MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO-02)

Washington, D.C. – Representatives Ann Wagner (R-Mo.) and Wesley Bell (D-Mo.) introduced the St. Louis Postal Accountability and Reform (STL Up To PAR) Act, to direct the United States Postal Service (USPS) to submit a report to Congress on mail and package delivery service performance in the St. Louis region.

In 2025, two audits by the U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General (OIG) documented longstanding operational challenges that have caused persistent mail delays for residents across the St. Louis region. The OIG provided a list of detailed recommendations to improve service, and Postmaster General Steiner has since engaged constructively with Congress on corrective actions. 

This legislation builds on that momentum by requiring USPS to document delivery performance benchmarked against national averages, workforce conditions including vacancy and turnover rates, the status of corrective actions on all OIG recommendations, and the management systems in place to prevent recurrence. 

“I constantly hear complaints from constituents and neighbors about the complete lack of accountability in the United States Postal Service (USPS) and their frequent inability to deliver mail and critical packages like medications on time,” said Rep. Wagner. “People rely on this service, and we expect the Postal Service to do their job and deliver the mail on time. I have brought in USPS leadership to hold them accountable for their service failures, but it’s clear more needs to be done. The St. Louis Postal Accountability and Reform Act will provide for clear service benchmarks so we can ensure they are fixing these problems on an appropriate timeline and with full transparency. This is a bipartisan issue, and I appreciated working across the aisle in the St. Louis region with Congressman Bell to make sure government works for you.”

“The mail delays in the St. Louis region have gone on for far too long,” said Rep. Bell. “I’ve heard from constituents who wait for weeks on prescription medications, benefit checks, and utility notices — mail that can’t be late. The St. Louis ‘Up To PAR’ Act will give us real accountability for whether USPS is delivering on its commitments.”

The St. Louis Up To PAR Act is designed not to penalize USPS, but to give both Congress and constituents a clear picture of where things stand and where work remains.

The bill is also co-sponsored by Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.), Mike Bost (R-Ill.), and Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.).
 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jerrold Nadler (10th District of New York)

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-12) and 47 Members of Congress sent a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. demanding transparency on its alleged policy of detaining girls, including pregnant girls, at the Urban Strategies San Benito (USSB) ORR facility in Texas. In the letter, the members condemned the Trump Administration for violating established legal precedent requiring unaccompanied minors have access to all reproductive healthcare options and requested information regarding their care.

The Members requested transparency on HHS’s practice of housing pregnant girls in Texas, a state without access to abortions, writing, “We write to confirm your agency’s alleged practice of placing all pregnant unaccompanied children in the care of a single Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) shelter in San Benito, Texas. If so, this policy would contradict your agency’s Field Guidance #21, which requires ORR to place unaccompanied pregnant minors in states that provide access to the full range of reproductive healthcare options.”

The members continued, writing, “These children have survived extraordinary hardship to arrive in the United States. All are entitled to the full range of medical care, including reproductive health care, as required by ORR’s own regulations. Deliberately placing them in a medically inadequate facility in a state that bans abortion over the objections of the agency’s own health officials is a political decision, not based on the welfare of children.”

Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) led the letter. Other members who signed the letter include: Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (D-GA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Andrea Salinas (D-OR), Veronica Escobar (D-TX), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Maxine Waters (D-CA), Sylvia Garcia (D-TX), Jonathan L. Jackson (D-IL), Danny K. Davis (D-IL), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA), James P. McGovern (D-MA), Delia C. Ramirez (D-IL), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Doris Matsui (D-CA), Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. (D-CA), Sara Jacobs (D-TX), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Judy Chu (D-CA), Dan Goldman (D-NY), Frederica Wilson (D-FL), Julia Brownley (D-CA), Lateefah Simon (D-CA), Jesús G. “Chuy” García (D-IL), Adam Smith (D-WA), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Maxine Dexter (D-OR), Kelly Morrison (D-MN), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Darren Soto (D-FL), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Dina Titus (D-NV), Deborah K. Ross (D-NC), Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), Greg Casar (D-TX), Summer L. Lee (D-PA), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-FL), James R. Walkinshaw (D-VA).

