WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, Congressmen David Scott (GA-13) and Barry Loudermilk (GA-11), both senior members on the House Financial Services Committee (HFSC), filed legislation to strengthen cybersecurity standards and data protection protocols at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The bill would establish clear, uniform policies and procedures governing how the agency requests, handles, stores, and protects sensitive information obtained from investors, advisers, broker-dealers, and other market participants.
“The rise in cyber intrusions and data exposure incidents underscore the urgency in which the SEC must adopt strong, transparent, and uniform procedures that meet the moment,” said Congressman David Scott. “For years, market participants and cyber experts have warned Congress that the Commission, like many other financial regulators, does not have the modern, consistent cybersecurity safeguards in place to protect the highly sensitive information it collects. Continuing to rely on outdated data protection frameworks could significantly jeopardize the trust Americans have long placed on the U.S. financial system. The SEC Data Protection Act is an important and constructive step for implementing common sense reforms and guaranteeing regulators have a robust process in place when it comes to determining the necessity of highly sensitive, confidential information. Our proposal does not impede regulators from seeking the information they need, but it does ensure that the SEC meets basic, modern security standards consistent with best practices across the federal government and private sector.”
“I am proud to join my colleague, and fellow Georgian, David Scott in re-introducing the SEC Data Protection Act,” said Congressman Barry Loudermilk. “As a former small business owner and Air Force veteran with a background in IT and cybersecurity, I understand how critical it is to have hardened security infrastructure. Sadly, we have seen all too often that the federal government is the weakest link in the cybersecurity chain. The SEC Data Protection Act will bring the Commission’s cybersecurity infrastructure in line with industry best practices, provide vital oversight of the Commission’s cybersecurity posture going forward, and ensure that advisor-provided information is safe and secure.”
The SEC Data Protection Act of 2025 would ensure the Commission can prevent, detect, and respond to cybersecurity threats with modern tools, updated protocols, and greater internal accountability. More specifically, the bill:
Requires the SEC to develop, adopt and regularly update data protection cybersecurity protocols consistent with federal best practices and NIST standards.
Requires rulemaking to ensure integrity, security, and confidentiality of advisor-provided information.
Narrowly targets scope governing adviser-supplied information, excluding broader SEC systems and filings.
Bridges oversight gap with clarification of statutory basis for ongoing cybersecurity measures, which previously rested in administrative guidelines or informal practices.
List of Original Cosponsors: David Scott (D-GA), Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), Janelle Bynum (D-OR), Andre Carson (D-IN), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Warren Davidson (R-OH), Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI), Bill Foster (D-IL), Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Jim Himes (D-CT), Young Kim (R-CA), Dan Meuser (R-PA), Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Ann Wagner (R-MO)
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rick Larsen (2nd Congressional District Washington)
Today, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-WA), Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO), Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Troy E. Nehls (R-TX), and Aviation Subcommittee Ranking Member André Carson (D-IN) introduced bipartisan legislation to ensure that, during any future government shutdowns, the U.S. National Airspace System and those responsible for its safe, efficient operation are protected from any lapses in federal funding.
The Aviation Funding Solvency Act eliminates the additional strain on the U.S. aviation system that can build during government shutdowns by ensuring that air traffic controllers and other Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) professionals responsible for managing the airspace will continue to get paid. The bill will allow the FAA, during a shutdown, to access the Aviation Insurance Revolving Fund to cover critical services that will keep our aviation system running safely for the traveling public, while ensuring the Revolving Fund has a healthy balance to address potential claims.
The Aviation Insurance Revolving Fund covers war risk insurance claims by airlines when they are activated under the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) program. The fund’s balance was originally funded by airline war risk insurance premiums, but that program has been terminated since 2014. Despite being largely unused, interest accumulation has increased the balance of the fund to more than $2.6 billion, which is significantly more than the fund has needed to cover CRAF claims.
Larsen said, “Thank you to our invaluable aviation safety workforce, who, during the longest shutdown in history, did not waver in their duties to keep the flying public safe – despite not knowing when their next paycheck would come. These hardworking women and men should never have to sacrifice pay – making an already difficult job even more stressful. Our bipartisan bill ensures air traffic controllers and other aviation safety personnel will continue to get paid during future shutdowns and allows the FAA to operate uninterrupted so the agency can focus on its critical airspace safety mission.”
