MIL USHOR-2b Engine

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

Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett delivered remarks yesterday at the Interagency Group on Insular Areas (IGIA) 2025 Senior Plenary Session at the U.S. Department of the Interior, addressing key opportunities and challenges facing the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“I appreciate the opportunity to share my programmatic and legislative priorities for the Virgin Islands during the IGIA session,” said Congresswoman Plaskett. The session brought together territorial officials from American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam, featuring presentations on proposed working groups covering infrastructure, workforce development, energy, and biosecurity initiatives. 

Congresswoman Plaskett highlighted several significant achievements for the territory, citing her work in coalition building at the congressional level to negotiate with the Trump Administration to give the Virgin Islands an exemption from punitive port service fees that would have increased shipping costs by 50-60%. By working with Ambassador Greer, the United States Trade Representative, Plaskett secured a 2,000 nautical mile exemption that supports the Virgin Islands and our neighbors. Plaskett also lauded the permanent increase of the rum cover-over rate to $13.25 per proof gallon effective on December 31, 2025, secured through H.R. 1. “This year’s victory—making the $13.25 rate permanent—represents the culmination of sustained legislative efforts and demonstrates how IGIA’s important advocacy platform can work alongside direct Congressional action and bipartisan coalition-building,” noted Plaskett.  

In her remarks, Congresswoman Plaskett emphasized that that the cover-over victory is not complete until the Virgin Islands receives its fair share of worldwide rum cover-over revenue, noting that the current base percentages established in 1983 under the Caribbean Basin Initiative do not reflect the Virgin Islands’ true market share in today’s rum industry. The ratio was never adjusted when Diageo relocated from Puerto Rico to the Virgin Islands. 

Plaskett raised critical concerns about the Virgin Islands’ healthcare system, which faces acute challenges requiring immediate federal action. “Medicare reimbursement rates for local hospitals rely on catastrophically outdated data—1982 for Schneider Regional Medical Center and 1996 for Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital,” Plaskett explained. “We cannot build a prosperous future while our citizens face systemic discrimination and a broken healthcare system. These outdated reimbursement rates undermine our hospitals’ ability to provide quality healthcare. Prior to the 2017 hurricanes, we had nearly solved this issue, but following the hurricanes, CMS determined that the rebasing would need to occur once the hospitals were rebuilt.” Plaskett emphasized that this change, which does not require congressional action, must be a priority and focus of the federal government. 

Congresswoman Plaskett also expressed concerns about the National Park Service’s engagement with the Virgin Islands as a whole, both on St. Croix and St. John.  Plaskett discussed the NPS’ lack of engagement and transparency and use of bureaucracy as a barrier and excuse to work with the community. “The National Park Service is in many respects an invasive species on the people of the Virgin Islands more concerned with flora and fauna than with people,” Plaskett shared. 

Plaskett outlined several ongoing legislative initiatives designed to transform the territory’s economic future.  The DiasporaLink Act would establish the first U.S.-Africa fiber optic cable via the Virgin Islands, making the territory a “Digital Safe Harbor” for high-tech jobs and digital businesses. The REVIVE VI Act, which fixes an unintended consequence of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to restore the Virgin Islands’ economic development tools, continues to be a priority. 

“The territories have long faced underfunding and exclusion from federal infrastructure programs, and I am committed to working with this Administration and across party lines—putting people over politics to lower costs, create jobs, and strengthen our communities.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Riley Moore (WV-02)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — This week, Congressman Michael Cloud (TX-27), alongside Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), partnered with Senator James Lankford (R-OK) and Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) to lead a group of Republican lawmakers in supporting the Trump administration’s efforts to reverse a Biden-era rule that allowed taxpayer-funded abortion at VA facilities.

Under the new leadership of Secretary Collins, the Department of Veterans Affairs is taking necessary steps to rescind the Biden-era rule and restore a legal and medically appropriate standard of care. The proposed rule seeks to align VA practices with existing federal statutes and ensure that resources are focused on providing high-quality, life-affirming care to veterans and their families.

