MIL USHOR-2b Engine

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

WASHINGTON – Yesterday, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, sent a letter to President Donald J. Trump expressing grave concern over reports that individuals working in coordination with the Administration are circulating a draft executive order to declare a national emergency and assert sweeping presidential authority over federal elections.

 

Congressman Krishnamoorthi made clear that any attempt to manufacture an “emergency” to seize control over elections would cross a fundamental constitutional red line.

In his letter, he warned that such a move “would represent an extraordinary and unlawful expansion of executive power” and underscored that “The President does not have a role in federal elections.”

“The Constitution is clear,” Krishnamoorthi wrote. “Article I, Section 4 explicitly assigns the authority to regulate federal elections to the states and to Congress.” He further emphasized, “The Constitution does not grant the executive branch any power to rewrite election laws, ban lawful voting methods, or override state-certified systems.”

According to public reporting, proponents of the draft order believe it could be used to mandate voter identification nationwide and ban mail-in ballots ahead of the midterm elections. Krishnamoorthi stressed that invoking emergency powers to prohibit mail-in ballots, restrict voting machines, or impose nationwide voter identification requirements “would be unprecedented.”

“A national emergency cannot be declared simply to circumvent constitutional limits or to accomplish policy objectives that have not been enacted through the legislative process,” he wrote.

The letter also underscores that there has been no credible finding that foreign interference altered the outcome of the 2020 election at the ballot box. The Intelligence Community assessed that it had “no indications that any foreign actor attempted to interfere in the 2020 US elections by altering any technical aspect of the voting process,” and courts across the country found no evidence of irregularities that could have changed the results.

Krishnamoorthi further noted that federal courts have already blocked significant portions of a prior executive order related to election administration — reinforcing the principle that election administration cannot be governed by unilateral executive mandate.

“Mail-in voting has long been a lawful and secure method relied upon by seniors, military servicemembers, and working families,” he wrote, warning that eliminating that option nationwide by executive decree “would be illegal and would undermine both the rule of law and public trust in our democratic institutions.”

Krishnamoorthi concluded by urging the President “to not proceed with any proposal that would aim to nationalize elections or attempt to assert emergency powers that our Constitution clearly does not provide.”

The letter is available here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose)

WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (CA-18) introduced the Real Courts, Rule of Law Act of 2026 along with Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Courts Subcommittee Ranking Member Hank Johnson (GA-04), and Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10). The legislation would transition the nation’s immigration court system into an independent judiciary. Currently, immigration judges are appointed by  the Attorney General. As employees of the Department of Justice, immigration judges may be directed to adjudicate cases based on the policies and priorities of the governing administration.

“Our immigration court system simply cannot be effective or impartial as long as it remains under the Department of Justice and the executive branch,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, former Chair of the House Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship. “The cases that these courts are hearing have life-altering consequences, and we need to do everything to ensure that the system is independent of whichever Administration is in power at the time, Democratic or Republican. This is landmark legislation that will create a new immigration court system defined by transparency and integrity.”

“The Real Courts, Rule of Law Act takes a major step toward ensuring that our immigration courts operate with the judicial independence necessary for fair and impartial decision-making that is free from political pressure,” said Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin. “Today, the system is drowning in millions of backlogged cases awaiting adjudication. As the Trump Administration intensifies pressure to accelerate immigration enforcement, that backlog will only grow, further burdening a system long denied the independence and resources it needs. Congress must act to safeguard due process by establishing an independent immigration court system—one that empowers judges to operate efficiently and rule impartially in cases with profound humanitarian stakes.”

“Our immigration courts are suffering from an overwhelming backlog that’s approaching four million cases and overt politization,” said Courts Subcommittee Ranking Member Hank Johnson. “The Real Courts, Rule of Law Act of 2026 would help create an independent immigration court system that would ensure our immigration judges are no longer subject to the whims of any particular administration and provide the resources it needs to address the growing caseload. I’m proud to join Rep. Lofgren in introducing this commonsense proposal.”

