MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman French Hill (AR-02)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. French Hill (R-AR-02) this week relaunched the bipartisan House Entrepreneurship Caucus alongside Co-Chairs Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX-33), Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX-25), Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA-01), Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ-01), and Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA-08).

First established in 2019, the House Entrepreneurship Caucus brings Republicans and Democrats together to address the steady, decades-long decline in new business formation. Too many would-be entrepreneurs never get off the ground, often held back by limited access to capital, regulatory complexity, and a startup environment that has grown increasingly difficult to enter, particularly in communities that have never fully shared in the innovation economy.

The relaunch of the House Entrepreneurship Caucus marks a renewed commitment to change that. Through policy discussions, stakeholder engagement, and targeted legislation, the caucus will work to build an environment where American entrepreneurs, startups, and small business owners can thrive.

Rep. Hill said, “The ‘startup slump’ is a real concern and something I have been working to tackle throughout my time in Congress. Entrepreneurship is the engine that drives our economy forward, and as an entrepreneur myself, I know how difficult it can be to get a business off the ground. It’s critical that the policies coming out of Washington encourage innovation and risk-taking. Supporting startups and small business owners is not a partisan issue, and I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle as Co-Chair, all of whom have either started or ran a business, to promote strategies and policies that create an environment where entrepreneurs can thrive.”

Rep. Veasey said, “I am proud to join the Congressional Entrepreneurship Caucus and support efforts to strengthen innovation, support small businesses, and empower entrepreneurs who drive economic growth and opportunity across the nation. I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance initiatives that help current and future entrepreneurs succeed.”

“As a second-generation small business owner, I know firsthand that every successful business starts with someone willing to take a risk,” said Rep. Williams. “As Chairman of the House Small Business Committee, I have spoken with entrepreneurs across the country and seen both the opportunities they create and the challenges they face. Today, I am proud to rejoin the Entrepreneurship Caucus and work alongside my colleagues to support the next generation of innovators. Together, we can ensure the next generation of entrepreneurs has every opportunity to achieve the American Dream.” 

Rep. DelBene said, “As a former entrepreneur, I know firsthand the challenges of starting and growing a new business. This bipartisan caucus will help Congress better understand the needs of entrepreneurs and ensure we craft smart, effective policies informed by small business and startup leaders. When innovators bring new ideas, products, and services to our communities, they strengthen our economy. I look forward to leading this bipartisan group and advocating for the entrepreneurs driving growth and innovation across the country.”

“Entrepreneurs in Arizona are critical job creators who help build economic growth,” said Rep. Schweikert. “I am pleased to Co-Chair the Entrepreneurship Caucus again this Congress to work with my colleagues on bipartisan policies that support innovators across the nation. No startup should face impossible barriers while working to improve our communities and drive the local economy. Through this caucus, we will keep pushing for a more competitive tax and regulatory environment that allows entrepreneurs to take risks, create jobs, and build the next generation of American businesses.”

“It is all too easy for policymakers to excessively focus on the concerns of large, established firms and ignore the needs of the small businesses and startups who drive so much of our economic activity and innovation,” said Rep. Beyer. “This caucus will be an important forum for legislators to learn about the unique challenges faced by smaller companies and build support for commonsense, bipartisan solutions.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ed Case (Hawai‘i – District 1)

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Representative Ed Case (Hawai‘i-First District) today announced that his U.S. House Problem Solvers Caucus has endorsed a comprehensive proposal to reform runaway gerrymandering of Congressional districts and restore trust in the redistricting process, limit partisan interference, advance broader representation and facilitate real solutions in Congress.  

The proposal was developed by the Problem Solvers’ Gerrymandering Working Group, co-chaired by Case, a Democrat, and U.S. Representative Jeff Hurd (Colorado-Third District), a Republican.

“The Problem Solvers is about facing and solving our toughest challenges and making our government work,” said Case, who also serves as Vice Chair of the 45-Member caucus. “The worsening redistricting wars are a direct obstacle to a representative, inclusive, functioning and trusted government, and a solution must be a priority.

“Our Caucus’ endorsed framework lays out the guideposts of for real reform and demonstrates that even the toughest and most political issues can be solved on a bipartisan basis.”

Case said the framework establishes five principles for Congressional redistricting: 

·       Stability and predictability in representation,

·       Transparency and public confidence in the map-drawing process,

·       Fair and consistent application of standards across states,

·       Respect for communities and political subdivisions, and

·       Reduction of incentives for partisan manipulation.