Graves said, “I am grateful for our federal employees, especially our air traffic controllers, who showed up day-in and day-out throughout the shutdown to do their jobs, without pay, to ensure the safety of our aviation system and the nation. But we all saw that the system can be vulnerable when Congress can’t get its job done. This bill guarantees that controllers, who have one of the most high-pressure jobs in the nation, will get paid during any future funding lapses and that air traffic control, aviation safety, and the traveling public will never again be negatively impacted by shutdowns.”
Nehls said, “I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing legislation that ensures the professionals responsible for ensuring the safety and efficiency of our airspace are guaranteed pay through a federal government shutdown. Shutdowns shouldn’t put the safety of our national airspace and the flying public at risk. To avoid unnecessary pressure and strain on our aviation system, we must ensure those who are responsible for the operation of our airspace aren’t financially affected in the event of a future federal government shutdown.”
Carson said, “A government shutdown should never affect our air travel the way it did earlier this month. Air traffic controllers already have one of the most stressful jobs in the country, and they deserve to be paid regardless of what’s happening in Washington. Our new, bipartisan bill will ensure FAA employees are paid and travelers don’t have to experience unnecessary interruptions.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Reprepsentative Kathy Castor (FL14)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — This week, Representatives Kathy Castor (FL-14), Diana DeGette (CO-01), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09) and Yvette Clarke (NY-09) reintroduced the Frack Pack, a set of five bills aimed at closing loopholes that allow the oil and gas industry to skirt key environmental and public health protections. The legislative package would hold the industry accountable for pollution that threatens clean air, safe drinking water and community health across the country.
The Frack Pack includes the CLEANER Act, the FRAC Act, the FRESHER Act, the SHARED Act and the CLOSE Act.
“Families deserve clean air to breathe and clean water to drink, and the CLEANER Act is a practical step to make that a reality,” said Rep. Kathy Castor. “By holding polluters accountable and closing loopholes that let dangerous toxins seep into our waterways and neighborhoods, we can make communities healthier. Encourage Congress to move this bill and build a healthier, safer future for every community.”
“For too long, oil and gas companies have enjoyed special exemptions from our nation’s bedrock environmental laws that no other industry gets,” said Rep. Diana DeGette. “The Frack Pack would finally put an end to that double standard. These commonsense reforms will protect our air, water, and communities while ensuring greater transparency and accountability in the fracking process. I’m proud to work with leaders like Reps. Huffman, Castor, Schakowsky, and Clarke on these important bills.”
‘”The fossil fuel industry gets to dump their runoff into stormwater thanks to special exemptions for no good reason – polluting our water supply and putting communities at risk,” said Rep. Jared Huffman. “Why should Big Oil billionaires get to skirt the rules? They shouldn’t. The FRESHER Act closes this loophole to even the playing field and stop them from destroying communities so we can get this public health and environmental crisis under control.”
“Hydraulic fracking is a serious risk to our water, no matter how much Big Oil and Gas insist it is safe. The truth is, these companies are not even required to report when their fracking activity contaminates the local water supply,” said Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. “The SHARED Act is commonsense legislation that would require oil and gas companies to regularly test nearby water sources and disclose the results. Families deserve to know that the water coming out of their tap is safe to drink and use. I am committed to holding the fossil fuel industry accountable. Protecting our clean water is not optional, it is essential.”
“When a regulatory loophole within the Clean Air Act enables fracking and other environmentally harmful practices to bring dangerous toxins and climate-changing emissions into our communities unimpeded, it’s clear legislative action is necessary to correct the shortcoming and protect the public health. The ‘aggregation exemption’ has, for too long, allowed for an unacceptable status quo in climate policy in America, and it is past time for that to change,” said Rep. Yvette D. Clarke. “I am proud to introduce my legislation, the CLOSE ACT, to address this destructive exemption, just as I am proud to support the Frack Pack as a comprehensive solution towards amending the loopholes that put polluters first and leave the American people last.”
The CLEANER Act would make oil and gas companies responsible for cleaning up and disposing of hazardous waste generated by their operations under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), Subtitle C, the country’s hazardous waste management law.
The FRAC Act would eliminate the “Halliburton Loophole,” established under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, under which fracking fluids are exempted from regulation under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). The FRAC Act would require fracking companies to publicly disclose the chemicals they are pumping into the ground and give the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the authority to regulate the process under its Underground Injection Control initiative. The oil and gas industry remains the only economic sector exempt from this vital initiative.
The FRESHER Act closes a loophole for oil and gas companies in the Clean Water Act and establishes a study to better understand the effects of stormwater runoff from oil and gas operations.
The SHARED Act would require testing for water contamination near fracking sites.
