MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Diana DeGette (First District of Colorado)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Representatives Diana DeGette (D-CO), Richard Hudson (R-NC), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Tom Cole (R-OK), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), and Pete Stauber (R-MN) introduced the bipartisan DeOndra Dixon INCLUDE Project Act to advance innovative research into Down syndrome and better understand the disease.

“Last Congress, the INCLUDE Project Act passed unanimously out of the House of Representatives because Down syndrome research is a bipartisan priority,” said DeGette. “This bill will advance vital research into Down syndrome and improve health outcomes for those living with Down syndrome and related conditions. Colorado is home to the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome Research, the largest research facility dedicated to Down syndrome in the world. The INCLUDE Project Act will help us better understand the disease while bolstering our commitment to groundbreaking and innovative research.”

“People with Down syndrome enrich our world in many unique ways,” said Rep. Hudson. “The DeOndra Dixon INCLUDE Project Act ensures people with Down syndrome are valued, respected members of society and that NIH is supporting their health, enabling them to live their lives to their full potential – with no barriers or bias or obstacles standing in their way. I am honored to continue and grow research efforts so people with Down syndrome have the long and healthy lives they deserve.

 “Biomedical research is essential – I consider myself alive to because of it,” said DeLauro. “We must do all we can to strengthen the resources that facilitate lifesaving medical breakthroughs and help folks with Down syndrome live long and full lives. Since 2018, as the top Democrat on the Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, I am proud that on a bipartisan basis we have provided more than $400 million in funding for the more than 200 INCLUDE Project research grant awards at the National Institutes of Health. Now more than ever, we must fight to protect that funding. I am proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation with my colleagues, to build on that success and show our strong support for this critical program.”

“Innovative medical research has the power to transform lives. The INCLUDE Act will do just that by strengthening the environment needed to advance medical breakthroughs and support individuals with down syndrome. I am proud to help lead this legislation forward, as it will make a real difference for those with down syndrome, and I thank Rep. DeGette for introducing this legislation,” said Congressman Cole.

“Substantial NIH research funding is needed to benefit and enhance health and quality of life for people with Down syndrome, including my own daughter Katherine, and this bill will authorize the necessary funding,” said Norton. “Thank you to Rep. DeGette for your leadership on this important issue. I urge my colleagues to support this bill to provide robust funding for Down syndrome research.”

“As a father of a son with Down syndrome, I understand the important role research plays in improving the lives of those with disabilities,” said Rep. Stauber. “I’m proud to help lead this effort to ensure continued investment in these life-changing discoveries. Every individual deserves a chance to thrive, and this legislation brings us one step closer to that goal.”

“The reintroduction of the DeOndra Dixon INCLUDE Project Act is a powerful next step in ensuring that the NIH continues to invest in Down syndrome research that will elongate life and improve health outcomes for our children and adults with Down syndrome,” says Michelle Sie Whitten, President and CEO of the Global Down Syndrome Foundation. “GLOBAL, our self-advocates and families, and our researchers and medical professionals are deeply grateful for Reps. Diana DeGette and Richard Hudson’s leadership, and we are so pleased that original cosponsors Reps. Tom Cole, Rosa DeLauro, Pete Stauber, and Eleanor Holmes Norton continue to support this effort. To know that this bill will also provide a legacy in memoriam for our Ambassador DeOndra Dixon means the world to me, Dr. Joaquin Espinosa, and our entire team. I am proud that the awesome people with Down syndrome we serve, brings both sides of the aisle together. We look forward to working with our congressional champions to pass this important legislation into law this year.” 

The House of Representatives passed H.R. 7406, the DeOndra Dixon INCLUDE Project Act of 2024, unanimously in the last Congress.

This week, Rep. DeGette was presented with the Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award by the Global Down Syndrome Foundation for her continued strong advocacy in Congress that makes an impact on the lives of people with Down syndrome and their families.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11)

WASHINGTON, DC — In the wake of the May 21st shooting of two Israeli Embassy staffers outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) today sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Noem and Attorney General Bondi urging immediate action and additional federal resources to protect Jewish communities, houses of worship, and nonprofit organizations.