“The Trump Administration has weaponized our immigration system for its own political ends and taken a sledgehammer to the concept of judicial independence and due process – a hallmark of our democracy,” said Rep. Dan Goldman.  “This legislation will protect both immigration judges who rule on matters of life or death and immigrants pursuing lawful pathways from the whims of an increasingly radical president who continues to target immigrants with masked, secret police roaming the hallways outside courtrooms across the country. The Real Courts, Rule of Law Act would ensure decisions are made fairly and impartially. We must pass it immediately.”

Click here for a one-page explanation of The Real Courts, Rule of Law Act.

Click here for a section-by-section summary of The Real Courts, Rule of Law Act.

Click here for full text of The Real Courts, Rule of Law Act.

The Real Courts, Rule of Law Act of 2026 is supported by the American Bar Association (ABA), Federal Bar Association (FBA), National Association of Immigration Judges (NAIJ), and American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).

“The American Bar Association strongly supports judicial independence. The creation of an independent Article I immigration court system would aid in that goal. Every judge must be free to decide cases on the facts and the law and not be influenced by the priorities of other branches of government,” said American Bar Association President Michelle A. Behnke.

“Having collaborated over the course of many years with other prominent legal associations to develop this solution, the Federal Bar Association commends Chair Lofgren and her colleagues for introducing legislation that would improve access to justice and due process for individuals appearing before immigration judges. The Constitution gives Congress the ability to create new federal courts, and with a current backlog of approximately 3.6 million cases, it is clear to our members that it is long past time to fix an ineffective system,” said Stacy King, CEO of the Federal Bar Association.

“The National Association of Immigration Judges (NAIJ) supports Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren’s Real Courts, Rule of Law Act, establishing an independent immigration court,” said Jeremiah Johnson, Executive Vice President of the National Association of Immigration Judges Executive Vice President. “An Article I court protects judicial independence, shields decision-making from political pressure, strengthens public trust, and ensures that every case is decided fairly and impartially under the rule of law, not based on political preferences. It is time to stabilize the Rule of Law in an unstable and ever-changing immigration system. Now is the time to secure the integrity of our legal immigration system. The stakes are too high to ignore. We need Real Courts and Real Law.”

“Four years after the Real Courts, Rule of Law Act was first introduced, it is even more urgent for Congress to restore integrity, independence, and fairness to America’s immigration court system. Controlled by a Department of Justice that itself operates completely at the behest of the President, the immigration courts have been stripped of the ability to deliver fair and just outcomes that comply with the law.  Life-and-death decisions are now vulnerable to political interference as scores of judges have been fired without cause and the remaining judges are subject to quotas and intense scrutiny. The solution is the creation of an independent Article I court that is no longer under the thumb of the Attorney General and can deliver impartial decisions, free from partisan influence, and worthy of the public’s trust,” said AILA Executive Director Ben Johnson.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Randy Weber (14th District of Texas)

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Randy Weber’s (TX-14) H.R. 7272 Pipeline Cybersecurity Preparedness Act advanced out of the full House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously and is now eligible for consideration on the U.S. House Floor.

Rep. Weber introduced the legislation in February 2026 alongside Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) to strengthen cybersecurity coordination across the nation’s pipeline and liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure.

“Cyberattacks targeting our nation’s critical infrastructure are not hypothetical threats, and the consequences would not be limited to one region,” said Rep. Weber. “A disruption to a pipeline in Texas can be felt by families at the gas pump in Virginia. Americans saw that reality during the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack, when fuel shortages spread across the eastern seaboard. In the event of an attack on our energy infrastructure, we need a coordinated, whole-of-government response to restore operations quickly and protect our energy supply. The Department of Energy is best positioned to lead that effort.”

Background

The need for stronger coordination and preparedness across America’s energy infrastructure became clear during the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack in May 2021, one of the most significant cyber incidents targeting U.S. energy infrastructure.

• Colonial Pipeline operates a 5,500-mile pipeline system that transports gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel from the Texas Gulf Coast to the East Coast.
• Following the cyberattack, the company shut down operations across the entire pipeline system, disrupting fuel deliveries across multiple states.
• The disruption triggered widespread fuel shortages, panic buying, and price spikes, leaving many gas stations across the United States without fuel.
• The incident demonstrated how a single cyberattack on critical energy infrastructure can have cascading effects across multiple regions of the country.

The Pipeline Cybersecurity Preparedness Act seeks to strengthen coordination and preparedness across the energy sector to ensure the federal government and industry partners can respond quickly and effectively to cyber threats targeting critical energy infrastructure.

