MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative for Western Samoa Congresswoman Aumua Amata

Headline: American Samoa Joins the Nation in Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday  

Washington, D.C. – As our Nation prepares for the United States Semiquincentennial, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, Americans from every state and territory will have the opportunity to reflect on the freedoms, sacrifices, and blessings that have shaped the United States for nearly two and a half centuries.

“This historic milestone is first and foremost a celebration of America’s immense legacy of freedom,” said Congresswoman Uifa’atali Aumua Amata. “For 250 years, the United States has stood for liberty, opportunity, self-government, and the God-given rights that have blessed generations of Americans.”

Since 1776, the United States has been built on the ideals of liberty, faith, service, and opportunity. These principles have inspired generations, strengthened families and communities, and called men and women to defend the freedoms we cherish.

For American Samoa, this national celebration is also a meaningful time to give thanks for our place in the American family. Our relationship with the United States is rooted in history, mutual respect, and the decisions of our chiefs, who looked to the future and helped establish a lasting bond between our islands and this Nation.

“American Samoa joins the Nation in celebrating America’s 250th birthday with gratitude,” said Congresswoman Amata. “We remember the wisdom of our chiefs, the blessings of our relationship with the United States, and the many ways our people have contributed to the American story.”

From the first leaders who helped shape that relationship to the many sons and daughters of American Samoa who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, our people have contributed to the American story with honor and sacrifice. American Samoa has one of the highest rates of military service in the Nation, and nearly every village has families who know the cost of service. Our veterans, active-duty service members, reservists, and military families remind us that freedom is not only celebrated; it is defended.

“Our Toa o Samoa and veterans hold a special place in this celebration,” said Congresswoman Amata. “They have served under the American flag with courage and patriotism, and their service reminds us that freedom is a blessing that must be honored, protected, and passed on.”

As we celebrate America’s 250th birthday, we also recognize the blessings that have come through our connection to the United States. Our islands have benefited from the freedoms, protections, opportunities, and shared responsibilities that come with being part of this great Nation. For generations, American Samoa has carried a deep love of family, faith, service, and country, values that are also at the heart of the American spirit.

This milestone gives us a chance to teach our children and grandchildren about both the founding of the United States and American Samoa’s special place within that story. It is a time to remember the Declaration of Independence, honor those who built and defended the Nation, and reflect on the blessings of liberty that continue to reach from the mainland to the Pacific.

“As Americans look toward 2026, I hope this anniversary renews our gratitude for the freedoms we enjoy and the responsibilities we share,” said Congresswoman Amata. “From the mainland to the Pacific, we are part of one American story, and American Samoa is blessed to celebrate this milestone with the Nation.”

In 2026, American Samoa joins Americans everywhere in saying Happy Birthday U.S.A. We celebrate the United States Semiquincentennial with gratitude for America’s enduring legacy of freedom, with respect for those who have protected it, and with thankfulness that our islands are part of the American story.

May God bless the United States of America, and may God bless American Samoa.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Paul Tonko (Capital Region New York)

Tonko Statement on Passing of Harbe Nagi and Ensuing Islamophobia

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

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is designating Tazewell County as a primary natural disaster area due to recent drought. As part of the designation, the Counties of Bland, Buchanan, Russell and Smyth are set to receive access to drought assistance as well. 

In response to this USDA action, U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement:

“This USDA action is necessary to support farmers in Virginia’s Ninth District. Spring frost and freeze events followed by severe drought continue to impact Virginia’s agricultural health.

“This disaster designation sets in motion opportunities for eligible groups to request emergency loan assistance.

“My office is ready to help facilitate access to federal assistance. Additionally, I will continue to advocate for our farming communities as they navigate through growing season challenges and record temperatures.”

BACKGROUND

Congressman Griffith helped lead federal engagement to secure a separate USDA Secretarial natural disaster declaration for Virginia farmers. In June, Secretary Rollins approved Virginia’s request.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Huffman Representing the 2nd District of California

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Sharice Davids (KS-3)

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Sharice Davids (D-KS-03) led over 100 of her House colleagues in urging the Trump Administration to protect safe drinking water standards and address PFAS contamination that poses risks to the physical health and environmental health of communities across America. In a new letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Congresswoman Davids and 112 of her colleagues in the House pressed the administration to reconsider eliminating the 2024 National Drinking Water Standards for four PFAS forever chemicals. The water standards established an enforceable limit of forever chemicals and required that public water systems monitor for PFAS, notify the public of PFAS, and reduce PFAS in drinking water.

