MIL USHOR-2b Engine

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

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Congressmen Adam Smith (WA-09) and Sean Casten (IL-06) led 35 House Democrats in a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) Public Integrity Section demanding DOJ immediately launch an investigation into whether President Donald Trump’s offer for top investors in his cryptocurrency token, $TRUMP, to join him at a private dinner violates federal bribery laws or the foreign emoluments clause of the Constitution.
 
“We write to request an immediate investigation into President Trump’s offer for the top investors in his $TRUMP memecoin to attend a private dinner with him on May 22, 2025,” the lawmakers wrote. “This invites foreign influence over U.S. policy decisions and raises potential corruption and emoluments clause violations. It is just the latest example of President Trump disregarding ethics norms, introducing further conflicts of interest, and using his office for self-enrichment.”
 
Days before the start of his second term, President Trump launched the $TRUMP memecoin. Its price quickly peaked at $75, before crashing and causing $2 billion in investor losses. In April, President Trump announced plans to invite $TRUMP’s top 220 investors to a private dinner, resulting in a 60% surge in price as investors rushed to accumulate enough value to qualify for a seat at the dinner. 
 
The Trump family and its partners have earned more than $320 million in trading fees since $TRUMP was launched in January, including at least $1.35 million following the dinner announcement. Multiple investors have explicitly stated that they hoped to purchase influence with the president. 
 
“U.S. law prohibits foreign persons from contributing to U.S. political campaigns,” the lawmakers continued. “However, the $TRUMP memecoin, including the promotion of a dinner promising exclusive access to the President, opens the door for foreign governments to buy influence with the President, all without disclosing their identities.”
 
In addition, a Bloomberg investigation found that the majority of the top 25 memecoin holders are likely foreign nationals. The top spot is held by Justin Sun, a Chinese crypto entrepreneur who faced an SEC lawsuit alleging fraudulent market manipulation on his blockchain platform. This Trump Administration notably paused the legal action after Sun invested $30 million in one of President Trump’s other cryptocurrency ventures, the World Liberty Project. 
 
The Foreign Emoluments Clause of the United States Constitution (Article I, Section 9, Clause 8) prohibits any federal government official, including the President, from accepting any benefit from a foreign government without the consent of Congress. It is critical that the DOJ conducts a nonpartisan investigation of President Trump’s private dinner.
 
A copy of the letter can be found here. Text of the letter can be found below.
 
Dear Acting Chief Sullivan:
 
We write to request an immediate investigation into President Trump’s offer for the top investors in his $TRUMP memecoin to attend a private dinner with him on May 22, 2025. This invites foreign influence over U.S. policy decisions and raises potential corruption and emoluments clause violations. It is just the latest example of President Trump disregarding ethics norms, introducing further conflicts of interest, and using his office for self-enrichment.
 
On April 23, 2025, a website connected to the Trump family, gettrumpmemes.com, announced that the top 220 investors in the $TRUMP memecoin would be invited to a gala dinner with President Trump on May 22, 2025, located at his golf course outside of Washington D.C. The top 25 buyers would get face time with the President at “an ultra-exclusive private VIP” reception before the dinner, as well as a “special” V.I.P. tour of the White House. And the top four investors would receive a limited-edition Trump-branded watch.
 
President Trump promoted the event on social media as the “most EXCLUSIVE INVITATION in the world,” causing the price of the memecoin to surge more than 60 percent as investors rushed to accumulate enough coins to qualify for a dinner seat. Overall, the Trump family and its partners have earned more than $320 million in trading fees since the memecoin was launched in January, including at least $1.35 million following the dinner announcement, according to blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis.
 