In her letter, Rep. Sherrill detailed several recent violent antisemitic attacks, including the May 21st shooting, the April 13th arson attack on Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s residence following a Passover celebration, and incidents in her New Jersey Congressional District such as the firebombing of Temple Ner Tamid and the vandalism of Oheb Shalom Synagogue.

The May 21st attack came just one day after the Capital Jewish Museum received a grant from the District of Columbia’s Safe and Secure DC Grant Program to cover the costs of security officers at the museum, highlighting the critical need for additional funding to protect houses of worship and nonprofit organizations.

“On the night of May 21, 2025, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, two staffers from the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC, were horrifically shot and killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum,” wrote Rep. Sherrill. “While details from the shocking attack are still emerging, the suspect’s antisemitic motivations highlight the threat of violence against Jewish Americans and residents across the United States. This attack was an assault on the core values and ideals of our nation – particularly the right to religious expression and to practice one’s faith without fear of violence – and we must take every effort to prevent it from happening again. In the wake of this violence and yet another devastating antisemitic attack in our country, I write to urge you to dedicate additional resources at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to protect houses of worship and nonprofit organizations and to combat the significant rise in antisemitic attacks and threats nationwide.”

Read the full letter here or below:

Dear Secretary Noem and Attorney General Bondi,  

On the night of May 21, 2025, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, two staffers from the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., were horrifically shot and killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum. While details from the shocking attack are still emerging, the suspect’s antisemitic motivations highlight the threat of violence against Jewish Americans and residents across the United States. This attack was an assault on the core values and ideals of our nation – particularly the right to religious expression and to practice one’s faith without fear of violence – and we must take every effort to prevent it from happening again.

In the wake of this violence and yet another devastating antisemitic attack in our country, I write to urge you to dedicate additional resources at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to protect houses of worship and nonprofit organizations and to combat the significant rise in antisemitic attacks and threats nationwide. Over the past two years, our country has seen a concerning number of high-profile instances of antisemitic violence. It is vital that your departments ensure there are sufficient resources focused on preventing and investigating these violent crimes. Specifically, I ask that you surge funding from your departments to ensure that synagogues, faith-based organizations, and nonprofits have the resources to put necessary security measures in place and that law enforcement is prepared and able to investigate antisemitic violence and other hate crimes across the country.

In addition to the heinous attack in Washington, on the night of April 13, 2025, an arsonist set fire to the residence of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. The fire was reportedly set only hours after Governor Shapiro hosted more than two dozen people commemorating the first night of Passover. The suspected arsonist reportedly sought to kill Governor Shapiro over his stated support for Israel. Such a brazen assault on one of our states’ governors highlights the ever-present risk of antisemitism and violence to all Jewish Americans.

In my own Congressional District, Jewish houses of worship have come under these same types of hateful, antisemitic attacks. This January, the Oheb Shalom Synagogue in South Orange, New Jersey was vandalized with antisemitic threats. In 2023, Temple Ner Tamid in Bloomfield, New Jersey was firebombed by an individual with a molotov cocktail in a brazen antisemitic attack.

As antisemitic violence and threats have increased, I remain concerned that synagogues, Jewish faith-based organizations, and nonprofits are under-resourced for the heightened threats that they face. I urge you to take whatever actions you can to ensure that the programs that support these organizations are properly resourced and staffed. One such program, DHS’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program, offsets the cost of physical security enhancements for religious, educational, and nonprofit community institutions, including Jewish organizations. Synagogues and schools have been targeted with vandalism, destruction, and violent attacks by extremists who seek to strike fear into congregations and civil society leaders. This funding will help to keep Americans safe from antisemitic and extremist attacks, and allow communities of faith to practice in peace.

