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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Earl L Buddy Carter (GA-01)

Headline: Carter introduces bipartisan bill to lower costs, preserve access to wound care

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Reps. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA), Marc Veasey (D-TX), Greg Steube (R-FL), and Rich McCormick (R-GA) introduced the Skin Substitute Access and Payment Reform Act, a bill modernizing Medicare’s payment system for skin substitute products, defined as biological materials used to cover and promote the healing of skin wounds. 

“Recently, there has been an inappropriate and concerning rise in skin substitute prices and costs. This escalation wastes Medicare resources and hinders access to care for thousands of Americans who rely on these products to successfully heal their diabetic wounds, avoid amputations, and other downstream costs. My bill puts an end to runaway prices and inappropriate prescribing by implementing new program integrity reforms and ensuring that patients in need receive affordable, accessible, and high-quality care,” said Rep. Carter.

“Every Texan deserves access to innovative, effective treatments that can save their limbs and their lives. Too many of our seniors, veterans, and neighbors living with diabetes and other chronic conditions face preventable amputations simply because care is too expensive or out of reach. This bill helps to protect patients’ access to advanced wound care therapies while also ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly. By modernizing the system, we can help Texans heal faster and live healthier,” said Rep. Veasey.

“Patients deserve financial security and peace of mind when it comes to their medical bills,” said Rep. Steube. “It is unacceptable that Medicare recipients suffering from chronic wounds must also endure unpredictable pricing for the treatment they need. By updating billing and payment processes and opening up the market for new treatments, this bill puts the interests of patients first. I am grateful to partner with Congressman Carter and Senator Cassidy on this legislation that will have a direct and positive impact on the residents of Southwest Florida.”

“This bill ensures that healthcare providers can make the best decisions for their patients,” said Rep. McCormick. “By maintaining Medicare coverage for skin substitute products, we’re empowering physicians to provide the best course of treatment for those who need this critical care. I’m proud to co-lead this effort with Congressman Buddy Carter to put patients and providers first.”

“I commend Representatives Carter, Veasey, Steube, and McCormick for introducing the Skin Substitute Access and Payment Reform Act (H.R. 5768). This bipartisan legislation represents an important step toward ensuring that Medicare beneficiaries with hard-to-heal wounds retain access to clinically proven advanced skin substitute therapies. By modernizing the Medicare payment methodology while preserving program integrity, H.R. 5768 strikes the right balance between fiscal responsibility, patient access, and clinical innovation. This reform will help stabilize care delivery across hospital outpatient, private physician-office and mobile wound care settings while maintaining incentives for continued scientific advancement in regenerative wound therapies. I strongly support this legislation and applaud Congress for recognizing that protecting access to effective skin substitute products is both cost-effective and life-saving,” said Dr. William H. Tettelbach.

The Skin Substitute Access and Payment Reform Act of 2025 would:

• Effective January 1, 2026: set payment limits for all skin substitute products based on historic volume-weighted average prices to end the “race to the top” price escalation and ensure fair and consistent reimbursement.
• Recognize the similar clinical effectiveness of various skin substitute products by providing a one-year delay of the national local coverage determination noncoverage proposal to allow companies time to complete standardized clinical trials.
• Establish program integrity provisions to crack down on fraudulent and abusive provider prescribing:
  • Effective January 1, 2026, identify the 3% of “outlier” providers that are generating most of the costs of skin substitutes and begin immediate prepayment review and prior authorization until they achieve approval rates of over 90%. 
  • Identify providers for potential Medicare exclusion if they cannot achieve a claim approval rate above 25% in a 6-month period.

Read the full bill text here.