Investors spent more than $145 million on $TRUMP tokens over the duration of this contest, with some stating explicitly that they hoped to purchase influence with President Trump. For example, GD Culture Group, a small technology company that facilitates e-commerce for other businesses and brands on TikTok, recently announced plans to purchase $300 million worth of $TRUMP coins. And in the company’s own words, its Chinese subsidiary may be subject to “[intervention] or influence” by the Chinese government. GD Culture Group’s announcement came just days after President Trump indicated that he’d “be willing” to delay the statutorily required ban on TikTok in the U.S. past its June 19, 2025, deadline. Freight Technologies, a Houston-based company that specializes in U.S.-Mexico-Canada cross-border shipping, was even more direct about why it planned to purchase $20 million worth of President Trump’s memecoin: to help the company “advocate for fair, balanced, and free trade between Mexico and U.S.,” the company’s CEO said in a statement. After the contest closed, at least 34 of the top 220 investors sold most of their memecoin holdings, further confirming that the $TRUMP memecoin is not a worthwhile investment, but rather a vehicle to buy influence with the Trump Administration.
 
The $TRUMP memecoin website displays a leaderboard of the winners whose identities remain largely unknown due to the anonymity of digital wallets. However, a Bloomberg analysis found that 19 of the top 25 memecoin holders are likely foreign nationals. Notably, an account named “Sun” held the top spot and owned more than $18 million worth of the memecoin on May 12, 2025, when the contest ended. Investigations into this account have traced it back to Justin Sun, a Chinese billionaire who has privately touted his ties to the Chinese government and founded a blockchain network often used to finance illicit activities. Since March 2023, Sun has been facing a lawsuit from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), alleging fraudulent market manipulation on his platform. This legal action was notably paused by the Trump administration after he invested $30 million in one of President Trump’s other cryptocurrency ventures. In what appears to be a quid pro quo move, Sun then invested an additional $45 million into President Trump’s World Liberty Project, while simultaneously increasing his holdings of the $TRUMP memecoin.
 
Former Republican lawmakers, President Trump’s former aides, and cryptocurrency industry leaders recognize these national security risks and the opportunity for corruption. Charles Dent, the former chairman of the House Ethics Committee, recently stated that “ foreign entities and governments obviously want to curry favor with the president. This is completely out of bounds and raises all sorts of ethical, legal and constitutional issues that must be addressed.” Additionally, Anthony Scaramucci, a former official in the Trump administration, characterized President Trump’s memecoin as representing “Idi Amin level corruption.” Furthermore, Vitalik Buterin, a co-founder of Ethereum, emphasized that politician-backed coins “are vehicles for unlimited political bribery, including from foreign nation states.”
 
U.S. law prohibits foreign persons from contributing to U.S. political campaigns. However, the $TRUMP memecoin, including the promotion of a dinner promising exclusive access to the President, opens the door for foreign governments to buy influence with the President, all without disclosing their identities.
 
The Public Integrity Section was established in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal and exists to ensure that the Department of Justice conducts fair and thorough investigations into corruption by government officials at all levels, without regard to those officials’ political views or allegiances.
 
We therefore urge you to launch an immediate inquiry to determine whether this dinner event violates the federal bribery statute or the foreign emoluments clause of the U.S. Constitution. If the Department of Justice concludes that it does, we ask that you set aside political considerations and pursue action to uphold public integrity and the rule of law.
 
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
 
Sincerely,
 
###
 

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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 against Donald Trump’s dangerous reconciliation bill that slashes health care and food assistance in order to pay for massive tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy:

“While American families slept last night and early this morning, House Republicans rushed through and passed a devastating bill that kicks more than 10 million Americans off their health coverage, strips food assistance from millions, and drives up premiums, deductibles, and copays for working families.

In New York alone, 1.4 million people would lose coverage, including 730,000 who would be pushed off the Essential Plan. Hospitals would face more than $1.3 billion in new uncompensated care, and Medicaid would be gutted by punitive work requirements that disproportionately impact seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income caregivers. All of this to finance massive tax cuts for billionaires and large corporations.

To be clear, Republicans didn’t have to cruelly attacking working families to extended middle-class tax relief.  Simply making the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share would have paid for extending middle-class tax cuts without harming millions of Americans and drastically increasing the deficit by trillions.

I am proud that every House Democrat stood united in opposing this disastrous bill. The fight is far from over, and I will continue using every tool at my disposal to stop this cruel legislation from becoming law.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Sean Casten (IL-06)

May 22, 2025

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Congressmen Sean Casten (IL-06) and Adam Smith (WA-09) led 35 House Democrats in a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) Public Integrity Section demanding DOJ immediately launch an investigation into whether President Donald Trump’s offer for top investors in his cryptocurrency token, $TRUMP, to join him at a private dinner violates federal bribery laws or the foreign emoluments clause of the Constitution.

