MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Nydia M Velázquez (D-NY)

WASHINGTON- Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) released the following statement after House Republicans passed their reconciliation bill during the early hours of the morning:
 
“Republicans waited until the middle of the night to advance this bill because they know how deeply unpopular it is. While families were sleeping, they pushed through a cruel package that gives tax breaks to the wealthy and strips away support from the people who need it most. Simply put, this bill is a betrayal of working families.
 
“According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, nearly 14 million Americans would lose their health insurance under this bill. Millions more would see their costs go up. In New York alone, millions would lose coverage and $13.5 billion would be ripped from our health care system.
 
“And it gets worse. This bill makes the largest cut to food assistance in our nation’s history. It would take meals off the tables of families already struggling to get by. New estimates show it could eliminate school meals for more than 18 million children. That is shameful.
 
“We should be expanding health care, not cutting it. We should be making sure no child goes hungry, not passing laws to take away their lunch. And we should be helping small businesses, not tipping the scales even further in favor of large corporations.
 
“This bill is a disgrace. I will do everything in my power to ensure it does not become law.”
 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Nydia M Velázquez (D-NY)

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) led five colleagues in a letter urging the House Appropriations Committee requesting an end to federal funding for the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) use of private prison facilities. The lawmakers also called for a ban on transferring phased-out Department of Justice prison contracts to ICE for immigration enforcement.  
 

“During the first Trump administration, privately-operated ICE facilities were used extensively and grew despite substandard conditions and problematic contracting practices documented by Congress, government oversight bodies, NGO’s and the media,” wrote the lawmakers. “More must be done to ensure that those without a voice, namely undocumented immigrants, are not subjected to dehumanizing or perilous conditions.” 

During President Trump’s second term, the administration has expanded the immigration detention system through billion-dollar contracts with private prison companies such as GEO Group and CoreCivic. These efforts include the possible reopening of closed or phased-out facilities across at least eight states, many with documented records of abuse and neglect.

The lawmakers raised concerns about the absence of accountability in private detention centers. Unlike government-run prisons, these facilities often operate with little or no independent oversight.

“We know that private facilities have had staff falsify records, failed to adequately supervise detainees and provided improper medical care,” wrote the lawmakers. “Moreover, unlike state-run prisons or local jails that are subject to established oversight mechanisms, privately operated ICE detention centers operate largely without state inspections or regulatory oversight.” 

The letter calls for specific bill language in the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations package to prohibit DHS from using or entering private detention contracts for immigration purposes.

The letter was signed by Rep. Holmes Norton (D-DC), Rep. Smith (D-WA), Rep. Beyer Jr. (D-VA), Rep. Carson (D-IN), and Rep. Rivas (D-CA). 

The letter can be found here. 
 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Nydia M Velázquez (D-NY)

WASHINGTON –Today, Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) sent a letter along with 14 members of the New York Congressional delegation urging SkyHop Global to return to the bargaining table with striking shuttle drivers at John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia, and Newark airports.

“It is time for meaningful negotiations to take place in order to achieve a basic agreement that guarantees every employee fair pay, job security, and union protection. As elected representatives, we have a strong interest in defending the rights of our constituents and holding employers accountable when they fail to fulfill their commitments,” the lawmakers wrote.

“SkyHop management launched a relentless and illegal attack on worker rights and basic human decency. The company is required by the National Labor Relations Act to negotiate in good faith, but it refuses to do so. I am proud to stand with the New York Democratic Congressional Delegation as they fight alongside us for justice. We are not backing down. We will stay in this fight for as long as it takes — and we will win a strong, enforceable Teamster contract.” said Robert Bellach, Secretary-Treasurer, Teamsters Local 210.  

SkyHop workers voted to unionize with Teamsters Local 210 in May 2024, but almost a year later they still do not have a contract. The 60 SkyHop Global drivers provide critical shuttle services for airline crew members at New York City area airports. Close to 95 percent of them are Black, Latino, Asian and other non-white ethnicities, and many are immigrants. 

