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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman John Moolenaar (4th District of Michigan)

Headline: Moolenaar: Michigan Arrest Highlights CCP Threat to Our Food Supply and Our Universities

Today, the Justice Department announced it is charging two Chinese nationals with attempting to smuggle a dangerous plant disease into the United States. The charges were brought against Yunqing Jian, a researcher at the University of Michigan and member of the Chinese Communist Party, and her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, who is employed by a Chinese university. Congressman John Moolenaar released the following statement in response to the announcement.  

“The criminal charges unsealed in federal court show loyal members of the Chinese Communist Party were planning to experiment on a plant disease that would devastate Michigan agriculture and the food supply our nation depends on. This case should be fully prosecuted as a threat against our country. This is only further proof that American universities must be more vigilant when it comes to research security and the participation of Chinese nationals in these institutions,” said Moolenaar. 

The criminal complaint alleges that Liu lied to investigators last year while attempting to bring a fungus known as Fusarium graminearum through the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. According to the academic journal “Food Security” the fungus is classified as a potential agroterrorism weapon. The fungus causes blight in a variety of field crops and is responsible for crop damage around the world. It also produces toxins damaging to the health of humans and livestock.  

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (38th District of CA)

WASHINGTON – Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member Linda T. Sánchez (D-Calif.) released the following statement after the Court of International Trade blocked President Trump from using emergency powers to impose tariffs on imports:

“The federal court is absolutely right. President Trump is blatantly abusing emergency powers to impose broad tariffs that are upending our economy and global trade.

“Emergency powers are not a blank check for the president to bypass Congress. He cannot toss out new tariffs every time he gets mad at another country.

“Congress, not the president, has authority over trade, and it’s time Republicans fulfill their oath to the Constitution and work with us to put an end to this administration’s overreach. If they don’t, Republicans risk letting President Trump’s erratic trade policies drive us straight into a recession.”

Background

Ranking Member Sánchez introduced the Stopping a Rogue President on Trade Act, a bill that would turn off the global tariffs imposed on April 2, turn off the tariffs imposed by executive order for Mexico and Canada, and require congressional approval for tariffs imposed by the president. The bill has the support of all Ways and Means Democrats.

Ways and Means Republicans also blocked her amendment to the tax bill that would have ended these tariffs.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (38th District of CA)

WASHINGTON – Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member Linda T. Sánchez (D-Calif.) released the following statement in response to President Trump’s latest threats to place tariffs on the European Union (50 percent starting June 1) and Apple (25 percent if it doesn’t move operations to the United States):

“Americans again woke up to a Trump tantrum on tariffs – this time threatening our European Union allies and singling out a major American company, Apple. 

“His tariff chaos has already rattled our markets and put our economy at risk of a recession. He’s now further undermining our standing in Europe and attacking American innovation.

“Congress has authority over trade, not the president. Republicans need to stop cowering to him on tariffs and reclaim our authority to put an end to this madness.”

Background

Ranking Member Sánchez introduced the Stopping a Rogue President on Trade Act, a bill that would turn off the global tariffs imposed on April 2, turn off the tariffs imposed by executive order for Mexico and Canada, and require congressional approval for tariffs imposed by the president. The bill has the support of all Ways and Means Democrats.

Ways and Means Republicans also blocked her amendment in committee to the tax bill that would have ended these tariffs.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (38th District of CA)

WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Linda T. Sánchez (D-Calif.) today spoke on the House floor before the vote on the Republican tax bill, which only passed by a single vote.

Video of her statement introducing the amendment is available HERE and the text follows:

“The bill that we are debating this morning is an insult to every American who works for a living.

American families are struggling. Under President Trump and Republican leadership, they’ve seen nothing but chaos.

Prices for everyday necessities – like food, clothing, diapers and formula – keep rising because of Trump’s tariffs. Premiums for health insurance, car insurance and housing are going up, making it harder to make ends meet.

Americans are worried about their future. People are afraid about losing their jobs, their health care, student aid and food assistance.

And this bill brings that pain.

Almost 14 million people will lose their health care coverage under this Republican bill. And for what? So billionaires can get even richer while the rest of us drown in debt?

This is outrageous. Republicans are doling out tax cuts for the wealthiest while destroying the means of survival for hardworking families.

This bill assaults those seeking the American Dream by stealing tax benefits and services from working people who are paying taxes! It would deny the Child [Tax] Credit to 2 million children who live in the United States.

Here’s an idea: How about you start working for the people you represent, not your wealthy donors.

But I guess that’s asking too much from people who have lost their moral compass.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (38th District of CA)

WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Linda T. Sánchez (D-Calif today introduced the Put School Counselors Where They Are Needed Act, a bill to put more counselors in high schools with high dropout rates.

“Schools with high dropout rates desperately need more counselors to provide the support and guidance at-risk students require,” said Congresswoman Sánchez. “Counselors can help identify early warning signs and intervene before students fall through the cracks. With the right resources, they can help prevent dropouts by offering emotional support, academic guidance and a path forward for students who may otherwise feel forgotten.”

The bill would authorize a limited four-year demonstration program, placing additional professional secondary school counselors in high schools with drop-out rates of 60 percent or more. These additional counselors will work intensively with students at risk of dropping out and collaborate with parents, teachers and others to develop a comprehensive plan to get these students on the track to graduate.

The American School Counselor Association and the National Association for College Admission Counseling, and other organizations recommend a ratio of one school counselor to 250 students and a lower ratio for counselors working primarily with students at risk. However, the average counselor-to-student ratio in America’s public schools is one to 376, a ratio that hardly allows for individual attention and intensive support. Even worse, in California’s public schools, that average ratio is a staggering 464 students per counselor.