“We write to request an immediate investigation into President Trump’s offer for the top investors in his $TRUMP memecoin to attend a private dinner with him on May 22, 2025,” the lawmakers wrote. “This invites foreign influence over U.S. policy decisions and raises potential corruption and emoluments clause violations. It is just the latest example of President Trump disregarding ethics norms, introducing further conflicts of interest, and using his office for self-enrichment.”

Days before the start of his second term, President Trump launched the $TRUMP memecoin. Its price quickly peaked at $75, before crashing and causing $2 billion in investor losses. In April, President Trump announced plans to invite $TRUMP’s top 220 investors to a private dinner, resulting in a 60% surge in price as investors rushed to accumulate enough value to qualify for a seat at the dinner. 

The Trump family and its partners have earned more than $320 million in trading fees since $TRUMP was launched in January, including at least $1.35 million following the dinner announcement. Multiple investors have explicitly stated that they hoped to purchase influence with the president. 

In addition, a Bloomberg investigation found that the majority of the top 25 memecoin holders are likely foreign nationals. The top spot is held by Justin Sun, a Chinese crypto entrepreneur who faced an SEC lawsuit alleging fraudulent market manipulation on his blockchain platform. The Trump Administration notably paused the legal action after Sun invested $30 million in one of President Trump’s other cryptocurrency ventures, the World Liberty Project. 

“U.S. law prohibits foreign persons from contributing to U.S. political campaigns,” the lawmakers continued. “However, the $TRUMP memecoin, including the promotion of a dinner promising exclusive access to the President, opens the door for foreign governments to buy influence with the President, all without disclosing their identities.”

The Foreign Emoluments Clause of the United States Constitution (Article I, Section 9, Clause 8) prohibits any federal government official, including the President, from accepting any benefit from a foreign government without the consent of Congress. It is critical that the DOJ conducts a nonpartisan investigation of President Trump’s private dinner.

In addition to Reps. Casten and Smith, the letter was signed by Reps. Nanette Barragán, Joyce Beatty, Greg Casar, Yvette Clarke, Emanuel Cleaver, Cleo Fields, Bill Foster, Maxwell Frost, John Garamendi, Robert Garcia, Sylvia Garcia, Dan Goldman, Al Green, Jim Himes, Glenn Ivey, Marcy Kaptur, Sam Liccardo, Zoe Lofgren, Stephen Lynch, April McClain Delaney, Betty McCollum, Gregory Meeks, Dave Min, Brittany Pettersen, Brad Sherman, Shri Thanedar, Rashida Tlaib, Paul Tonko, Ritchie Torres, Juan Vargas, Nydia Velázquez, Bonnie Watson Coleman, and Nikema Williams.

A copy of the letter can be found here. Text of the letter can be found below.

Dear Acting Chief Sullivan:

We write to request an immediate investigation into President Trump’s offer for the top investors in his $TRUMP memecoin to attend a private dinner with him on May 22, 2025. This invites foreign influence over U.S. policy decisions and raises potential corruption and emoluments clause violations. It is just the latest example of President Trump disregarding ethics norms, introducing further conflicts of interest, and using his office for self-enrichment.

On April 23, 2025, a website connected to the Trump family, gettrumpmemes.com, announced that the top 220 investors in the $TRUMP memecoin would be invited to a gala dinner with President Trump on May 22, 2025, located at his golf course outside of Washington D.C. The top 25 buyers would get face time with the President at “an ultra-exclusive private VIP” reception before the dinner, as well as a “special” V.I.P. tour of the White House. And the top four investors would receive a limited-edition Trump-branded watch.

President Trump promoted the event on social media as the “most EXCLUSIVE INVITATION in the world,” causing the price of the memecoin to surge more than 60 percent as investors rushed to accumulate enough coins to qualify for a dinner seat. Overall, the Trump family and its partners have earned more than $320 million in trading fees since the memecoin was launched in January, including at least $1.35 million following the dinner announcement, according to blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis.