The strike began in November after the company repeatedly refused to bargain in good faith over wages, job security, and a union contract. Employees also allege that SkyHop retaliated against workers by cutting hours and firing pro-union drivers. The drivers have filed over 20 unfair labor practice charges against the company with the National Labor Relations Board. Employees have also reported wage and hour violations, and some cases are now pending before the New York State Department of Labor.

SkyHop driver Jessica Gallegos said, “SkyHop management lied to us and broke their promises — and I made the mistake of believing them and voting against the union in the first election. When I stood up and organized, SkyHop retaliated by trying to intimidate me and then illegally firing me. I am on strike with my fellow drivers to get a fair contract. With the full backing of Local 210 and Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, we are fighting back — and we are going to win.”

In the Congressional letter, the Members stressed that continued disruption not only harms workers but also the broader travel network that depends on these essential services.

In addition to Velázquez, the letter was signed by Reps. Yvette Clarke (NY-9), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Laura Gillen (NY-3), Dan Goldman (NY-10), George Latimer (NY-16), Tim Kennedy (NY-26), John Mannion (NY-22), Gregory Meeks (NY-5), Grace Meng (NY-6), Jerry Nadler (NY-12), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Tom Souzzi (NY-3), Paul Tonko (NY-20) and Ritchie Torres (NY-15).

 

Teamsters Local 210 is the second largest Teamsters Local in New York representing workers in a wide range of industries.  Airline workers are the backbone of Local 210, and their members work at airports across the eastern half of the United States.  

 

A full copy of the letter can be found here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mike Rogers (R-AL)

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (AL-03), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, released a statement today applauding the House passage of H.R. 1 – the One Big, Beautiful Bill; budget reconciliation legislation to deliver on President Trump’s commitment to secure our nation and our borders, spur economic growth, and improve accountability to taxpayers.

The bill includes $150 billion in mandatory funding for bipartisan legislation passed by the House Armed Services Committee to strengthen our national defense and implement President Trump’s visionary Peace through Strength agenda.

“After years of chronic underinvestment, our defense industrial base and military capacity have dangerously atrophied to the point where we may no longer be able to sustain a prolonged conflict,” Rogers said. “Without this generational investment in national defense, we will no longer be able to deter our adversaries or ensure America’s global leadership. The One Big, Beautiful Bill provides long overdue resources to modernize our military, revitalize the defense industrial base, and improve the quality of life for our servicemembers. The House and Senate Armed Services Committees worked closely together and with the White House to develop this critical legislation, and Speaker Johnson has worked closely with all of the committees involved to develop a comprehensive budget bill that best serves our taxpayers. I’m looking forward to sending this to the President’s desk as soon as possible.”

Background:
The House and Senate Armed Services Committees released legislative text on April 27, 2025, and on April 29, 2025, the House Armed Services Committee marked up the legislation and advanced it to the Budget Committee with a bipartisan vote.

The legislation prioritizes critical improvements to America’s national defense, including:

• Funding key initiatives for President Trump’s Golden Dome
• Revitalizing our defense industrial base
• Strengthening DoD efforts to secure our southwest border and stem the flow of illegal immigration
• Deterring Chinese Communist Party aggression
• Delivering the systems needed for DoD to improve fiscal efficiency and pass a clean audit
• Enhancing servicemember quality of life

A legislative overview of HASC-passed text is available here, and a section-by-section is available here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mike Rogers (R-AL)

 WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (AL-03), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, joined the McCrary Institute’s “Cyber Focus” Podcast to discuss the future of national security and Alabama’s role in our nation’s defense.

The McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security at Auburn University was founded in 2015 with the mission of making America safer from cyber-attacks through a team of national cyber experts in policy, applied research and services, and education. Since then, the McCrary Institute has emerged as a leader in the cybersecurity space and has further cemented Auburn’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering as a preeminent engineering program.

Rep. Rogers works closely with the McCrary Institute and recently helped secure funding for the Southeast Region Cybersecurity Collaboration Center (SERC3) project.

Watch or listen to the full episode here.

Key Moments:

We are at the lowest level of defense spending as a percentage of GDP since before World War II. It is dangerously low, 2.9% of GDP. We really should be closer to 5%.