The framework also identifies four bipartisan reforms designed to create a more transparent, fair, and consistent process for drawing congressional districts nationwide:

·       Once-a-Decade Redistricting: Restrict Congressional redistricting to once every ten years following the decennial Census.

·       Nationwide Uniform Standards: Require Congressional districts to be drawn using clear, objective criteria while rejecting partisan advantage and incumbent protection as legitimate goals.

·       Reducing Partisan Influence: Support approaches that minimize partisan influence, including independent commissions, algorithmic mapping and other mechanisms that promote public confidence.

·       Federal Resolution of Challenges: Establish a consistent federal process for resolving Congressional redistricting disputes.

“Voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around,” said Case.  

“These hyperpartisan gerrymandering wars are destructive to democracy because they effectively disenfranchise large segments of our electorate and balkanize our nation into a state of perpetual partisan warfare.

“We need a Washington that truly represents the American people and works together to solve tough issues, not politicians endlessly pulled and beholden to irreconcilable extremes.

“Our Problem Solvers gerrymandering framework focuses on reforms that facilitate fair inclusion of all viewpoints, democratic debate and representative solutions.” 

The House Problem Solvers Caucus is an official group of Members in the U.S. House of Representatives, evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans. Founded in 2017, its mission is to foster bipartisan cooperation, overcome legislative gridlock and advance consensus-based solutions on major national issues. More information about the Problem Solvers is available at https://problemsolverscaucus.house.gov.

Case said that over the coming months, the Problem Solvers will further develop these principles into specific common-sense legislation and continue to build a coalition of support from across the political spectrum for essential reform. 

Read the full framework here.

Gerrymandering statistics here.

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

WASHINGTON — Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) today sent a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urging HHS to establish comprehensive, enforceable standards for toxic heavy metals in infant formula and baby food. The letter cites years of scientific evidence linking early-life exposure to toxic heavy metals with serious developmental harms and calls on HHS to take the regulatory action necessary to better protect America’s children.

In the letter, Krishnamoorthi notes that new research demonstrates scientists can use baby teeth to trace early-life exposure to toxic metals and link those exposures to measurable differences in brain development and later behavioral outcomes. The findings come five years after Krishnamoorthi’s congressional investigation first exposed dangerous levels of toxic heavy metals in baby food.

Krishnamoorthi writes:

“Five years after my congressional investigation first exposed dangerous levels of toxic heavy metals in baby food, the scientific case for action has only grown stronger while HHS’s failure to act has become increasingly indefensible. In April, researchers demonstrated a new approach that enables scientists to trace early-life exposure to toxic metals and link those exposures to measurable differences in brain development and later behavioral outcomes. As the scientific evidence has grown stronger, the justification for continued federal delay has grown weaker. HHS can no longer justify studying a problem that demands regulatory action.”

On the consequences of continued inaction, Krishnamoorthi writes:

“Infants and young children are uniquely vulnerable to heavy metal exposure because their brains and bodies are developing rapidly, and even low levels of exposure can have lifelong consequences. Parents should be able to trust that the food they feed their children is safe. Every day HHS delays establishing comprehensive, enforceable protections is another day millions of American families are left without the safeguards they deserve.”

Krishnamoorthi requested responses to the following questions no later than July 16, 2026:

1. Since January 20, 2025, what actions has HHS taken to reduce heavy metal contamination in infant formula and baby food, including developing comprehensive, enforceable standards?
2. What additional regulatory or other actions does HHS plan to take to reduce infants’ and young children’s exposure to toxic heavy metals, and on what timeline?
3. If HHS does not intend to establish comprehensive, enforceable standards for toxic heavy metals in infant formula and baby food, what is the scientific, legal, and policy basis for that decision?
4. Why has HHS not provided the briefing requested in my February 25, 2025, letter, and when will it do so?
5. What scientific studies, risk assessments, and other evidence has HHS relied upon since January 20, 2025, in determining whether additional federal action is warranted?

The full text of the letter is available here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Andy Harris (MD-01)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Andy Harris M.D. (MD-01), today announced that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded $5,377,500 to the Town of Ocean City for improvements at Ocean City Municipal Airport.

The funding will complete the final phase of reconstructing Taxiway A, including 1,650 feet of pavement and lighting. The project completes the reconstruction of 3,850 feet of taxiway pavement that has reached the end of its service life.

Statement from Congressman Harris: 

“I’m proud to have delivered this funding to complete the reconstruction of Taxiway A at Ocean City Municipal Airport. Completing this project will improve safety and modernize an airport that serves residents, businesses, and visitors across Maryland’s Eastern Shore.”

