MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA-03)

LOWELL, MA – Ahead of the third anniversary of Dobbs, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03),  Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-05), and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) joined Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts President Dominique Lee for a press conference calling out the attacks on reproductive freedom tucked into Republicans’ Big, Ugly Bill.
“Three years ago, Donald Trump’s Supreme Court opened the floodgates to extreme abortion bans in GOP-controlled states across the country – bans that criminalize doctors, endanger women’s lives, and force survivors of rape to carry pregnancies against their will,” said Congresswoman Trahan. “Now, Republicans in Washington are trying to punish states like Massachusetts for protecting access to abortion by withholding federal health care funding for families who need it most. It’s a coordinated effort to force every state to fall in line with Trump’s anti-abortion, anti-woman agenda, and we have to do everything in our power to stop it from passing.”
“Tomorrow will mark three years since Trump’s Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. For three years, the Republicans have marched nonstop toward their ultimate goal of a national abortion ban — with total control over women’s health care in every state, including Massachusetts,” said Whip Clark. “And now, we have their Big, Ugly Betrayal of Women Budget, which will impose the single biggest health care cut in our country’s history and inflict the biggest assault on women’s health care since Dobbs. To put it simply, this is a life-and-death fight every day. Republicans are choosing to make life harder and more expensive and more dangerous for America’s 170 million women and girls. All to help America’s 900 billionaires.”
“Since Trump’s Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, we’ve seen a new form of hell at every turn. Now, Republicans in Congress are on track to pass a bill that amounts to a backdoor ban on abortion — even in states where it’s protected. Republicans’ bill to cut Medicaid and defund Planned Parenthood is a one-two punch to women across the country, and we are not going to let them get away with it,” said Sen. Warren.
“As we mark three years since the devastating day the Supreme Court denied us our bodily autonomy and ripped away the basic right to abortion care in America, we recommit to fighting for families across this country to access the basic medical care they need to survive, to be safe in birth, to be treated with human dignity,” said Rep. Pressley, Co-Chair of the House Reproductive Freedom Caucus. “It starts by defeating Republicans’ Big Ugly Bill – their shameful reconciliation bill that would put necessary health care further out of reach for millions of people and would drastically defund Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood clinics across this nation are quite literally saving lives – often the only option for miles for life saving cancer screenings, affordable birth control, and compassionate prenatal care. We will never yield to Trump and Republicans’ agenda to make America a nation of forced birth – this is not an inevitability, and I’m proud to join Whip Clark, Senator Warren, and Congresswoman Trahan in standing with Planned Parenthood in our fight to restore true bodily autonomy and reproductive justice.”
“The so-called ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ is a backdoor abortion ban, even in safe-haven states like Massachusetts,” said Dominique Lee, president of the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts. “This bill would ‘defund’ Planned Parenthood by blocking Medicaid reimbursement, which could impact half of Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts’ budget. PPLM serves more than 30,000 patients annually, and nearly 40% of them are on Medicaid. If this bill passes, it won’t matter that abortion is legal here. People could lose access to abortion, birth control, STI testing, cancer screenings and other care from the provider they trust most. Planned Parenthood will not abandon our patients, our staff, or our communities, but we need everyone with us to help stop this attack on people’s health and freedom.”
Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans’ budget bill would defund Planned Parenthood health centers, bar private health insurers on the ACA marketplace from offering abortion coverage, and slash Medicaid health care coverage — leaving over 300,000 Massachusetts residents unable to access basic health care services.
For event photos, click HERE. To watch the full press conference, click HERE.
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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman David Scott (GA-13)

Congressman David Scott Statement On the House Passage of the Fiscal Year 2026 Military and Veteran Affairs Spending Bill

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)

Last Month, After Pressure from Pressley, Treasury and Trump Said Exemption Was “Under Consideration”

Text of Letter (PDF)

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) led 25 of her colleagues on a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent demanding an immediate exemption for essential infant and toddler products—including car seats, strollers, cribs, and highchairs—from current and future tariffs. Last month, after sharp questioning from Congresswoman Pressley in the House Financial Services Committee, Secretary Bessent conceded that such an exemption was “under consideration,” which was later reaffirmed by President Trump.