In the letter to Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Douglas Collins, the lawmakers wrote:

“VA facilities should be empowered to provide the American veteran community with the best health care possible. The Biden rule conflated health care with abortion services, a practice that poses significant medical risks for pregnant women and directly intends to end the life of the second patient, the unborn child. Yet the Biden rule deemed that abortion was necessary to “protect the health” of the mother-patient with a broad and undefined health exception for pregnant women in TRICARE and CHAMPVA. With this broad health exception to operate under, the Biden rule was implemented with a series of VA training materials, including videos, documents, and presentation slides, that gave guidance to health providers on how to promote abortion as the safest option for pregnant veterans and their beneficiaries. Without a narrower definition or gestational limit for this health exception, the VA has been promoting abortion on demand, at any point during pregnancy, so long as the mother-patient is able to secure a medical professional’s opinion that having an abortion would be ‘beneficial’ to her health in any way.”

The lawmakers submitted a formal comment backing the proposed change, which would restore compliance with federal law, including the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992 and the Deborah Sampson Act of 2020.

This letter was signed by 72 lawmakers, 57 Representatives and 15 Senators.

“No American should be forced to fund the destruction of life under the guise of health care,” said Rep. Cloud. “The Biden administration overstepped its authority and ignored federal law to advance an anti-life agenda through the VA. I’m encouraged to see the Trump Administration and Secretary Collins now working to reverse course and refocus the VA’s mission on delivering real care to those who served.”

 “As former chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, I applaud President Trump and Secretary Collins for ordering the VA to refocus on its mission of providing life-saving, life-enhancing healthcare to America’s heroes,” said Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chair of the House Pro-Life Caucus. “Biden’s illegal pro-abortion rule sought to turn VA facilities—which should be places of healing—into abortion mills performing abortions-on-demand. President Trump’s compassionate reversal of Biden’s illegal rule restores to the VA the decades-long bipartisan consensus that taxpayer dollars should not be used to perform, promote, or fund abortion.”

“The Biden Administration was the most radically pro-abortion administration in history. Turning Veterans Affairs clinics into abortion mills was a disgusting violation of federal law and forced American taxpayers to fund the purest form of evil,” said Rep. Riley Moore (R-WV). “We must protect the innocent lives of the unborn from the moment of conception. Thank you to President Trump and Secretary Doug Collins for ending this radical pro-abortion agenda to protect the most vulnerable of society and for prioritizing actual healthcare for veterans.”

This initiative is supported by Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Americans United for Life, Students for Life, Family Research Council, American Principles Project.

Read more from the Daily Caller here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)

Today the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) issued its August jobs report, which was full of woeful news for the U.S. economy. The report found that the unemployment rate rose to 4.3 percent, the highest it has been since the pandemic, and the economy only added a scant 22,000 jobs. With all data in for June, the final jobs figure for that month with revisions shows that the economy actually lost 13,000 jobs as President Trump’s tariffs took effect. Over the past four months the U.S. has averaged just 27,000 jobs added per month, a sharp slowdown from the 186,000 jobs per month the economy added in 2024.

Rep. Don Beyer, Senior House Democrat on the Joint Economic Committee, said:

“So much for Trump’s so-called “Golden Age,” this jobs report confirms Trump’s policies are betraying American working families. Trump can’t fire his way out of these stark facts: inflation is heating up, prices and unemployment are both rising, and job growth is weakening sharply, all thanks to Trump’s tariffs. Trump promised that the higher costs from his tariffs would come with a tradeoff in the form of a manufacturing boom, but we are losing manufacturing jobs at an alarming pace in 2025.

“The billionaires raking in a massive windfall from Trump’s tax cuts are thrilled, but for everyone else this economy is getting scary. Republicans in Congress could stop this at any time by allowing Democrats to pass the bills we’ve proposed to end Trump’s destructive tariffs, but they steadfastly refuse to do so.”

Below the topline, the report paints a grim picture of the economy. Manufacturing and construction jobs were down again amid the proliferation of Trump’s tariffs which were supposed to achieve the opposite result. Losses of federal government jobs dragged the numbers down, but many more are still not included in the report because a significant number of terminations will not officially take effect until September. The August job number would have been negative without 31,000 jobs added in the health sector, which will soon begin absorbing the impact of nearly $1 trillion in cuts from the Republican tax law. The unemployment rate for Black Americans rose to 7.5 percent, and was even higher for Black women, a troubling sign for the broader economy as this group is often among the first hurt by a weakening labor market.