For media inquiries, please contact Michella Carter at Michella.Carter@mail.house.gov

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Alma Adams (12th District of North Carolina)

Washington, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12) commented on the Supreme Court’s June 30th decision to uphold the constitutional right to birthright citizenship.

“150 years ago, the 14^th Amendment was written into our Constitution to guarantee formerly enslaved Black Americans could never have their citizenship challenged because of their race.

“150 years later, the 14^th amendment stands reaffirmed by the Supreme Court, ensuring that everyone born in the United States is an American Citizen. 

As America nears it’s 250^th birthday this Saturday, American values have been upheld. According to the highest court in our nation, President Trump’s baseless attacks on the Birthright Citizenship Clause are just that, baseless.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Alma Adams (12th District of North Carolina)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12), released a statement regarding the passage of H.R. 6644, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act in Congress.

While this transformative housing bill overwhelmingly passed both chambers in Congress with bipartisan support, the administration has previously refused to make it law until the SAVE America Act had been passed. 

Speaker Mike Johnson sent the bill to the President yesterday, on June 29. If not signed or vetoed within ten days of it reaching the President’s desk, it will automatically become law, as outlined in the constitution.

“One of the most pressing issues facing North Carolina’s 12th District is the skyrocketing cost of housing in Charlotte,” said Congresswoman Adams. “This bill will help build new housing, lower mortgage rates and rental costs, and prioritize homebuyers and renters over corporate landlords. Having a space to call your own is an integral part of the American dream; and this legislation will make that dream more accessible for my constituents and Americans across the country.”

This historic legislation will: 

• Remove unnecessary regulatory barriers and streamline environmental reviews to expedite the development of affordable housing.
• Strengthen the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investments Partnership Program to provide key funding for affordable housing development.
• Authorize disaster recovery housing programs to get money out to disaster-stricken communities faster — a win for western North Carolina.
• Place restrictions on large institutional investors by capping the number of single-family homes they may purchase. 

“With the passage of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, new regulations will be enacted to restrict corporations from buying homes,” said Congresswoman Adams. “This issue is important to me, which is why I introduced similar legislation in early 2025.” 

Corporate housing ownership is a significant concern for Charlotte. As of 2023, corporations owned roughly 20,000 single-family properties in Charlotte. To combat this, Congresswoman Adams introduced the American Neighborhoods Protection Act to place a limit on corporate homeownership and create a fund to construct new housing.

“Charlotte is one of the fastest growing cities in the nation, we don’t have room for corporate buyers who corner the housing market, driving up costs and lowering the availability of homes for the families who need them most,” added Congresswoman Adams. 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Alma Adams (12th District of North Carolina)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12), introduced the Living Wage for Federal Contractors Act, legislation establishing a permanent, predictable minimum wage for workers employed through federal contracts.

The bill sets the federal contractor minimum wage for employees at $17.00 per hour upon becoming law, rising by $2.00 every year until it reaches $25.00 per hour, at which point it will be adjusted annually based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). Tipped contract workers would see their minimum wage rise from $13.00 per hour to $25.00, at a similar rate.

“Contractors who work for the government deserve the same certainty as any federal employee,” said Congresswoman Adams.“This bill will end the inconsistent wage policy set by the executive branch and put a living wage into law. Without firm policy set by Congress, federal contract workers become an easy target for wage theft, with no regard to the people we are taking advantage of.”

A one pager explaining the bill can be found here.

Millions of Americans work on federal contracts, and hundreds of thousands have seen their wages change inconsistently over the last 10 years. Since 2014, the minimum wage for federal contractors has been raised and lowered by a cycle of executive orders, leaving working people and businesses without a consistent standard from the United States government.

Since 2014, administrations of both parties have used Executive Orders to raise or lower the minimum wage for federal contract workers. Most recently, in 2025, the current administration reduced the federal contract worker minimum wage from $17.75 to $13.65 per hour.

But Executive Orders are not law. They can be changed or reversed whenever a new administration takes office. Federal contract workers should not have their livelihoods subject to political swings from one administration to the next. They deserve the certainty, stability, and economic security that come with a predictable wage protected by law.

The Living Wage for Federal Contractors Act will solidify wage protections, extend coverage to independent regulatory agencies and the U.S. Postal Service, and create wage floors for construction, service, and procurement contract workers.

The bill will also strengthen enforcement by providing liquidated damages, civil penalties, a private right of action for workers, and authority for the Department of Labor to withhold payments from contractors found in violation.

You can read the full text of the bill here.