“Safe drinking water should never be a luxury or a legal debate. For families facing PFAS contamination, this is about the water they pour into a glass, cook with, and give to their children. America should be moving faster to get PFAS out of our drinking water—not giving families more years of uncertainty and harm. We will not stand by while protections are weakened and working families are left waiting. We will continue fighting to protect clean water, hold polluters accountable, and put public health ahead of the interests that created this crisis. We urge EPA to reconsider its proposals to eliminate and delay the 2024 National PFAS Drinking Water Standards and meaningfully protect Americans from PFAS contamination,” said the lawmakers. 

Nearly 98% of Americans have PFAS detectable in their blood, and as of March 2026, about 176 million Americans drink water contaminated with PFAS. By EPA’s own estimates, the Drinking Water Standards would protect as many as 105 million Americans from exposure to PFAS in their drinking water, prevent thousands of deaths, and reduce tens of thousands of serious PFAS-attributable illnesses. The EPA also cited economic benefits from the standards, estimating cost savings of over $1 billion in avoided health costs. 

A copy of the letter can be found HERE and text is below:

Dear Administrator Zeldin:

We write to urge EPA to reconsider its proposals to eliminate the 2024 National Drinking Water Standards for four PFAS forever chemicals and to allow water utilities to opt-in to an extension of the compliance deadline for the remaining two standards by two years to 2031. These standards regulate and set legally enforceable limits to protect millions of Americans from unsafe levels of PFAS in their drinking water. Rescinding and delaying these standards is dangerous and undermines the core purpose of the Safe Drinking Water Act, which is to provide communities with clean and safe drinking water. 

PFAS contamination affects communities across the country. These forever chemicals persist in our environment and can accumulate in our bodies. Nearly 98% of Americans have PFAS detectable in their blood, and as of March 2026, about 176 million Americans drink water contaminated with PFAS. While this Administration is investing nearly $1 billion dollars from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to states to address PFAS in drinking water, rolling back these standards and extending the compliance deadline risks exacerbating the PFAS crisis across the country and fails to address this public health problem.

The 2024 Drinking Water Standards established an enforceable maximum contaminant level (MCL) standard of four parts per trillion for two of the more widespread and harmful PFAS variants, PFOS and PFOA. It also regulated other known toxic PFAS (PFNA, PFHxS, and GenX) with health-based enforceable MCL standards of ten parts per trillion each. In addition, EPA set a mixture-based hazard-index for these three PFAS and PFBS that sets a limit for the total amount of these four PFAS in any combination. It required that public water systems monitor for PFAS, notify the public of PFAS, and reduce PFAS in drinking water through phased-in approaches. 

The 2024 Drinking Water Standards were finalized in response to EPA’s own extensive scientific research and analysis consisting of hundreds of scientific studies that overwhelmingly point to associations between PFAS exposure and serious health effects, including high cholesterol, kidney cancer, decreases in birth weight, and immune suppression. EPA also received extensive input from the public on these standards during the comment period and issued an exhaustive response to the comments that spanned over 4,500 pages. EPA’s conclusions on the toxicity of these PFAS are well in line with other authoritative evaluations, including those conducted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Michigan, California, New Jersey, Canada, and the European Union.

By EPA’s own estimates, the Drinking Water Standards would protect as many as 105 million Americans from exposure to PFAS in their drinking water, prevent thousands of deaths, and reduce tens of thousands of serious PFAS-attributable illnesses. In its analysis, EPA also cited substantial economic benefits from the Standards, estimating cost savings of $1.17 billion in avoided health costs, though the agency noted it only considered three health effects, and many additional health benefits were not quantified in this estimate. More comprehensive economic analyses have estimated PFAS-related health care costs up to $60 billion per year. Finalizing the 2024 Standards was a critical step in keeping PFAS out of homes and communities. Rescinding and delaying the standards will do nothing to alleviate the economic and health burden on families and individuals who are exposed to PFAS contamination. 