Rep. Weber’s opening remarks:

“I want to thank my friend from Michigan, Representative Dingell, for co-leading H.R. 7272, the Pipeline Cybersecurity Preparedness Act, which unanimously passed through the Energy Subcommittee in February.

“The Department of Energy (DOE) currently serves as the government’s energy sector lead, coordinating efforts across energy infrastructure owners and operators, states, and federal agencies.

“In this role, DOE maintains visibility across the entire energy value chain, an essential part of its mission, while providing the technical expertise necessary to coordinate security and hazards response across the sector.

“As the threat landscape evolves, cyber-attacks on U.S. systems from adversarial nations and rogue actors alike are on the rise. Given the unique risks that cyber threats pose to our energy infrastructure, we must strengthen information sharing and coordination practices in law.

“And we must do so quickly. 

“That is why it is critical to advance H.R. 7272. This bill would improve how the DOE works with others in the energy sector to ensure the security and resilience of pipelines and LNG facilities that our nation depends upon for the reliable supply of fuels and electricity.

“This bill leverages the Department’s vast technical capabilities to develop a program that improves the coordination and the technical support needed to ensure timely, efficient, and effective efforts to secure our energy systems and response to disruptions.

“As I said in the Subcommittee markup, let me be crystal clear—H.R. 7272 does not create or authorize a regulatory program.

“Collaboration with agencies, like the Transportation Security Administration, and utilizing their expertise will remain key, however it is important to remember that the Department of Energy retains responsibility over the whole energy and power sector. It also already leads federal coordination on this front.

“For any American watching this today, an attack on our infrastructure is not merely a hypothetical scenario.  And the impacts would not be isolated.

“An attack on a pipeline in Texas can be felt in Virginia at the gas pump. We experienced this firsthand when many gas stations along the eastern seaboard quite literally ran out of fuel in the aftermath of the Colonial Pipeline cyber-attack.

“In the wake of a cyberattack, we need a direct, cohesive, whole-of-government response to cut through the chaos, and there is no better entity to lead that effort than DOE.

“With that, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 7272, and I yield back the balance of my time.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Scalise (1st District of Louisiana)

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Yesterday, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) appeared on NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich Tonight to discuss President Trump confronting Iran, Markwayne Mullin’s nomination to Secretary of Homeland Security, and Democrats refusing to fully fund the government while America is on high alert. 

Click here or the image above to view Leader Scalise’s full interview. 
Highlights from Leader Scalise’s interview:On President Trump standing up to Iran:“We’ve all been clear: everybody knows Iran has been the largest state sponsor of terror. They’ve been engaging in war against us for decades. Katie, you know about this. You’ve talked about it. They’ve killed hundreds of Americans. And so a lot of presidents have talked about not only stopping Iran from engaging in a nuclear weapons program – they’ve still, even after Operation Midnight Hammer, they were trying to enrich uranium. They started to rebuild the program. They made it crystal clear, even in the recent negotiations. They did not want peace. They did not want to stop working towards a nuclear weapon. And at the same time, they killed tens of thousands of their own people. And President Trump looked at all this and said, why would we want these crazy people having a nuclear weapon? They will kill us. And they chant ‘death to America.’ We ought to take them at their word. We ought to make sure the President has all the capabilities he needs to protect America. And that’s exactly what President Trump is doing.”On Senator Markwayne Mullin’s nomination to Secretary of Homeland Security:“Markwayne Mullin has been strongly with us on all the border security measures we’ve done. Working Families Tax Cut, he put a lot of provisions in to strengthen the President’s ability to build a wall, to give our Border Patrol agents tools they need to go secure the border, and to compete with the drug cartels, which they were not able to do under Biden.So all of that’s in place now. He’s going to inherit a really strong agency with a task to keep us safe and secure our border.”On Democrats’ putting politics ahead of the safety of America:“Katie, it just shows you right now, the Democrat Party has lost their way. And they wake up every day, and if Donald Trump wakes up in the morning with a pulse, they want to stop everything he does. They want chaos in America. They’re rooting against America on so many fronts. It’s unbelievable and reckless. “It’s dangerous that they are voting – we just had the vote on the House floor today. Almost every Democrat voted to keep the Department of Homeland Security shut down when we’re under heightened threat. That is a dangerous action for Americans. They don’t want to keep Americans safe because they hate Donald Trump.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Lois Frankel (FL-21)

Today, Rep. Lois Frankel (FL-22) released the following statement after again voting against a funding package for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the federal agency that includes U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“The proposed legislation provides billions more for ICE without a single meaningful reform or safeguard. At a time when this agency has become increasingly lawless and unaccountable—tearing families apart, destabilizing businesses, spreading fear in communities, and killing American citizens—Congress should not be writing a blank check.”