I also urge you to ensure that initiatives to combat, investigate, and prosecute hate crimes are fully staffed and resourced. As President Trump has slashed budgets and staffing across the Executive Branch – including for the FBI staff who track and combat domestic terrorism – I am concerned that initiatives within your departments meant to combat antisemitism and other hate crimes will be left unable to address the rising threat that we face today. Specifically, it is vital that DOJ maintains its focus on investigating and prosecuting antisemitic violence across the country. However, prosecutions alone will not reduce antisemitic violence across America. For that reason, it is important that the DOJ continues programs designed to research and address hate crimes like antisemitism in our communities. Activities authorized by the Khalid Jabara & Heather Heyer NO HATE Act and the Matthew Shepard & James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, as well as the Community Relations Service, Community Approaches to Advancing Justice Grants, and continued research into domestic extremism and radicalization, are vital tools to allow the federal government to combat the rising tide of antisemitic violence. I urge you to maintain and expand funding for these programs.

Our country faces a crisis of antisemitic violence and threats that show no signs of abating. It is vital that the federal government take urgent action to protect Jewish communities, prosecute perpetrators of antisemitic hate crimes, and support community programs to counter antisemitism. Jewish Americans face the severe threat of antisemitic violence every day, and it is long past time that the U.S. federal government prioritizes their safety. 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Norma Torres (35th District of California)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman French Hill (AR-02)

Rep. French Hill Applauds House Passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL)

WASHINGTON – Rep. Brad Schneider (IL-10), co-chair of the Congressional Jewish Caucus, visited the Capital Jewish Museum to honor two Israeli Embassy staff, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, who were murdered the evening of May 21, 2025.  

Jewish Members of Congress speak to reporters outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC

Schneider, joined by fellow Jewish Democratic Representatives Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Jamie Raskin, Sara Jacobs, Kim Schrier, and Laura Friedman, delivered the below remarks (video available here).

I am Brad Schneider from Illinois’s 10th Congressional District and, as mentioned, one of the co-chairs of the Congressional Jewish Caucus. 

Debbie touched on the idea that there are so many young people in this town driven by idealism — driven by the idea that Washington stands for something, that in our founding as a nation all people are created equal. 

Last night at this site there was a gathering sponsored by the American Jewish Committee of young professionals, diplomatic professionals, who were dedicating their careers to the idea of building bridges — bridges between people and bridges between nations. 

Jewish tradition going back to Rabbi Hillel’s famous quotation, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I?” — the idea that we belong together as a nation. Our motto, E Pluribus Unum, from many one. That’s the ideal we all believe in and strive for every day in this city.

But there’s another reality, a reality that’s been true my entire life. As a young child, I remember going to synagogue on high holidays and there would be extra security, there’d be guards. In the 1970s and 80s, those guards started carrying longer guns and in the last number of years those guards have started appearing not just on the high holidays but every single day. 

And in the 19 months since October 7^th, 2023, we have seen a rise of antisemitism that has been unprecedented in my lifetime, so much so to the point that people are told don’t wear outwards display of your faith. Wear a baseball cap instead of a yamaka. Take your Star of David and tuck it in your shirt. 

There is a real fear. 

So, as we gather here today, we are overwhelming… overwhelmed by emotions. Emotions of grief at the loss of two beautiful young people who were prepared to make a life together, heading to Israel to become engaged — to make a promise to each other for a future united. 

And [then they had] that future cut short last night. 

Instead, their families, rather than gathering under the huppah will be gathering beside grave saying a Kadesh instead of Seven Blessings. 

We have grief. We have fear. But we’re not surprised at what happened and we are not going to back down. The resolve of all of us standing here, the resolve of every American Jew, the resolve of Jews around the world is that we will hold on to who we are with pride and defiance. We know our place is in this city, in this country. For us, within the governing halls of the United States. 

And we will not let anyone tell us we don’t belong.

We are overwhelmed with the grief for two beautiful souls, but we must be inspired by their spirit and their example. They were here last night participating in a program about reaching out. That is who they are, that is how they will be remembered.

We’re here today to mark their murder, to express our sorrow but we must stand to ensure their memory is always a blessing. We cannot let their death be in vain. We must stand up against hate, against antisemitism, against efforts to divide people and instead make sure we work to unite people.

Thank you very much.