You can put a multi-million warehouse stockpile of drones together and we can upgrade them every week or every month without touching them. And those are the kind of changes that we need to make sure that we can move with the speed of relevance.

Guam has a big target on it. Number one target by China. If we get into a conflict… it will be target number one.

We’re going to be doing swarms [of underwater drones] just like we’re doing swarms in the air. You’re going to find the use of unmanned fighter jets is going to be very commonplace. We’re already doing some of that now, but it’s going to be a lot.

I really think scholarships are the best way to get younger people to think about [working in cyber] early when they’re looking at career choices.

[The Golden Dome] would create a significant space-based, low earth orbit sensor capacity that is much more sophisticated than what we have now. Along with some additional interceptors, and obviously this would be exactly in the wheelhouse of Huntsville.

I expect sometime in the month of April that Space Command will officially be assigned to build its headquarters in Huntsville… I’ve already talked with the contractor, and he is ready to turn dirt on the day they announce.

There will be a lot of battles fought where there’s not a gun fired. It’s going to be through cyber and through space.

We all, in our daily private lives, use space every day.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Gary Palmer (R-AL)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Gary Palmer (AL-06), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, delivered the following opening statement at today’s hearing titled Examining Ways to Enhance Our Critical Mineral Supply Chains.

Subcommittee Chairman Palmer’s opening statement as prepared for delivery:

 

“Good morning, and welcome to today’s hearing entitled ‘Examining Ways to Enhance Our Domestic Mineral Supply Chains.’

“Today’s hearing addresses the crucial challenge that the U.S. is facing—how to decouple and derisk ourselves from China and other foreign adversaries and build critical mineral supply chains within the U.S. Our country has been blessed with abundant natural resources and the world-changing technology needed to harness those resources. Unfortunately, however, we have become over reliant on other nations to supply and process critical minerals. Today’s hearing is an opportunity to examine how to increase capacity and resilience in American critical mineral supply chains again.

“Critical minerals are used in items we use every day like smart phones, computer hard drives, televisions, batteries, and lightbulbs. They are also used in elements of our electrical grid and have defense applications.

“The U.S. used to be the leading producer and refiner of many critical minerals, including rare earth elements. By the late 1990s, however, most of this industry dissolved and moved overseas. According to a review in the United States Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries 2024, the U.S. was 100 percent import reliant for 12 of the 50 critical minerals on the 2022 critical minerals list and more than 50 percent import reliant for an additional 29.

“This predicament we find ourselves in is not a new problem, but a problem that has been many years in the making. So how did we get here? It is a combination of things—including burdensome permitting and other regulations, uncertainty in commodity pricing, market manipulation, and an increasingly litigious society. This has made our domestic environment unattractive to investors and companies as a result. For example, getting domestic processing and refining facilities up and running is an extremely long process—it can take 10 to 20 years for new processing plants and smelters to become operational. That is in addition to the lengthy mine development process in the U.S., which is the second-longest mine development timeline in the world. Because of this burdensome red tape, companies are not incentivized to invest domestically, so instead they invest abroad.

“Moreover, even when U.S. companies operate mines in the U.S., the hesitancy to invest in domestic processing and refining facilities has put us in a position where our foreign adversaries monopolize other parts of the supply chain. For example, in 2019, one rare earth mine in the U.S. sent 98 percent of its raw materials to China because the U.S. lacked the capacity to process those minerals domestically. As a result, we must import our own product back from China after it is processed, but China’s recent export bans on several rare earth elements critical to the U.S. make this nearly impossible.

“I cannot convey the seriousness of this issue enough. This is an economic issue and an issue of national security. We as a nation must ensure that we have access to these materials and the ability to process them without reliance on foreign adversaries, including China.

“I want to applaud President Trump for declaring a national energy emergency on day one of his presidency, emphasizing that the U.S.’s identification, production, and refining of critical minerals are inadequate to meet domestic needs. Since then, President Trump has signed several executive orders related to critical minerals—including ordering immediate measures to increase American mineral production. We look forward to working with the Trump Administration on the mission to increase the capacity and resilience of domestic critical mineral supply chains.