“I will not support funding ICE until the Trump Administration implements basic, common-sense reforms—including requiring agents to be identifiable, protecting local law enforcement resources from being diverted to ICE operations, and requiring judicial warrants before agents can enter people’s homes,” said Rep. Frankel.

“In the meantime, DHS will still have the resources it needs to respond to real threats. Democrats have proposed legislation to fund the rest of the department while negotiations on these reforms continue.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Robin Kelly IL

Mercedes Wells, a Black woman, gave birth in a truck after discharged from a hospital in active labor

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, issued a statement after the House of Representatives failed to pass the Massie-Khanna Iran War Powers Resolution (WPR). The Ranking Member said he would force a vote on his own Iran War Powers Resolution introduced last year if President Trump’s war of choice continues past 60 days, the threshold where the War Powers Act compels the president to come to Congress for authorization: 

“Today’s vote should have been a no-brainer: the Constitution grants Congress, not the president, the power to declare war. Without such authorization, no president should be able to unilaterally send our men and women in uniform into harm’s way. The president’s objectives and justifications for this war continue to shift, and there is no clear endgame or estimate of what it will cost American taxpayers. No one disagrees that the Iranian regime is brutal, but Congress’s constitutional authority over matters of war and peace is also crystal clear. Our constituents expect us to do our job and take hard votes, especially when American lives are at stake.

“I plan to force a vote on the Iran War Powers Resolution I introduced last year if hostilities have not ended within 60 days. Members who voted against today’s WPR on the assumption that Trump’s war will be swift or limited will not have that excuse once we’ve entered the third month of open-ended hostilities.” 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Joe Neguse (D-Co 2)

Washington, D.C. — Colorado Congressman joined CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper to give his live reaction on President Donald Trump firing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Her ousting comes less than 48 hours after House and Senate hearings in which she attempted to evade accountability regarding allegations of fraud, corruption, and conflicts of interest surrounding a $220 million, taxpayer-funded ad campaign. 

Congressman Neguse was a leading voice in what would apparently become the final tipping point for Noem. During Wednesday’s hearing, he pressed her on the specifics of a $143 million contract awarded to a company incorporated just a week before receiving federal funding and tied to longtime Republican operatives in Noem’s inner circle.

Public reporting suggests that Noem’s testimony regarding the contract ultimately led to her termination. 

View Neguse’s interview on CNN with Jake Tapper HERE. 

JAKE TAPPER: Let’s bring in the lawmaker you heard questioning Noem there, Democrat Joe Neguse of Colorado. Thanks so much for being here, appreciate it. So pretty consequential questioning and answering there. The Secretary told you it had been a “competitive bid process” for the contractors who produced the ad campaign. But after you did some digging, you found out that might not be the case. What else did you find? 

REP. NEGUSE: Good to be with you, Jake. That was a lie. I mean, clearly, the Secretary stated a number of mistruths both before the Senate Judiciary Committee as well as the House Judiciary Committee with respect to the contracting. As you noted, they skipped the “competitive bidding process” so that they could ultimately ensure that the contractors that were awarded these contracts would get those contracts. And one of them happened to be connected to a political operative — a Republican political operative. The company was registered just days before the contract solicitation actually went out. So, in my view, some real questions have been raised with respect to potential fraud, corruption, and conflict of interest. Of course, as you know, one of the subcontractors of that contractor was affiliated with Secretary Noem during her time as Governor and ultimately with her former spokesperson.  

TAPPER: Was married to her spokesperson, right?

NEGUSE: That’s correct. 

TAPPER: Did she ever offer any clarification after the hearing or anything like that? 

