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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Grace Meng (6th District of New York)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Reps. Grace Meng (D-NY) and Lois Frankel (D-FL), Ranking Members of key Appropriations Subcommittees, Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, as well as Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Co-Chairs of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus (RFC), led 67 Members of Congress in sending a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio to continue demanding answers about the ongoing waste and destruction of life-saving, taxpayer-funded contraception and other health supplies.

Last year, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) purchased $9.7 million worth of contraceptive supplies including birth control pills, hormonal implants, shots, and intrauterine devices (IUDs) to be distributed to sub-Saharan African countries. When the Trump Administration shuttered USAID, it dismantled international family planning programs and decided to destroy the nearly $10 million in usable products rather than distribute them. They were scheduled to be incinerated in July 2025 but have been sitting in warehouses in Belgium since that time.

The letter asks the State Department to clarify the quantities and types of supplies currently in storage, and the Department’s plans to transport, distribute, or destroy them. It follows reports from November 12, 2025, detailing that four truckloads of contraceptive commodities remain in storage in Geel, Belgium, and could be immediately distributed to communities in need if the State Department reversed its decision to destroy them. Reports also indicated that an additional twenty truckloads of U.S.-funded health supplies were moved to another facility in Kallo, Belgium, and may have been rendered unusable due to improper storage conditions.

In their letter, the Congressmembers wrote, “The destruction of contraceptives and other medical supplies is an appalling waste of taxpayer dollars and denies people lifesaving health care, part of a troubling pattern the State Department has followed—including the spoiling and subsequent incineration of 500 metric tons of emergency food the administration could have provided to hungry people. The human toll of this Administration’s dismantling of international family planning programs is nothing short of devastating. The American people deserve to know the fate of U.S.-funded medical supplies held in Belgium—the very same types of supplies millions of people across the U.S. rely on every day to ensure their reproductive freedom—and the cost of the State Department’s actions that continue to keep lifesaving supplies from reaching communities in need.”

Estimates suggest that if distributed, the $9.7 million in contraceptive supplies could prevent 362,000 unintended pregnancies, 110,000 unsafe abortions, and prevent 718 more maternal deaths.

“It is appalling that the Trump administration has spent months dodging questions and accountability about their decision to destroy nearly $10 million worth of already-purchased contraception,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Action Fund.  “The administration’s actions are a disgraceful attack on essential care and a complete waste of taxpayer dollars. Unfortunately, this is entirely in line with the president’s anti-sexual and reproductive health agenda abroad that has already had deadly consequences. We thank Rep. Meng, Frankel, and Meeks for championing the fight to distribute these essential commodities.”

Additionally, this letter echoes concerns raised in correspondence sent to the Acting Inspector General for the U.S. State Department in July, led by Meng, Frankel, and Don Beyer (D-VA), and signed by 80 Members of Congress.

A copy of the letter to Secretary Rubio can be viewed here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08)

Congresswoman Schrier released the following statement after voting against the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill: 

“Protecting our national security is a paramount responsibility that I take very seriously. That is why I have a long record of ensuring the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has the resources it needs to keep our nation safe. 

“But what we are seeing now is a sharp and dangerous departure from the regular rule of law. The Trump Administration has weaponized the DHS-run Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) against the American people. The Administration promised to deport the worst of the worst, and instead, ICE is now terrorizing communities – killing American citizens, ripping families apart, and sowing fear. This is not what ICE and other law enforcement should be used for. Their actions are causing long-term harm that will be felt for decades after the Trump Administration leaves by undermining the trust that has been built between local law enforcement and the communities they protect. 