“I also want to thank our witnesses for joining us today to share their expertise and guide our discussion about the challenges in building domestic critical mineral supply chains and the opportunities we have to improve our domestic supply chains moving forward.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Gary Palmer (R-AL)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman Gary Palmer (AL-06), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, announced a hearing titled Examining Ways to Enhance Our Critical Mineral Supply Chains. 

 

“Critical minerals are essential to America’s energy independence and our national security. By securing reliable and resilient supply chains for critical minerals, we are strengthening our global competitiveness, boosting domesticproduction and manufacturing, and reducing our reliance on foreign adversaries,” said Chairmen Guthrie and Palmer. “This hearing will provide us an opportunity to examine vulnerabilities within our current supply chains and explore ways to mitigate those risks.” 

 

Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing titled Examining Ways to Enhance Our Critical Mineral Supply Chains 

    

WHAT: Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing on critical mineral supply chains. 

     

DATE: Wednesday, May 21, 2025 

 

TIME: 10:00 AM ET 

 

LOCATION: 2123 Rayburn House Office Building 

   

This notice is at the direction of the Chairman. The hearing will be open to the public and press and will be livestreamed online at energycommerce.house.gov. If you have any questions concerning this hearing, please contact Calvin Huggins at Calvin.Huggins1@mail.house.gov. If you have any press-related questions, please contact Kaley Stidham at Kaley.Stidham@mail.house.gov.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Gary Palmer (R-AL)

For Immediate Release

Media Contact: Hope Dawson (202) 225-4921

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, President Trump signed into law H.J. Res 20, a bill sponsored by Representative Gary Palmer (AL-06) that blocks the Biden-Harris administration’s last minute attempt to ban tankless natural gas water heaters. Rep. Palmer released the following statement:

“I am honored to witness President Trump sign my commonsense legislation into law. This is a reversal of the previous administration’s attempt to remove the American people’s choice in appliances, in this case, water heaters. I thank President Trump for signing this bill, and I look forward to seeing how we can continue to work on behalf of the American people in the future.”

Watch the signing of the bill here.

For more information on H.J. Res 20:

• Read the bill text here
• Read the Fox Digital exclusive here
• Read the press release here

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Gary Palmer (R-AL)

For Immediate Release

Media Contact: Hope Dawson (202) 225-4921

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Representative Gary Palmer (AL-06) announced Meg Goodsell from Evangel Classical Christian School as the winner of the Sixth District’s Congressional Art Competition. 

“We had a very talented group of students from all across the district participate in this year’s Congressional Art Competition. I’m impressed by each student’s hard work and dedication to their craft,” said Rep. Palmer. “Congratulations to Meg on winning the competition this year. I hope she continues to use her talent to create more art in the future.” 

Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors a nationwide high school visual art competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent in the nation and in each congressional district. Students submit entries to their representative’s office, and a panel of artists in the sixth district select the winning entry. The winners’ works will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol. This year, a virtual gallery of all entries from the Sixth District can be viewed on Rep. Palmer’s website and Facebook page. The winning artwork, “Answered Prayer” by Meg Goodsell is featured at the top of the online gallery. 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Gary Palmer (R-AL)

For Immediate Release

Media Contact: Hope Dawson (202) 225-4921

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representative Gary Palmer(AL-06) introduced the All Economic Regulations are Transparent (ALERT) Act. The ALERT Act increases government transparency by requiring government agencies to submit monthly updates regarding their regulatory plans to the Office of Regulatory Affairs. The updates on the regulatory and deregulatory actions would be published online and available to the public within 30 days. This bill also prohibits agencies from promulgating new rules that have not had online updates available for at least six months. Additionally, the ALERT Act requires the White House’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs to publish annually additional information on the costs and benefits of all new agency rules. 

Following the introduction of the bill, Rep. Palmer released the following statement: 

“For far too long, American businesses have been kept in the dark regarding government agency rules and regulations. This is unacceptable,” said Rep. Palmer. “Regulations can change the financial plans and general operations of businesses, so it is vital business owners are promptly made aware when new regulations are planned and how much they are expected to cost.” 

Read the text of the bill here.