“There have been more than thirty days since your testimony and no exemptions on baby products have been announced. Hence, we urge you to relieve families of the high tariffs on products they need to care for their children,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter. “As you are aware, baby products are not optional luxury goods. They are necessities for millions of American families to ensure a safe environment for infants.”

Car seats are legally required in all fifty seats, but more than 90% of them are made in China. Under the current on-again, off-again tariff regime, many of these products have seen price increases of up to 30%, placing a significant and unnecessary burden on working families. With approximately 3.5 million babies born each year in the United States, this means millions of families face steep cost increases to care for their newborns and comply with basic child safety laws. Further, according to BabyCenter, new parents now spend an estimated $20,000 during their child’s first year—including nearly $1,000 on baby safety gear alone.

According to the Joint Economic Committee, new parents are at risk of paying an additional $875 million overall in 2025 on baby goods, including bouncers, activity centers, carriers, diaper bags, and other types of car seats, as a result of Trump’s tariffs. In Massachusetts, new parents could pay an additional $20.6 million.

“At a time when families are already struggling with the rising costs of food, housing, and healthcare, trade policies that further inflate essential childcare expenses are both counterproductive and deeply concerning,” the lawmakers continued. “We therefore urge you to immediately work with the President to exempt baby and toddler products from current and future tariffs, particularly those involving imports from China.”

The lawmakers noted that during the first Trump Administration, the U.S. Trade Representative created exclusions for baby safety products, an acknowledgement that the health and safety of infants should not be collateral damage in trade policy. They requested a response to their letter by July 10, 2025.

Joining Rep. Pressley in sending the letter are Representatives Becca Balint, Greg Casar, Sharice Davids, Cleo Fields, Bill Foster, Josh Gottheimer, Al Green, Jonathan Jackson, Julie Johnson, Stephen F. Lynch, Betty McCollum, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Chris Pappas, Delia Ramírez, Deborah K. Ross, Andrea Salinas, Brad Sherman, Eric Swalwell, Emilia Strong Sykes, Shri Thanedar, Rashida Tlaib, Jill Tokuda, Ritchie Torres, Eugene Simon Vindman, and Frederica S. Wilson.

To view a copy of the letter, click here.

Last month, in a House Financial Services Committee hearing, Rep. Pressley pressed Secretary Bessent about the harmful impact of Trump’s tariffs on families with young children and asked if he would support an exemption to tariffs on baby products and other items that parents need to care for their kids, such as car seats. In response to her questioning, Secretary Bessent conceded that such an exemption was “under consideration.”

In April, Congresswoman Pressley joined 45 colleagues in sending a Congressional letter to the Trump Administration imploring them to end tariffs on essential baby goods.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Salud Carbajal (CA-24)

U.S. Representatives Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24), a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Mike Lawler (R-NY-17) reintroduced their bipartisan Railroad Yardmaster Protection Act. The legislation would strengthen workplace protections for railroad yardmasters by giving them the same protections as other railroad yard workers. Yardmasters are the traffic controllers of our country’s rail yards and terminals. 

“Yardmasters are the traffic controllers of our country’s railroad network. Like their counterparts in aviation, they play a vital role in ensuring the safety of everyone traveling by train,” said Rep. Carbajal. “My bipartisan legislation will improve working conditions and support the professionals who keep America’s railroads running safely and efficiently.” 

“I’m proud to join Rep. Carbajal in reintroducing the Railroad Yardmaster Protection Act, a commonsense, bipartisan bill that closes a long-overdue gap in rail safety policy. Yardmasters are essential to the safe and smooth operation of our freight rail system, and it’s only right that they receive the same duty hour protections as other rail employees. This legislation is about protecting workers, improving safety, and ensuring our rail network continues to serve communities and commerce across the country effectively,” said Rep. Lawler.

