader Thune to provide a path forward, such as the idea to pass pay for military and excepted federal employees who are still at work. I urge senators to continue negotiations with urgency, so that the government opens as soon as possible.”

Article I, Section 6 of the Constitution requires that “Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services,” and the 27th Amendment prevents changing their pay rate during the current Congress, stating, “No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.” 

Federal employees, whether working or furloughed, will receive back pay after the shutdown, required under the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019.

The House-passed clean funding through Nov. 21 would have maintained funding for seven weeks at the time it passed, but it did not pass the Senate. The House Appropriations Committee has also passed all 12 appropriations bills, and the Senate has completed work on eight of the 12 bills, providing points of agreement for negotiating the end of the shutdown.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (8th District of Illinois)

SCHAUMBURG, IL – After Florida politician Chandler Langevin—who recently called for the mass deportation of Indian Americans—attacked Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi’s name and heritage, calling him a “foreign occupier” in response to the Congressman’s earlier condemnation of his racist comments, Congressman Krishnamoorthi issued the following statement:

“It’s telling that rather than apologizing for calling for the mass deportation of Indian Americans, Mr. Langevin chose to double down with racist mockery. I was born in India, raised in Peoria, and elected by the people of Illinois—there’s nothing ‘foreign’ about standing up for my fellow Americans. Hate may be loud, but it will never drown out the values of decency and democracy that unite us.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (8th District of Illinois)

TAYLOR RIDGE, IL — This afternoon, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, visited a Taylor Ridge soybean and corn farm to hear directly from Illinois farmers about the devastating impacts of President Trump’s trade war and China’s retaliatory tariffs on their livelihoods, input costs, and local jobs. During today’s stop, hosted by the Bohnsack and VanDaele families, the Congressman toured the farm, discussed this year’s harvest and input prices with local producers, and outlined his recent letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins urging immediate, strategic action to protect Illinois agriculture from “the profound damage that President Trump’s trade war is inflicting on Illinois soybean farmers.” In the letter, he also called for urgent steps to mitigate PRC retaliation, stabilize farm income, and rebuild export channels.

“Illinois farmers don’t want aid, they want trade,” Congressman Krishnamoorthi said. “Yet it’s farmers paying the price for President Trump’s reckless, go-it-alone trade war that has wiped out our largest export market. Farmers don’t want one-time bailouts; they want markets, certainty, and a level playing field. I’m pressing the Trump Administration to open new export channels, strengthen income and risk management tools, and reaffirm that America’s farmers will not be sacrificed for President Trump’s geopolitical maneuvering.”

What Congressman Krishnamoorthi is pushing for

• Diversify and expand export markets in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
• Stabilize farm income through targeted support, strengthened crop-insurance and revenue-protection tools, and access to low-interest financing to bridge the current shock.
• Restore trust in U.S. trade reliability and secure a resolution that reopens durable market access for U.S. soybeans without undercutting farmers.

By the numbers

• Illinois produces 15% of all U.S. soybeans, generating about $7 billion in annual economic activity and supporting tens of thousands of jobs statewide.
• In 2024, Illinois exported $1.4 billion in soybeans to China; in 2025, that figure fell to zero after retaliatory tariffs.
• Foreign competitors, including Brazil and Argentina, have moved to lock in long-term supply contracts with China, threatening to permanently displace U.S. market share.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (8th District of Illinois)

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressmen Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) introduced a bipartisan resolution to recognize the historical and religious significance of Diwali. The Festival of Lights celebration, which began on Monday, October 20 this year, is celebrated throughout the U.S. by more than three million Americans of Indian descent, including Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs.

“Diwali celebrates the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil,” Congressman Krishnamoorthi said. “For the millions of Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains here in the U.S. celebrating with friends, family, and loved ones, it’s my hope that my bipartisan resolution honoring the cultural, religious, and historical significance of the Festival of Lights brings our communities together and inspires us to see the light in the world and overcome the challenges we face. Happy Diwali, and I hope everyone celebrating has a joyful and peaceful holiday.”

“Diwali speaks to something larger than any one tradition; it speaks to the enduring human belief that light will always conquer darkness, that truth will outlast fear, that unity is our strength, and that hope will endure,” Congressman Fitzpatrick said. “In Pennsylvania’s First District, we are proud to have three incredible Mandirs whose doors and hearts remain open to all, serving as critical community pillars of faith, service, and unity. This resolution honors not only a tradition that uplifts, unites, and endures, but the profound contributions of our Indian-American community to the strength of our district and our nation.”

The full text of the resolution is available here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (8th District of Illinois)

SCHAUMBURG, IL – Last week, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi visited Loretto Hospital in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood and River Bluff Nursing Home in Rockford to highlight how President Trump’s so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” is threatening health care for Illinois families. The law slashes $911 billion from Medicaid, risking coverage for more than 535,000 Illinoisans and putting hospitals, nursing homes, and clinics across the state in jeopardy.

During his visits, Congressman Krishnamoorthi met with health-care workers and administrators who described how shrinking reimbursements are already forcing tough decisions about patient care. At Loretto Hospital — where 83 percent of patients rely on Medicaid — staff warned that cuts could shutter maternal-health and mental-health programs. At River Bluff Nursing Home, caregivers said federal reductions could mean bed closures and longer waitlists for families seeking affordable elder care.

“The so-called ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ is a cruel betrayal of our seniors and working families — slashing Medicaid, jeopardizing hospitals, and threatening the care that keeps communities strong,” Congressman Krishnamoorthi said. “These cuts were made to bankroll tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans at everyone else’s expense. I’ll keep fighting to protect affordable, quality health care for every Illinoisan.”

Following the visits, major Illinois outlets from Chicago to Rockford covered the Congressman’s warning about Trump’s health-care cuts and his call to extend Affordable Care Act premium tax credits before they expire.

WHAT THEY’RE WATCHING

Chicago — Loretto Hospital:

 

Loretto Hospital in Austin braces for impact from Medicaid cuts: “May have to close these programs”

Loretto Hospital faces financial challenges as shutdown continues

Krishnamoorthi warns of impact of Medicaid cuts in Trump spending plan 

Rockford — River Bluff Nursing Home:

Congressman Krishnamoorthi highlights Medicaid importance at Illinois nursing home 

Krishnamoorthi warns of nursing home risks under Trump’s proposed bill 

WHAT THEY’RE HEARING

Chicago – Loretto Hospital 

Congressman Krishnamoorthi discussed the urgent need to extend ACA tax credits and repeal Trump’s health-care cuts, reaching more than 150,000 listeners.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (8th District of Illinois)

SCHAUMBURG, IL – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi condemned recent remarks by Palm Bay, Florida, City Council Member Chandler Langevin calling for the mass removal of Indian immigrants:

“It’s unacceptable—and dangerous—that in 2025 we’re hearing elected officials call for the mass removal of Indian Americans. This rhetoric echoes the cruelty of Donald Trump’s mass ICE raids and fuels a climate of fear that harms families across our nation.

When hate speech is normalized and communities are scapegoated, our democracy is weakened.

We must stand together across every community against all forms of hate. Protecting our democracy means ensuring everyone can live free from fear and discrimination, no matter their skin color, accent, or country of origin.”