EPA’s decision to limit monitoring and treatment solely to PFOA and PFOS will not be sufficient to protect against exposure to and harms associated with other PFAS, including the four PFAS the agency is proposing to remove protections for. Not all PFAS contamination can be predicted by the presence of PFOA and PFOS.

Additionally, newer generation, short chain PFAS, like GenX and PFBS, are more difficult to remove from drinking water than PFOA and PFOS. If water systems are only focused on removing PFOA and PFOS, they may opt to install treatments that are insufficient to fully address the PFAS that are present. This will leave communities unprotected and waste resources while not fully addressing the problem. 

Safe drinking water should never be a luxury or a legal debate. For families facing PFAS contamination, this is about the water they pour into a glass, cook with, and give to their children. America should be moving faster to get PFAS out of our drinking water—not giving families more years of uncertainty and harm. We will not stand by while protections are weakened and working families are left waiting. We will continue fighting to protect clean water, hold polluters accountable, and put public health ahead of the interests that created this crisis. 

We urge EPA to reconsider its proposals to eliminate and delay the 2024 National PFAS Drinking Water Standards and meaningfully protect Americans from PFAS contamination.

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

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) today announced two National Institutes of Health grants to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and one to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC). 

St. Jude received a grant of $1,077,000 from the National Cancer Institute for research on innate immune sensors inflammasomes and inflammasome-mediated processes in cancer under the direction of Dr. Thirumala-Devi Kanneganti in the Department of Immunology. Inflammasomes are proteins in the immune system that regulate the activation of important signaling molecules and proteins and induce inflammation in response to infectious microbes and molecules. A second St. Jude grant, for $388,500, from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, is for research on lipid metabolism under the direction of Dr. Joseph T. Opferman in the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology.

UTHSC received a grant of $777,079 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for research on fungal-bacterial dynamics under direction of Dr. Brian M. Peters in the College of Pharmacy. This work aims to help develop improved therapeutic interventions to reduce the mortality from fungal-bacterial co-infection. 

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

“Important medical research is being done in Memphis by these internationally revered pillars of academic medicine in our community. I congratulate Drs. Kanneganti, Opferman, and Peters for receiving these federal investments in the work they undertake.” 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II (5th District Missouri)

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) celebrates the inclusion of several Missouri priorities he championed in the House’s Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), bipartisan legislation that authorizes critical U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects to strengthen infrastructure, protect communities, and support long-term economic growth.

Among the provisions secured by Congressman Cleaver are:

• A $45 million authorization for Phase 5 of the Brookside Sewer Separation Project in Kansas City
• Language prohibiting out-of-basin water transfers from the Missouri River Watershed, helping safeguard one of the region’s most vital natural resources
• Authorization of the Lower Missouri River Flood Risk and Resiliency Comprehensive Study, a critical step toward protecting communities from increasingly severe flooding while improving long-term resilience throughout the region

“Investing in our nation’s infrastructure means investing in safer communities, cleaner water, and a stronger economy,” said Congressman Cleaver. “These provisions represent collaboration with local leaders, engineers, advocates, and stakeholders who understand the needs of our region. I’m proud to see these priorities included in the House WRDA bill because they will help strengthen our infrastructure, protect the Missouri River, and better prepare our communities for the challenges of the future.”

The $45 million authorization for the Phase 5 of Kansas City’s Brookside Sewer Separation Project will support ongoing efforts to modernize aging wastewater infrastructure, reduce sewer overflows, improve water quality, and protect public health while ensuring the city can continue meeting federal environmental standards. 

The bill also includes Congressman Cleaver’s effort to prevent out-of-basin waste transfers from the Missouri River Watershed, preserving water resources that are essential to communities, agriculture, navigation, industry, and ecosystems throughout Missouri and neighboring states.  

Additionally, the legislation authorizes the Lower Missouri River Flood Risk and Resiliency Comprehensive Study, allowing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate long-term strategies to reduce flood risk, strengthen community resilience, and improve management of the Lower Missouri River in the face of increasingly frequent severe weather events. 

“Whether it’s protecting our drinking water, reducing flood risk, or upgrading critical infrastructure, these investments will have lasting benefits for families and communities across our region. I’m grateful these provision were included and I will continue fighting to ensure Missouri receives the federal partnership it deserves.” 

