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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Suzanne Bonamici (1st District Oregon)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA), and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), co-chairs of the Congressional Career and Technical Education (CTE) Caucus, introduced the bipartisan Skill Savings Account Act.

This bill creates skill savings accounts for workers of all ages to use for education expenses including workforce development and nontraditional learning opportunities. Skill savings accounts can be utilized for a wide variety of workforce development opportunities including apprenticeships, online courses, credentials, short or long-term community college and university courses, bootcamps, certificates, skill accelerators, and more to give workers the opportunity to reskill and upskill throughout their careers.

Skill savings accounts allow for tax-free contributions from employers, workers, community investment organizations, family and friends, government agencies, and tax authorities to contribute to an individual’s skill savings account, which are portable and follow the individual worker throughout their working life.

“A skilled workforce drives our economic growth and it’s important that every American knows there is more than one path to a successful future,” Rep. Thompson said. “I am proud to lead the Skill Savings Account Act, this commonsense, bipartisan legislation will create a tool for workers to reskill and upskill, ensuring that everyone can climb the ladder of opportunity.”

“Investing in workforce development is investing in America’s economic future,” Rep. Bonamici said. “Skill savings accounts will allow more Oregonians to access continuing education, workforce training, and reemployment services to help workers and businesses thrive.”

“The U.S. Chamber of Commerce commends Reps. Thompson and Bonamici for introducing the Skill Savings Account Act,” said Rodney Davis, Head of Government Affairs of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “This bill offers workers and employers a practical, flexible tool to invest in skills development and training, helping address worker shortages and keep America’s workforce competitive.”

“The Skill Savings Account Act creates a portable, tax-advantaged tool that empowers learners and workers to invest in their own upskilling and reskilling, reflecting how today’s careers and related pathways actually unfold,” said Kate Kreamer, Executive Director of Advance CTE. “Career Technical Education (CTE) has long delivered the high-quality programs and pathways that learners need to cultivate in-demand skills, and Skill Savings Accounts can help complement this existing infrastructure with a worker-centered, demand-side investment. Advance CTE commends Representatives Thompson and Bonamici for their leadership on this issue and is pleased to endorse the Skill Savings Account Act.”

“By creating tax-advantaged accounts for education and training, this legislation expands access to high-quality learning opportunities, supports lifelong learning and strengthens the connection between education and workforce needs, helping more individuals gain the skills necessary to succeed in today’s economy,” said LeAnne Curry, Executive Director of ACTE. “ACTE appreciates Congressman Thompson for his continued support of career and technical education and for introducing this legislation.”

Specifically, this legislation would: 

• Create tax-free skill savings accounts for the purpose of paying the qualified education expenses of the account beneficiary, a portable account that follows a worker throughout their working life.
• Workers can contribute to their own skill savings accounts and/or receive contributions from employers, family and friends, government agencies, tax authorities, and community investment organizations.
• The total amount contributed by the employer shall not exceed $5,250 and the total amount contributed by an employee shall not exceed $10,000 in any calendar year.
• A skill savings account balance may not exceed $50,000

Read the full text here. 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Suzanne Bonamici (1st District Oregon)

WASHINGTON, DC [5/7/26] – Today Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Rep. John Mannion (D-NY), Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL), and Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) announced they will introduce a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to repeal the Department of Education’s finalized rule that caps federal student loans and overhauls the student loan system.

The final rule unnecessarily limits the definition of a professional degree for the purpose of establishing federal loan caps, which will force future nurses, social workers, teachers, firefighters, physical and occupational therapists, and many others to turn to often predatory, high-interest private lenders to complete their degrees. It also officially eliminates the Grad PLUS program and creates new, less affordable loan repayment options for all borrowers. The CRA will be introduced as soon as the rule is officially received by Congress. 

“I’ve spoken with nurses, teachers, firefighters, and many others who are concerned about how the Trump administration is making it even harder and more expensive for students to enter these critical public service jobs,” said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. “It is also absurd to take away more affordable student loan repayment plans at a time when families are struggling to cover costs as prices skyrocket for gas and other basic needs as a direct result of Trump’s reckless economic policy. These changes to the federal loan system are unacceptable and I will do everything I can to oppose them.” 