Background 

Each year, more than 10.5 million Medicare beneficiaries seek treatment for advanced chronic wounds. Among these patients, older adults living with diabetes are particularly vulnerable to foot ulcers, such as diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) and venous leg ulcers (VLUs), which can lead to devasting complications, including amputations. A lower limb is amputated every 20 seconds – and 85% of these amputations are preceded by a foot ulcer. The 5-year mortality rate following a major amputation exceeds 50%, higher than that of breast cancer and all other cancers and second to only lung cancer. Fortunately, regenerative human cell and tissue products (typically derived from placental material from live births) – as well as animal-derived and synthetic skin substitutes – have shown to function similarly to a patient’s own skin and significantly accelerate wound healing. 

Despite their strong clinical foundation, Medicare expenditures for skin substitutes administered in the home and physician office have increased dramatically – from approximately $500 million in 2020 to $6.5 billion in 2024. While some of this growth reflects increased utilization in non-hospital care settings, a major driver of this spending escalation is a flawed reimbursement system that incentivizes the use of higher-priced products. This dynamic is further exacerbated by clearly abusive practices by a small number of providers. Indeed, the top 100 billing providers generated nearly two-thirds of the cost in 2023 ($3.8B) on only 5-6 percent of patients, and similarly 2024 shows that same small outlier group generated nearly half the costs in the sector.

Congress must act to put an end to fraud, waste and abuse in this sector while simultaneously ensuring patient access to necessary skin substitute products.

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

Democrat Leader Openly Admits Democrats are Intentionally Inflicting Pain on Working American Families for “Leverage”

“Families are going to suffer… but it is one of the few leverage times we have.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA-03)

LOWELL, MA – Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, celebrated the inclusion of their pipeline safety priorities in the PIPELINE Safety Act of 2025.

The PIPELINE Safety Act of 2025 reauthorizes the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), the agency responsible for regulating pipeline safety, and includes key provisions championed by Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) and Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) through their Pipeline Accountability Act. These provisions will establish an Office of Public Engagement, strengthen carbon dioxide pipeline safety, direct studies and reporting on hydrogen blending in pipeline transportation, increase civil penalties for companies that violate safety laws, and reauthorize the Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization Grant Program.

“We are pleased the pipeline safety reauthorization bill includes our provisions to increase transparency, support public engagement, and protect public safety. Devastating and deadly pipeline disasters, like the 2018 gas explosions in the Merrimack Valley, show why we need a watchdog, not a lapdog, when it comes to pipeline safety regulations,” said the lawmakers. “Companies that put the public at risk need to be held accountable, and our communities and first responders should be given the tools they need to stay safe. Safety regulations must be able to address new substances flowing through our pipes, like carbon dioxide and hydrogen. Thanks to these provisions, our homes, our communities, and our environment will be safer as we continue to work to end our dependence on polluting fuels.”

Trahan and Markey introduced the Pipeline Accountability Act in August, a comprehensive legislative package to modernize pipeline safety standards, enhance public engagement, improve responsiveness to disasters, and address the environmental and climate impacts of pipeline incidents.

Devastating accidents, like the 2018 gas explosions in Massachusetts’ Merrimack Valley and the 2020 carbon dioxide pipeline rupture in Satartia, Mississippi, highlight a clear and urgent need. It is critical to implement stronger safety measures, greater transparency, and more accountability.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green Ohio)

Latta Welcomes Ohio Schools to the U.S. Capitol During Government Shutdown

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

WASHINGTON — On Day 22 of the Democrat Shutdown, Speaker Johnson held a press conference alongside House GOP Leadership, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman, and top appropriator for our national parks, Rep. Mike Simpson to further highlight the split screen between Republicans and Democrats.

“October 22 marks another landmark. This is now the second longest government shutdown of any kind ever in the history of our country. And it’s just shameful,” Speaker Johnson said. “Democrats keep making history, but they’re doing it for all the wrong reasons.”

Watch Speaker Johnson’s full remarks here.

On the glaring split screen between Republicans and Democrats:

But there’s also a figurative split screen. And I would just want to spend a moment this morning and talk with you about that. On one side, you have the Republican Party, the party that controls the White House, the Senate, and the House. We call that unified government. It’s the party that won the popular vote, then every single swing state, and made deep inroads with voters new to the Republican base. And we received that mandate gratefully, and we went immediately to work. Since the election in November, just in the last nine and a half months of this Congress, Republicans have delivered incredible results for the American people. And we could stand up here and spend an hour going through just the bullet points and highlights of all that, but we put a few on the handy chart over here. But just think of what’s been accomplished in the last nine and a half months. A couple of things listed here.