The full letter is available here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jason Crow (CO-06)

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jason Crow (D-CO), a former paratrooper and Army Ranger who serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and House Armed Services Committee, introduced a new War Powers resolution to end President Donald Trump’s war of choice with Iran. 

Crow continues to push his colleagues to reclaim Congress’ authority over war and peace, even as Republicans refuse to rein in this conflict. The resolution was also introduced by Congressman Seth Moulton (D-MA), a fellow veteran and member of the House Armed Services Committee.

“Congress must end President Trump’s illegal war of choice with Iran. His war has cost the lives of U.S. servicemembers, raised prices for Americans at home, damaged our alliances, and made us less safe,” said Congressman Crow. “The President is spending tens of billions of taxpayer dollars on Middle East conflicts as Americans back home can’t afford gas and are losing their health care. Congress must end this conflict now.”  

“As veterans, we know firsthand the cost of war,” said Congressman Seth Moulton. “We also know that military force is not always the answer. Brute force will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz. We have already lost 13 Americans in this conflict, and we cannot continue to send our troops into harm’s way without a strategy. We are introducing this resolution because the American people deserve a say in how their military is used, and it is clear that this reckless war of choice must end.”

Crow has repeatedly condemned Trump’s illegal war of choice in Iran and supported numerous War Powers resolutions to end the war. As an Army Ranger who grew up in a working class family and served in Iraq and Afghanistan, Crow saw firsthand the repercussions of forever wars on servicemembers and hardworking Americans. He has also demanded answers on civilian deaths related to the war, including a U.S. strike on an Iranian girls’ elementary school where at least 175 civilians, many of them children, were killed. 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett (USVI)

For Immediate Release                             Contact: Alayah Phipps

May 1, 2026                                                    202-813-2793

PRESS RELEASE

CONGRESSWOMAN PLASKETT’S STATEMENT ON HOUSE PASSAGE OF FARM BILL

Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett (D-VI) released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 7567, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026. 

“The Farm Bill is an opportunity to stand with farmers and families who are struggling under the weight of rising input costs, skyrocketing grocery prices, reckless tariffs, and the economic strain the ongoing war. Unfortunately, the bill passed by House Republicans chose instead to cement the largest cuts to SNAP in history — $187 billion stripped from food assistance in H.R. 1 — while offering nothing to reverse the devastation already underway. More than 40 million Americans will see their benefits reduced or eliminated: 16 million children, 8 million seniors, 1.2 million veterans, and 4 million people with disabilities.  Virgin Islanders who rely on SNAP – our children, elders, veterans and hard-working families will feel these cuts.  This is not a policy choice. It is a moral failure.  

“Rather than making food more affordable for working families, Republicans used the Farm Bill to override the will of voters by preempting state food production standards that were approved at the ballot box and upheld by the Supreme Court. And they gutted nearly $800 million from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program — one of the most essential tools farmers rely on to protect their land and manage rising costs. 

“This bill also fails rural communities. It fails beginning farmers and farmers of color, key groups necessary for the future of farming in the Virgin Islands. It provides no new or additional funding for rural small business programs, strips legal set-asides for beginning farmers in USDA lending, and weakens the 2501 Program — the only USDA program specifically focused on supporting farmers of color. At a time when farm bankruptcies have surged 46 percent and USDA projects farm income to continue falling, this bill turns its back on the very people it claims to serve. 

“For the U.S. Virgin Islands and the territories, I fought to deliver meaningful provisions to this bill. I am proud that included in the bill was my amendment which requires the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a study identifying suitable locations in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam for the development of aquaculture small businesses, including assessments of water quality, coastal access, infrastructure needs, and applicable regulatory requirements. This support from the Department of Agriculture to the Virgin Islands aquaculture development will provide substantive support to the development of this industry.  Aquaculture represents a real opportunity for economic growth and food security in the territories, and I will continue to push for these investments. 

“But make no mistake — a Farm Bill that does not support to farmers of color (who have been disproportionately impacted by prior discriminatory policy) or programs which provide resources to new and emerging farmers does not deserve our support. Republicans have openly stated their intent to come back for even more SNAP cuts through future reconciliation packages. We cannot accept a bill that treats food assistance as an afterthought while families are paying $310 more for groceries than they were just a year ago, and fruit and vegetable prices have risen over five percent,” continued Congresswoman Plaskett. 