“Trump and Congressional Republicans’ ‘Big, Ugly Betrayal’ law is a direct attack on public service jobs across the nation, making it more difficult for hardworking Americans to access higher education,” said Senator Jeff Merkley. “By failing to classify nurses, teachers, firefighters, social workers, accountants, architects, and others as pursuing ‘professional’ degrees for student loans, the Trump Administration is undermining the future of critical professions. At the same time, this is driving up the cost of student loans for all professions by establishing costlier student loan repayment plans. We’re fighting like hell to roll back dangerous changes to federal student loans, so folks can continue to access the affordable loans they need to pursue their dreams.”

“The Trump Administration is making it harder for people to become nurses, social workers, counselors, and other essential professionals at the exact moment our communities need them most,” said Representative John W. Mannion. “This rule is arbitrary, short-sighted, and harmful to low- and middle-income students who do not have the luxury of paying out of pocket for an advanced degree, which is why I’m working with my colleagues on this legislation to repeal this shortsighted rule. We should be expanding access to educational opportunity, not creating new barriers to the workforce.”

“While working families struggle to buy groceries and put gas in their cars, the Trump Administration is sending a clear message to aspiring nurses, health care providers, social workers, teachers, and firefighters: If you can’t afford a high interest loan, then you can’t serve your community,” said Rep. Lauren Underwood. “This rule will undermine public health, and it’s a slap in the face to the millions of professionals who are doing critically important work to support the health and well-being of our families. It should be thrown out, and I’m proud to join my colleagues on this Congressional Review Act resolution to get it overturned.” 

“The Trump Administration is once again actively targeting the public servants who make up the bedrock of our communities – nurses, teachers, and social workers – by taking away their opportunities to access affordable student loans and forcing them into the clutches of private lenders,” said Senator Alsobrooks. “This new rule creates a deep inequity that will exacerbate nursing and educator shortages and is an insult to the hard working professionals that sacrifice every day to serve others.”

The final rule establishes an arbitrary list of 11 fields that are eligible for an aggregate borrowing limit of $200,000. Borrowers in programs excluded from the definition of “professional” – including nurses, social workers, teachers, firefighters, physical and occupational therapists, and more – will have a $20,500 annual borrowing limit and a $100,000 aggregate borrowing limit. This will worsen healthcare workforce shortages and disincentivize students from entering high-need fields where they might not be able to pay back the high costs of private loans. 

Millions of borrowers with outstanding student loans will also see their required monthly payment amounts increase by hundreds of dollars, dramatically exacerbating the affordability crisis. Changes to student loan repayment include significantly higher monthly loan payments and a mandated $50 minimum monthly payment under the Tiered Standard Repayment Plan, rather than allowing for lower amounts when the lender and borrower agree. Together, these changes will disproportionately affect low- and middle-income students and families. 

The text of the CRA can be read here. It is supported by: AASA, The School Superintendents Association; American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN); American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA); American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP); American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM); American Nurses Association (ANA); National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNP); National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP); National Association of Social Workers (NASW); National Education Association (NEA); the National League for Nursing (NLN); the PA Education Association; National Rural Health Association; and American Academy of Physician Associates.

“It’s ironic that we find ourselves here at the start of National Nurses Week, a time when we are meant to celebrate and honor the very people who keep our health system running. And yet, the Department of Education has chosen to make it harder for nurses to advance their education and their careers,” said Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, President of the American Nurses Association. “I want to thank Rep. Bonamici, Rep. Mannion, and Rep. Underwood for introducing a Congressional Review Act resolution to repeal the Department of Education’s final rule. As nurses, we are used to using every tool we have to treat our patients, and we need to use every tool at our disposal to repeal this rule. Otherwise, the effects of this rule will be felt in communities across the country, especially in rural areas where nurse practitioners, midwives, and nurse anesthetists are often the only providers of core healthcare services.”

“AACN applauds Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, Rep. John Mannion, Rep. Lauren Underwood, and Congressional leaders for pushing back on the Department of Education’s final rule and taking decisive action to champion our nation’s nursing professionals,” saidDr. Deborah Trautman, President and CEO of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.  “This joint resolution effectively suspends restrictive student loan caps for master’s and doctoral nursing students and keeps all options on the table to ensure federal support for meeting the nation’s nursing workforce needs.”