The bipartisan Railroad Yardmaster Protection Act would include railroad yardmasters under federal hours of service requirements which currently cover safety-sensitive rail workers such as locomotive engineers, conductors, switchmen, dispatchers, and signal employees.

The bill ensures that a yardmaster may not be required or allowed to remain on duty for more than a total of 12 hours, and then must receive a minimum of 10 hours off duty.

First introduced in 2019, the Railroad Yardmaster Protection Act passed the House in 2020 as part of the INVEST in America Act. 

The bill has also been endorsed by SMART, the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers.

 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Doug LaMalfa 1st District of California

Washington, D.C.—Today, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed Congressman LaMalfa’s bill, H.R. 3300, the Forest Protection and Wildland Firefighter Safety Act, out of markup as part of a larger package. This legislation ensures that aerial fire retardant remains available for wildfire suppression efforts without being tied up in Clean Water Act permitting delays. The bill clarifies that federal, state, local, and tribal firefighting agencies do not need a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit to use fire retardant from aircraft when responding to wildfires.

“Firefighters shouldn’t have to wait on a permit to fight a fire. With wildfire racing toward homes and forests, limiting or delaying the use of fire retardant due to waiting for bureaucracy to permit it is backward logic that gets people hurt and leaves entire landscapes scorched,” said Rep. LaMalfa. “Aerial retardant has been used safely for decades. What these lawsuits and delays really do is handcuff the very people trying to stop disaster. I’m glad to see this bill pass through committee, and I’ll keep working to make sure our firefighters can do their jobs without interference from fringe lawsuits or red tape.”

Background

In 2022, an environmental group sued the Forest Service over its use of aerial fire retardant, arguing it should be regulated under the Clean Water Act. A federal court ruled in 2023 that the Forest Service must obtain a NPDES permit from the EPA, but declined to issue an injunction that would have halted the use of retardant during fire season. The permitting process is expected to take years, and if future litigation results in a successful injunction, firefighters could be forced to ground aircraft or fly them with only water—putting lives, forests, and property at serious risk. Additionally, every state, local, and tribal fire agency may eventually need to get their own NPDES permit to use retardant, wasting tax dollars, time, and placing people in jeopardy.

The Forest Service has made clear in testimony that aerial retardant is a critical part of its integrated wildfire strategy and that current operations already prohibit discharge into waterways or buffer zones. Over the past decade, less than 1% of fire retardant drops have affected waterways.

The bill builds on existing exemptions in the Clean Water Act for fire control activities and ensures continued use of fire retardants that are approved and listed on the Forest Service’s Qualified Products List.

Congressman Doug LaMalfa is Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus and a lifelong farmer representing California’s First Congressional District, including Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama and Yuba Counties.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Doug LaMalfa 1st District of California

Washington, D.C.—Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) joined the entire California Republican congressional delegation in sending a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom urging him to immediately suspend a scheduled increase to the state’s gasoline excise tax and pause the implementation of new California Air Resources Board (CARB) regulations projected to significantly raise fuel costs for California drivers.

Starting July 1, 2025, California is set to raise its gas tax to 61.2 cents per gallon. On the same day, new CARB regulations under the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) are set to take effect—regulations estimated by University of Pennsylvania economists to drive fuel prices up by as much as 65 cents per gallon. Combined, these changes will further strain California’s already fragile fuel supply and add more costs for families and businesses across the state.

“At a time when Californians are already paying $1.44 more per gallon than the national average, the last thing they need is another gas tax hike and a costly new mandate from unelected CARB officials,” said Rep. LaMalfa. “The Phillips 66 refinery is set to close this fall, and Valero’s Benicia facility will follow next spring. Together, those shutdowns will cut California’s refining capacity by over 20 percent. Resulting in less fuel available on the market, higher prices, and more pain for everyone. Instead of addressing this looming supply crisis, the Governor is adding 1.6 cents to the gas tax and letting CARB push through a regulation that is estimated to raise prices by up to 65 cents per gallon. These policies are not just tone-deaf, they’re dangerous to California’s economy. The Governor continues to ignore this reality. Refusing to change course will only make things worse.”