Congresswoman Plaskett added, “I urge my colleagues in the Senate to develop a better, bipartisan farm bill — one that provides real relief to farmers crushed by falling incomes and rising costs, restores food assistance protections for millions of vulnerable Americans, invests in our rural and territorial communities, and is worthy of the American people’s trust.” 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Riley Moore (WV-02)

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Riley M. Moore welcomes Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala as the new Bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling Charleston:

Congressman Riley M. Moore released the following statement:

“I offer my congratulations and welcome to Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala on his appointment as Bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. West Virginia is a beautiful place full of some of the hardest working and most God-fearing people on earth. I look forward to working with our new Bishop in our shared responsibility to care for the people of West Virginia, protecting the unborn, defending the rights of workers, and, most importantly, proclaiming the Gospel. May God pour out His abundant blessing on you as you begin this new ministry.”

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

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representative and Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee Angie Craig released the following statement on her vote against a farm bill amendment that would narrowly expand food options for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients to include rotisserie chicken. 

“As someone whose own family needed SNAP at times growing up, I know firsthand how important it is that our food assistance programs meet the needs of working families in this country. It’s why I’ve fought tooth and nail this Congress as the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee to defend SNAP against Republicans’ historic cuts to the program and restore benefits to working Americans. 

“Yesterday, the House passed an amendment to the farm bill that narrowly expands SNAP-eligible foods to include rotisserie chicken and effectively bans all other hot foods. Along with other members of Democratic leadership, I voted against it to send a message that the amendment does not go far enough to expand SNAP-eligibility, and we will continue to push the Senate to include a further expansion in the final version of the bill.
“There is no question that SNAP recipients need access to more hot food options, but this amendment was pushed by big grocers and retailers and the chicken industry. We can do better.

“On behalf of SNAP recipients across the nation, I will be fighting for the inclusion of the Hot Foods Act in the final farm bill, which would expand SNAP-eligible foods to include a wide array of hot food options, like soups, hot sandwiches and rotisserie chicken. This legislation has over 100 bipartisan House and Senate cosponsors, is supported by anti-hunger groups across our country and is the true path forward to ensuring that every American has access to a filling meal.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02)

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) today reintroduced the bipartisan Promoting the Unbiased Role of Employees in the Executive Act (PURE Executive Act) with Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (IA-02). 

The bipartisan bill imposes a five-year ban on senior executive branch employees from lobbying an agency where they had been employed. It also creates a lifetime ban on senior executive branch employees lobbying for foreign governments or companies tied to them.

“Senior government officials’ decisions should be about serving their country — not how to position themselves for the most profitable, influential job possible after they leave civil service,” Golden said. “Further restricting these leaders from immediate lobbying gigs will help ensure they keep their eyes on the actual prize: better outcomes for working families.”

“Washington insiders shouldn’t be able to leave their taxpayer-funded posts and use their status to immediately cash out and lobby their politician friends, and they should never be able to use sensitive U.S. intelligence to benefit a foreign adversary,” Hinson said. “This is exactly the kind of corruption Iowans sent me to Congress to root out – we have to drain the swamp and clean up Washington.”

Current rules for executive branch officials leaving federal service are limited, allowing individuals to quickly begin lobbying the agency they just left or even lobby on behalf of foreign companies or governments. While some short-term bans can apply to certain officials — one year for some and two years for the most senior leaders — that moratorium has not meaningfully slowed the revolving door between the executive branch and high-paying lobbying jobs. Meanwhile, exemptions still remain for lobbying for foreign interests.

The PURE Executive Act expands the lifetime foreign lobbying ban to include any foreign entity or corporations controlled by foreign governments, and implements a five-year ban from lobbying their former agency.

Full text of the bill can be found here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Judy Chu (CA2-27)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) and Rep. Ted Lieu (CA-36) sent a letter to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) leadership demanding answers regarding the death of Jose Guadalupe Ramos-Solano, a 52-year old man who died in ICE custody on March 25, 2026.  