The CLOSE Act would reduce toxic air pollution from oil and gas exploration and production activities and add hydrogen sulfide to the list of hazardous air pollutants regulated under the Clean Air Act. Hydrogen sulfide is an air toxic released during oil and gas exploration and production. Additionally, it would reverse the exemption of oil and gas companies from the Clean Air Act’s aggregation requirement, which allows multiple activities or facilities to be collectively permitted as one single source.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ben Cline (VA-06)
Today, H.R. 2675, the Protecting Our Courts from Foreign Manipulation Act, sponsored by Congressman Ben Cline (VA-06), passed out of the House Judiciary Committee. If signed into law, the bill would protect American courts from potential threats posed by foreign entities seeking to manipulate legal and regulatory processes in the United States.
“Foreign adversaries like the CCP have no business secretly influencing America’s courts. My bill safeguards the integrity of our judicial system and ensures that the decisions made in U.S. courtrooms are driven by justice, not by hidden foreign interests. I am proud to see it pass out of the House Judiciary Committee today,” said Rep. Ben Cline.
Specifically, H.R. 2675 would:
1. Require disclosure from any foreign person or entity participating in civil litigation as a third-party litigation funder in U.S. federal courts;
2. Ban sovereign wealth funds and foreign governments from participating in litigation finance as a third-party litigation funder, either directly or indirectly; and
3. Require the Department of Justice’s National Security Division to submit a report on foreign third-party litigation funding throughout the federal judiciary.
Congressman Ben Cline represents the Sixth Congressional District of Virginia. He previously was an attorney in private practice and served both as an assistant prosecutor and a Member of the Virginia House of Delegates. Cline and his wife, Elizabeth, live in Botetourt County with their two children.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Gregory W Meeks (5th District of New York)
Washington, D.C. — Representatives Gregory W. Meeks (D-N.Y.), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee; Jim Himes (D-Conn.), Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), Ranking Member of the House Homeland Security Committee; Jason Crow (D-Colo.), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations; and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) introduced a War Powers Resolution to block the Trump Administration from continuing to use U.S. Armed Forces to conduct strikes in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific, operations the administration has carried out for more than 60 days without congressional authorization.
“The Trump Administration has not provided a credible rationale for its 21 unauthorized military strikes on vessels in the Western Hemisphere, which have resulted in the extrajudicial killings of dozens of individuals. Nor has this administration explained why it has deployed an invasion-level force of roughly 15,000 troops, a carrier strike group, and military aircraft for a mission it claims is about counter-narcotics. This posture is wildly disproportionate to the stated objective and far more reminiscent of preparations for war.
“The administration has also failed to justify why these boats could not have been interdicted and their crews questioned for information and brought to justice, or why they posed an imminent threat to the United States. If these operations are truly intended to prevent illicit drugs from reaching the United States, then the administration must explain why this is not a mission for the U.S. Coast Guard and other law enforcement agencies, who the Congress has authorized to intercept suspicious vessels and to prosecute criminal suspects. The Congress has not authorized the use of military force.
“The Constitution grants Congress, not the president, the power to declare war; without Congressional approval, the president is not only circumventing the legislative branch, but grossly expanding his power to act as judge, jury, and executioner.
“The War Powers Resolution we’ve introduced would halt the Trump Administration’s unauthorized military actions. It’s time for every Member of the House of Representatives to go on record: do they support President Trump’s executive overreach, or do they stand with the Constitution?”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Michael McCaul (10th District of Texas)
WASHINGTON –U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul — chairman emeritus and current vice chair of the House Homeland Security Committee — joined U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Congressman August Pfluger (R-Texas) in urging the U.S. Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Homeland Security (DHS) to prioritize Texas when disbursing the $13.5 billion set aside in the One Big Beautiful Bill for states that incurred costs to secure the border under the Biden administration.
McCaul spent months advocating for the provision to reimburse border states, working hand-in-hand with House GOP leadership and Homeland Security Committee, andannounced its passagein May.
Every member of the Texas GOP congressional delegation signed onto the letter, the full text of which can be foundhereor below.
Dear Attorney General Bondi and Secretary Noem,
We are writing as members of the Texas congressional delegation to request that the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security (“the Departments”) reimburse the State of Texas for the costs it incurred to secure the border throughout the disastrous Biden-Harris Administration. President Trump’s signature legislative accomplishment, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, created two funds totaling $13.5 billion for the purpose of reimbursing states for stepping up when President Biden willfully refused to enforce our immigration laws at the border. The State of Texas bore the heaviest burden, incurring $11.1 billion in costs over four years. We respectfully request that the Departments prioritize Texas in disbursing these funds.