“The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is thrilled to endorse Congresswoman Bonamici’s Congressional Review Act in response to the Department of Education’s RISE Committee Final Rule. After receiving over 80,000 comments to their proposed rule, including NASW comments with a petition signed by nearly 30,000 social workers, the Trump Administration did not make any substantive changes to the designation of a professional degree. By instituting lower federal student loan limits for social work students, the Trump Administration cut off the access that makes it possible to educate and prepare social workers who are the largest providers of mental health services in the nation. Social work is a profession. It requires a graduate degree, supervised clinical hours, and state licensure. NASW, along with our Congressional champions, will continue to fight for the recognition social workers deserve and ensure that the cost of an education doesn’t prevent a dedicated professional from saving lives,” said Anthony Estreet, PhD, MBA, LCSW-C, CEO, NASW.

Additional statements of support can be found here.

In the House, the CRA is cosponsored by Representatives Nanette Barragan (D-CA), Nikki Budzinski (D-IL), Janelle Bynum (D-OR), André Carson (D-IN), Troy Carter (D-LA), Joe Courtney (D-CT), Angie Craig (D-MN), Madeline Dean (D-PA), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Chris Deluzio (D-PA), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), Maxine Dexter (D-OR), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Dwight Evans (D-PA), Laura Friedman (D-CA), John Garamendi (D-CA), Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ), Jahana Hayes (D-CT), Jonathan Jackson (D-IL), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Rick Larsen (D-WA), John Larson (D-CT), Jennifer McClellan (D-VA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Chris Pappas (D-N.H.), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Deborah Ross (D-N.C.), Andrea Salinas (D-OR), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Lateefah Simon, Mark Takano (D-CA), Dina Titus (D-NV), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Frederica Wilson (D-FL), and Becca Balint (D-VT).

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman John Garamendi – Representing California’s 3rd Congressional District

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens introduced the Homeownership Savings Act to break down financial barriers that have kept a generation locked out of homeownership.

With home prices up 60% nationwide between 2019 and 2025, it is increasingly difficult for young families to achieve the dream of homeownership. Stevens’ legislation creates Homeownership Savings Accounts (HOSAs), a new class of tax-advantaged accounts that allow first-time buyers to contribute up to $40,000 for down payments and closing costs. Contributions are tax-deductible up to annual limits, and earnings grow tax-free inside the account, giving young families a critical edge as the average age of a first-time buyer hits a record 40.

“For too many Michiganders, the American Dream of owning a home is slipping away,” said Rep. Stevens. “Families are working hard just to keep up with everyday costs while homeownership moves further out of reach. This bill is about making sure the next generation of Michiganders can afford to live in the communities they call home.”

The Homeownership Savings Act Would:

• Create Homeownership Savings Accounts (HOSAs) for first-time homebuyers to save for down payments and closing costs tax-free;
• Allow eligible buyers to contribute up to $40,000 over the lifetime of the account, with annual tax-deductible contributions of up to $3,000 for married couples filing jointly, $2,500 for heads of household, and $2,000 for single filers;
• Limit eligibility to first-time homebuyers;
• Allow employers to voluntarily contribute their own funds to an employee’s HOSA;
• Ensure funds can only be used for qualified homebuying expenses, including down payments and closing costs;
• Target tax benefits toward working- and middle-class Americans through income phase-outs for higher earners;
• Allow account holders to invest their savings in stocks, bonds, and other assets, with all earnings growing tax-free inside the account.

This legislation has been endorsed by the Michigan Bankers Association, the Community Economic Development Association of Michigan, and the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Bill text can be found here
 

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

WASHINGTON — This morning, Speaker Johnson delivered remarks in Statuary Hall of the U.S. Capitol to celebrate the National Day of Prayer, an annual day of observance designated by the United States Congress in 1952. 

“As you pray for our country today, we thank God for His acts of salvation and provision and deliverance,” Speaker Johnson said. “Let’s also pray that we may have the strength, just as our Founders did, to hand the baton of faith and freedom onto the next generation that follows us, a generation that cherishes liberty and proclaims proudly what is right and good and true.”

Watch Speaker Johnson’s full remarks here.