Mr. Ramos-Solano was arrested by ICE on February 23, 2026 and detained at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in Adelanto, California. ICE reports that Mr. Ramos-Solanos was found “unconscious and unresponsive in his bunk” and that security staff “immediately” contacted onsite medical staff and emergency services who initiated life-saving procedures. He was then transported to Victor Valley Global Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

However, other detainees recount conflicting history, saying that they attempted to notify staff about Mr. Ramos Solanos’ deteriorating condition, but despite these calls for help he was not attended to until he was unconscious. Detainees also allege that he passed away at Adelanto Center, not at the Victor Valley Global Medical Center. 

While ICE’s investigation into Mr. Ramos-Solano’s death is ongoing, the conditions faced by immigrants in Adelanto have a well-documented record of lacking sufficient medical care and are of critical concern. Reps. Chu and Lieu seek answers to understand whether systemic failures led to Mr. Ramos-Solanos’ death and the growing number of other deaths that have occurred under ICE custody.

“The trend of medical negligence and poor living conditions in Adelanto is deeply concerning. We need answers for the death of Mr. Ramos-Solano, and the others who have suffered and died in ICE custody,” said Rep. Chu.  “Mr. Ramos-Solano should still be alive today. It is unacceptable to hear from other detainees that Mr. Ramos-Solano did not receive basic medical care. We cannot let this be overlooked, and that is why we are calling for full transparency and accountability to ensure tragedies like this never happen again.”

“The circumstances surrounding Jose Guadalupe Ramos-Solano’s death are unacceptable. Deaths in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody have risen under Trump. We continue to see preventable deaths driven by inadequate medical care and a lack of meaningful oversight in detention facilities. That is a systemic failure,” said Rep. Lieu. “The Department of Homeland Security has a duty to ensure the safety and basic dignity of every person in its custody. We demand accountability because lives depend on it.” 

The letter is signed by 31 Members: Reps. Pete Aguilar (CA-33), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Greg Casar (TX-35), Gilbert Cisneros (CA-31), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Jesús García (IL-04), Daniel Goldman (NY-10), Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Henry Johnson (GA-04), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), Doris Matsui (CA-07), Robert Menendez (NJ-08), Dave Min (CA-47), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Linda Sánchez (CA-38), Brad Sherman (CA-32), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Adam Smith (WA-09), Darren Soto (FL-09), Mark Takano (CA-39), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Norma Torres (CA-35), Juan Vargas (CA-52), Maxine Waters (CA-43)

The full text of the letter is can be found here. 

—

April 30, 2026

Todd M. Lyons
Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
500 12^th Street SW
Washington, DC 20024

The Honorable Markwayne Mullin
Secretary
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
2707 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE  
Washington, DC 20528

Dear Secretary Mullin and Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director Lyons,

We write to express our grave concerns regarding the death of Jose Guadalupe Ramos-Solano, a 52-year-old man who died while in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody on March 25, 2026. 

On February 23, 2026, ICE arrested Mr. Ramos-Solano and then detained him at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center (Adelanto) in Adelanto, California. According to ICE, on March 25, 2026, security staff found Mr. Ramos-Solano “unconscious and unresponsive in his bunk.” Security staff “immediately” called onsite medical staff and emergency services, which both initiated life-saving procedures. Emergency services then transported him to Victor Valley Global Medical Center in Victorville, California, where he was pronounced deceased.”[1] 

On the day of his death, other detainees reported that Mr. Ramos-Solano had been experiencing symptoms of overheating, and difficulty breathing. They stated that Mr. Ramos-Solano removed his shirt after feeling as though he was suffocating.[2] Detainees attempted to notify medical staff of Mr. Ramos-Solano’s deteriorating condition but staff did not respond until he was unconscious. Detainees additionally allege that he did not die at the Victor Valley Global Medical Center but that he had already passed away at Adelanto .

We recognize that an investigation into Mr. Ramos-Solano’s death is ongoing, and we expect ICE to comply fully with all statutory reporting requirements, including the publication of a Detainee Death Report within 90 days.[3] However, eyewitness accounts raise serious and urgent questions about the circumstances leading to his death.  