The Water Resources Development Act is considered every two years and authorizes U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects that improve navigation, flood protection, ecosystem restoration, and water infrastructure across the country.

Full text of the bill here.

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee’s Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bruce Westerman (AR-04)

For decades, a student’s dyslexia diagnosis meant falling behind or underperforming academically with long-lasting impacts reverberating into adulthood. Studies have shown that students who lack critical reading skills are more likely to drop out of school early, less likely to find well-paying jobs, and even risk spending time in the criminal justice system.

This week, we’ve seen some great reports coming out of the state of Arkansas regarding improved student outcomes on state assessment exams. This is especially encouraging given that the National Council on Teacher Quality found that 94% of Arkansas teacher preparation programs have scored a grade of A or A+ for preparing elementary school teachers to use science-backed instructional methods for teaching reading, placing Arkansas well above the national average of 53%.

Before my time in Congress, I had the privilege of serving as school board president and in the Arkansas General Assembly where I dealt more closely with education policy. Because of this, I developed a greater understanding around dyslexia and how important a scientific understanding of this learning disability is. But understanding alone is not enough. It is also necessary to have science-of-reading based instructional programs to help students with dyslexia to overcome it. With 94% of our higher education reading programs that teach our educators how to teach in Arkansas scoring A or A+, the expectations and excitement for our students is high. 

Coming to Congress and serving as co-chair of the Congressional Dyslexia Caucus, I’ve used my deeper understanding of dyslexia to be a strong advocate for legislation like the 21^st Century Dyslexia Act that highlights the need for a more scientific understanding and approach to prevent the harm that unidentified learning disorders can inflict on our young students. 

The results we’ve seen in recent reports are certainly encouraging. Beyond that, they are further proof that when we give students and teachers the tools they need to gain a greater understanding around dyslexia and other learning disabilities, everyone comes out as a winner. Students feel more encouraged and eager to learn; teachers feel empowered and equipped to support their students in reaching their full potential.

Learning disabilities should never prevent students from succeeding in the classroom. I’m certainly encouraged by these excellent results and grateful for the leadership on the state level and in Congress to continue advocating for efforts that create a more inclusive and supportive environment for all learners.

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

Today, New Democrat Coalition Trade & Tariffs Task Force Chair Don Beyer (VA-08) issued a statement on the start of the joint review process of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) urging Trump Administration officials to maintain and build on the seminal trade agreement rather than withdraw and throw the U.S. and regional economy into chaos. The failure to renew the USMCA is estimated to result in a $300 tax increase per household in 2027 and the loss of 95,000 jobs.

“This past year has demonstrated the profound importance of free trade with America’s two closest trading partners, Canada and Mexico. As the President’s sweeping trade war erodes our trade relationships, raises costs, and destroys certainty in our economy, it is essential that the United States use this opportunity to strengthen – not retreat from – this crucial agreement.

“The Administration’s decision to start this review process by refusing to extend the USMCA is a grave mistake. Withdrawal from the agreement would devastate our markets, manufacturers, farmers, and consumers here at home. Our negotiators must engage in good-faith, trilateral discussions during this review to reinforce the agreement and ensure its continuation while addressing new challenges that have emerged in the six years since the USMCA took effect.

“Over the past year, New Dems convened meetings with the Canadian and Mexican ambassadors and roundtables with stakeholders and trade experts to ensure this process refines the Agreement without undermining its core framework. We are fully committed to delivering a revitalized USCMA through the joint review to deliver lower costs, stronger supply chains, more jobs, and certainty to our economy.”

New Democrat Coalition members penned a letter to Ambassador Jamieson Greer, the United States Trade Representative, in November 2025 calling on negotiators to “update and expand on the existing framework without undermining the successes and essential components” that have benefitted all parties of the agreement.

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

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) announced that the Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division (MLGW) will be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for 75 percent of its cost to repair the power grid infrastructure damaged in storms and flooding in April of last year. That amounts to $1,850,109 for removal and replacement of utility poles, transformers, wire and other materials and the labor required to restore power.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

“The storms and tornadoes that ripped through our region in April of 2025 did serious damage to our power grid. I am pleased to see FEMA’s reimbursement for most of the costs MLGW had to incur to restore power.”

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