These price increases come as California faces a looming supply crisis due to the scheduled closures of two major in-state refineries. According to a May 2025 report from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business, the combined shutdown of the Phillips 66 refinery in Los Angeles and the Valero refinery in Benicia could result in a 21% drop in California’s refining capacity. This shortfall is expected to create a gasoline supply deficit of up to 13.1 million gallons per day and push prices as high as $8.43 per gallon by the end of 2026, especially when combined with the effects of new state mandates like the LCFS, Cap-and-Trade expansion, and excise tax increases.

The USC study also warns that these disruptions will ripple across the economy, impacting air travel, food delivery, agriculture, manufacturing, and healthcare, while placing further pressure on household budgets and reducing state tax revenues at a time when California faces a projected $73 billion budget deficit.

The California Republican congressional delegation has consistently urged the Governor to suspend the gas tax, address in-state supply constraints, and reject policies that deepen the cost-of-living crisis, but to date continue to be ignored.

The full text of the letter is available here.

Congressman Doug LaMalfa is Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus and a lifelong farmer representing California’s First Congressional District, including Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama and Yuba Counties.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Doug LaMalfa 1st District of California

Washington, D.C.—Today, Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) and Congressman Ryan Zinke (R-MT) released the following statement applauding the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision to rescind the Roadless Rule. This rule prevented road construction, reconstruction, and timber harvesting on almost 59 million acres of the National Forest System.

“I want to thank Secretary Rollins for rescinding the Roadless Rule, a Clinton-era midnight regulation which has done more harm than good in the West,” said Rep. LaMalfa. “This policy blocked responsible forest management, preventing thinning, logging, and the ability to build roads that are critical for wildfire response and public safety. Two decades on, our forests are more overgrown, wildfires are more catastrophic, and rural economies have fewer jobs. Repealing the Roadless Rule is a major step toward restoring common-sense forest management and giving local experts the ability to do their jobs.”

“The rescission of the outdated Roadless Rule is a victory for Montana, public lands, and forest management everywhere,” said Rep. Zinke. “As I’ve long maintained, one of the biggest obstacles to proper forest management and wildfire prevention has been unnecessary and overbearing regulations like this one. If you can’t build a road, you can’t fight fires, you can’t cut trees, and you can’t properly take care of our national heritage held in our public lands. I applaud the President and Secretary Rollins for their initiative to allow real and needed work to be done on our national forest land.”

The Roadless Rule tied the hands of land managers for years, especially in Western states where wildfire risk is high and economic opportunities are closely linked to working forests. Its repeal is a long-overdue correction that restores balance between conservation and the practical need to access, manage, and protect our forests.

Rep. LaMalfa spoke on the House floor in support of this decision and the need for active forest management. You can watch his full remarks here.

Congressman Doug LaMalfa is Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus and a lifelong farmer representing California’s First Congressional District, including Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama and Yuba Counties.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi Representing the 12th District of California

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi released the following statement announcing her cosponsorship of H.Con.Res.40 to remove the United States Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran:
 
“We must all exercise our best judgement in how we prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon and honor our relationship with Israel in the interest of our national security. But over the weekend, the Trump Administration unilaterally conducted military airstrikes in Iran without consulting the Congress of the United States. This action endangered our servicemembers, diplomats and others by risking a serious escalation of tensions with Iran. 

“Yesterday, the Administration decided to withhold intelligence and delay the scheduled bipartisan classified Member briefing — which was already long overdue — in a slap in the face to the Congress. The Administration must work with their co-equal branch of government to fulfill the Constitutional requirement that the President comes to Congress before going to war. That is why I am supporting War Powers Resolutions which reassert the Article One powers of the Congress and ensure the Administration does not keep the American people and their Representatives in the dark.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi Representing the 12th District of California

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi released the following statement on the Trump Administration’s cancelation of a bipartisan classified Member briefing on Israel-Iran:
 
“The decision of this Administration to withhold intelligence and cancel today’s scheduled bipartisan classified Member briefing — which was already long overdue — is a slap in the face to the Congress of the United States.