Speaker Johnson’s remarks as delivered:

Prayer’s been a part of our DNA since the very beginning, as you know. So, it’s fitting that we do this formal tradition, established by Congress at the height of the Cold War. And it reaffirms something that’s so important that really goes to the heart of who we are as Americans: We are a praying nation. We always have been. It truly is part of who we are. We know that prayer is where the impossible happens. We know it’s where we find solace and stay anchored in our faith, even through challenges and even through the storms, and that is indeed how we have endured. It’s fitting that we’re here in beautiful Statuary Hall, which, as you all know, was the original House Chamber. 

It’s fitting that as you walk around the Capitol here, and we’re so happy to welcome you today that you’ll see vestiges, reminders, of the deep religious heritage of our country. You’ll see reminders of our deep Judeo-Christian traditions, our foundations, our biblical foundations. That’s what makes America unique and extraordinary. 

Just about a hundred feet or so from here, if you went through the Rotunda and took a left, you would go down the hallway where my office is. The Speaker’s Office on one side, on the other side is the Senate Majority Leader’s Office, and right in the middle of that is a chapel. It was erected about the same time, built and established there about the same time as the National Day of Prayer became a formal piece of our law. And as you walk in there—many of you have been in there before and invite you to go visit it—your eyes will be drawn up to this beautiful original stained-glass piece. It’s one of a kind. I think it’s the most beautiful I’ve ever seen, and in that stained glass right in the center is depicted the father of our country, George Washington, and he is humbled before the Lord down on one knee. And he’s praying and the words surrounding him from Psalm 16:1, and it says, “Preserve me, oh God, for in thee do I put my trust, preserve me.” That’s what we still echo today. And of course, that passage of scripture is a restatement of our national motto: In God we trust. 

And by the way, if you come with us to the House Chamber, the current House Chamber, you’ll see that Congress also many years back also during the height of the Cold War decided to engrave permanently the national motto right above the head of the Speaker of the House and the rostrum as a permanent reminder. In fact, it says in the visitor’s guide to the House Chamber, somewhere about on page 21, it says what that was for and it says, ‘Congress put that there as a rebuke to the Soviets because their philosophy.’ They did it during the height of the Cold War. 

Communism, Marxism, socialism began with the premise that there is no God. Congress wanted to make sure that all future generations understood that is not who we are. And these are reminders that they were there long before the practice of public prayer was formally enshrined in the law. It was before we did all that it was immortalized in the hearts of the American people and in the Founders of our very nation. It wasn’t just George Washington. From the first harvest at Plymouth, to the bloodstained battlefields at Bunker Hill, to the whispered prayers of pioneers who are moving westward, the long arc of American history has been charted by the prayers of God-fearing people, God-fearing American citizens.

This 75th annual National Day of Prayer comes at a unique time in the history of our country. Of course, we’re also celebrating the 250th anniversary of this grand experiment in self-governance. For Americans of faith, it’s a time for us to come together and to pray for our nation, of course. And so, it is so fitting that we do this right now. 

It’s also a time to reflect on the great moral inheritance of which every American citizen, across every generation has been the humble recipient. That inheritance goes back to the very idea upon which our nation was founded. We boldly proclaimed the self-evident truth that our rights do not come from government. They come from God himself, that He is the one that has endowed us with our inalienable rights. That among those of the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, Right there in the second paragraph in the nation’s birth certificate, it summarizes our national statement of faith. The Founders made that bold declaration, and that was the foundation that that made us become the most free, most successful, most powerful, most benevolent nation in the history of the planet. It’s not even close.

Our Founders did their best to set up our nation in accordance with His guidelines and principles and my friends. That is why God has blessed America for 250 years. But the faith of our Founders didn’t just shape the character of our civic institutions. It steeled the American spirit, and it strengthened the fabric of our public life through our highest highs and our lowest lows. So it’s only natural that today we reflect on this experiment in liberty and how best to maintain it, how to keep this grand experiment in self-governance, how to keep the republic, and we follow our Founders and we seek his guidance, God’s guidance through the words of scripture and the invocation of prayer.