When President Biden came into office, he immediately reversed the successful policies that President Trump put into place during his first term to secure our borders against illegal immigrants. Within the first two months of the Biden Administration, monthly apprehensions of illegal aliens rose by nearly 100,000, eventually peaking at over 300,000 in December 2024. Because Border Patrol agents were occupied processing those illegal aliens they were able to apprehend, an estimated 1.7 million additional illegal aliens evaded apprehension and made their way into our communities. President Biden’s open-border policies imposed a substantial cost on communities in Texas, through increased fentanyl trafficking, crime, and even stress on local emergency response services.
In March 2021, Texas Governor Abbott launched Operation Lone Star to help secure the border when the federal government would not. Through this whole-of-government approach, the State of Texas built miles of border wall and buoy barriers and deployed personnel to maintain border infrastructure and apprehend illegal aliens, gang members, and other criminals. The State also undertook a substantial effort to prosecute these illegal aliens for the crimes they committed on U.S. soil.
Operation Lone Star was a huge success. According to the State’s most recent figures, Texas apprehended over 535,724 illegal aliens since its launch, and decreased illegal crossings into Texas by 87 percent. Additionally, the State seized over 779 million lethal doses of fentanyl, protecting not just Texans but all Americans against this deadly scourge. However, Operation Lone Star came at a substantial cost of approximately $11.1 billion between 2021 and January 2025.
Texas’s actions through Operation Lone Star were absolutely vital to ensuring the safety and security of Americans across our great country. However, our State should not have had to bear alone the costs of securing the border when former President Biden intentionally failed to do so. We therefore respectfully ask that, as the Departments prepare to disburse the funds set aside in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the State of Texas be fully reimbursed for the costs incurred to protect Americans from illegal immigration and drug trafficking under former President Biden’s disastrous leadership.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)
Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins, where he made clear that Democrats will continue to focus on delivering results for the American people while Republicans continue to weaponize the government and engage in partisan political stunts.
KAITLAN COLLINS: My source tonight is the Democratic Leader in the House, Hakeem Jeffries. And thank you, sir, for being here. Obviously, a lot of movement up on Capitol Hill today. And you heard Stacey Plaskett there. She was arguing her texts with Jeffrey Epstein were not illegal. But in your view, were they appropriate?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, Stacey Plaskett is not accused of violating any House rule, any law, any statute, and she’s clearly and unequivocally denounced Jeffrey Epstein. And I think what the survivors fought for today is the type of transparency that came out of the House, went through the Senate and is now on its way to Donald Trump’s desk, where hopefully he’ll sign it into law because at the end of the day all the American people are asking for is just the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, which is why these Epstein files that Donald Trump and his administration has been hiding for months need to be released.
KAITLAN COLLINS: But do you think it was appropriate for her to be texting with Jeffrey Epstein 11 years after he pleaded guilty?
LEADER JEFFRIES: I mean, I have not had a conversation with Stacey Plaskett to discuss this issue because we’ve been focused today on making sure that there was a decisive vote as it related to the Epstein files and the release. I’m thankful for the work of Representative Massie, of Ro Khanna, but most importantly, the survivors.
KAITLAN COLLINS: Do you plan to talk to her about it?
LEADER JEFFRIES: I think that we successfully defeated a resolution that lacked any basis, was not credible, and was being brought by an individual who was trying to weaponize this issue to reinvigorate his own failed gubernatorial campaign in South Carolina. It was rejected on a bipartisan basis on the Floor today. That’s the end of the story.
KAITLAN COLLINS: Yeah, I was just asking if you personally believe messaging with Jeffrey Epstein who was, at that point, a registered sex offender, is appropriate for a member of the House Democratic Caucus.
LEADER JEFFRIES: That’s the third time you’ve asked me this question and I’m going to give you the same exact answer. Our focus today is on making sure that the Jeffrey Epstein files were released. If you want to have a conversation with Stacey Plaskett about it, I’m sure she’d be willing to talk to you. It was an illegitimate effort to try to remove her from the House Committee on Intelligence and that was defeated in a bipartisan way.