Mr. Ramos-Solano’s death is part of a broader pattern. Adelanto has a well-documented record of insufficient oversight and inadequate medical care. These failures have previously resulted in deaths that ICE itself has previously acknowledged were preventable. Federal and state regulators, nonprofit organizations, and media reports have repeatedly described the facility’s ongoing inability to meet even minimal standards of care. [4] Since President Trump began his second term in January 2025, at least four individuals have died while in custody at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, and another individual died just days after being transferred out of the facility.[5] Nationwide, at least 45 individuals have died in federal immigration custody during this period, a significant increase from previous years, including during President Trump’s first term.[6]

The Department of Homeland Security is responsible for upholding constitutionally mandated standards of care that exist to protect the wellbeing of individuals in federal immigration custody. We demand that you take immediate, concrete steps to identify whether systemic failures led to Mr. Ramos-Solano’s death and the growing number of deaths occurring under your leadership.

We request answers to the following questions involving Mr. Ramos-Solano’s death by May 8, 2026.

1. What was Mr. Ramos-Solano’s official cause of death?
2. On what date and time did facility security and medical staff first receive reports that Mr. Ramos-Solano was feeling ill or required medical attention? Were these reports made by Mr. Ramos-Solano or a third party? How many reports did the facility receive? What medical evaluations, tests, or treatments, if any, were conducted following these reports?
3. When did other detainees request medical help or assistance for Mr. Ramos-Solano? How many detainees raised concerns on behalf of Mr. Ramos-Solano?
4. What was Mr. Ramos-Solano’s condition prior to his transfer to Victor Valley Global Medical Center?
5. When was the family of Mr. Ramos-Solano contacted about his condition?
6. What prompted his transfer to the detention medical center, and which medical staff were involved in assessing him there?
7. What criteria did staff use to determine that his condition was potentially life-threatening and required emergency medical transfer?
8. What specific kinds of medical evaluation, monitoring, or treatment was Mr. Ramos-Solano given? What medications were prescribed to him? Please provide all records concerning Mr. Ramos-Solano’s detention, medical care, and death from Adelanto and Victor Valley Global Medical Center.
9. Please provide a status update on the Detainee Death Report involving Mr. Ramos-Solano’s death, including the expected timeline for publication of findings.
10. Did ICE Health Services CORPS (IHSC) complete a Preliminary Mortality Review within 14 days of Mr. Ramos-Solano’s death, as required by ICE Directive 11003.6 Notification, Review, and Reporting Requirements for Detainee Deaths? Please provide a status update on IHSC’s final Mortality Review, including expected timeline for completion.
11. Has ICE Office of Professional Responsibility External Reviews and Analysis Unit initiated a Detainee Death Review into the facts and circumstances surrounding the Mr. Ramos-Solano’s death?
12. How many complaints of inadequate medical care have been reported at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center since January 2025? What steps has ICE taken to address detainees’ reports of improper medical care?
13. Has ICE identified violations of medical care standards at Adelanto since January 2025? If so, what corrective measures have DHS and ICE implemented to address these violations at Adelanto?
14. How are your agencies addressing the sharp rise in federal immigration custody deaths since January 2025?

We look forward to your timely response to this urgent matter. 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23)

“TPS holders earn work permits, pay taxes, and get zero government welfare. They pay into Medicare and Social Security and get nothing in return,” said Wasserman Schultz. “It does nobody any good to take good people out of the workforce, people who just came here to make a better life for their families.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif)

Monterey, CA — Just ahead of the 60-day mark in the war with Iran, U.S. Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) and the rest of the New Democrat Coalition National Security Working Group urged President Trump, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to make an “immediate course correction” on the Administration’s national security approach.

“As Members of the New Democrat Coalition National Security Working Group, we write in opposition to the Administration’s approach to national security and to urge an immediate course correction. At a moment of profound global instability, the U.S. needs a strategy that advances our national interests,” wrote Rep. Panetta and the lawmakers. “Instead, the Administration’s current approach–marked by a reckless and open-ended conflict in Iran, chaos within the Department of Defense, and the alienation of our allies–has already resulted in the loss of U.S. servicemembers and continues to place Americans and our global and domestic security at risk.”

“Over the past year, this Administration has treated national security as a partisan political matter, rather than a shared national responsibility, and has failed to provide Congress with timely and transparent information on key national security decisions,” continued the lawmakers. “The result of these actions is a national security posture that is neither principled nor sustainable. There is no doubt that our defense is strongest when it is supported by a bipartisan coalition and grounded in our country’s democratic values.”