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

WASHINGTON–This week, Representative Lauren Underwood (IL-14) introduced the Health Coverage for Inclusive and Valued Families (IVF) Act of 2025, legislation that would strengthen the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The legislation would amend the ACA to include fertility treatment and care as an essential health benefit, greatly expanding access to fertility services including IVF and making this essential care more affordable and accessible for families.

“No one should be priced out of the treatment and health care that can help them have a baby. Millions of Americans use treatments like IVF to plan their families and find relief from the painful and often heartbreaking experience of struggling to conceive, and they deserve our support,” Underwood said. “At a time when our fundamental freedoms and health care are under relentless attack, we must strengthen the Affordable Care Act and make sure that families are able to access essential care.”

A single cycle of IVF can range from $15,000 – 20,000 and most patients require 2.5 rounds to become pregnant.  These expenses are generally paid out-of-pocket. Amending the ACA to include coverage of IVF and other fertility services will significantly expand access to IVF and fertility treatment as well as dramatically reduce out-of-pocket costs for women and families seeking care. 

The Health Coverage for IVF Act would require the vast majority of small and non-group insurance plans to cover fertility services without requiring a diagnosis of infertility. This bill also ensures that plans provide meaningful coverage by requiring that plans do not place any more limitations on fertility treatment and care than on other medical and surgical benefits. 

In addition, it requires a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study to monitor plans’ delivery of this benefit. 

Covered fertility services under this bill would include:

• Preservation of human oocytes, sperm, or embryos for later reproductive use.
• Assisted reproductive technology, including in vitro fertilization.
• Artificial insemination
• Genetic testing of embryos.
• Medications prescribed for fertility.
• Gamete donation.
• Such other information, referrals, treatments, procedures, medications, laboratory testing, technologies, and services relating to fertility as the HHS Secretary determines appropriate.

 

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

Washington, D.C. – Today, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi voted NO on the Republican Tax Scam bill: Donald Trump’s extreme legislation that will kick nearly 14 million people off their health care, take food out of the mouths of hungry kids and raise costs for health care and groceries across the board.

For more than 29 hours, Speaker Emerita Pelosi and fellow House Democrats led sustained opposition to the Republican Tax Scam bill. Democrats offered hundreds of amendments to stop Republican cuts to health care and food assistance and to remove new tax breaks that Republicans are giving to their billionaire donors like Elon Musk.

Watch Speaker Emerita Pelosi’s Floor remarks in opposition to the bill here.

Watch Speaker Emerita Pelosi’s interview with Jen Psaki on MSNBC here.

Watch Speaker Emerita Pelosi’s interview with Raj Mathai on NBC Bay Area here.

Read the transcript of Speaker Emerita Pelosi’s Floor remarks below:

Ranking Member Jim McGovern.  I’d like to yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from California, the Speaker Emerita, Ms. Pelosi.

Speaker Emerita Pelosi. I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his exceptional leadership, and to all the members of the Rules Committee for your stamina and for your values.

Mr. Speaker, the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. said, ‘Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and the most inhuman because it often results in physical death.’ He went on to talk about access to health care as a right.

But the inequality and inhumanity of this bill is exactly what Republicans have in store for the American people.

I sat for five hours at the Rules Committee—some of you were there even longer. It was stiff competition to determine which provision was the worst. But let’s just talk for a moment about work requirements.

They said, with great pride: ‘If you have a seven-year-old child, you have to go to work.’ A seven-year-old child is a little child.

I recalled a conversation I had with some moms. One of them said: ‘If there’s a work requirement tied to Medicaid, this is what it means for me: If my child is sick, I can’t go to work because I can’t afford childcare. If I miss work, I miss pay—and I can’t afford to miss that pay. If I don’t go to work, I can be fired. So I’m forced to put my sick child on the school bus—because I need to go to work to keep my Medicaid.’

And as we mentioned, about the silencers, it’s just beyond comprehension in terms of safety for our children.

Because of the Republicans’ tax bill scam, millions of American families—seniors, veterans, vulnerable children, people with disabilities—will lose their health care. Rural hospitals will be closed. And millions of jobs will be destroyed across America.

And all of this to give another massive tax cut to the richest people in America.