KAITLAN COLLINS: Well, let me ask you about you, because the White House has been highlighting an email that I’m sure you’ve seen today that Jeffrey Epstein got in 2013. They say it shows you were soliciting money and dinner from [Epstein]. The email was not sent from you. It was sent from a political consulting firm called Dynamic SRG that says, ‘we are thrilled to announce we are working with Congressman Hakeem Jeffries. Shoot us an email or give us a call if you would like to get involved.’ What’s your response? Do you recall that email being sent to Jeffrey Epstein from that team?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Yeah, of course, I have no recollection of the email. I’ve never had a conversation with him, never met him, know nothing about him other than the extreme things that he’s been convicted of doing. And that’s why, you know, I’m just strongly supportive of the effort, backing the survivors to make sure that everything can come out, whatever is in those Department of Justice files.
KAITLAN COLLINS: So you never got a donation from Jeffrey Epstein or anything like that?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Certainly not.
KAITLAN COLLINS: And just on this passing today, to this point, I mean, this is something that, even Ro Khanna told me just a few moments ago, he never even thought it would get to this point today. I wonder what it says to you that the House Speaker, Mike Johnson, fought this so much and had a concern over—you know, he was saying this discharge petition would create new victims, as he argued, because it was requiring the DOJ to release information where maybe the FBI hadn’t reviewed it and determined it’s not credible. I wonder what you made of how this culminated tonight.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, I think it was a decisive bipartisan vote that, you know, I think clearly, despite all of the efforts, seven weeks of Republicans being on a paid vacation and refusing to swear in Representative Adelita Grijalva. Why was that done? Because they didn’t want her to become the 218th signature on the discharge petition that ultimately resulted in the vote today. And so I don’t think the Speaker has any credibility as it relates to this issue. But I’m thankful for the outcome today, thankful for the decisive vote in the Senate. And now it’s on its way to President Trump’s desk.
KAITLAN COLLINS: And the Plaskett censure did not pass. There was a resolution rebuking Congressman Chuy García. He had timed the announcement of his retirement shortly after the state’s filing deadline, and that was after his chief of staff had declared her own candidacy for that position, basically leaving her as the only Democrat able to run for that seat. There are 23 Democrats who joined Republicans on the disapproval resolution. You urged Members to oppose it. How come?
LEADER JEFFRIES: I think that it’s an issue to be worked out by the people back in the great state of Illinois. Chuy García has been a consistent, progressive champion for the disenfranchised, a voice for the voiceless. He’s done a lot of good. And I think it was a resolution of disapproval that I did not support. That there are a lot of issues, I think, of importance to the American people, including the failed Trump economy, the Trump tariffs that are crushing people, the Republican healthcare crisis, the refusal by my Republican colleagues to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, the fact that that is going to result in tens of millions of people experiencing dramatically increased premiums, copays and deductibles. People are going to be unable to go and afford to see a doctor when they need one. There are a whole host of issues that the American people just made clear two weeks ago during the general election that they want to see addressed. It’s the reason why Republicans were decisively defeated across the country and up and down the ballot. And yet we continue to come to the Floor of the House of Representatives, and they play partisan political games as opposed to dealing with the issues that matter relative to driving down the high cost of living and making life better for the American people.
KAITLAN COLLINS: I think it’s fair to say there’s bigger issues people care about, but even some Democrats have said, this is why people don’t like politics. This is slimy, and it disenfranchises voters by not letting them pick who they want to be running in that race. Did they have a point?
LEADER JEFFRIES: I think they can speak for themselves, and certainly, you know, my view on the situation was that there are things that we should be focused on in terms of solving problems for the American people that the American people just decisively told us two weeks ago during the general election they wanted us to work on.
KAITLAN COLLINS: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, thank you for joining us again tonight. Really appreciate your time.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Pete Aguilar (31 CD Ca)
Rep. Pete Aguilar (CA-33) released the following statement on his vote in support of the Epstein Files Transparency Act to force the Trump Administration to release all of the Epstein files and help bring justice to Epstein’s victims:
“Today was an important, bipartisan step toward justice for the survivors of disgraced pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. But let’s be clear: it should not have taken this long to get a vote in the House on this critical issue.
“Donald Trump campaigned on releasing the Epstein files, yet for nearly a year, he and his Republican henchmen, including Speaker Johnson, have been hellbent on hiding the truth. Even at the eleventh hour, Donald Trump was calling Republican Members asking them to remove their names from a discharge petition that would force a vote to release the files.