The report is the first monthly jobs report issued since President Trump fired BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer over false claims of data manipulation; it entirely supported the trends and data showing a weakening U.S. job market previously reported by BLS during McEntarfer’s tenure.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) released the following statement today on the August jobs report: 

“The August jobs report reflects the same alarming slowdown in the job market we started to see the previous month. In August, just 22,000 jobs were added to the economy, and unemployment ticked up to 4.3%. From rising costs caused by Trump’s tariffs to the trillions of dollars of additional debt from Republicans’ massive new tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires, the American economy is flashing red lights as a product of this administration’s disastrous polices. American families are paying the price through higher costs on everyday goods.

“These weak jobs numbers come on the heels of the recent revision that 258,000 fewer jobs were created over the summer than previously thought. That poor showing led Trump to take rash, unprecedented action to fire the nonpartisan head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. He made the completely baseless allegation that she somehow manipulated statistics that were compiled by a vast team of experts through a transparent, rigorously fact-checked process that Americans and our economy depend on. 

“Trump may lie, but the data doesn’t. The American economy is in a perilous position, and the only person Trump ought to blame is himself. If Trump tries to manipulate economic data to his political advantage – as he has indicated he plans to do – he will find that it only adds to the uncertainty paralyzing our economy right now.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Paul A Gosar DDS (AZ-04)

Yuma, AZ  — Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-09), issued the following statement announcing that the Yuma Elementary School District One has received a federal grant for $8,030,235 to replace the James D. Price Elementary School located on Yuma Proving Ground:

“I am very pleased to announce that the Department of Defense Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation has approved this $8 million federal grant to address facility capacity and condition deficiencies at James D. Price Elementary School in Yuma, Arizona. 

This important funding will ensure students, teachers and staff have a safe and modern learning environment they deserve by replacing an aging infrastructure that has strained the elementary school for years.

Every child deserves a safe and supportive place to learn.  Strong schools are the foundation of a strong community.  This investment will give students the space and facilities they need to strive, and I am pleased to announce this critical award,” stated Congressman Gosar.

Background:

The Department of Defense and the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation has awarded the Yuma Elementary School District One a $8,030,235 construction grant to replace the James D. Price Elementary School at Yuma Proving Ground under the Department of Defense’s Public Schools on Military Installations program.  Once completed, 125 students in kindergarten through fifth grade will be supported through this project.  Construction is expected to begin in February 2026. 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Paul A Gosar DDS (AZ-04)

Washington, DC — Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-09), issued the following statement following the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries legislative hearing regarding H.R. 4255, the Enhancing Safety for Animals (ESA) Act, legislation introduced by Congressman Gosar delisting the Mexican wolf from the Endangered Species Act and delinking its populations in the United States and Mexico:

“I am very grateful to Chair Hageman for holding today’s critical legislative hearing on the importance of advancing my legislation delisting Mexican wolves from the Endangered Species Act (ESA). 

Since being reintroduced to the wild in Arizona, Mexican wolves have significantly grown in population.  In fact, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared in 2024 that the Mexican wolf population had nearly doubled its recovery goal in the United States.  Additionally, another 350 Mexican wolves are currently being housed in captive breeding facilities.  Yet the wolf has remained on the Endangered Species list since 1982.  

Since that time, Mexican wolves have preyed on cattle, horses, elk, sheep and even family pets, causing significant financial losses and economic hardship on family-run ranches as the uncontrolled and unmanaged wolf populations have been allowed to roam free.  In response, local governments in New Mexico, Arizona and Indian nations have been forced to issue disaster declarations due to the thousands of dollars in economic losses, missing cattle and heightened danger caused by the Mexican wolves.

Now a stable population, the Mexican wolf has grown steadily since being reintroduced to the wild. Today’s legislative hearing was an important next step in ensuring my legislation delisting the Mexican wolf from the ESA is brought to the House floor for a vote,” stated Congressman Gosar.

The Arizona Cattle Growers Association is grateful for Congressman Gosar’s leadership in finally addressing the damaging Mexican wolf program. The original recovery benchmark of the wolf population was met years ago. It makes no sense for ranchers to bear the ongoing loss of their livestock because we are waiting for Mexico to increase its wolf population. It is time to delist these predators and let American ranchers continue to raise high-quality beef,” added Arizona Cattle Growers Association President, Brian deGanahl.