The letter argues that the Administration’s chaotic and reckless approach has endangered both domestic and global security by waging open-ended conflicts without legal justification or clear objectives, alienating our closest allies, emboldening our greatest adversaries, and severely damaging our military readiness.

In contrast to the chaos of the Trump Administration’s current posture, the National Security Working Group Members lay out a new direction for American national security that would instead center the path forward around four commonsense priorities:

• Reversing the damage caused by the alienation of our allies and strengthening the tools that allow the U.S. to counter adversarial influence.
• Realigning defense planning to focus on the People’s Republic of China, the most serious strategic threat we face today.
• Reaffirming the military’s apolitical nature and ensuring resources are used to support servicemembers.
• Requiring the Administration to work in good faith with Congress and commit to respecting and restoring institutional checks and balances, especially in matters of war.

In addition to Rep. Panetta, the signees include all other Members of the New Dem National Security Working Group, including:

• Chair Gil Cisneros (CA-31)
• Defense Task Force Chair Ed Case (HI-01)
• Diplomacy Task Force Chair Eugene Vindman (VA-07)
• Veterans Task Force Chair Herb Conaway (NJ-03)
• Rep. Marilyn Strickland (WA-10)
• Rep. Susie Lee (NV-03)
• Rep. Ami Bera (CA-06)
• Rep. Jennifer McClellan (VA-04)
• Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02)

Full text of the letter is available here and below:

As Members of the New Democrat Coalition National Security Working Group, we write in opposition to the Administration’s approach to national security and to urge an immediate course correction. At a moment of profound global instability, the U.S. needs a strategy that advances our national interests. Instead, the Administration’s current approach–marked by a reckless and open-ended conflict in Iran, chaos within the Department of Defense, and the alienation of our allies–has already resulted in the loss of U.S. servicemembers and continues to place Americans and our global and domestic security at risk. 

Over the past year, this Administration has treated national security as a partisan political matter, rather than a shared national responsibility, and has failed to provide Congress with timely and transparent information on key national security decisions. The result of these actions is a national security posture that is neither principled nor sustainable. There is no doubt that our defense is strongest when it is supported by a bipartisan coalition and grounded in our country’s democratic values. 

Members of the New Democrat Coalition National Security Working Group believe that there is a better path forward. We urge the Administration to halt the current course and adopt a strategy centered around the following priorities:

1. Reverse the damage caused by the alienation of our allies and strengthen the tools that allow the U.S. to counter adversarial influence. 

On the campaign trail, President Trump repeatedly promised an “America First” approach, but the actions of this Administration are best described as an “America Alone” strategy. The Administration’s reckless tariff policy has strained relationships with some of our key allies and sent a chilling message that the U.S. is an unreliable economic and strategic partner, which has already pushed several of our allies to align more closely with the People’s Republic of China (PRC). At the end of January 2026, a delegation of Canadian and European leaders traveled to China seeking to deepen their economic ties, which marked the first time a British official visited China since 2018 and Canada’s first visit to the country in over a decade. This is not American strength; it is self-inflicted erosion of U.S. leadership that weakens our leverage and makes it harder to compete with our adversaries. 

If we are to face today’s global challenges effectively, we must do so in collaboration with our partners, including NATO, European allies, and Indo-Pacific partners through frameworks like Five Eyes, the Quad, and AUKUS. We must be unequivocal in rejecting any alignment with Russia’s war of aggression, ensuring that Ukraine has the support it needs to win the ongoing war with Russia. Otherwise, we risk emboldening an aggressive authoritarian regime and setting a dangerous precedent for dictators around the world to follow. In addition, the U.S. must reinvest in American soft power by restoring programs at the United States Agency for International Development and the United States Agency for Global Media that help build strong public health systems and support resilient democracies worldwide. This reinvestment will ensure we are better able to curb authoritarian and adversarial influence and prevent conflicts and humanitarian disasters before they even begin.

2. Realign defense planning to reflect today’s most serious strategic threat: the People’s Republic of China. 

This Administration’s escalation of the Iran conflict is fiscally irresponsible. The Penn Wharton Budget Model estimates that the first 32 days of the Iran conflict cost $27-28 billion. In the meantime, Americans continue to suffer the consequences, with gas prices reaching over $4/gallon and unlikely to drop for months. The conflict with Iran has also highlighted the fragility of our defense supply chains and the need to address munitions shortages, which have been further depleted by various campaigns the Administration has carried out, including in Venezuela and Iran. This is a failure of strategy and a costly pattern of engaging in conflicts without a plan, placing American lives and taxpayer resources at risk.

U.S. defense planning should prioritize deterring and strategically competing with the PRC. In order to meet this challenge, we need to invest in strengthening the defense industrial base through modernization and innovation efforts, enhancing domestic production capacity, replenishing critical weapons and munitions inventory, and streamlining the acquisition process that’s often too slow and rigid for today’s security environment. In addition, we must encourage small businesses to build, test, and scale new products and technologies by removing barriers to participation and expanding access to land for testing purposes. 

3. Reaffirm the military’s apolitical nature and ensure resources are used to support servicemembers. 

The Administration’s increasing politicization of the military creates serious dangers for servicemembers. The apolitical nature of the military ensures that its loyalty rests solely with the Constitution, not any party or individual. However, the Administration continues to undermine this nonpartisan institution by firing top generals, using uniformed servicemembers as a backdrop for partisan messaging, and deploying national guard members into U.S. cities for political theater. Speaking at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico in September 2025, President Trump suggested he intends to use U.S. cities as “training grounds for our military” to target “the enemy from within.” Using armed forces to advance partisan messaging and domestic political narratives is corrosive to civil-military norms and exposes servicemembers to unnecessary harm.

The Administration must take concrete steps to reaffirm the professionalism and apolitical nature of the U.S. military. This includes ensuring servicemembers are never given unlawful orders that could place them in ethical or legal jeopardy and preventing the use of the military against U.S. citizens for political purposes. Just as important is the need to ensure that we are investing our resources to help U.S. servicemembers and their families have the quality of life that they deserve instead of wasting valuable resources on meaningless changes in Department names. The Administration must take steps to address the lack of affordable housing for servicemembers, increase access to childcare, provide support for military spouses, and invest in mental health and primary prevention initiatives. In addition, we need to seriously invest in resources to help servicemembers leaving uniformed service find meaningful civilian employment and skill-matching opportunities.

4. The Administration must work in good faith with Congress and commit to respecting and restoring institutional checks and balances, especially in matters of war. 

After declaring “Operation Midnight Hammer” a success and affirming that Iran’s nuclear program “was obliterated” in June, Americans awoke on February 28, 2026 to the news that our nation is at war with Iran. Polls show that 63% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s war of choice, a clear reflection of how disconnected this escalation is from the main issues facing Americans today. The Administration has failed to provide a clear objective or end state for this operation. If the goal is deterrence, Iran continues to strike U.S. bases in the region, risking a broader regional war. If the goal is regime change, which the National Defense Strategy explicitly states was not a priority of this Administration, history has already taught us a lesson. The U.S. pursued this goal in Iraq at extraordinary costs: thousands of American lives, billions of dollars, regional instability, and a power vacuum that empowered both adversaries and extremist groups. We cannot afford to repeat that mistake. 

The war has also cost us the lives of at least thirteen servicemembers, and the Administration failed to evacuate U.S. embassies before launching the strikes, putting Americans in the region at high risk. When President Trump was asked about the lives lost in the early days of the conflict, he stated, “There will likely be more before it ends. That’s the way it is.” American lives are not expendable, and entering another conflict in the Middle East risks enabling another generation of instability and extremism. 

The Constitution gives Congress the sole authority to declare war, allowing Congress to prevent open-ended conflicts and ensure that any use of force remains lawful and tied to a clear objective. The alternative would be a great disservice to our national security. 

Our national security is strongest when it’s both principled and lawful and reflects our values and interests. The Trump Administration’s current approach fails on all counts. At a time when we are facing multiple threats on the global stage, we cannot afford to adopt a strategy that undermines our democracy, alienates our allies, and risks entangling our nation in conflicts without a clear end goal that advances the interests of all Americans. We call on the Administration to halt its current approach to national security, adopt this alternative framework, and return to a bipartisan commitment to our national security. 

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