“ICE is out of control and needs to be reined in through substantial measures that build accountability, transparency, and restore trust–especially in the wake of the horrific killing of a U.S. citizen that we saw in Minnesota. The package we voted on today fails to take even the most straightforward measures I’ve already called for to ensure accountability, like banning masks and other disguises, requiring officers to identify themselves, and mandating the use of body-worn cameras. Instead, it gives this agency more money without necessary guardrails, further enabling rogue and dangerous behavior that instills fear. That is why I voted against this DHS appropriations package.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL)

WASHINGTON – Rep. Brad Schneider (IL-10), a member of the House Ways and Means and Foreign Affairs Committees, released the following statement on his vote against legislation funding the Department of Homeland Security: 

“Two weeks ago, Renee Nicole Good—a loving wife, mother, and US citizen—was needlessly gunned down by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. Last fall, an ICE officer shot and killed a man in Chicago, and another officer shot a woman five times in her leg. Thousands of Illinoisans have contacted my office in fear for their families and in outrage for our nation in the wake of these horrific events. 

“People are right to be outraged – I share their outrage. ICE is totally out of control. 

“In the land of the free, the home of the brave, we cannot let stand a status quo that has permitted and even empowered ICE agents to wreak havoc on our communities, to scare our children, and to terrorize—and even kill—our neighbors. 

“Today, the House considered legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security, including ICE. I voted no. 

“We need to force a real change in ICE actions around the country. 

“We need to establish real, enforceable guardrails around ICE’s actions. 

“We need to ensure real accountability for ICE and DHS leadership. 

“And we need to reestablish proper Congressional oversight over ICE’s behavior. 

“The Homeland Security funding bill failed to do any of that. Instead, it will allow ICE to continue its reign of terror unchecked.  

“DHS and ICE should be focused on securing our borders and keeping the American people and our communities safe. That means real action, bound by the law and the protections of our Constitution, that keeps violent criminals, gang members, and drug dealers off our streets. But instead of targeting hardened criminals, ICE is far too often targeting hardworking people, without regard for their constitutional rights and basic dignity. 

“I encourage my colleagues in the US Senate to reject and reform this legislation, so that we can hold ICE accountable and provide communities across the nation the peace, safety, and security they deserve.” 

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Source: {United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bobby Scott (3rd District of Virginia)

Headline: Scott Statement on Opposition to the FY 2026 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on his opposition to H.R. 7147, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2026:

“Americans have witnessed deeply troubling abuses of authority by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE agents have arrested and detained American citizens and legal permanent residents, pulling people from their cars, homes and workplaces without warrants or probable cause. 

“The appropriate congressional response should be to hold oversight hearings to force administration officials to explain their actions in public until they are held accountable for their behavior. Regrettably, neither the Committees on Homeland Security, Armed Services, Oversight and Government Reform, nor the Judiciary has held a single hearing on these abuses or the killing of Renee Good, an American citizen, by an ICE agent. According to public reports, the administration is not conducting any investigation of that ICE agent, but they are investigating Ms. Good’s widow. Instead of welcoming a transparent independent investigation, the Trump Administration has obstructed Minnesota officials from opening their own inquiry and the Secretary of Homeland Security prematurely labeled Ms. Good a ‘domestic terrorist’ without any investigation or apparent evidence.

“In the absence of any hearings or investigations by the administration, Democrats are left with only the appropriations process to address oversight of these unprecedented abuses of power. Accordingly, I will oppose the funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security until such time as these abuses cease.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Donald Norcross (1st District of New Jersey)

Rep. Norcross Votes “No” on Republican Homeland Security Spending Bill

WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01) voted “no” on the Homeland Security Fiscal Year 2026 Appropriations Bill.

“Donald Trump, Kristi Noem, and ICE are abusing their power. They promised to go after violent criminals, instead Americans are getting killed and immigrant communities are living in fear. The Republican’s Tax Break for Billionaires Law already dumped $75,000,000,000 into ICE. What they need now is real oversight, transparency, and accountability, not another blank check,” said Congressman Donald Norcross. “The spending package does include $20 million to purchase body cameras for ICE agents, but that’s not good enough. Money alone doesn’t guarantee those cameras get worn. My bill, the Trust Through Transparency Act, would require by law that ICE agents wear body cameras. I will keep pushing until my bill gets over the finish line and body cameras are mandatory for all public-facing immigration enforcement officers. Without enforceable rules, real oversight, and accountability, DHS and ICE will keep operating without consequences. We can do better, which is why I voted ‘no’ on the DHS appropriations bill.”