We passed the historic Working Families Tax Cut, one of the most landmark pieces of legislation ever passed by the U.S. Congress for the benefit of the American people. We slashed taxes for hardworking Americans, geared for the lower- and middle-class earners who needed that assistance. We cut hundreds of billions of dollars in fraud, waste, and abuse from government. We solved the border crisis. We are working now to solve the crime crisis in major cities around America. We strengthened Medicaid, we improved health care access, and we’ve lowered premiums with our legislation. We have restored peace through strength. Thanks be to God. We are ending wars around the globe, and we’ve restored common sense to a government that sorely needed it. That’s part of the mandate that was given to us by the American people in the fall. And most recently, we did our jobs, and we passed a clean, non-partisan CR to keep the government open for the people.

Now, look on the other side of that figurative split screen as demonstrated here. The lights were out. It’s all dark. Why? Because what the Democrats have accomplished in nine and a half months is a government shutdown. A couple other things sort of related to that. They have made a lot of TikTok videos. We give them credit for that. They’ve also assaulted law enforcement officers – one of them is on trial for that. They’ve openly embraced and rallied with communists and socialists, most recently across the country on Saturday. They voted to raise taxes on millions of hardworking Americans at the worst possible time. They have voted against reducing fraud, waste, and abuse in government, and they have now voted collectively, Democrats in Congress, have voted 12 times to keep the government closed down.

On Democrats abandoning common sense:

The Democrat shutdown is a glaring example of just how far the Democratic Party has strayed from common sense. Remember the simple truth here, it was over a month ago now that we passed, the Republicans passed, the clean short-term continuing resolution. It’s non-partisan. No gimmicks, no tricks, no riders, no partisan Republican policy priorities added to that. It’s 24 pages in length, as we’ve discussed so many times, and it is very simple. Why? Because it was a very simple, good faith effort on our part to preserve our ability to keep negotiating on the full year funding bills, and of course, the other big issues facing the American people. We wanted to keep the lights on, but what did the Democrats do? Instead of voting for it, as they have always done in the past, they broke from history, and they rejected that, and they offered a counterproposal.

Ours was a clean CR. We called theirs a dirty CR. And you all know why? Because they added one and a half trillion dollars in new spending. That would be a mandate, including hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars for health care for illegal aliens. Go to page 57, section 2141 of what they offered; they want to restore funding for left-wing pet projects in foreign countries. And I’ve given you a list of some of the crazy things that they would include in that. Half a billion dollars for liberal news outlets like NPR and PBS on the backs of taxpayers. And the removal, remember, they wanted to eliminate the $50 billion that Republicans got signed into law by President Trump on July 4 to prop up our rural hospitals.

On Democrats manufacturing a health care crisis to serve their political goals:

Now, they’re trying their very best to somehow blame Republicans for the forthcoming “health care crisis” that they themselves created. By way of just very quick review for the record, because they’re trying to obscure this as well. Let’s remember the true origins of the boondoggle that is American health care under Obamacare. Democrats wrote that bill, they passed it into law without a single Republican vote. During the COVID pandemic, Democrats created temporary Obamacare credits again, without a single Republican vote. Democrats then voted to extend those credits. They set the expiration date on it and then when they held the majority in the Senate, it was Democrats who chose not to extend those credits beyond this year. Now, as we approach their own self-imposed expiration date, they are breathlessly insisting to you and on all the interviews that somehow, it’s a Republican crisis.