“Rural communities are currently facing the grave consequences from an apex predator that should be delisted. Due to past management focused principally on population numbers, we no longer just have a livestock crisis with Mexican wolves. Mexican wolves now stalk local kids and the elderly, snatch and kill cats and dogs off front porches in town and even kill our kids’ horses. Wolves are a constant presence around our homes and school yards. Our residents are reluctant to walk in the woods because of wolves. Mexican wolves have also killed my cattle, causing severe economic stress to our operation and to other producers. Thank you to the Subcommittee members for considering this critical legislation and to Congressman Paul Gosar for introducing it, stated New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association (NMCGA) President-Elect Tom Paterson.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Julia Brownley (D-CA)

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Julia Brownley (CA-26) and fellow Democratic colleagues have urged the Trump administration to rescind its proposed rule to reinstate a near-total ban on abortion care and abortion counseling at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). As a longtime champion for women veterans’ healthcare, Brownley participated in multiple efforts to underscore the dangers of the rule. 

Last month, in direct response to the proposed rule, Brownley introduced the Reproductive Freedom for Veterans Act, legislation that would guarantee veterans and eligible dependents the right to receive abortion care, medication, and counseling at VA, without interference from political appointees or partisan agendas and protected by law.

Brownley Joins Women Veteran Advocates on National Press Call

Brownley joined veteran advocates and Democratic Women’s Caucus Servicewomen, Women Veterans, and Military Families Task Force Chair Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) on a national press call coordinated by Free & Just. She spoke directly to the harms the proposed rule would have on women veterans who rely on VA care.

“The administration’s cruel and reckless decision to rescind VA’s already limited abortion protections is an enormous step backward, not only in safeguarding reproductive freedom, but in our broader commitment to our women veterans, who also put their lives on the line to keep us all safe and to defend our freedoms,” said Brownley.

“We know the consequences: women are denied care, doctors are afraid to act, patients are left to suffer, and lives are put in jeopardy,” Brownley continued. “Under this new proposed rule, there is no clear guarantee that women veterans facing miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, or other health-threatening complications will get the care they need. Make no mistake: Donald Trump and his extremist allies are using women veterans to advance an anti-choice, anti-women agenda and inch us closer to a national abortion ban.”

A full recording of the call can be found here.

Brownley Speaks at Joint House & Senate Veterans’ Affairs Press Conference on VA’s Decision to Ban Abortion Care and Counseling

At a press conference with fellow Democratic colleagues on the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees, Brownley emphasized the urgent need to pass the Reproductive Freedom for Veterans Act to protect women veterans’ access to reproductive healthcare.

“They claim issues of reproductive health should be left to the states, yet here they are abusing federal power to impose their personal beliefs on veterans nationwide – even in states where abortion is legal,” said Brownley. “This is a direct attack on women veterans’ freedom and bodily autonomy. Veterans should be able to make personal decisions about their health without interference from politicians. Their access to care should not shift with every administration. That is why I introduced the Reproductive Freedom for Veterans Act, a bill that will protect abortion access at VA once and for all, ensuring veterans are not subjected to the political whims of whoever happens to occupy the White House.”

“Veterans fought to defend our freedoms. They should not have to fight again for their own healthcare. That is why Congress must act – and act now. Because the lives of women veterans depend on it,” Brownley continued.

A full recording of the press conference can be found here.

Public Comment Letter Opposing Trump Administration’s Proposed Rule

Brownley also joined House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Mark Takano (D-CA), Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and 228 colleagues in submitting a public comment letter strongly opposing the proposed rule.

“This incredibly dangerous and reckless rule change will take away essential healthcare for veterans and beneficiaries of the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA),” the lawmakers wrote in their public comment letter responding to the proposed rule. “For the past three years, these patients have been able to obtain comprehensive pregnancy counseling, including information about abortion services, and abortion care in cases of rape, incest, or life or health endangerment. This proposed rule seriously calls into question whether the Department is putting political allegiances and culture wars ahead of its sacred obligation to deliver quality, life-saving health care to veterans, including the more than 462,000 women veterans of reproductive age enrolled in VA healthcare.”

The public comment letter can be viewed here.

Additional Background

In September 2022, following the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, VA used its rulemaking authority under the Veterans Health Care Eligibility Reform Act of 1996 to allow VA health care providers to offer abortion counseling and abortion services in cases of rape, incest, and the life and health of the veteran. 

Prior to that rule, VA enforced the most restrictive abortion ban of any federal health care agency. The Biden-era policy survived legal challenges and was finalized in March 2023.