To read more about the Trust Through Transparency Act, click here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2026 (H.R. 7147). Congresswoman Betty McCollum, the Dean of the Minnesota Congressional Delegation, voted no on the legislation. Upon passage of the bill, the Congresswoman issued the following statement:

“I refuse to vote for any funding for the Department of Homeland Security while the Constitutional rights of Minnesotans are being violated. During the Trump Administration’s invasion and occupation of our state, federal immigration agents have racially profiled our neighbors, apprehended children, killed an innocent mother, disappeared community members, injured people who were taken into custody, and arrested multiple U.S. citizens without cause. Agents of the Department of Homeland Security at the direction of Secretary Noem have weaponized the federal government against communities across this nation, and they are acting with impunity. Secretary Noem should be impeached and removed from office for the appalling conduct that her leadership has empowered. Americans should be outraged that House Republicans have given their stamp of approval for DHS to continue their campaign of chaos, violence, and tyranny.”

Click here to watch Congresswoman McCollum’s floor speech.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Scott Peters (52nd District of California)

Washington, D.C.– Today, Congressman Scott Peters (CA-50) released the following statement after the House passed a package of three more funding bills for Fiscal Year 2026; Labor-HHS, Transportation-HUD, and Defense Appropriations Act. Included in the language of these bills were nine of Rep. Peters’ Community Project Funding (CPF) requests. The package, including CPF requests, is subject to change as the legislation moves to the Senate.

“This is what governing looks like,” said Rep. Peters. “Congress coming together to keep the government open and make practical investments for hard-working families. For San Diego, that includes supporting our world-class research institutions, strengthening our military community, expanding housing access, and protecting public health. That’s the kind of results-driven governing my constituents deserve.”

Highlights of the package include:

• Invests $116 million towards San Diego’s defense economy, including research into the next generation of unmanned systems and research at Scripps Research Institute.
• Increases funding for medical research by $1.7 billion to develop treatments for cancer, disease, and service-related injuries.
• Rejects President Trump’s push for a 15 percent cap on indirect costs, including rent, acquiring and maintaining lab equipment, security, data processing, and storage. Indirect funding to San Diego from the NIH has helped pave the way toward tests and treatments for Alzheimer’s, cancer, rare diseases, and more.
  • Provides $170 million for child care grants and childhood education programs, such as Head Start. This will provide hard-working families in San Diego and across the country with access to early childhood education and child care.
  • Increases Homeless Assistance Grant funding by $366 million, helping cities like San Diego reinforce efforts to combat homelessness.
  • Improvements to our aviation system by providing $18.6 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), supporting busy airports like San Diego International Airport. The funding will expand the air traffic controller workforce, improve facilities and equipment, and modernize the nation’s air traffic control towers nationwide.
  • Fully funds the 3.8 percent pay raise for military personnel, including over 110,000 in San Diego.
  • $130 million in additional funding to improving Marine Corps Barracks.
  • Supports lifesaving biomedical research by providing an increase of more than $400 million above the 2025 level for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including increases for research to develop cures or treatments for cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, ALS, Diabetes, and a $30 million funding boost for the Office of Research on Women’s Health.
  • Invests in the security of our allies abroad, including Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel.

Also included in the package were nine Community Project Funding requests led by Rep. Peters for FY 2026 funding, totaling more than $7.15 million.

“San Diego is a thriving, innovative city, and our infrastructure needs to keep pace with that growth,” said Rep. Peters. “These projects reflect what I hear directly from local leaders and residents, ensuring San Diego remains a great place to live and work for decades to come. I’ll keep working with my colleagues in Washington to deliver for my constituents here at home.”