Investors spent more than $145 million on $TRUMP tokens over the duration of this contest, with some stating explicitly that they hoped to purchase influence with President Trump. For example, GD Culture Group, a small technology company that facilitates e-commerce for other businesses and brands on TikTok, recently announced plans to purchase $300 million worth of $TRUMP coins. And in the company’s own words, its Chinese subsidiary may be subject to “[intervention] or influence” by the Chinese government. GD Culture Group’s announcement came just days after President Trump indicated that he’d “be willing” to delay the statutorily required ban on TikTok in the U.S. past its June 19, 2025, deadline. Freight Technologies, a Houston-based company that specializes in U.S.-Mexico-Canada cross-border shipping, was even more direct about why it planned to purchase $20 million worth of President Trump’s memecoin: to help the company “advocate for fair, balanced, and free trade between Mexico and U.S.,” the company’s CEO said in a statement. After the contest closed, at least 34 of the top 220 investors sold most of their memecoin holdings, further confirming that the $TRUMP memecoin is not a worthwhile investment, but rather a vehicle to buy influence with the Trump Administration.

The $TRUMP memecoin website displays a leaderboard of the winners whose identities remain largely unknown due to the anonymity of digital wallets. However, a Bloomberg analysis found that 19 of the top 25 memecoin holders are likely foreign nationals. Notably, Justin Sun, a Chinese billionaire who has privately touted his ties to the Chinese government and founded a blockchain network often used to finance illicit activities, confirmed that he held the top spot. He owned more than $18 million worth of the memecoin on May 12, 2025, when the contest ended. Since March 2023, Sun has been facing a lawsuit from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), alleging fraudulent market manipulation on his platform. This legal action was notably paused by the Trump administration after he invested $30 million in one of President Trump’s other cryptocurrency ventures. In what appears to be a quid pro quo move, Sun then invested an additional $45 million into President Trump’s World Liberty Project, while simultaneously increasing his holdings of the $TRUMP memecoin.

Former Republican lawmakers, President Trump’s former aides, and cryptocurrency industry leaders recognize these national security risks and the opportunity for corruption. Charles Dent, the former chairman of the House Ethics Committee, recently stated that “ foreign entities and governments obviously want to curry favor with the president. This is completely out of bounds and raises all sorts of ethical, legal and constitutional issues that must be addressed.” Additionally, Anthony Scaramucci, a former official in the Trump administration, characterized President Trump’s memecoin as representing “Idi Amin level corruption.” Furthermore, Vitalik Buterin, a co-founder of Ethereum, emphasized that politician-backed coins “are vehicles for unlimited political bribery, including from foreign nation states.”

U.S. law prohibits foreign persons from contributing to U.S. political campaigns. However, the $TRUMP memecoin, including the promotion of a dinner promising exclusive access to the President, opens the door for foreign governments to buy influence with the President, all without disclosing their identities.

The Public Integrity Section was established in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal and exists to ensure that the Department of Justice conducts fair and thorough investigations into corruption by government officials at all levels, without regard to those officials’ political views or allegiances.

We therefore urge you to launch an immediate inquiry to determine whether this dinner event violates the federal bribery statute or the foreign emoluments clause of the U.S. Constitution. If the Department of Justice concludes that it does, we ask that you set aside political considerations and pursue action to uphold public integrity and the rule of law.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

###

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman David G Valadao (CA-21)

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman David Valadao (CA-22) released the following statement on passage of the House version of the reconciliation bill.

“From the very beginning, I was clear with House Leadership: I would not support a final reconciliation bill that included any reduction in Medicaid coverage for our most vulnerable populations—children, seniors, individuals with disabilities, and pregnant women,” said Congressman Valadao. “After months of meetings with my constituents, Central Valley healthcare providers, and my congressional colleagues, I successfully preserved the integrity of the program and prevented proposals that would disproportionately impact California. This bill honors my commitment to protect Medicaid for our most vulnerable populations, while implementing commonsense reforms to strengthen the program. As this process moves forward, my priorities remain the same, and I am committed to working closely with my colleagues in the Senate to ensure critical programs like Medicaid and SNAP are protected for those who need them most.”