On August 4, 2025, the Trump administration issued a proposed rule to repeal the 2022 policy. While the new rule preserves a narrow exception when the life of the pregnant person is at risk, it eliminates VA’s ability to provide abortion care in nearly all other cases. If implemented, the rule would once again make the VA the only major federal health provider with such an extreme restriction.

In response to the Trump administration’s proposed rule, Brownley introduced the Reproductive Freedom for Veterans Act, legislation that would end the uncertainty created by shifting agency policies and eliminate ambiguity in the rulemaking process when it comes to veterans’ health care. It would enshrine in law a veteran’s right to access abortion care at VA, ensuring that reproductive health services are not subject to the personal views or political agendas of any future Secretary or administration. Veterans deserve consistent, guaranteed access to the care they’ve earned and not a patchwork of policies that change with every administration.

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Issues: 119th Congress, Healthcare, Veterans’ Affairs

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (25th District of FLORIDA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart (FL-26), co-chair of the Latino Jewish Congressional Caucus, issued the following statement following the passing of Mr. David Schaecter:

“I am deeply saddened by the loss of David Schaecter, a dear friend and Holocaust survivor.

I last had the privilege of meeting with David and his wife, Sam Dubbin, in May of this year in my Washington, D.C. office. Sam works tirelessly for Holocaust survivors and their families.

David was one of more than 200,000 Holocaust survivors who lived to tell their stories, out of the six million Jews who were systematically murdered by the Nazis. He was a survivor of two Nazi concentration camps and a witness to the greatest act of antisemitism in human history. Eighty years ago, six million Jews were killed for no other reason than being Jewish.

David was born in a small town in what was then Czechoslovakia. At the young age of 11, he and his family were forced in cattle trains under inhumane conditions. By the time they arrived at Auschwitz, roughly 25% of the passengers were already dead or dying. Upon arrival, the Nazis separated David and his family. Tragically, the rest of his immediate family was murdered in concentration camps, and he lost more than 100 extended family members.

As President of the Holocaust Survivors Foundation USA and founder of the Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach, David devoted countless hours to educating students nationwide about the horrors of the Holocaust and the global resurgence of antisemitism.

The horrific terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, followed by the shocking wave of pro-Hamas protests on college campuses which intimidate and threaten Jewish students, should be a wake-up call that we have not succeeded in ridding the world of antisemitism. Clearly, we have work to do.

We must never allow David’s story, the story of other survivors, the memory of the six million Jews murdered, or the suffering of the hostages in Gaza to be forgotten. We must teach our children of the dangers of antisemitism so that such atrocities never happen again.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)

BOSTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) issued the following statement on the Trump Administration’s baseless lawsuit against the City of Boston.

“Boston is a safe, vibrant, and welcoming city. We will not be intimidated by this administration’s illegal scare tactics, and we will not back down as they continue terrorizing our communities,” said Congresswoman Pressley. “Nothing the Trump Administration has done since taking office has been about public safety. From the militarization of our cities, to abducting our neighbors off the street, to sham, baseless lawsuits like this one—it has always been about sowing fear, punishing dissent, and tearing apart hardworking immigrant families. In Boston, we take care of our neighbors, and we do not back down. I am glad we have a clear and steady Mayor at the helm who is working with community leaders and peace advocates to mitigate trauma and protect everyone who calls Boston home.”

Earlier today, as Trump threatens National Guard action in cities nationwide, Rep. Pressley joined advocates and councilmembers to condemn Donald Trump’s unlawful occupation and federal law enforcement surge in Washington, DC.

Earlier this year, in a House Oversight Committee hearing with Mayor Michelle Wu, Rep. Pressley discussed how immigrants are essential to the success of Boston and anti-immigrant policies have not made Boston safer but instead traumatized children, weakened public health, and disrupted daily life.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Marc Veasey (33rd District of Texas)

Headline: Congressman Veasey’s Statement Regarding Omar Salazar’s Detention by ICE

Washington, D.C.— Congressman Veasey has released the following statement regarding the detention of Omar Salazar at Bluebonnet Detention Center: 

“My office has been in contact with Dallas community leaders regarding Omar Salazar’s detention by ice following a stop by the Lubbock police department. we are working with his legal team and ice to assist however we can. my team and I will continue to actively monitor the situation and provide support to ensure that ice follows proper law and procedure in a humane and just manner.”