NEGUSE: No. No. And if anything, we’ve now seen reports that indicate that perhaps she was directly involved in approving those contracts, notwithstanding the testimony that she offered yesterday, both in the House yesterday and in the Senate the day before. I would also just say, Jake, because I watched the exchange that you played with Senator Kennedy and Secretary Noem, unfortunately, one of the hard realities of the political moment that we find ourselves in is that oversight and these hearings are often seen through a partisan lens. One hopes that there are moments that prove to be the exception to the rule. And I think this happened to be one. 

TAPPER: Kudos to Senators Kennedy and Tillis as well, who did their oversight job. And I hope when the Democrats are back in the White House, Democratic members of Congress do the same thing for that. You called this fraud. Do you think her firing and being given another job in the administration is appropriate? 

NEGUSE: Well, I certainly think her being terminated is appropriate, and it’s an important step in our fight for accountability. But it is a first step. Accountability ultimately means that if there were any laws violated — procurement laws, conflict of interest laws — then ultimately evidence is uncovered and that prosecutions commence if appropriate. And so, this is the beginning, not the end, with respect to accountability. With respect to the new position that the President apparently conjured up, it sounds like something he saw in a movie. But anyway, we’re not quite sure what this new position is. 

TAPPER: We’re running out of time but last question for you. One of the things Senator Tillis said to me, and I forget if this was on air or off air, but the idea that Secretary Noem prided herself on approving all these small dollar expenditures for FEMA, I think anything either over $100,000 or $10,000, but, knew nothing about the basic questions you asked her about this multi-hundred million dollar account was really shocking. 

NEGUSE: It’s absurd. It’s nonsensical. I mean, of course, she broke FEMA single-handedly, in part by virtue of the decision that you just identified, but then wants the American people to believe that she’s not involved in this $140 million contract of taxpayer money so that she can appear in ads at Mount Rushmore and the like. Clearly, it embarrassed the President and the Trump administration. And for the Trump administration to be embarrassed, given the corruption that they are engaged in, it perhaps tells you the whole story. 

TAPPER: Congressman Joe Neguse, Democrat of Colorado, thanks for being here. Really appreciate it. 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14)

WASHINGTON – Today, Representative Lauren Underwood released the following statement on her NO vote on Republicans’ nonbinding resolution to “Reaffirm Iran as the largest state sponsor of terrorism”:

“The Trump Administration has failed to provide credible evidence that an Iran-backed attack on America was imminent. This nonbinding resolution was designed to support Donald Trump’s unconstitutional and dangerous war.” said Rep. Underwood. “Iran’s longtime support of groups like Hezbollah and Hamas must be condemned, but I will not support the misleading statements in this resolution that invoke language used in prior Authorizations of Military Force to justify putting American families and our servicemembers in harm’s way. Our communities have made it very clear: they want affordable health care and groceries, not to be plunged into another endless and dangerous war in the Middle East.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Sanford D Bishop Jr (GA-02)

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) voted to support H.Con.Res. 38 to uphold Article I war powers granted to Congress by the U.S. Constitution. This was in response to President Trump’s ongoing U.S. military strikes against Iran. The resolution failed by a vote of 212-219. After the vote, Congressman Bishop issued the following statement:

“War is one of the most solemn responsibilities of Congress, and the U.S. Constitution says that only Congress can declare war. Iran – like Russia, China, and North Korea – is one of the most dangerous and destructive adversaries of peace and freedom in the world. However, without proof of imminent threat to the United States, and with explanations that shift daily, President Trump has dragged our country into a war ‘of choice’ with no comprehensive strategy and no objective end game.

“Americans overwhelmingly oppose the war with Iran which could become yet another forever war, paid for with taxpayer dollars and brave American lives. Six U.S. servicemembers are dead and over a dozen seriously injured with more casualties expected to come. We are eternally grateful for their service and sacrifice and will continue to pray for them and their families.

“But this war has already increased the cost of oil and gas at the pump, taking big bites out of family budgets. Instead of putting hardworking Americans first and focusing on lowering the high cost of groceries, healthcare, housing, and utilities, the President has yet again broken campaign promises by going to war, raising costs, and violating the U.S. Constitution.

“Upon taking office, I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. And my vote today upholds that oath.”

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