Congressman Valadao continues, “The House version of this bill also blocks the largest tax hike in American history and delivers meaningful tax relief for working families and seniors here in the Central Valley. More than 90 percent of my constituents rely on the standard deduction, and this legislation preserves the provisions that doubled it. It also expands the Child Tax Credit, eliminates taxes on tips and on overtime, and enhances deductions for seniors. These are real wins that will put more money back in the pockets of hardworking Central Valley families.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)

Following House passage of the Republican reconciliation bill, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) released the following statement:

With the narrow passage of this reckless bill, Republicans have brazenly chosen to sacrifice the health and economic security of working Americans to give massive handouts to billionaires and corporate interests. This legislation represents the ultimate betrayal of hardworking families across our nation.

This week, a nonpartisan analysis from the Congressional Budget Office confirmed what we’ve known all along: This GOP tax scam robs from those with the least to line the pockets of the wealthy. Billionaires and corporations reap substantial tax breaks, while everyday Americans foot the bill. The richest 10% will see their wealth grow, while the poorest 10% will see their budgets shrink even further. If it’s signed into law, it will represent the single largest transfer of wealth in U.S. history. 

In Maine alone, around 400,000 people—including seniors in nursing homes, children, and working families without job-based health coverage—depend on Medicaid. This bill cruelly strips coverage from an estimated 50,000 Mainers, threatens the survival of health care providers like hospitals and nursing homes, and transfers enormous financial burdens onto our already strained state budget. Additionally, SNAP benefits—which provide a modest $2-per-meal lifeline to our veterans, seniors, and children—will be drastically gutted.

Republicans love to talk about reducing the deficit, yet this bill recklessly adds nearly $4 trillion to our national debt, jeopardizing bond markets, destabilizing our economy, and potentially triggering billions in cuts to Medicare.

My Democratic colleagues and I fought tirelessly to expose and oppose this bill at every turn, demanding transparency and accountability. The American people deserve to understand exactly what happened today: House Republicans deliberately chose their ultra-rich donors over the well-being and financial security of everyday Americans.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jack Bergman (MI-1)

This morning, Rep. Jack Bergman voted in support of H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

This landmark legislation fulfills the clear mandate voters gave to President Trump, Rep. Bergman, and the Republican Party last November: deliver bold, conservative solutions for the American people.

This bill delivers on many of Rep. Bergman’s key promises to his constituents such as generational investment in our Nation’s defense, historic funding to stop the flow of fentanyl and illegal immigration across our borders, cutting taxes on tips and overtime, and unlocking our Nation’s energy potential. 

Rep. Bergman stated, “House Republicans got the job done. We kept our word – cutting costs for families, boosting American energy, stopping massive tax hikes, securing our southern border, strengthening Medicaid, and investing in our national defense. While no piece of legislation is perfect, this was a team effort with input from all of our constituents to deliver real results for the American people.”

Ways and Means Committee Fact Sheets:

The One, Big, Beautiful Bill Makes Rural America Great Again

The One, Big, Beautiful Bill Makes America Win Again

The One, Big, Beautiful Bill Puts American Workers First

The One, Big, Beautiful Bill Fuels America’s Economic Growth

The One, Big, Beautiful Bill Champions Life and Puts American Families First

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rick Larsen (2nd Congressional District Washington)

Larsen Votes NO on the Republican Rip-Off Budget

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mark Amodei (NV-02)

Washington, D.C. – Rep. Mark Amodei issued the following statement after the House passed H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act:

“A few months ago, we were given an opportunity by the House Natural Resources Committee and House leadership to help alleviate land constraints faced by Nevada’s communities,” said Rep. Mark Amodei. “While the House reconciliation bill ultimately did not end up including my lands amendment, the fight is far from over. I will continue to push for the responsible management of underused lands in Nevada and ensure our state’s future is no longer jeopardized by excessive federal land ownership.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (12th District of Michigan)

Dingell Statement on House Passage of Republican Reconciliation Bill

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (12th District of Michigan)

Dingell Statement on the Passing of Rep. Gerry Connolly