The theme of this year’s National Day of Prayer is not rhetorical. It says, ‘Tell of God’s glory among the nations, His good deeds to all people.’ As Americans of faith, we see that as our responsibility. We can never know what tomorrow brings, of course, but God calls us to be faithful and to proclaim his good deeds. And on this grand anniversary in particular, we have a great opportunity. We should use this the entire year as a teachable moment to pass along to the next generation of Americans who we are, what we’re about, and way why we are this great country.

So, as you pray for our country today, we thank God for His acts of salvation and provision and deliverance. Let’s also pray that we may have the strength just as our Founders did, to hand the baton of faith and freedom onto the next generation that follows us, a generation that cherishes liberty and proclaims proudly what is right and good and true. Thank you for being here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)

Just hours after returning to Maine from San Antonio, Texas, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) shared news that a federal district court judge has ordered Olivia Andre’s release from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing center in Dilley, Texas. According to Olivia’s lawyer, Elora Mukherjee, the judge’s order states she must be released by no later than Friday, May 8. 

“I am overwhelmed with joy and relief that Olivia will finally be released and reunited with her family. Yesterday, I sat with Olivia in Dilley and heard how she struggled through every second of her time in detention. Words cannot describe how heartbreaking it was to leave knowing she was still trapped there in utter despair. Olivia should never have been left locked away in Dilley, far from her family, her community, and the life she was building in Portland. But today, after six months of fear, pain, and uncertainty, Olivia is finally coming home,” Pingree said. “Olivia’s release is a testament to the power of public pressure, persistent advocacy, and the simple truth that no one seeking safety should be subjected to this kind of needless cruelty. Now, ICE must release Olivia without delay so she can be reunited with her family and begin to heal where she belongs: at home in Maine.”

“I just spoke with Olivia. She is overwhelmed with emotion to learn that she will be coming home to Maine. Olivia and her family should never have been detained. The federal court ordered her release because the Trump administration had no lawful basis for detaining her. She suffered in detention for six months in violation of federal law and the U.S. Constitution’s protections. Her mental and physical health deteriorated during this time because she did not have access to sufficient clean drinking water, palatable food, or appropriate medical care,” Mukherjee said. “All children and families should be released from Dilley immediately. There are cost-effective and humane alternatives to detaining children and families. Protecting children from needless cruelty is not an enormous ask. Our humanity demands it of us.”

On Tuesday, Pingree—along with colleagues U.S. Representatives Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas), Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Christian Menefee (D-Texas), and Mark Takano (D-Calif.)—conducted an official oversight visit of the Dilley detention center. They had the opportunity to meet with more than 60 people detained there and heard firsthand accounts of their treatment and the facility conditions. Pingree met with Olivia during the visit.

Olivia and her family are asylum seekers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and have been living in Portland, where Olivia was a first-year nursing student. The rest of her family—mother Carine Balenda Mbizi; brother Joel Andre, 16; and sister Estafania Andre, 14—were released from the Dilley Processing Center in March. 

Pingree previously conducted oversight visits of the ICE field office in Scarborough, Maine and the ICE facility in Burlington, Mass. 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)

Maine Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) is once again calling for the release of her constituent, Olivia Andre, from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing center in Dilley, Texas following an official Congressional oversight visit on Tuesday. Pingree—along with colleagues U.S. Representatives Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas), Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Christian Menefee (D-Texas.), and Mark Takano (D-Calif.)—held a press conference where they detailed what they witnessed at the Dilley facility and shared stories of those they met with.

“I came here today for one specific reason and one specific constituent. [But] I want to validate all of the things that my colleagues have been saying, and everything you’re hearing is true: We need to close Dilley, we need to close these facilities, there was nothing about the conditions that were humane—and it’s done with our tax dollars, in our name, and it has to stop,” Pingree said during the press conference.

In April, Pingree called on ICE to immediately release Olivia Andre, a 19-year-old student who has been detained in the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas since November. In a letter to ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons, Pingree questioned the legal basis for Olivia’s continued detention, as no explanation has been given to Andre or her legal counsel. 

Olivia and her family are asylum seekers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and have been living in Portland, where Olivia was a first-year nursing student. The rest of her family—mother Carine Balenda Mbizi; brother Joel Andre, 16; and sister Estafania Andre, 14—were released from the Dilley Processing Center in March. 

Pingree previously conducted oversight visits of the ICE field office in Scarborough, Maine and the ICE facility in Burlington, Mass. 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jack Bergman (MI-1)

Today, Representative Jack Bergman highlighted new record-setting progress by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in suicide prevention efforts, alongside historic funding secured through the appropriations process to support at-risk Veterans.

This week, the VA announced that it has reached the highest levels on record for both suicide risk screenings and follow-up evaluations for Veterans. As of March 2026, 88% of Veterans receiving VA care completed an annual suicide risk screening – the highest rate since tracking began in 2021.

Additionally, 96% of Veterans identified as at risk received a comprehensive follow-up evaluation and support plan within 24 hours, also a record high.

In March, Rep. Bergman led a bipartisan request signed by 29 Members urging the House Appropriations Committee to provide full funding for VA suicide prevention and treatment programs in the FY27 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs (MilCon-VA) funding bill. The request called for funding at not less than the VA’s FY27 Advance Appropriations request of $3.09 billion, including $713.4 million for suicide prevention outreach.

Earlier this month, the Appropriations Committee released its FY27 MilCon-VA bill and accompanying report, outlining $3.67 billion in funding for VA suicide prevention and treatment, of which $726.7 million is directed toward outreach efforts.

“These numbers represent real lives being reached and real progress in the fight to end Veteran suicide, but we know the mission is far from over, and we must continue to match progress with resources. This is exactly how the process should work. We identified the need, fought for the resources, and delivered even more support than requested to help save Veterans’ lives,” said Bergman.

The VA’s progress follows increased focus on improving suicide risk screening and timely follow-up care, including addressing concerns raised in a 2024 Office of Inspector General report. Expanded outreach has also played a key role, particularly in reaching unenrolled Veterans, who account for more than 60% of Veteran suicides.

Veterans in crisis, or those concerned about a Veteran, can contact the Veterans Crisis Line for 24/7 confidential support by dialing 988 and pressing 1, texting 838255, or visiting VeteransCrisisLine.net.

The full release from the VA can be found here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA)

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded New River Community Action, Inc., based in Radford, Virginia, a $3,710,694 grant. The funding supports local head start projects. U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement:

“New River Valley communities access head start services thanks to the work of New River Community Action.

“This HHS grant for more than $3.7 million helps New River Community Action administer its head start programs in the region.”

BACKGROUND

According to its website, New River Community Action supports head start services in the City of Radford as well as Floyd, Giles, Montgomery and Pulaski Counties. More than 200 children in the New River Valley benefit from its head start program.

As a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Congressman Griffith serves as the Chairman of the Health Subcommittee. 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Frank Pallone (6th District of New Jersey)

LONG BRANCH, NJ – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) today announced $1 million for Women Aware Inc. in New Brunswick to strengthen services for survivors of domestic violence in Middlesex County. 

“Women Aware provides lifesaving support for survivors at some of the most difficult moments in their lives, and this funding will help strengthen those services in Middlesex County,” Pallone said. “At a time when many victim service organizations are facing devastating funding uncertainty, this investment is especially important. Survivors deserve stability, safety, and access to care without wondering whether support programs will disappear. I will keep fighting to ensure New Jersey organizations have the federal resources they need to continue this work.”

The funding will support the development and expansion of the Middlesex County Family Justice Center, direct services for survivors, and specialized training for law enforcement, prosecutors, and emergency room personnel responding to domestic violence and strangulation cases. 

Last year, Pallone led a push urging the Trump Administration to release nearly $10 million in aid for New Jersey programs supporting survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, and human trafficking after delays threatened critical services statewide.

Women Aware previously warned that reductions in federal Victims of Crime Act funding could force cuts to residential and non-residential programs that help survivors rebuild their lives and regain stability. Pallone has continued pressing the federal government to release delayed victim assistance funding to prevent layoffs, service reductions, and closures at organizations across New Jersey.

“This grant strengthens the cornerstone of safety in our community by allowing us to provide critical training for law enforcement and medical personnel. It ensures that when a survivor reaches out, whether in an emergency room or a courtroom, they are met with a response that is trauma-informed, expert, and rooted in justice,” said Women Aware CEO Phyllis Yonta, MSW, MA, DVS.

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