Reps. Emanuel Cleaver (MI-05), LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Dina Titus (NV-01), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25) have joined the bill as original cosponsors.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Tom McClintock Representing the 4th District of California

Washington, DC – The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement held a hearing today on Sanctuary Policies: Victims’ Perspectives.  The hearing focused on how sanctuary policies, specifically in Illinois and California, endanger communities by putting the interests of criminal aliens ahead of the interests of Americans. 
 

Witnesses included Jessica Gorman, Mother of Sheridan Gorman, Joe Abraham, Father of Katie Abraham, Gary Redman, Sheriff of Amador County, California and Sarah Pierce, Director of Social Policy, Third Way.
 

Opening Statement

During this session, this subcommittee has focused on so-called sanctuary laws that put criminal illegal aliens back on the streets rather than turning them over to federal authorities for deportation, as the law requires.  The sole effect of these laws is not to impede general immigration enforcement – it is specifically to prevent deporting criminals. 

The toll of death and destruction caused by these policies is heartbreaking.  As the death toll of innocent Americans continues to mount, Republicans will continue to avail victims’ families the opportunity to describe the catastrophic impact these policies have caused.  Two of those families will address us shortly.  

One is the mother of Sheridan Gorman.  On March 19 of this year, Sheridan Gorman, an 18-year old freshman at Loyola University, went to a Chicago park with friends to watch the Northern lights.  She was shot by an illegal alien from Venezuela, allowed into this country by the Biden administration.  Within months of his release at the border, he was arrested for shoplifting.  He should have been turned over to authorities for deportation then.  Instead, Chicago’s sanctuary law released him back into the community, where he had no legal right to be.  Sheridan Gorman is dead as a result.

A few weeks ago, we heard from the mother of Stephanie Minter, murdered by an illegal alien with dozens of prior arrests – each time returned into the community by Fairfax county officials.  Their excuse: that despite an $83 million annual budget for the County Sheriff, they didn’t have the resources to pick up the phone and inform ICE they had custody of an illegal alien so that alien could be deported.  When I asked them how much it would cost to make a simple phone call to ICE, and whether Stephanie Minter’s life was worth the cost of that phone call, I got no response.

Last year, these sanctuary jurisdictions refused to honor at least 17,864 ICE detainer requests, of illegal aliens accused of committing other crimes.  Instead these aliens, who had no right to be in this country, were released onto our streets to re-offend at will.  

Illinois and California are just two examples of these renegade jurisdictions. Their refusal to cooperate with federal immigration officials terrorizes communities, incentivizes crime, and undermines the rule of law.  In Illinois alone, in just 11 months, authorities blew off 1,768 ICE detainers and instead released these criminals back onto the streets, despite crimes ranging from weapons offenses to burglaries to homicides. According to documents obtained by this Committee, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office alone released 408 criminal aliens from its custody in 2025 instead of honoring active ICE detainers.    

The Democrats complain bitterly that we are focused on this tragedy.  I can assure them that the Republican majority will continue to expose the human toll of their policies until they are rectified. 

I’m sure we will re-hear their complaints that ICE arrests in communities have led to confrontations with violent demonstrators.  But those arrests, that require squads of officers, and that put both officers and bystanders in danger, would not be necessary if those aliens were turned over to ICE while in the custody of local law enforcement. 

They also tell us that refusing to cooperate with ICE fosters trust with the illegal alien population.  This begs the obvious question, can LEGAL residents trust sanctuary jurisdictions to protect them and their families?  And a U-Visa is already available to illegal aliens who are witnesses or victims of a crime. 

Earlier this year, the Judiciary Committee passed the Shut Down Sanctuary Policies Act. It prohibits sanctuary jurisdictions from restricting communications with ICE about criminal aliens; it empowers local authorities in sanctuary jurisdictions to work with federal immigration officials; it forbids local jurisdictions from shielding criminals from ICE; it restricts certain federal grant funding to sanctuary jurisdictions that thwart federal law; and it provides a private right of action for victims of sanctuary policies. All of that is common sense. We shouldn’t need a bill to force state and local officials to protect American citizens over dangerous foreign nationals. Yet not a single Democrat on this Committee voted for that legislation. 

In addition to the grieving families of Sheridan Gorman and Katie Abraham, we are also joined by Sheriff Gary Redman, of Amador County, California, in my district.  He is dealing with an epidemic of illegal alien crime centered on illegal marijuana grows, and yet is forbidden by state law from cooperating or even communicating with ICE to protect his citizens from this scourge.  The Shut Down Sanctuary Policies Act would free him from these constraints.