Community Project Funding requests made by Rep. Peters include:

LOSSAN Rail Bridge Replacement Project—$2,000,000

The funding would be used to replace three old wooden railway bridges at Railroad Mile Post, providing reliable access to jobs in San Diego as well as freight access to maintain goods movement in the region.

San Diego Safe Sleeping Pilot Program—$1,200,000

The funding would be used to purchase materials to maintain and expand the City’s program to offer non-congregate shelter options to homeless San Diegans at City-owned sites.

Downtown Escondido Economic Development Project—$1,000,000

The funding would be used to enhance comfort and accessibility for shoppers and diners, including improved crossings, widening sidewalks, and a traffic circle at Maple Street to calm traffic and improve safety. Similar projects have shown economic benefits of 12% decrease in retail vacancies and 20-30% increase in retail sales.

La Jolla Streetscape Project—$850,000

The funding would be used to improve infrastructure, expand pedestrian spaces, calm traffic, add stormwater drainage channels, enhance walkability, improve lighting, and add landscaping. The project will improve infrastructure and overall quality of life in the local community.

Mission Road Lighting Project—$850,000

The funding would be used to install pedestrian lighting along the Inland Rail Trail within the Richmar Neighborhood of San Marcos. It will enhance access to public transportation and improve safety for those traveling at night.

San Marcos Comprehensive Park Restroom Upgrades Project—$500,000

The funding would be used to restore 27 city park restroom facilities. The project will promote the use of public areas and allow people to safely access necessary public facilities.

North County Transit District Bus Stop Security and Enhancement Project—$250,000

The funding would be used to construct 20 bus shelters to improve accessibility and ensure riders with disabilities can easily utilize bus services.

Port of San Diego’s B Street and Broadway Piers Infrastructure Maintenance—$250,000

The funding would be used to support operations at the Port of San Diego’s two visitor-serving cruise ship terminals, B Street Pier and Broadway Pier. The boarding bridges at these terminals provide safe and convenient boarding and disembarking for cruise passengers. In the next few years, the cruise ship passengers coming through the port are forecasted to double, which in turn will increase the economic impact to the region.

San Diego Airport Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Station Modernization— $250,000

The funding would be used to design a rehabilitated and reconstructed ARFF facility at San Diego International Airport (SAN). The current facility is outdated and no longer meets the operational and safety standards required.

Community Project Funding enables Members of Congress to advocate directly for local priorities, ensuring transparency and accountability. To see more about Rep. Peters’ FY26 requests, click here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Scott Peters (52nd District of California)

Washington, D.C.?– Today, Representative Scott Peters (CA-50) released the following statement ahead of the House vote for the fiscal year 2026 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill. Included in the bill is funding for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“ICE was created for the orderly enforcement of our immigration laws, and President Trump promised to use it to find and deport dangerous criminals. It was never meant to operate as a militarized force in and against our neighborhoods, yet that is exactly what it has become. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, ICE’s budget has exploded, making it the highest-funded law enforcement agency in the federal government, with roughly $85 billion at its disposal. Fueled by the so-called ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’, the ICE budget is larger than the United States Marine Corps and many of the world’s militaries. With this funding, ICE has delivered nothing but fear and chaos. Families are ripped apart, civil rights are ignored, and communities have become less safe. 

“In May, ICE agents stormed Buona Forchetta, a small neighborhood restaurant in my district. They slammed the owner against a wall, handcuffed employees, and deployed flash-bang grenades on bystanders outside. All to apprehend four peaceful, hardworking dishwashers, not violent criminals or drug kingpins. Schools, small businesses, families, and children have all been caught in the crossfire of ICE’s reckless tactics. How is this making anyone safer? It’s not.