It is a Republican Robin Hood in reverse: one of the largest transfers of wealth from working families to the rich that our country has ever seen.

I urge a ‘no’ vote on the rule and the bill.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)

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

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE)

Washington, DC —Today Congressional Biofuels Caucus Co-chairs Adrian Smith (R-NE), Angie Craig (D-MN), Ashley Hinson (R-IA), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Julie Fedorchak (R-ND), and Nikki Budzinski (D-IL) released the following statements celebrating the launch of the caucus for the 119th Congress and welcoming new Co-chairs Hinson, Fedorchak, and Budzinski.

“American biofuel producers have an untapped ability to power the future of liquid fuels, whether ethanol blends, biodiesel, or sustainable aviation fuel,” said Co-chair Smith. “Advancing sound policy can unlock billions of dollars in savings at the pump and hundreds of thousands of added jobs for the American people. I thank Co-chairs Craig and Pocan and congratulate Co-chairs Hinson, Fedorchak, and Budzinski for joining me to strengthen this bipartisan caucus and continue working to inform our colleagues in the House of the value of biofuels for American energy abundance.”

“Increasing the production and availability of homegrown biofuels is a critical piece of the puzzle when it comes to the all-of-the-above energy policy we need to stay ahead,” said Co-chair Craig. “I’m proud to be relaunching the Biofuels Caucus alongside my bipartisan colleagues this Congress so we can continue our work to lower prices at the pump, create opportunities for local producers and strengthen our energy security.”

“Biofuels are key to Iowa’s economy and key to American energy dominance,” said Co-chair Hinson. “Since coming to Congress, I have worked tirelessly to expand access to Iowa biofuels and support Iowa’s biofuels producers by fighting to secure permanent year-round E15, increase biofuels blending targets, and replace foreign energy with homegrown biofuels. I’m honored to co-lead the biofuels caucus and will continue working with President Trump and other caucus members to increase domestic energy production and support Iowa agriculture.”

“I am glad to join my colleagues in the Congressional Biofuels Caucus,” said Co-chair Pocan. “Corn growers in Wisconsin deserve to have an even playing field in the market dominated by the oil and gas industry. This Caucus will showcase how biofuels can help us reach our emissions reduction goals while investing in rural jobs and infrastructure.”

“Biofuels are a growing part of America’s energy strategy and another way North Dakota is helping fuel the world,” said Co-chair Fedorchak. “It’s an honor to serve as a co-chair of this bipartisan caucus to advance policies that will help expand domestic energy production, empower rural America, and deliver practical solutions for North Dakotans.”

“I came to Congress to be a strong voice for the people of Central and Southern Illinois—especially our hardworking farmers. Few issues are more critical to their success than strengthening the biofuels industry and expanding market opportunities,” said Co-chair Budzinski. “That’s why promoting the use of homegrown, sustainable biofuels has been a central focus of my work in Congress, and I’m looking forward to continuing that commitment as co-chair of this bipartisan caucus.

The Congressional Biofuels Caucus advocates for policies which reflect the capacity of American biofuels producers to meet the demand for reliable and affordable liquid fuels while growing rural economies, high-paying jobs, and value-added markets for agricultural commodities. The caucus recognizes biofuels are key to American energy independence and responsible stewardship of our resources.

Additional members of the caucus include: Reps. Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Darin LaHood (R-IL), Jim Baird (R-IN), Scott Peters (D-CA), Tom Emmer (R-MN), Andre Carson (D-IN), Ann Wagner (R-MO), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), James Comer (R-KY), Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Sam Graves (R-MO), Don Bacon (R-NE), Mike Bost (R-IL), Pete Stauber (R-MN), Michelle Fischbach (R-MN), Randy Feenstra (R-IA), Marianette Miller Meeks (R-IA), Zach Nunn (R-IA), Mike Flood (R-NE), Eric Sorensen (D-IL), Brad Finstad (R-MN), Tracey Mann (R-KS), Derrick Van Orden (R-WI), Mark Alford (R-MO), Sharice Davids (D-KS), Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-MI), Brian Jack (R-GA), and Mark Messmer (R-IN).

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