Give me a break. The facts are the facts. We are up here sharing the simple facts and truth. As John Adams said, facts are stubborn things. Democrats are the ones who manufactured this entire situation without a single Republican vote. And now when the chickens are coming back home to roost, they’re trying to blame the other team. It is utter nonsense, and you should call them on it. That’s the job of the press and continue to do that every single time.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Salud Carbajal (CA-24)

Today, U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) sent a letter to Jamieson Greer, Acting Special Counsel, demanding that the Office of Special Counsel immediately investigate the Trump administration’s apparent illegal use of government resources to promote a partisan political agenda. Carbajal’s letter comes on the heels of political messages regarding the current government shutdown being posted to federal agency websites and displayed in airports nationwide.

“Recent postings on official government websites and reported emails to employees promote a partisan political narrative regarding the causes of the shutdown—activity that federal law expressly prohibits when ‘directed toward the success or failure of a political party, partisan political group, or candidate for partisan political office’,” wrote Carbajal. “The Hatch Act is clear: Federal employees must remain impartial in the performance of their duties, regardless of political climate or leadership. Federal employees, including those on California’s Central Coast, deserve clear guidance to ensure that directives do not compromise their integrity or the public’s trust.”

Carbajal cites the website for the Los Padres National Forest, which includes a partisan message about the government shutdown, as an example of a Hatch Act violation.

Carbajal continued, “It has been brought to my attention that the website for the Los Padres National Forest under the U.S. Department of Agriculture includes partisan messaging attempting to place blame on Congressional Democrats— another violation of the Hatch Act. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident.”

In light of these apparent violations of the Hatch Act, Carbajal demands the Office of Special Counsel to open an immediate investigation.

The full text of the letter can be found here and below.

Dear Mr. Greer:

I am writing to request that you open an investigation concerning reports that political messaging has been disseminated through federal agency channels during the ongoing government shutdown. This includes reports of a request by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to airports that they air videos framing the cause of the federal shutdown in political terms. I believe that the request from DHS to airports, messaging included in federal government websites and communications disseminated to employees are in clear violation of the Hatch Act and federal restrictions on partisan activity by government employees. This is an inappropriate and wasteful use of taxpayer dollars for political gain that merits a full investigation.  

Recent postings on official government websites and reported emails to employees promote a partisan political narrative regarding the causes of the shutdown—activity that federal law expressly prohibits when “directed toward the success or failure of a political party, partisan political group, or candidate for partisan political office.” 

Again, the Hatch Act is clear: Federal employees must remain impartial in the performance of their duties, regardless of political climate or leadership. Federal employees, including those on California’s Central Coast, deserve clear guidance to ensure that directives do not compromise their integrity or the public’s trust. 

It has been brought to my attention that the website for the Los Padres National Forest under the U.S. Department of Agriculture includes partisan messaging attempting to place blame on Congressional Democrats— another violation of the Hatch Act.  Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. There are multiple reports that several agencies have issued communications blaming one political party for the ongoing shutdown, using official government resources to amplify these claims.  These statements—some of which appeared on agency websites and others distributed internally to staff—frame the shutdown as being “caused by Democrats” or “driven by the left,” language that raises significant Hatch Act concerns. Regardless of which party holds power, such messaging violates the foundational principle that federal agencies serve the American people, not partisan agendas.

These clear violations of federal law demand a prompt and thorough investigation. To ensure accountability and transparency, I respectfully request that the Office of Special Counsel:

1. Immediately open an investigation into the use of government communications channels for partisan purposes during the shutdown; and
2. Provide guidance on how your office plans to address these incidents and prevent future violations. 

Preserving the impartiality of federal agencies and their employees is essential to ensuring the integrity of our democracy and sustaining the public’s trust in our institutions. I ask that you give this request your immediate attention. Please reach out to my office at (202) 225-3601 should you have any questions. 