“ICE still lacks meaningful standards to remove violent criminals from our streets. Instead, the agency is obsessed with arrest quotas, chasing an arbitrary goal of 3,000 arrests a day, and sweeping up everyone in their path, including children and U.S. citizens. This is far from Trump’s promise to target dangerous criminals. It’s sloppy, dangerous, and irresponsible.

“And despite all the funding, ICE officers are not trained to observe the basic standards and procedures followed by our local police and sheriffs. Last year, I introduced the Stop Excessive Force in Immigration Act. This legislation would rein in ICE through strict limits on the use of military-style equipment like tear gas and flash-bangs and masks, requirements for always-on body cameras and for agents to render medical aid and intervene when colleagues act unlawfully, and increased training so agents can actually de-escalate. If these standards had been in place, Renee Good might still be alive, and American communities from Boston to Minneapolis to San Diego wouldn’t be bracing for the next unaccountable ICE operation.

“The American people want a secure border and safety, accountability, and common sense from agents in our communities, not more arrests, more brutality, or more blank checks. ICE doesn’t need more money, and it certainly won’t be getting my vote.” 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (District of Columbia)

The House passed the fiscal year 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development bill today.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Josh Harder (CA-10)

Californians lost $2.5 billion to online scams in 2024

Bipartisan bill creates government-wide task force led by FBI to crack down on organized cybercrime

WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Josh Harder (CA-09) introduced sweeping, bipartisan legislation to comprehensively crack down on organized cybercrime. Led with Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), the Stop Schemes, Cyber-fraud, Abuse, Manipulation, and Swindles (SCAMS) Act creates a first-ever, government-wide task force led by the FBI to prevent and respond to a wide range of scams.

Modern scams are sophisticated crimes that are only getting worse:

• Across the country, Americans reported more than $16 billion stolen through scams in 2024, and as much as $2.5 billion in California from a wide range of scams.
• These can take the form of robocalls, fake tax collections, phony job ads, card-declined alerts, and cryptocurrency schemes targeting seniors, veterans, and working families.
• Severe scams like identity theft are growing rapidly and increasingly targeting previous victims multiple times.

“Scams are more than just an annoying robocall – this is an organized attack on working families that robs them of their hard-earned savings and financial stability,” said Rep. Harder. “This bill is a crackdown on these criminals that brings every level of government together under one mission to end criminal scams. We’re going to see more arrests, fewer robocalls, and less financial theft, and I look forward to working across the aisle to get this bill signed into law.”

How the Stop SCAMS Act cracks down on organized cybercrime:

• New Task Force – Directs the FBI to organize a coordinated, government-wide task force to prevent and respond to modern scams.
• Better Data – Aligns inter-agency actions, definitions, and data to improve the efficiency of scam-fighting efforts.
• Prevention  – Measures the effectiveness of scam prevention efforts and improves public education campaigns. 

“The first duty of our government is to protect the American public—that includes protecting them from fraud that preys on trust and uncertainty,” said Rep. Fitzpatrick. “Our Stop SCAMS Act brings long-overdue oversight to a fractured system by aligning the FBI, FTC, and CFPB behind one strategy, one set of definitions, and real accountability. Having led complex, multi-agency investigations as a National Supervisor for the FBI’s Public Corruption Unit, I know that fragmented responses invite exploitation, and disciplined coordination is how you protect the public before the damage is done.”

“AARP, which advocates on behalf of 125 million Americans aged 50 and older and their families, is pleased to endorse the bipartisan Stop SCAMS (Schemes, Cyber-fraud, Abuse, Manipulation, and Swindles) Act,” said Jennifer Jones, Vice President, AARP Government Affairs. “This critical legislation is an important step in addressing the growing epidemic of scams that target seniors, veterans, and working families across the country.”

Harder has repeatedly pushed Washington to take organized scams more seriously – in 2024, he sounded the alarm on skyrocketing fraud rates and led a bipartisan letter to congressional leadership calling for new anti-fraud efforts. Harder is also pushing to designate May 9th as National Scam Survivor Day.

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