“Over the weekend, Donald Trump realized he didn’t want to lose and so he changed his tune but make no mistake: this is a White House cover up. If Donald Trump truly wanted transparency, he could have directed his Department of Justice to release the files at any time over the last year. Now, with the opportunity to sign this legislation into law, the President must direct his Department of Justice to release all the files. The American people will have the opportunity to judge for themselves who is the party of transparency.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman French Hill (AR-02)
Hill, Amo Issue Statements on Their Bill to Boost U.S.–Taiwan Space Cooperation
Washington D.C., November 14, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. – French Hill (R-AR) and Rep. Gabe Amo (D-RI) today issued the following statements on their bipartisan Taiwan and American Space Assistance Act of 2025, the TASA Act, which enhances U.S.-Taiwan cooperation in space and improves our ability to support Taiwan’s work in space.
Rep. Hill said, “Our bill opens the door for NASA and NOAA to work directly with the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) on civilian space efforts, including satellites, exploration, and atmospheric research. As Taiwan develops its space program, this kind of scientific cooperation demonstrates the strength of the U.S.-Taiwan partnership and our commitment to allies in the region. American support will also encourage Taiwan to keep investing in its growing space capabilities.”
Rep. Amo said, “Collaboration with our allies to advance technology makes a significant impact in achieving our strategic objectives. Our bipartisan, bicameral TASA Act will help the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration coordinate with Taiwan on space exploration, satellite, atmospheric, and weather programs. I’m glad to partner with Congressman French Hill to support space innovation in the Indo-Pacific.”
Further Background:
As it currently stands under the U.S. government’s “One China Policy,” the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have limited authority to work with the Taiwan Space Agency for various space endeavors. The TASA Act would not only give NASA and NOAA additional authority, but it would also instruct these agencies to work with Taiwan in areas of mutual benefit, including satellite programs, space exploration programs, and atmospheric and weather programs.
The Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) is a relatively new organization that was created on January 20, 2022. The creation of TASA marked a prioritization of Taiwan’s involvement in the space domain, coupled with an announcement in 2019 to invest $25.1 billion over the next decade to grow the nation’s commercial space capabilities.
Taiwan is rapidly trying to build out an organization that can domestically produce and launch its own satellites.
The TASA Act will create a vital partnership for the U.S. and NASA in the Indo-Pacific and allow Taiwan to gain essential knowledge and expertise from NASA to further its space capabilities.
Specifically, the TASA Act would:
Allow for extended cooperation between the Taiwan Space Agency and NASA
Allow for extended cooperation between the Taiwan Space Agency and NOAA
Provide an avenue for the voluntary exchange of personnel from NASA and NOAA to the Taiwan Space Agency to further advance Taiwan’s space capabilities
Extend cooperation in areas of satellite program development, space exploration, and atmospheric and weather programs.
The TASA Act was introduced on September 30, 2025.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman French Hill (AR-02)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. French Hill (R-AR) and Rep. Thomas Suozzi (D-NY) today issued the following statements on their bipartisan resolution reaffirming the United States’ commitment to international religious freedom and urging the Egyptian Government to take further steps to protect the rights of Coptic Christians.
Congressman Hill said, “Coptic Christians have lived in Egypt for thousands of years and make up the largest Christian community in the Middle East. But despite efforts by the El-Sisi government to promote harmony, Copts continue to face relentless discrimination and violence because of their faith. We need to stand with people who are denied the right to worship freely and speak up for their basic rights. I’m glad to partner with Rep. Suozzi to push for real, measurable change to the culture of impunity.”
Congressman Suozzi said, “Religious freedom is a fundamental American value and a universal human right. The ongoing persecution and discrimination against Coptic Christians in Egypt cannot be ignored. As the largest Christian community in the Middle East, the Copts have long endured systemic injustice. This bipartisan resolution speaks with moral clarity and urges our partners in Egypt to uphold the basic human rights of all their citizens. This resolution sends a clear message: We stand with those who are targeted for their faith, and we will continue to fight for freedom of religion around the world.”
Background:
The resolution calls on the Egyptian Government to take further action to promote religious tolerance and end religious discrimination against Egypt’s Coptic Christian population.
The resolution calls on the House of Representatives to:
Acknowledge the importance of the United States–Egypt partnership.
Acknowledge Egypt’s role in combating violent extremism and terrorism.
Recognize the need to strengthen human rights and the rule of law in Egypt.
Urge Egypt to give Coptic Christians the same rights as other Egyptian citizens.
Urge Egypt to end the culture of tolerance for those who commit crimes against Christians.
Congress can help strengthen U.S. efforts to defend religious freedom globally and hold foreign countries accountable that violate religious freedom. Promoting religious freedom abroad is not only a moral imperative, but it also supports global stability, human rights, and upholds American values.
This resolution was introduced on September 30, 2025.