The bill is cosponsored by Representatives Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Dwight Evans (D-Pa.), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Danny Davis (D-Ill.), Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and Adam Smith (D-Wash.).

The bill is endorsed by the American School Counselor Association and the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

Text of the legislation is available HERE.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Joaquin Castro (20th District of Texas)

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

WASHINGTON – The White House released its recissions package, requesting Congress to cancel $9.4 billion already appropriated by Congress. The package advances President Donald Trump’s agenda to codify DOGE’s spending cuts, slash foreign aid, cut funding from major public broadcasting entities and rolls back a Biden-era guidance requiring hospitals to provide emergency abortion care.

U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02) released the following statement condemning the recissions package:

“President Trump’s recissions package is needlessly cruel and evil. He is stealing money – money that has already been designated by Congress – from Sesame Street to Main Street, hurting everyday Americans to give tax breaks to the well-off and well-connected. For years, I’ve heard my Republican colleagues spout about Congress’s constitutional power of the purse, but now, they’d consider cancelling $9.4 billion that we have already appropriated to programs like PBS, NPR, and USAID.

“The President also continues to threaten the lives of women by rescinding guidance that reaffirmed hospitals’ obligation under law to provide lifesaving abortion care to patients experiencing a medical emergency. While the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act is still the law of the land, this is, again, a cruel and evil decision by the Trump administration. Rescinding this guidance will delay necessary emergency abortion care, endangering the lives of patients.”

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

WASHINGTON, DC –  Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-12) released the following statement after voting in favor of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act:

“Today, I voted in favor of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act, which reauthorizes vital prevention, treatment, and recovery programs that tackle our nation’s opioid crisis, substance use disorders, and pressing mental health needs. Since the SUPPORT Act became law in 2018, these programs have undeniably saved lives, and our commitment to this work must continue.

However, we cannot overlook the alarming context surrounding this vote. The Trump Administration is actively and unlawfully working to dismantle the very agency responsible for executing the programs we have just reauthorized. They have recklessly terminated hundreds of experienced employees, shut down critical offices established by Congress, and withdrawn over $1 billion that was previously allocated to state and local behavioral health initiatives. This has severely undermined essential prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts across the nation. Moreover, the Administration’s proposed budget only exacerbates this crisis, threatening to eliminate nearly all the programs outlined in the SUPPORT Act.

In a disgraceful display of hypocrisy, House Republicans have chosen to be complicit in this dismantling rather than doing anything to stand against it. Reauthorizing these programs on paper amounts to nothing if we permit the infrastructure that supports them to be obliterated. Just weeks ago, House Republicans passed the largest Medicaid cut in our nation’s history, targeting a program that provides care for 40 percent of Americans grappling with opioid use disorder. These Medicaid reductions will deprive millions of lifesaving treatment, all to fund massive tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans at the expense of vulnerable individuals fighting substance use disorders. Voting to reauthorize programs while allowing their infrastructure to be dismantled is simply unacceptable.

Republicans must finally stand up to the Trump Administration and take decisive action to halt its reckless dismantling of our nation’s support systems. Anything less would render the SUPPORT Act meaningless. Americans facing mental health and addiction crises deserve genuine leadership and steadfast support, not empty rhetoric and political games.”

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

The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2483, the SUPPORT for Patients & Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025. This legislation helps continue important health programs that fight substance use disorder and promote recovery resources.

Following House passage of the bill, U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement:

“We are seeing real progress in terms of treatment opportunities as well as recovery resources for those affected by substance use disorder. I am proud to support reauthorization of the SUPPORT Act, further strengthening our ability to combat the opioid crisis in Appalachia and giving Americans hope to rebuild their lives.”

BACKGROUND

Given the opioid epidemic hitting Appalachia, and Virginia’s Ninth District bordering the states of West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina, Congressman Griffith introduced during the last Congress the RECONNECTIONS Act of 2023.

Language from Congressman Griffith’s bill is now Section 103 of the SUPPORT for Patients & Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025. This section reauthorizes the prescription drug monitoring program, which is an important tool to track where prescription drugs are being dispensed at.

Congressman Griffith’s recent remarks in the Rules Committee on the SUPPORT for Patients & Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025 can be found here.

SUPPORT for Patients & Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025 now goes to the U.S. Senate for consideration.

Congressman Griffith is the House sponsor of the HALT Fentanyl Act. The HALT Fentanyl Act passedthe House in February of 2025.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Adam Smith (9th District of Washington)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Rep. Smith (D – Wash.) released the following statement regarding the SUPPORT Act, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives today.
 
“Today I voted for the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025, which would renew funding for drug prevention and treatment programs, as well as key mental health initiatives, and behavioral health care programs.

“Improving our response to mental and behavioral health is a key priority of mine. This bill has historically provided a bipartisan investment in addressing these issues. I am glad to support the authorization of important disorder treatment programs and opioid response grants.

“Unfortunately, this historically bipartisan bill is being knee-capped by an Executive Branch that has unlawfully gutted the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) which would be responsible for running these vital programs. The Administration is also preparing to eliminate 40 different mental health and substance use programs, including eight programs reauthorized by the SUPPORT Act.

“It is incredibly hypocritical of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to vote for this bill while maintaining ardent support for the cutting of SAMHSA and other programs by the “Big Ugly Bill” and the Trump Administration.

“Congress must take the problems of mental and behavioral health care seriously. I urge all who also vote “yea” on this bill to also take a long, hard look at the proposed cuts to SAMHSA and HHS from the Trump Administration. This bill could do important things to address substance use disorders, the opioid crisis, and our mental and behavioral health care crisis, if only the Trump Administration would faithfully implement it.” 

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