“We must all exercise our best judgement in how we prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon and honor our relationship with Israel in the interest of our national security. The unjustified cancellation of this briefing by the Trump Administration is an intolerable insult to their co-equal branch of government and the Constitutional requirement that the President comes to Congress before going to war.

“The President owes the American people an explanation on why his Administration is keeping them and their Representatives in the dark.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi Representing the 12th District of California

Aspen, CO – Yesterday, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi joined former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretaries Kathleen Sebelius and Sylvia Burwell at the Aspen Ideas Festival for a behind-the-scenes look at the passage of the Affordable Care Act, moderated by former Congressman Charlie Dent.

The conversation, hosted by the Aspen Institute, offered an inside look into one of the most consequential legislative efforts in American history, focusing on the intense political landscape in 2010, the stakes for working families and the coalition it took to get the ACA across the finish line.

“For a hundred years they’d been trying to pass a [health care] bill,” Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said. “This was the challenge of our generation—to do something very special for the American people that made a difference in their lives.”

The panel recounted both the triumphs and trials of the legislative fight, including the instrumental leadership of Secretaries Sebelius and Burwell in its passage and implementation, efforts to prevent Republicans from repealing the ACA, and the ongoing fight to protect Medicaid from Republican attacks.

Watch the full event HERE.

Read coverage of the event below:

The Aspen Daily News: Pelosi talks Affordable Care Act in Aspen

[Rick Carroll, 6/23/25]

Rep. Nancy Pelosi stuck to the script at Paepcke Auditorium on Sunday night. In Aspen for a panel discussion, Pelosi joined the stage with three others to discuss their roles in the passage of the Affordable Care Act, which became law in 2010.

The conversation was titled “Behind the Vote: How the ACA Became Law.” Likely due to its irrelevancy to the discussion, there was no mention of the United States’ strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran a day earlier.

Pelosi was critical of President Donald Trump’s decision to bomb the facilities on Saturday night. On X, she posted: “Tonight, the President ignored the Constitution by unilaterally engaging our military without Congressional authorization. I join my colleagues in demanding answers from the Administration on this operation which endangers American lives and risks further escalation and dangerous destabilization of the region.”

On Sunday, however, the discussion of the landmark legislation — also known as Obamacare and considered the largest piece of health-care legislation in the U.S. since the introduction of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965 — took center stage. 

Noting that it took a century of wrangling, Pelosi said it was President Bill Clinton’s administration that gave a serious push to start health care reform in his first term starting in 1993. Facing strong opposition from conservatives and the insurance lobby, Clinton couldn’t pass it through. 

“For over 100 years, presidents had been trying to pass, to provide … some kind of health care for all Americans,” Pelosi said. “The Clintons had attempted and it may have not succeeded in terms of passing the bill, but it certainly succeeded in raising the awareness and making it possible for us to pass a bill later. So I just give them credit for that.”

Pelosi, a House member since 1987, was speaker from 2007 to 2011 and from 2019 to 2023.

As speaker of the House, she played a key role in shepherding the ACA bill through a divided Congress and a Republican party fiercely opposed to the legislation. She also had to negotiate with those in her party, from the progressives to the moderates, over concessions in the bill. Even without a single vote from a Republican in either chamber of Congress, the ACA became law in March 2010. 

The legislation made health coverage more accessible to people with low to moderate incomes or pre-existing conditions by giving them income-based subsidies. Its supporters also say the ACA stabilized the health-care market by making it more equitable and accessible.

The ACA’s backlash, however, has included insurers leaving marketplaces in rural areas, fewer choices for doctors because of insurers tightening their provider networks, increased premiums for middle-class consumers, as well as public confusion over navigating a system rife with complexities. 

Pelosi was joined on the panel by Kathleen Sebelius and Sylvia Burwell, the respective 21st and 22nd U.S. Secretaries of Health and Human Services, and former Republican Rep. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania.