MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Angie Craig (MN-02)

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representatives Angie Craig (D-MN), Mark Alford (R-MO), Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-MI) and Mark Messmer (R-IN) reintroduced the Biomanufacturing and Jobs Act to strengthen the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) BioPreferred Program.

This bipartisan legislation will increase market access for bio-based products and help ensure that the United States remains the world’s leader in biomanufacturing. 

Senators Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Pete Ricketts (R-NE) introduced companion legislation in the Senate.

“Increasing market access for biomanufacturers benefits the environment, strengthens our economy, creates good-paying jobs and opens ups opportunities for Minnesota’s family farmers,” said Rep. Craig. “I’m proud to be introducing this bipartisan bill to stabilize markets for bio-based products and ensure America remains the world leader in biomanufacturing.”

“The USDA’s Bio Preferred Program is a game-changer for industries worldwide — and it starts with America’s farmers and ranchers,” said Rep. Alford. “Through this program, they turn homegrown agricultural feedstocks into biobased products that power our economy. This legislation safeguards and strengthens their access to these critical markets. I’m proud to team up with Reps. Craig, McDonald Rivet, and Messmer to champion this vital effort for our producers and our future!”

“We need to find innovative ways to support growers and help our economy thrive. This bill will help strengthen markets for farmers, fortify American biomanufacturing jobs, and stand up to foreign competitors,” said Rep. McDonald Rivet. “Our coalition of Democrats and Republicans is standing together to support Michigan’s hardworking farmers and ensure we continue producing here at home, not overseas.”

“American farm goods don’t just reach the dinner table. They fill fuel tanks, stock supply closets, and even fight fires,” said Rep. Messmer. “By encouraging the expansion of our biobased supply chain, this legislation invests in the rural innovator and the American farmer. I am proud to support the biobased industry in Indiana’s Eighth District through the Biomanufacturing and Jobs Act.“

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

WASHINGTON, DC – Last week, Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA-08), along with  Representative Norma Torres (CA-35), and U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) and the entire California Democratic Congressional Delegation secured the release of nearly $7 billion, congressionally-appropriated funding for K-12 schools and adult education. The funds included $928 million owed to California public schools.

Trump reversed course and released the funds after pressure from Democrats, including from a letter that was sent to the Department of Education (ED) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) demanding the funds be released.

“With the new school year fast approaching, it’s essential that schools have the complete information they need to plan their budgets effectively,” said Congressman Garamendi. “I’m glad this crucial funding has been reinstated for the 5.8 million K-12 students in California who depend on federal funds to ensure teachers remain in the classroom and students receive the high-quality education they deserve. Democrats will continue to stand against the chaos created by the Trump administration and fight to ensure every California student has access to a strong public education.”

Background:

With the start of the new school year approaching in California, on June 30, 2025, the Trump Administration gave states just one day’s notice that these critical funds would be indefinitely frozen past their typical release on July 1.  

As a result, California schools would have been forced to roll back programs, lay off staff, and cut services that help students thrive. Last week, the Trump administration relented, ultimately restoring the $928 million owed to California, and $7 billion owed to schools across the country after Democrats’ pressure.

With nearly 5.8 million K-12 students in California, the illegal freezing of these Congressionally appropriated funds is already hurting our schools and students. Many school districts had already budgeted for these federal dollars, leaving them scrambling to fill massive funding gaps just weeks before the school year begins. The withheld funding included vital investments in:

• Reducing class sizes and teacher recruitment and retention, especially in underserved areas.
• After-school, before-school, and summer learning programs in low-income communities.
• School-based mental health services, accelerated learning courses, STEM education, and college and career counseling.
• Academic Support for English learners and children of migrant workers.
• Adult education and workforce readiness programs.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09)

WASHINGTON – Congressmen Steve Cohen (TN-9) and Robert Aderholt (AL-4), both Co-Chairmen of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus, released the following statements on a possible peaceful settlement between Azerbaijan and Armenia:

Co-Chairman Cohen said:

“I have many Armenian friends and I’m very happy to see these two nations and their people come together in peace, for they are good people. Having been a Co-Chair of the Azerbaijan Caucus for years, I know how much Azerbaijan has been supportive of the United States.” 

Co-Chairman Aderholt said:

“I welcome the announcement of a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, brokered through the leadership of President Donald J. Trump. As a Co-Chair of the Azerbaijan Caucus, I have consistently supported efforts to bring about a peaceful resolution to this longstanding conflict.