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

“It’s clear the Trump Administration targeted this highly successful program based on inaccurate information as part of its drive to attack any effort aimed at giving all students a chance to excel and succeed,” said Wasserman Schultz. “The Education Department, or what’s left of it, clearly acted prematurely by threatening to withhold funding from our local schools, and it all appears to be based on erroneous information, an incomplete investigation, and a purely political agenda. Latinos in Action has for nearly a decade helped all our students grow as scholars and leaders. This baseless decision by the Department is an attack on our students’ educational opportunities.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green Ohio)

Latta Hosts Telephone Town Hall Amid Government Shutdown

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Jesús Chuy García (IL-04)

CHICAGO — Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04) issued the following statement as people in Illinois begin receiving notices about the interruption of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits due to the Republican government shutdown:

“Nearly two million people in Illinois rely on food stamps to put groceries on the table, including children and people with disabilities. Families are being notified that their SNAP benefits will run out by the end of October if Republicans continue to hold the government hostage and extend the shutdown.

“Democrats are at the table to reopen the government; however, Republicans continue to play political games and refuse to sit down with our leadership. Speaker Mike Johnson has stated there is ‘nothing to negotiate.’ While families in Illinois and across the country are wondering how they’ll put food on the table, the Trump administration has tripled ICE’s budget and spent $172 million in tax dollars on private jets for Secretary Noem to film propaganda videos, while masked agents kidnap community members, including green card holders and U.S. citizens. This administration’s priorities are clear: cruelty over compassion, billionaires over working people. It’s time to end this shutdown and put families first.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett (USVI)

For Immediate Release              Contact: Alayah Phipps  

October 21, 2025                        202-813-2793  

PRESS RELEASE   

CONGRESSWOMAN PLASKETT INTRODUCES BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION TO EXPAND THE COMMERCIAL DRIVER’S LICENSE PROGRAM TO THE VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO 

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett shared the following statement on the introduction of H.R. 5656, legislation which would grant the United States Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico eligibility to issue commercial driver’s licenses:  

“I am proud to introduce bipartisan legislation to expand access to commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) for residents of the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, which will strengthen highway safety and bolster our local economies. This measure rectifies an inequity that has denied U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico residents these nationally recognized licenses, which are available to all other Americans. I appreciate the partnership of my colleagues Congressman Chuck Edwards (R-NC) and Resident Commissioner Hernández (D-PR) on this critical legislation, and I commend organizations like the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance for championing CDL access for our communities,” stated Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett. 

“Americans in every part of the United States, including the territories, deserve access to the tools needed to strengthen their workforce and grow economically. The introduction of the OPEN CDL Act is a critical step toward meeting this goal by allowing Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands to issue commercial driver’s licenses to those who are there legally,” said Congressman Chuck Edwards. “This legislation marks an important milestone in expanding the economic mobility of all Americans while enhancing the safety of our roads.” 

“This bill is about fairness and opportunity. By allowing Puerto Rico to issue commercial driver’s licenses and working with federal regulators to ensure compliance, we’re opening doors for our people to access good-paying jobs, strengthen our transportation workforce, and ensure safety standards are met. Puerto Ricans deserve the same opportunities as workers in every state, and this measure helps level the playing field,” noted Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández.  

“The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance supports H.R. 5656. As a transportation safety organization, the Alliance is committed to preventing commercial motor vehicle crashes, injuries and fatalities on our roadways,” said Collin Mooney, Executive Director, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance. “This inclusive bill will bolster that goal by enabling the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico to enhance their existing commercial driver’s license programs, aligning them with U.S. federal regulations and allowing for the recognition of those licenses as equivalent to other U.S. licenses with a single and proper credential for all CDL holders from both territories.” 

“Expanding CDL access to the Virgin Islands is a strategic investment in our economy and public safety. It also ensures that our commercial drivers meet federal safety standards, which is essential for protecting passengers, freight, and everyone who shares our roads. I applaud Congresswoman Plaskett for her leadership in advancing this vital initiative,” stated Barbara Jackson-McIntosh, Director, U.S. Virgin Islands Bureau of Motor Vehicles. “The Bureau of Motor Vehicles is prepared to implement this program, helping residents access new career opportunities while ensuring our commercial drivers meet federal safety standards.” 

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