It is inconceivable that such a reckless and dangerous policy as these so-called sanctuary laws could be supported by a major political party, but as we will see again today, that is the current position of the Democratic Socialist party:  Not a fringe element, but the actual elected representatives of that party.   

I look forward to hearing from our witnesses, and I now yield to the Ranking Member for her opening statement. 

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

For Immediate Release                             Contact: Alayah Phipps

July 2, 2026                                                    202-813-2793

PRESS RELEASE

CONGRESSWOMAN PLASKETT COMMEMORATES EMANCIPATION DAY AND AMERICA’S 250TH ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE

U.S. Virgin Islands — Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett (D-USVI) issued the following statement commemorating Virgin Islands Emancipation Day and the 250th Anniversary of American Independence:

“Two hundred and fifty years ago, this nation declared to the world that all men are created equal, that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed. That declaration, signed in Philadelphia on July 3rd, 1776, drove the principal goals of the American Revolution. 72 years later, enslaved men and women of the Danish West Indies rose up for their own freedom from chattel slavery and received their own proclamation of emancipation in Frederiksted on St. Croix, on July 3, 1848.

“That emancipation did not come from the grace of an empire. It came because our ancestors demanded it. They rose up, refused the conditions of their bondage, and pressed on the gates of freedom until they were opened. The men and women who marched that day did not wait to be given their freedom, they insisted upon it. That is the legacy we inherit and the spirit we carry into every fight.

“Today, as America celebrates 250 years of independence and Virgin Islanders mark another Emancipation Day, we must recognize that these two anniversaries are inseparable. The Virgin Islands of the United States is inextricably tied to the history of this nation, from Alexander Hamilton, who spent his formative years on St. Croix studying banking and who risked

everything to throw off colonial rule, to our strategic position safeguarding the Caribbean Basin.

“In 1917, the United States purchased our islands from Denmark, not for the benefit of the people, but for the protection of the Caribbean Basin. The $25 million in gold bullion to purchase the islands was sent to Copenhagen not for the people of the island. And yet, we have fought in every American conflict, produced revolutionaries, statesmen and creators, and carried the full responsibilities of citizenship without the full benefits being extended to us.

“More than a century later, that inequity persists. My constituents pay federal taxes. They serve in the military at higher rates per capita than most states. They bleed for our flag. And yet they cannot vote for President. They have limited representation in Congress. They are told, in effect, that their consent does not count, that the words etched into the Declaration of Independence do not fully apply to them.

“On this semiquincentennial, I do not celebrate 250 years of American democracy as if it has been equally shared, but I also refuse to surrender to cynicism. The same spirit that drove our ancestors to the fort at Frederiksted is the spirit that drives me to fight on behalf of every Virgin Islander as their member of Congress. The cause of full equality for the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands is not a Democratic issue or a Republican issue. It is an American issue. Colonial rule was wrong in 1776, and it remains wrong today.

“To every Virgin Islander: let Emancipation Day remind you of the courage that runs in your veins. Let the 250th anniversary of this nation remind you that the work of building a more perfect union is not finished. Our people are not a footnote to American history. We are woven into its very foundation, and we will not stop fighting until democracy means what it says.

“Blessed Emancipation Day and Happy Fourth of July.”

In observance of Emancipation and Independence Day, the district offices of Congresswoman Plaskett on St. Croix and St. Thomas, as well as the Washington, D.C. office, will be closed on Friday, July 3, 2026, and Friday, July 4, 2026. All offices will reopen on Monday, July 6, 2026.

For assistance, please call 202-225-1790 (Washington, D.C.), 340-778-5900 (St. Croix), or 340-774-4408 (St. Thomas). Messages left will be responded to when the offices reopen on Monday, July 6, 2026.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Andy Harris (MD-01)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01), announced that the City of Cambridge has been awarded $1,150,000 through the U.S. Department of Transportation to complete final planning and engineering for the Cedar Street Gateway Corridor Multimodal Safety and Resilience Project.

The funding will support work on the Cedar Street Gateway corridor connecting U.S. Route 50 to downtown Cambridge, including drainage, stormwater, streetscape, and pedestrian and bicycle improvements to reduce flooding and improve safety.

Statement from Congressman Harris:

“The Cedar Street Gateway is an important route into downtown Cambridge, and this investment will modernize the corridor while improving drainage and protecting against future flooding. I’m proud to have helped secure this award and move this project forward.”

For media inquiries, please contact Michella Carter at Michella.Carter@mail.house.gov