“This agreement is a significant step forward and yet another powerful example of what strong American diplomacy can achieve. I commend President Trump and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff for their leadership in helping to bring both sides together and for working toward a more stable and secure future for the Armenian and Azerbaijani people. This is a moment of hope, and I pray it leads to lasting peace in the region.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09)

Discussing his work with 9th District constituents at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA)

SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-07) issued the following statement after the passing of Reverend Don Fado. 

“We have lost a powerful voice for justice and compassion with the passing of my friend Reverend Don Fado,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “Throughout his decades of ministry, Don embodied the true spirit of service—standing with the marginalized and living his faith through action. His commitment to LGBTQ+ rights and social justice reflected his dedication to ensuring that love and dignity knew no bounds. In retirement, he poured his heart into the Sacramento community—feeding the hungry, sheltering the unhoused, and making sure everyone felt they belonged. Don leaves behind a legacy rooted in courage, kindness, and an unwavering devotion to the greater good. My prayers are with Jean, their children, and all of Don’s loved ones during this difficult time.” 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Gregory W Meeks (5th District of New York)

Washington, D.C. – Today, Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement on the anniversary of the August 7, 1998, attacks on U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

“Today we honor the heroes who were killed in the August 7, 1998, attacks on the U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania when Al Qaeda attacked with near-simultaneous truck bombs. Among the 213 people who lost their lives in the tragic attacks were 12 Americans—career diplomats, intelligence officers and Department of Defense personnel—alongside foreign service nationals and local staff. Their families successfully advocated for the creation of the State Department’s Office of Casualty Assistance (OCA) in 1999 to ensure support for the loved ones of U.S. personnel killed or injured overseas. As we reflect on their sacrifice—and the contributions of the brave American and local personnel who rebuilt our diplomatic presence in these countries after that tragedy—we must also reaffirm our commitment to those who serve the United States today. The abrupt closure of the OCA dishonors the memory of the 1998 victims, and the service of Americans stationed abroad. The U.S. must continue to ensure that in the face of tragedy, our diplomats and their families receive the respect, care and support they deserve.” 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Gregory W Meeks (5th District of New York)

Washington, D.C. – Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio requesting information and documents in light of concerning reports that the Trump administration would destroy hundreds of tons of now-spoiled emergency food commodities after it failed to distribute them before they expired. 

The food provisions have already been paid for by the American taxpayer and could have provided life-saving nourishment to millions of hungry people around the world. These reports come even after the Secretary testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee in May that there would be “no State Department delays” in distributing life-saving emergency food aid abroad. Following that testimony, Meeks had sent a letter to Secretary Rubio asking him to clarify his dubious claim that no one had died as a result of the administration’s deep cuts to foreign assistance.  

Text of the letter is below. A PDF copy of the letter is available here.

Dear Secretary Rubio,

I write to express serious concern regarding reports that nearly 500 metric tons of emergency food assistance procured by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is set to be destroyed instead of reaching recipients in need. The U.S. government had reportedly already purchased $800,000 worth of high energy biscuits, which were stored in a warehouse in Dubai and could have fed as many as 1.5 million children for a week. It is unacceptable that USAID and Department of State officials would allow these supplies to expire on shelves rather than distribute them to food insecure populations, and the agency leaders who permitted this morally reprehensible waste of taxpayer dollars must be held accountable.

Media reports indicate that the U.S. government must pay an additional $125,000 to incinerate the emergency food in line with a policy requiring the destruction of any expired food commodities. This is an egregious misuse of taxpayer funding that will result in nearly $1 million dollars of waste. It also could have been avoided, given that USAID staff made agency leadership aware of the need to distribute this emergency food aid well before its expiration date, including by documenting the situation in memoranda reportedly sent to agency leadership on May 5, 2025, and May 19, 2025. If not for President Trump’s harmful aid freeze and agency officials’ inaction to approve this shipment in the proper timeframe, this emergency food aid would have reached beneficiaries in time.

This situation is emblematic of challenges arising from the Trump Administration’s hasty and haphazard dismantling of USAID and its efforts to subsume it into the State Department—namely, sweeping terminations of experienced staff, program freezes and cancellations, and disruptions to waiver and distribution authorities.

During your testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on May 21, 2025, Committee Vice Ranking Member Gabe Amo specially inquired about the State Department’s delays in shipping Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) supplies. He detailed a situation involving 123,000 boxes of lifesaving RUTF purchased by the U.S. government to feed malnourished children in Sudan left sitting in a Rhode Island warehouse for months because the appropriate government officials had not signed off on the transportation contracts needed to move it. You responded that “there were no State Department delays” in getting that food out and stated, “we are going to continue to do food aid.” Yet at that very moment, it appears that memoranda sat in front of your USAID leadership team warning them that emergency food assistance was at risk of expiring, and no one acted to send the food out in time.

The Washington Post’s “Fact Checker” has already awarded you four Pinocchios for your claim during your May testimony to the Committee that “no one has died” because of USAID cuts. Now it seems your assertions that there were no delays in food aid distribution are also false. As the Congressional committee responsible for oversight of foreign assistance, the Foreign Affairs Committee has a clear interest in understanding the stewardship of foreign assistance resources and in agencies’ capacity to accountably manage lifesaving aid, including commodities. As such, I request that you please respond in writing to the following questions by August 12, 2025.

1. Has the State Department now destroyed the approximately 500 metric tons of expired high energy biscuits reportedly allowed to expire? Are there additional U.S. food assistance commodities in warehouses that are at risk of expiring?
2. Are press reports accurate that estimate nearly $1 million in total cost to the American taxpayer associated with the procurement and incineration of these food supplies? What is the exact cost?
3. Which official(s) received memoranda requesting their approval on the delivery of this assistance before it expired?
4. Why did such officials fail to approve the distribution of these commodities before they expired?
5. Have any senior USAID or State Department staff been held accountable for this failure to use USAID-procured emergency food assistance before it expired? If so, what position(s) do they hold and what disciplinary action did the State Department take? If not, why not?

Additionally, I request copies of all USAID and State Department communications (to include, but not limited to, cables, memoranda, emails, and electronic messages) generated since January 20, 2025 that refer or relate to the distribution or potential expiration of food assistance commodities, with productions of these agency documents to begin on a rolling basis by August 19, 2025 and conclude on a timeline negotiated on a good-faith basis with the Committee.

This Administration has displayed a troubling pattern of squandering lifesaving foreign assistance resources and commodities rather than using them to reach people in need around the globe to extend American influence and goodwill. This is a textbook example of government waste and an affront to the generosity of the American people. I look forward to your responses and transparency regarding this important matter.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Gregory W Meeks (5th District of New York)

Washington, D.C. – Today, Ranking Member Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY) of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the U.S. and the CCP, and Congressman Greg Stanton (D-AZ), Co-Chair of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressing “grave concern” over reports that the Trump Administration blocked Taiwan President Lai Ching-te from transiting through New York en route to Central America.

The lawmakers call the reported decision “a stark departure from precedent” and warn that it “sends a dangerous signal to Beijing about our willingness to make concessions with regard to our national strategic interests.”

The letter notes that permitting transits by Taiwan’s leaders is longstanding, bipartisan policy and legally encouraged by the Taiwan Travel Act. The lawmakers write that since the Taiwan Travel Act became law in 2018 “Taiwan’s Presidents Tsai Ing-wen and Lai Ching-te made five total transits through the United States. Each of these visits demonstrated the United States’ steadfast support for Taiwan and its right to participate in global affairs.”

The members also criticized reports that the transit was denied at the request of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). In a pointed rebuke, they write: “America’s strategic relationships should not be concessions in trade talks, and Taiwan should be off the table in any negotiation with the PRC.”

In the letter, the lawmakers urge Secretary Rubio to approve any transit request by President Lai and reaffirm the United States’ commitment to Taiwan. They warn that failure to do so will only “reinforce Chinese Communist Party (CCP) narratives that the United States will not live up to its commitments.”

“The Administration’s blocking of President Lai’s proposed transit undermines the warmth, friendship, and mutual respect that Taiwan and the United States have shared for decades,” they write. “It unnecessarily raises doubts about U.S. credibility and reliability among our allies and partners in the region.”

The full letter can be found here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Gregory W Meeks (5th District of New York)

Washington, D.C. – Representatives Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs; Rosa DeLauro, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Appropriations; Jim Himes, Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; and Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Committee on the Judiciary, today sent a letter to President Donald Trump calling on him to fulfill his campaign pledge to end the war in Gaza by working urgently to return all parties to the negotiation table without delay.

The Ranking Members called on the President to make a permanent ceasefire a core objective of his administration’s diplomatic efforts, along with securing the release of all hostages and advancing a credible effort to address Gaza’s humanitarian crisis. The letter also implores the President to ensure that Gaza is returned to control by Palestinians unaffiliated with Hamas and to ensure that any efforts to permanently displace Palestinians are rejected.

The full text of the letter can be found below. A PDF copy can be found here.

Dear Mr. President,

As Democratic Ranking Members of House of Representatives Committees, we write to you today with a deep sense of urgency and moral responsibility. The ongoing war in Gaza has reached a point of profound humanitarian crisis, geopolitical instability, and perilous risk for all involved. We urge you to use the full weight of American diplomacy to bring about an immediate, just, and durable end to the conflict.

It is our firm belief that the primary military objectives of this war have long since been achieved. Continued fighting threatens not only to exacerbate regional tensions and increase the humanitarian catastrophe, but also to undermine the long-term strategic security of both Israelis and Palestinians. Now is the time for you to bring all relevant parties—Israel, Palestinian leaders, regional stakeholders, alongside the United States and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff—back to the negotiating table without delay.

Despite recent indications that new humanitarian access will be granted, there is an acute need to dramatically scale up humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza to save the lives of starving, sick, and suffering civilians. We implore your administration to ensure unfettered access for humanitarian aid and to work in close coordination with reputable, experienced aid organizations that understand the region and can operate effectively through time-tested humanitarian mechanisms to ensure food and medical aid reaches civilians without diversion or delay. Time has run out for countless innocent people, and the United States must act swiftly and decisively to save lives.

Moreover, we call on you to make a permanent ceasefire a core objective of your diplomatic efforts. A lasting end to the violence must include the unconditional release of all hostages, whose continued captivity prolongs suffering and impedes any pathway toward peace. Further, Gaza must be returned to Palestinian civilian control without Hamas, and any plans for the forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza must be rejected.

Mr. President, while on the campaign trail, you pledged to end the war in Gaza and to restore stability in the Middle East. This is your moment to fulfill that promise. The United States has long been a broker of peace, and stepping back from that vital role is done at our own peril. The path to securing lasting peace, regional stability, and America’s interests in the Middle East lies not in protracted war, but in dialogue, diplomacy, and bold American leadership based on our longstanding democratic and humanitarian values.

Finally, we must underscore that the long-term protection of a Jewish and democratic Israel, as well as a just and secure future for the Palestinian people, are inextricably linked to the possibility of a viable two-state solution. There is no better, more feasible alternative than a two-state solution, which has been U.S. foreign policy for decades and is also a requirement to achieve Israel’s full normalization into the region and the long-delayed creation of a democratic Palestinian state. That vision will not materialize overnight, but it will remain forever out of reach if we do not act now to create the conditions for its future realization.

We respectfully urge you to lead with moral clarity, diplomatic strength, and a renewed commitment to peace.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Gregory W Meeks (5th District of New York)

August 1, 2025

ICYMI This Week: Congressman Meeks Recognizes the 60th Anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid  

Republicans’ Big, Ugly Law Rips Healthcare Away from Working Americans

For 60 years, Medicaid and Medicare have helped Americans receive affordable health care. Under Trump’s Big, Ugly Law, we are facing the largest cuts to health care in history. Republicans’ latest agenda rips coverage away from 15 million people, guts Medicaid protections, and increases costs for millions of Americans. It is clear, the Republicans’ plan will leave families sicker, poorer, and more vulnerable just to pay for tax breaks for their billionaire buddies. Democrats are not going for that! Every day we are fighting for affordable access to health care for the American people.

Meeks, DeLauro, Himes, Raskin Call on Trump to Negotiate End to War in Gaza and Surge Humanitarian Aid

I sent a letter to President Donald Trump calling on him to fulfill his campaign pledge to end the war in Gaza and seriously increase humanitarian assistance to the people in Gaza who are starving, sick, and suffering.

Meeks to Introduce Resolution Terminating Brazil Tariffs

“Donald Trump’s decision to impose 50% tariffs on Brazil isn’t in the interest of American families, who will bear the brunt of these taxes. It’s simply to protect attempted Brazilian coup leader Jair Bolsonaro from prosecution after he, like Trump, tried and failed to overturn the results of a free and fair election.”

Student Internship Opportunities Now Open for the Fall Semester

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